Opening Weekend Stapling?

http://www.masslive.com/newsflash/topstories/index.ssf?/base/news-10/108344905315200.xml

Prayers and Thoughts to the family.

Anybody think this incident so close to opening day will cause "over-stapling" on Dragster-- or for that matter, Millennium Force? This is the fourth incident that I know of dealing with Intamin and their restraints, and the second in the past few weeks. Any thoughts?

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Michael McCormack
Magnum Count: 933
"Is it raining nickels?"

We should not jump to conclusions as to what happened.

My prayers to the family...

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Beer and golf Thursday thru Monday, Cedar Point & beer, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Cedar Point already goes the ultra-safe route with the seat belt length and lap bar enforcement. I'd be surprised if anything changed.

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Walt Schmidt
Virtual Midway
*** This post was edited by Gemini 5/1/2004 7:37:55 PM ***

Nothing changed after the Legend tragedy last year. The park just sent a memo around telling the ride hosts to make sure they're following all the S.O.P.s and stapling everyone. Probably same case this time.

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2003 Super Screw Crew

That is true about the Raven tradgedy, Drew, and yes I know the park already goes the ultra-safe route with everything, Walt, but since this is a sit-down Intamin, built the same year as MF, with the same cars and restraints, could the park, and-or Intamin go even further to make sure people stay in the train? I'm just curious if Intamin will take a closer look, if it is something on their end, into current rides and restraint systems around the country, and at CP, because of what has happened in the past years, with Plunge, Hydro, SROS-SFDL and now this.

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Michael McCormack
Magnum Count: 933
"Is it raining nickels?"

I really see a Restraint redesign coming very soon. Possible replacing the bars with the kind used on TTD and Xcel. Which was needed to be done from the beginning.

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- Dennis
When I die, They'll read this And say a genius wrote it. http://xtremecoasters.com/

Millennium Force does NOT have the same kind of cars and restraints as Superman: Ride of Steel. There are some subtle, but very important differences. The Dragster trains are even more different.

My personal opinion is that if Darien Lake's Superman coaster had the Millennium Force train on it, it would not have thrown a rider. I suspect that the same is true for the Six Flags Riverside coaster.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Thank you for that information Dave, I did not know that the trains were different. I guess thats what I get for assuming. What differences are there in the restraints by the way? Are there differences in the SROS trains used at the various parks?

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Michael McCormack
Magnum Count: 933
"Is it raining nickels?"

Even the Dragster bars are different from MF. The newest version has a curve in the bar, the seat is deeper, and the bar sits in divot in the seat. It's a much, much better design if you ask me.

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Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?

I don't know if there are differences between the S:ROS trains or not.

At Darien Lake, though, there are a couple of significant differences from Millennium Force. First, on Superman, the odd-numbered seats are closer together and the cylinders for the lap bars are outboard of the riders' feet. What I think it more significant is that while the train has 'stadium seating,' the floor pan is not angled, and with the shallow seat, when I was sitting in the back seat of a Superman train, my knees were at times lower than my thighs.

I'm with Jeff...the Dragster seat and lap bar design is a distinct improvement over Millennium Force. And Millennium Force is a huge improvement over Superman.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

BirdofPrey00 asked

"Anybody think this incident so close to opening day will cause "over-stapling" on Dragster"

There has always been "over-stapling" on Dragster. I don't see how they could staple any more aside from jumping on the restraint.

I'm not complaining about the stapling mind you, but I have had some discomfort caused when some of the ride ops of "extreme size" have put all of their weight into the bar. I supppose it's my problem being such a little guy with no meat on my bones.

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Richie Anderson
Millennuim Force TL '01
Ride Maintenance '02 & '03

I think that we will continue to get stapling for a long time to come. I personally don't mind it, I don't really want to feel insecure on a ride that high up. I staple myself sometimes on Millenium Force.

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Someone better explain what's going on here...or...there will be a lot of explaining to do!

There are certain things you can do to avoid stapling, but you really have to make you do it right.

When the ride op comes to press down on the bar, thrust your pelvis forward, so when they release can sit back and you'll have a few inches in between you and the bar. Of course, you're responsible for pulling it down farther, but at least you can have a little bit of comfort.

That's what I do.

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The Point of Cedars
www.thepointofcedars.tk

Just remember Top Thrill Dragster that the hosts are aware that people do that, and will come back to push down on your harness if they see that there is any space between you and the harness. If you do it again, you'll probably be asked to not ride.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast/05/01/coaster.death.ap/index.html

Back on topic, according to the CNN article, the man had Cerebral Palsy. Prayers go out to the family, the people who witnessed it, and the employees who are going to have this on their conscious for the rest of their lives.
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2003 Super Screw Crew
*** This post was edited by Drew 5/2/2004 1:51:32 PM ***

If you try to cheat the system, you deserve to have them stand on the bar as far as I'm concerned. Besides, the Dragster bar is far more accommodating to the average anatomy. You can pull that thing tight (on that ride I'll do it voluntarily) and it's snug, but certainly comfortable. It's not like MF where the vertical bar touches your wrinklies before the horizontal touches your lap.

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Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?

I agree Jeff. People who try to cheat the system should not be allowed to ride in my book. This incident has proven that although injuries on coasters are unlikely, they can still happen. I hope that the people cheating the system out there realize this fact and play by the rules.

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But Guys! I am so close to completing my final solution!
- Cartman

I always tried to get the lap bar down as far as it would go, comfortably, before the ride op came by so it wasn't such a sudden movement. This method seemed to work well.

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2004 Stats coming........after May 8th

I'm not trying to cheat the system. I'm just saying it can come as a little bit of a "surprise", and I'd rather pull it down myself.

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The Point of Cedars
www.thepointofcedars.tk

MF is a much safer ride than SRoS in my opinion. Dave mentioned the important geometry differences in the train seating design.

The braking system on MF is also much more fail safe. MF has a permanently on brake run, with only the very end having the retractable calipers. The air hoses look to be of a much heavier design, and the cylinders that move the calipers are much bigger. I also noticed that the ride seems to vent air to close the calipers, which means that air pressure is only needed to open the calipers. If the ride would suffer a loss of pressure, the brakes would automatically come on without the need for any other type of backup device to function.

I have no way of telling why the ride is different, but it wouldn't surprise me to find out that it was CP who specified those changes when the ride was in the design phase.

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I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks,
than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.

ok heres what i think i live in buffalo ny about 45min away from darian lake and i have rode SROS 100's of times and i think that it is safe but it could be safer...Now i go to CP about 5 times a year and i think millennium is alot safer....i mean u dont got nuttin holdin u in except a lap bar and when u go over that first hill u hardly get air time...so that proves that MF design is safer. And of course TTD is alot safer since it is newer and more modern.