MF lift problem

For anyone that was at the Point on Friday July 7th, MF seemed to have a problem with its lifting mechanism. It went down at about 4:05PM just after the fast pass ticket session ended. What would have ended up being a 35 minute (estimated) wait turned into 3 hours. During those 3 hours, they sent 30 empty trains through the circuit sucessfully. After 3 hours had passed, there were only 100-150 people left in the queue.

They took the red train off and let the die-hards still waiting in the queue a chance to ride. But the queue entrance at the bottom was still closed and it did not reopen to the long line of others on the outside thinking that the ride was fixed. When the cable pulled the train out of the loading area, it moved extremely slow. It took nearly a minute to pull the last car out of the station. But then it would pick up speed and take off like it normally does.

When I got into my car just before 9:00PM, I drove around the peninsula, and the ride was still down. But when I came back around to get on the causeway, it was up and running. I was wondering if anyone else could shed some more light on this. And if anyone that rode it after 9:00PM, if the lifting mechanism was fixed?

In the evening, after my TTR rides, I went over to see if I could get in one last ride. What I remember hearing is that the manual release for the cars was not functioning properly and they had to use the over ride to run the cars.

I remember for sure the ride op said they had electrical, mechanical and other matenence people working. The ride op did not know for sure what was wrong. I do remember seing the empty trains though. The slow lift speed could have been because they were over riding the sytem, but then again I could have heard the ride op wrong.

On a slightly different topic, why didn't they put the lap bars down?
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"the Force of the new Millennium is being felt by those who choose to seek it.

I noticed that too! When any other coaster goes through a test-run, the lap bars are always down and the seat belt fastened. On MF, they fasten the seat belts, but the lap bar stays up. I would have thought that a train could never leave the station without all of the lap bars being down whether it had passengers or not.

I was one of the die hards who waited on the ramp near the middle of the unload station for 3 hours.


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Mantis How Much Can You Stand?

I watched them cycle trains around 5pm. A few observations:

On a few occasions yellow's anti-rollbacks made noise at dispatch, as well as the top of the lift. It made noise at the top when I rode in it as well. I can't understand why that train's rollbacks are so much more tempermental than the others.

I also noticed that on several of these cycles, the train stopped at fail-safe point on the lift, just before the arc. I thought maybe this was on purpose, because they do that most mornings to test, but in those instances it's usually further down the lift. I was thinking that the computer didn't think the back train was clear of the block, but who knows.

Finally, they appeared to be playing wheel tag. They had more nylon wheels than I've ever seen before on the trains. I also saw a mechanic checking wheels and making notes between intervals when I got up to the catwalk past the exit platform.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 35

Raptor0137, the engineers and workers that constructed MF had rides with no lapbars and just seat belts. This was to make sure that riders couldn't hit any supports, branches, and the tunnels with their hands. Wouldn't that have been one helluva ride?

I noticed while waiting in line on the ramp that all three trains anti-rollbacks were making noise at dispatch, as well as at the top.


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Mantis How Much Can You Stand?

CP_bound... whoever told you that was yanking your chain. No full-speed rides ever occured with people on it testing the safety envelope, only a two-car pull-through with a large wood D-shaped panel with "fingers" winched its way through the course. Reportedly, yes, the engineers rode with the lapbars up to monitor the wheels' tracking ability, but it had nothing to do with testing the safety envelope.

That said, none of Cedar Point's roller coasters require restraints to be in place to dispatch.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 35

Jeff, are you sure? I know I have been on Raptor when they had to re-set the restraints. The only way I could think of to dispatch without restraints is to over ride that safety feature. Any comments?

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"the Force of the new Millennium is being felt by those who choose to seek it.

Raptor0137, do you notice how the lap bars stay up in their open position VERY well. Do you notice how Magnum's for instance sometimes falls down just when you get out. Well that's it, the bars just can stay in their open positions really well. It probably helps that they are vertical. Just my thought.

Thats on every coaster though.If that was the case the ride ops wouldnt have to check your lap bars before dispatch.they could tell if one was up if the train couldnt launch...
I dont even put on my lapbelt and when they MAKE me I take it off after the train has left the station.Who says you need lapbelts and lapbars???
Bullnanny!!!!

I can tell you one thing, When I worked at the park in '87, I rode Gemini with no lapbar at all, and I was almost launched (read "ejected") from the car at the top of the second hill. I was very lucky that I was somewhat expecting it and was ready to grab the bar. Trust me, the lap bar is very important on any coaster where you have the impression of airtime, because without the bar, that feeling of airtime would be 'More than a Feeling'

Chris DeFouw
White Water Landing Crew '87

I've ridden a coaster that has no bar [or any other restraints] and has an impression of air. Not much, but some.

It's the Tig'rr at Indiana Beach.

Removing your belt is stupid and violates the Ohio Revised Code's rider responsibility law. You're a moron and the reason that the park is so overly cautious in the first place.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 35

I've been on the Tig'rr. After years of riding coasters at CP, I was still looking for some sort of restraint after the ride was over :)

But on the Hoosier Hurricane, for some reason the lap bar would not lock. The ride operater said, "You won't go anywhere," and they sent the train on it's way. It locked on the way down the first hill :)

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Cedar Point Virtual Midway
http://www.schmidty.com/cpvirtual

I was at CP on Thurday July 6 and I was at the front of the line Next train. Then the ride broke down!!! I couldn't beleive it. Then to make matters worse the MF Team waited an hour to tell us. That would have been my 3rd time riding it!

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Mike Bojanowski

From what I hear Jeff, it's also against Ohio Revised Code 1711.551 to put space between yourself and the lap bar if, in fact, the ride was designed to run with lap bars down. (see the "cheating the lap bar" thread [exact title not known to me])

Now define 'putting space' and 'down'. One click can be considered 'down'. This is really too ambiguous to be useful.

The Code merely states (using a double-negative, I might add) that the rider must follow the instructions given by signage and by the operator, and that the rider may not engage in behavior which will cause injury to himself or to other riders.

If the ride design allows the ride to be ridden safely with the lap bars open, there is nothing in the Code which specifically forbids that.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

It's fun having a recreational student of the art and science of amusement rides on this site. ;)

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 35