One Train

I was just wondering if any of you guys have ever seen Millennium Force with only one train running? Whenever I've been there, theres been at least 2.

One of MF's trains are sometimes not put on the track until a week or two into the season, so I assume something could go wrong with one of the trains (wheel replacement, etc.) and leave only one running.

Park operations would never let this happen unless there's no way around it.

I don't think I've seen any coaster at the park run with one train other than Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Blue Streak.

(Wicked Twister, Woodstock Express, and Jr. Gemini don't apply)

Besides necessary mechanical reasons, I’ve seen one train run on a cold windy day in October. The park was dead and there was maybe a 3 train wait the whole day. They had it at two trains earlier and were going out mostly empty causing near rollback conditions, so they took it down to one.

Also AAA day in 2000 I think they only had one train certified.

I'm pretty sure AAA day had 2 trains going. The only time I've seen one was a few years ago (2004 I think) in mid May when it had it's rollback. They got the ride up around 9:30 PM (Park closed at 10) and only the blue train ran. Oddly, that was the train that had rolled back.

MF Rolled back? Where did it Roll back at, and how did they get it back to the station?

Please excuse my ignorance, but I didnt think it would be possible for MF to roll back.

Basically, to keep the story short, it rolled back during a morning test run either on the island or on the big hill that leads to the island. They used a series of winches fastened to the track to pull it back to the station. Somewhere I have a picture of maintence people winching the train through the last overbank turn by the station.

Technically it's called Valleying... and it can happen to any coaster. What happeneds is... if the train valleys, a segement of track is removed and the trains are then pulled off by a craine, and I would assume trucked to storage track. This, of course, after everyone was taken off the ride via Cherry Picker, or in some cases, a ladder.

Examples of these peices of track are:

http://www.pointbuzz.com/Gallery.aspx?i=1125

See the beams sticking out?

Wow. You learn somthing new everyday. Thanks for the info!

Those beams are for trim brakes that were never installed.

There has never been a case where a ride valleyed at CP with people on it. I've heard of Gemini, Mean Streak, Mantis, Millennium Force, Magnum, and Raptor all this.

The piece of track you're talking about is somewhere along here.
http://www.pointbuzz.com/Gallery.aspx?i=1175

Well, that was what I was told on another thread. However, the piece I was really thinking of is just above the walking tunnel under the camel backs over the lagoon. If you look closely next time you're walking by, look for it.

I love that pic of MF. For some reason it looks really cool to me.

I remember walking under that track... ::sigh:: After not working at the park for 2 years, you start to miss it...

Back on topic... I know in 2004, it never ran 1 train operation. I know as a worker, 2 train seemed so slow. I can't even imagine how slow 1 train would be.

With two stations, one train would be painful to see.

I don't see it int hat photo Gomez, the supports look too close together.

^The piece of track is somewhere around that area, not that piece exactly.

I'm talking about the photo as a whole, all the supports are to close. So you mean it's not in the photo, just in that area?

As far as I know (just from remembering accounts I've read on here) they have never used the removable rails in the two or three occasions that MF has vallied. Every time they've just winched it back to the station.

Now that I think about it, the rollback I talked about earlier where they ran one train afterwards was in 2002, not 2004. That was quite a painful wait as they cycled that one train around each time.

Gomez said:
With two stations, one train would be painful to see.

Yea, even two trains sucks with the two stations because the load station sits idle a lot. It would have been good if they could have designed the load platform so that they could switch to "flush loading" like on Magnum or Raptor, or most coasters in the event of running anything less than three trains.

I point to this as evidence that two stations isn't better than one. :) The people exiting are never the bottleneck and therefore the unload station, even in the three train scenerio provides minimal advantage. In truth, since it stacks every time even when they hit interval, MF could get about the same capacity with two trains and flush loading as they do with three trains and the two stations.

Always have to find someway to make Maggie look better than Millie dont you Matt?

I happen to like 2 stations. I always liked the effect of the empty train rolling in to the music and the "toaster light" effects....

But I suppose 1 station could be efficient as well.

I've seen last May when I was there, the half day starlight ticket it rained so the park was light. MF had no line a walk-on, there was two train running. Yes I to like an emty train rolling into the station with the music on, even more when you got the front seat!!!