Question about Disaster Transport

I have a question about Disaster Transport. I didn't see this posted elsewhere, so I thought I'd ask. I remember riding this back in 1989 with all the theming it used to have, and it was a decent ride. What I don't remember is the sleds hitting the walls of the though like it does now. It was like there was a 'track' of some sort running in the trough to prevent that.

Now, back in 1999 I went back on the ride and I was sitting in the front and I noticed that there were what I want to call marks from the 'track' in the trough.(They were noticeable in the main room and the room with what I want to call a 'claw', when the lights were on.) So, my question is, did Disaster Transport have a 'track' at some point or is my 32 year old memory failing me?

Also, my sister's friend said that the ride will e-stop if it hits the wall too hard, is this true?

It never had a track. Back in the Avalanche Run days, you could see the wear marks from the trains. If I'm not mistaken, the trains are all gravity powered, and can't stop mid-course.

Maybe the wear from the trains was what I was seeing and I thought it was a 'track'. I also thought that my sister's friend might be BSing me about the ride e-stopping. Thanks for clearing that up for me. :)

The cars can in fact stop mid course. They have mid course brakes where the cars can come to a stop in case something happens.

See this picture:
http://www.cpamericasrollercoast.com/uploads/8/6/4/3/8643313/352774316.jpg

The 12' diameter trough *is* the track. The paint wears off where the wheels run on it.

There are stop rails on the edges of the track to keep the car from going past the edge, not that there is really any danger of that happening.

There are two mid-course block brakes on the ride. These block brakes, the load and unload stations, and the lift hill are constructed with an angle-iron track instead of the solid trough, so that the car will be properly positioned. As the car approaches the block brakes or the station, there is a transition which involves bringing the stop rails down towards the center of the trough so that the car is captured into the proper position before the trough runs out in favor of the angle-iron track.

As with any coaster, the car can only be stopped on the block brakes. Two mid-course block brakes, a series of holding brakes uptrack of the unload station, the unload station, the load station, the holding brake at the base of the lift, and the lift are the only stopping points on the ride. That's more than most coasters have, but that's because the ride was built to run a large number of cars.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Thanks for clearing all that up. I don't know why I thought there was some kind of track in DT. Maybe it was because the first time I rode it I was 9 and my memories from then aren't very clear anymore. I swear that the ride didn't hit the walls like it does now. Of course, that could be because there was more weight in the car the very first time I rode it and when I rode it on Saturday there was less weight. I'm not too sure if that has anything to do with it or not?

I was never able to confirm this rumor but I heard it from a couple of different folks over the years who I would deem pretty close to "in the know", if not completely in the know. I always wondered why Avalanche/Disaster was underwhelming compared to other bobsled coasters. I was told that the trains were originally designed to be 4 rows of 2 seats but that Kinzel was concerned about capacity and, late in the game, pushed for the 5th row. (I believe other Intamin bobsleds had the 4 row trains.)

So, I was told, the longer train length meant the dynamics of the train movement in the trough were different and, as a result, more tame than its sister rides.

Is this fact? I don't know. But, it does have some semblance of common sense.

The only Bobsled coasters I have ridden are Avalanche Run/Disaster Transport, and Kings Dominion's Avalanche, which is an entirely different kind of ride altogether.

("It's an entirely different kind of ride")

But my understanding is that Avalanche Run is either the first or the only version of the ride to offer two-abreast seating. Other models might have had five rows, but only one seat per row. So Cedar Point's ride would necessarily be engineered for a *wider* car, at least.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I have another question. This one's not about DT though, it's about Iron Dragon. I didn't want to start another topic jut for this question. My sister's friend(the same one who told me that DT will e-stop if it hits the wall too hard) said that Iron Dragon's cars used to be like Raptor's and Wicked Twister's where your feet hang while riding. She said that CP changed the design because people's feet kept hitting the trees. Now I've done plenty of research on Iron Dragon, and I can't find anything to support her claims. Is she lying to me or is there some truth to what she's saying?

That's completely false

I thought she was BSing me. I have never found anything online to support that at all. This girl claims to know a lot about Cedar Point all because she worked there in 2005.

I wonder where she got that? Was she BS-ed at one point or is she just doing the BS-ing? lol but those cars have always been that way

I'm not sure where she got that. I've set her right on a few things about the park, and that's only because I've done a lot of research on the park.(I was trying to find some information on the old frontier town lift.) Personally, I think someone misinformed her at some point when she worked there, but I don't know.

Dave, I understand what you are saying. But, let's say the trough is no wider than on the other models yet the train is both wider and longer. Stands to reason that the train would not travel in the same manner. And, if Intamin was manufacturing a particularl size/style of trough for their other bobsled coasters I have a hard time believing they would have rengineered their shop just for this one ride at CP.

I rode the bobsled at Opryland back in the day and it was probably my favorite coaster in the park. The trains (log ride style seating) really moved up and down the trough significantly making for a thrilling ride. In comparison, I'd say the Avalanch/Disaster trains almost lumbered through the trough.

Does DT still have the video package of the lady in her space suit telling you all about the specs of the ride while you're waiting in queue?

I don't remember seeing it for the past few years, but I can only go once a year, so I just may be missing it.

No

My sister worked DT in 2006. There are no former track marks on the ride b/c there was never a track :) She even got to do trough walks frequently too. She told me everything about the ride and also stories about being stationed at brake block 1. Sometimes the "bobsled shuttle" would sort of rub up against the trough walls going through the blocks, and make a bump screech type sound. This is when they test ran it empty, however.

Thanks for clearing that up Miss Maverick07. My first ride was 23 years ago, so I didn't think I was remembering right. I'm just shocked at how bad the ride has gotten in 23 years, it makes me a bit sick and sad to see it the way it is now, and I just say get rid of it already.

I continue to create like posts; I miss the days of the space flight attendant lady, and the strobe at the top of the first hill, etc. From what I am reading from that scream website, it would seem that the most current trend in making new rides is higher, faster, longer, but myself, as an introvert who enjoys computers, electronics, and science in general, I need a ride that reminds me of the fantasy "computer/science/electronic" world (that Disaster Transport once was.) I would agree it probably can't stay forever, but personally, I am not much of an outdoor person either, the thought of another 2 hour ride line in the blaring sun just makes me want to go to Cedar Point even less. The variety is good to have , indoor and outdoor food, indoor and outdoor entertainment, but also out and IN-door rides. I am not an engineering estimator pro, but I do know enough that if they were to re-build something as cool as Disaster Transport in this century, it wouldn't cost nearly as much. (well, depending on how cool you actually want to make the ride :)