META: Thanks, PointBuzz!

I just wanted to share with you an interesting statistic...

Jus about a year ago, I posted a video clip on vimeo. Like most of my videos, it sits on their server, barely noticed most of the time. In the past year, the clip has been viewed 271 times, which is fairly typical for my collection. I don't promote aggressively, and most of my stuff is pretty pedestrian anyway.

This week, I posted a blind link in a PointBuzz discussion. Again, not really promotion, just a text link.

Tuesday, that clip was played 376 times. This week there have been 428 plays.

Yes, a couple of people shared it on Facebook (thanks, Walt!) and possibly other places. But that traffic is all PointBuzz driven.

It's not that the traffic matters; I don't get paid for it or anything. But I do thank you all for stopping by, and I hope you found more interesting stuff in my collection!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Thank you RideMan. I have really enjoyed all of the material you have made available. Keep up the awesome work!

Rideman, it is us in the community that should be thanking you. Even though I don't speak often, I go back to the GTTP days. I've seen a lot of people come and go. But I could still probably count on one hand the number of people who aren't just in the know, but consistently Authoritative in our little field. A tip of the hat to you!

Murtagh

PDX is right. In fact, I even mentioned you on Twitter last week:

http://i.pointbuzz.com/rideman.png

Dittos from me.
Anytime I have a question that I can't find a question to, I always say, I wish Dave were here right now. :-)

I never saw the video you posted. Can anyone direct me to it?

https://vimeo.com/57728739

I really miss the old 2 station system, but man there were some serious safety violations going on there! LOL

Now, Mike, what you say is very interesting.

It is interesting to visit a park...any park...with someone who has worked for a different park. Every operation has its own processes, its own procedures, and its own rules. Anyone who has ever worked at Six Flags will tell you how Cedar Point gets it wrong. And of course the Cedar Point people know how screwy the Sea World people are. And so on down the line.

By the same token, everything in that Blue Streak video was practiced, and was the way they did things. Many of the things you probably noticed were actually done to serve important safety related functions. Back in those days it was vitally important to get the train out of the station on time. Getting the train out on time was perhaps the most vital safety function the crew had to perform. The train COULD NOT go out late. To dispatch late was to risk the most serious accident likely to happen on a ride like the Blue Streak: a collision. It was better to dispatch a half-ready train and stop it on the lift to fix lap bars or seat belts or whatever else might have gone wrong, than to delay the dispatch and end up with two trains in the station. That means the train has to be fully loaded very quickly, dispatched on time, and evaluated as to its readiness before it leaves the station. A train that isn't ready still has to leave, but it has to be fixed before it crests the lift. Almost anything that has to be taken care of while loading the train (aside from actually getting people completely into the seats) is a lower risk than bumping trains. Pre-computer operations on the Blue Streak reflected that.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

It's been years, and I may be mistaken, but couldn't they "stack" train #2 in the approach run before it actually got into the station back then? I remember those guys ran like a well oiled machine back then getting those trains out like clockwork!

If they had separate unload/load sections what would cause the trains to bump? Were the brakes not good enough to make sure a train stopped in the unload area?

Well, in theory the safety system would raise the approach brake enough that it might stop the train. Remember the other two brakes were of the Armstrong design. In theory you could keep the trains apart just with the brakes, but it was generally considered a Bad Thing. I only ever saw the train stop...unloaded...on the approach brake once, and that was an intentional effort to dry the skids off. That's when I learned what the buzzer and red light (I think it was a red light) were for.
The yellow light meant the chain was running, the bell meant the train was rounding the turnaround, and the buzzer meant the approach brake skids were up.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Man I do miss the golden oldie days of Blue Streak.