Preview Events

So to piggyback off a previous post. Have they been running out of the preview ride time tickets? I cant arrive until around 9pm tomorrow and was hoping to get in line. Is that not going to work?

Hopefully they have enough tide tickets for the number of event tickets they are selling (or rather giving away). When I left at 9pm on the dot the line was still open but getting shorter and people were still coming in magnum gate. I’d think you’d be fine.

Just got back from tonight’s preview event. We had the 8p ticket and waited 2 hours to ride, which did include about 15 minutes of downtime.

I have many takeaways, but nothing prepared me for the thrill that is being out of your seat at the top of the top hat. That is the first time that the nervousness of being 400+ feet in the air really set in.

Shout out to the ride crew! They were passing around bracelets that they hand made while we had downtime. We just happened to be in the station during this and they were all great to talk with.

Rode today at the last preview event. Couple of thoughts:

• It felt...wrong?...that operations were so good. Seeing trains launching one right after another flawlessly seemed too good to be true. I suppose I was just trained to expect random downtime from the launch old system(s).
• Zamperla got the control systems right -- couple highlights here:
  • Dispatching into "ready" position -- still crawling forward towards the switch track -- while the other train was going up the top hat. The second it crested over, we were speeding into launch position.
  • Brake run maintains speed all the way to the block. No need for drive tires till the very end. Keeps things rolling quickly.
  • Something funky happened where the 3rd 120 MPH launch failed. I expected extended downtime for a full block reset, unload trains in the station, etc...nope. They recovered it within 5 minutes and had it re-launched and onto normal operations. Didn't even require a call to maintenance.
• This ride actually has forces besides a "whip" at launch. Someone mentioned previously, but this was the first time I ever fully "acknowledged" how high we were because my a$$ was fully out of my seat from one side of the top hat to the other. Magical.

Still pretty mesmerized by how the whole system works. Saw barely any prox sensors but everything was so fine-tuned. Do LSMs double as sensors?

I agreed. I waited just under an hour from 8:05-8:55 with a completely full queue. Moved quick. I wonder how much longer FLP is going to add to the wait.

While in line, I was just waiting for it to break down, but it never did.

What an incredible ride.

The queue was basically empty after I got out at that point.

Shoutout to the supervisor who let everyone marathon from 9-10 pm last night.

I ended up with 5 rides and I didn’t even get to the park until 8.

This thing is a BEAST. My expectations were completely obliterated.

For anyone wondering, you really can’t pick a winner between the front or the back. They are both equally amazing in different ways. I got 2 rides on each (and one in row 2).

Be prepared for 3 hour waits all summer.

magdrag95:

Something funky happened where the 3rd 120 MPH launch failed. I expected extended downtime for a full block reset, unload trains in the station, etc...nope. They recovered it within 5 minutes and had it re-launched and onto normal operations. Didn't even require a call to maintenance.

This is something I have been wondering about. When you say the third launch failed did the train not clear the top hat or did the system stop the train on the way down from the spike? I ask because I have seen multiple times where the train on the track has yet to clear the top hat yet they have already moved the train from the station through the transfer track.

But did the switch track change positions (from launch position to switch position) before the train cleared the top-hat? From what I have seen and understand, the switch track remains in the launch (high speed) position until after the train clears the top hat.

From watching the ride while we were in line on Sunday it certainly seemed that the train from the station was on the track before the train had crested the top hat. I found it strange to say the least but maybe I’m wrong. I’ll pay more attention tomorrow!

I would be very surprised if the next train was actually on the launch track before the prior train cleared the top hat. Have seen the next train leaving the station before the prior train cleared the top hat (and before the switch track moved to the switch position). But its very much different to have the next train anywhere from leaving the station to just before the switch track than it is being in the launch position. Former is fine; latter is not.

^Agreed, and I'm curious if that's even possible. From the time the high speed train crosses the switch track for the final time, it takes probably 6 or 7 seconds to crest the tophat. Seems extremely unlikely that the switch track has switched over, engaged in the transfer position, and the next train has entered the launch section in that time.

