MF doesn't run in the rain.

I was at CP today (tuesday) and it started to rain. All of the major rides were still running but MF was not. It was only sprinkling, no big deal. Anybody know why they are not running it in the rain. I'm sure rain hurts at 92mph but i'm willing to suffer for it. I did get one ride in before it started to rain.

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"Who needs drugs when you have Cedar Point."

I got one of the last rides before they closed it around 5:30 and it was raining. Well not really raining but sprinkling but I was so pumped up I didnt even notice any of it hitting me.

I was in line for MF when it started raining. I stayed in line until they kicked everybody out of line. They never reopened it. I think it might be the new brakes. When they tested it while it was raining it almost stopped on the braking run after the last turn. It took about a minute to get from the last turn to out of the first braking area. I may be wrong though.

MF Count: 4

No, it's not the brakes. An empty train, particularly one that isn't "warmed up," slows to a crawl in the last part of the brakes.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 23

I think rain drops hitting you in the face at that speed may just be too uncomfortable for many people. I know that rain can hurt even on the slower rides, it would be truly painful at 92mph.

The brakes can handle rain, no problem at all.

There are two problems, though, and both have to do with rubber tires. One problem is that the anti-rollback release generator will slip on the lift hill and not properly disengage the anti-rollbacks. This will cause wear on the anti-rollbacks, but it is not a safety problem. It just makes the Millennium Force lift almost as loud as Magnum's.

The other problem is a bit more serious. A difficulty with magnetic brakes is that the braking force is directly proportional to the speed of the conductor (brake fin). So when the speed drops to zero, there is no braking force. This means that the train is not stopped by the magnetic brakes, but rather by the four kicker wheels on the brake run. Yup, we're back to damn kicker wheels again. Why don't European rides use holding brakes and gravity like most American rides do? If a kicker wheel is wet, it won't stop the train, at least not without slipping, and that's a huge problem.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

IMO CP has a great safety record and they want to keep it that way. I was 30 min away on Tues when I decided to get out of line as it was raining.
You know it's like this, there's always tomorrow.
And I live 2 hours away:) I intend to give CP encouragement and not become one of the cry babies. I'm not saying anyone at GTTP is one, but man some of those people in line!!!!!!

I asked an employee standing at the queue entrance what was going on ofter they shut it down and she said that some lady was hurt pretty bad from the rain hitting her face. She also said that because the ride was new that they didn't want to take any chances with running it in the rain. That's just what she said, not me.
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Millennium Force: As fast as a male horsefly!

I'm not an expert but I think it had something to do with the way the safeties that keep the train from falling down the hill. Correct me if I'm wrong but dont they only engage when the wheels stop moving. When they were pulling the test trains up the hill the wheels didn't turn due to the wet track and it made the loud clicking noise half way up the track. I don't know if thats why they didn't run it but that is what was happening.

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"Who needs drugs when you have Cedar Point."