New or Renovated Trains on Arrow Coasters?

RideMan said:

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As for Mine Ride, the problem with that one is that someone measured the original seat cushions and then had high density foam cushions made up to replace them. The difference is that the current cushions do not squish when you sit on them, so you are a couple of inches higher and further forward than you should be on that seat. If the seat cushions has been made to the "squished" dimensions of the originals, the ride would be much more accommodating.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Personally, I think the biggest problem with the Mine Ride seats is how the bar restraints for an entire car are all controlled by the same lever and all get lowered to the same height. I have a bit of a gut and invariably I get seated in a car where the seat in front of me has young kids or skinny adults who need a much tighter lap bar restraint that I do.

Oh well - I guess that's just my incentive to lose some weight!

Rusty, the Mine Ride restraint system only has one locked position, it does not go down further for skinny people. It would latch in the same position even if you were the only one on the train.

I have no major issues with Magnum's trains. I think they are fine the way they are.

Corkscrew, on the other hand, I have some trouble with. I am a bit tall in the torso, and when the Corkscrew restraints come down, I get absolutely crushed. Iron Dragon's restraints have a bit more space and I fit fine on.

...And at some point in the past I know the restraints on Corkscrew were changed. More recently, the seat padding was changed to finally get rid of that lump that digs into the back of your neck that seemed to be unique to Corkscrew. I know Corkscrew got the newer style of shoulder bar, which doesn't work well in that train because it doesn't leave enough space for your arm between the bar and the side of the seat.

Rusty complained thusly about Mine Ride:

Personally, I think the biggest problem with the Mine Ride seats is how the bar restraints for an entire car are all controlled by the same lever and all get lowered to the same height. I have a bit of a gut and invariably I get seated in a car where the seat in front of me has young kids or skinny adults who need a much tighter lap bar restraint that I do.

And of course as Pete pointed out, the lap bars on Mine Ride are not adjustable...they are either open or closed, just like the ones on Blue Streak used to be (had to mention that...). But they are insanely tight. But consider two things that have changed on that one. First, the aforementioned cushion issue, second the lap bar hasn't always been padded, so it used to be a smaller diameter. Consider that if the bar were smaller in diameter, it would not be so tight. Also, if the seat bench put you in the correct position, you would be lower and further back, and either way it would give you more space under the bar.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.