Like I said in my last post I found it strange but I most likely saw the train moving from the station but the transfer track was most likely not in motion yet. There were a few times that I saw this but I was more focused on the train moving up the hill vs the position of the transfer track, my daughter thought the same thing I did and we were discussing what safety system was in place in the event of a failed third launch. The few times this occurred they must have been running effieciently to the point where the instant the train did clear the top hat the train from the station was moving to the launch position. Most of the time there were large time gaps between the train clearing the top hat and the next train being dispatched from the station.

GoBucks89:

But did the switch track change positions (from launch position to switch position) before the train cleared the top-hat? From what I have seen and understand, the switch track remains in the launch (high speed) position until after the train clears the top hat.

No, the switch track did not change positions. I saw the failed third launch last night happen (Silver Train) and I was down by the switch track when it happened. The lucky riders got to traverse the reverse spike and then as the train came forward, it decelled to a stop a little bit past the bleachers. I was expecting to see the next train move onto the course and it stayed in the station, that's when I realized that Silver train was still on the course. After about 5 minutes of slowly rolling back, the LIMS fired again to put the train back into starting position and the train got to complete the launches again, this time making it up and over the tophat.

There are a set of prox switches on the S curve before the switch track with drive wheels in that area as well. There's several sets of prox switches after the station and before the S curve. That would tell me that the train can be dispatched from the station while another is on the launch track, and there is a way to stop the train before the switch track and hold until the launch block is clear and the switch track is in position to accept the next train.

I'm extremely amazed at the simplicity and efficiency of the operations of TT2. As long as it can run reliably, getting the guest throughput of 1000 PPH shouldn't be problem. Which isn't bad for a 20 person train ride. And on the no loose articles policy? I love it! I hate getting stuck behind someone who insists on holding their phone in their hand during a ride. The line moved well enough that it was a nice relief to be away from my stuff for that hour.

^Makes sense, and the operations of this sound leaps and bounds better than TTD ever experienced. I am totally fine and agree with the no loose articles policy. However the means by which the loose articles are stored leaves something to be desired.

It's fun watching people being forced into having conversations with real people.

Convenience aside, as others have said, there are legitimate reasons why one might need to have a cell phone when waiting in a multi-hour queue, not to mention medical items.

corn4ahead:

I waited just under an hour from 8:05-8:55 with a completely full queue.

Be prepared for 3 hour waits all summer.

With a full queue being 50 minutes, will we see 3 hour waits? That would mean there are twice as many people standing in a line outside of the queue as there are in the queue. Where will that many people stand without causing serious people jams?

^50 minutes with no fastlane. Assume that's at least doubled with fastlane.

Yeah it was like a visit from another era. No fastlane, no phones, and the Magnum station was completely jammed too. Felt like the 90s again for a few hours.

So...TT2 is officially Top Thrill $2

HeyIsntThatRob?:

I'm extremely amazed at the simplicity and efficiency of the operations of TT2. As long as it can run reliably, getting the guest throughput of 1000 PPH shouldn't be problem. Which isn't bad for a 20 person train ride.

The operations look great on the videos I have seen. I'm not sure, however, they are going to be able to hit 1,000PPH. That would require dispatches approximately every 75 seconds, and that's a super tight window with only three trains and a single loading station.

My ROUGH timing looks as follows:

1. Station dispatch to launch: ~38 seconds (that's with all blocks cleared and the switch track already set in position)
2. Launch to top hat crest: ~45 seconds.

Now, because they can station dispatch to a ready position (just before the launch) even with the launch track block not cleared, the only true limiting factor is the 45 seconds from launch to top hat crest and the additional time to move the switch track and place the next train in position (which from ready position may only be 20 seconds?). So, IN THEORY, they could launch a train every 105-110 seconds under completely optimal conditions.

However, they would need a fourth train and likely a dual loading station to be able to have a train constantly sitting in the ready position while the other crested the top hat.

It looks to me like on opening day, even with great operations, they achieved, at best, 1:30 launches.

My guess is 800 PPH will be the realized maximum capacity. Not great for a signature attraction, but that's the nature of the swing launch design (and certainly better than what TTD achieved on any regular basis).

But it puts rides like Magnum, Raptor, Valravn, Gatekeeper, Mantis, (or whatever the hell it's now called) in perspective Those are people eater, attractions, as is Gemini, and even MF in older days could exceed 1,200 PPH.