Magnum Xl-200 performance

I will get my first Magnum ride of the year this MONDAY!! Three days, I can't wait.

Thank you Mr. Scott!!

who/what decides when the trims are on or off? and how is that controlled? why would they be on sometimes and not others?

It depends on crowds, number of trains, weather conditions and im sure other factors. If the weather is cold, the train stands a higher chance of not completing the course if the trims are on, so they might turn them off. If they are running only 2 trains they might turn them off to make the ride time shorter. A lot of times for the last train or two of the night they'll turn them off to make interval shorter.

I think/assume it's just controlled by a button or switch in the control booth.

There is a button in thecontrol booth to shut them on and off, but during normal operation they are supposed to be on all the time. We time the intervals between trains, and if the trains start to come in at 61+ seconds we will get maintenance to adjust them so they don't grab as hard. They can make a lot bigger difference than you might think. One morning we had the trims on, but we knew something was up because the trains were flying through the course and blasting through the brake run outside of the 3rd tunnel and stopping pretty hard in the ready brakes. We were timing them at like 55 seconds and less. We called up maintenance and I guess they had lost air pressure in the tanks and fixed the trims.

I personally I think that them being fixed would be to have them removed. ;) If you've ever had a fully loaded trimless ride you will know why Magnum was rated #1 for so many years. I've had several of them at night and only one during the day.

It's ridiculous how insane the ride is when it's actually run to its potential. Incidentally I have the same sentiment towards Mean Streak when I've gotten a trimless ride on it before...

so what is the benefit of ever having them on? safety?

Longer interval, less of a hard stop. Gives people longer to get in and out of the trains.

I guess it makes for a 'less rough' ride too (BOO!!!)

I've had many a trimless ride, especially last year on ride night (I think I got 8 rides, I could be wrong). I've had many during the day and at night, all different weather conditions. Trimless sure is better than trimmed, I'll say that much.

Isn't it about 65 seconds or so that is normal from the time it drops off the lift until it's in the ready/transfer brakes?

~2:00 ride time, and the lift takes about 54 to 55 seconds, no?

Not to get too much off topic, but does Mean Streak have a button to shut off the trim brakes on first hill drop or no? One day in July I was at the park, only two trains were running and there was no brakes this was in the morning around 11 am. Opening weekend on Sunday evening there was two trains running but the trims were on. Same Monday. I think the trims are automatically controlled by the computer depending on speed, timing, weather, etc. I just was not sure.

Normal time from the time the train drops off the lift until the time it hits the safety brakes is 58-60 seconds. The better rides are on the lower end of this. The really lame rides are 62 seconds or more. The lift is I believe 53-54 seconds and the interval (top of the 2nd hill) is about 1:24. The lift is actually slower these days compared to a couple years ago as the interval used to be 1:20 and is listed in the manual as 1:15.

It's AMAZING what a difference two seconds can make.

I rode it yesterday, and it hurt. and yes, it was slower. The trim brakes were really heavy. I think I'll retire this ride for a while, or at least wait for a warmer day. I find that if you are in the front of a car, (not the front of the train) its a little smoother.

Try tightening your seatbelt as hard as you can. Makes for the best rides.

If your lap bar isn't down as far as it will go, expect some black and blue marks, and yes every ride may be different. I usually sit in the same seat and find different ride experiences.

I find that the opposite is true for me. If there is a little "give" in the lapbar my legs don't suffer at all, but if it goes down one more click then I have problems.

CP_bound said:
I find that the opposite is true for me. If there is a little "give" in the lapbar my legs don't suffer at all, but if it goes down one more click then I have problems.

Agreed majorly. I kept my lapbar a click or two up, and just flew around and had tons of fun. But when my bar was pushed down and tighter, my thighs took a brutal pounding since there was nowhere for me to fly to.

Magnum ride night was amazing last year indeed.

There are 2 sets of trims, right? And were they there when it first opened?

I don't think they were when it opened.

There's only one set of trims - after the third hill at the entrance of the pretzle. They used to be located at the top of the third hill and were moved early on.

Since Jeff Walker is a dork and spends his day off IMing me (;)), I am editing my post. The safety brakes also serve as trim brakes (slowing the train after the third tunnel) in addition to block brakes. During two train operation, the ready brakes also serve as trim brakes slowing the train before it comes into the station.

Oh and yea if you want to be technical, the station brakes are trim brakes too since they slow the train down on its way into the station with low air pressure before stopping it with high air pressure. *** Edited 5/22/2005 7:01:39 PM UTC by MDOmnis***

Magnum at night is absolutely amazing. I mean, going out into the pretzel in the dark and seeing the lake... I love it so much, I'm gonna be there tomorrow but sadly we're leaving at 7 so I won't be there to ride it in the dark. I'll be wearing a bright orange adidas tshirt, hollar if you see me, I've always wanted to meet some fellow PointBuzzers.