Raptor closed on last day

These things happen...

At least Millennium was open! ;)

Jeff said:
Yeah, because it's so worth it to take a bunch of pictures of a train that looks exactly the same in a still picture regardless of whether or not it was moving.

And boo-freakin'-hoo about the last train. This annual last train nonsense on all of the rides makes me embarrassed to be an enthusiast. What difference does it make? What do you win, and who will care? These idiots in their 70's satin jackets acting like they're entitled to some last ride are pathetic. It's precisely the reason I haven't stayed to close since 1999 or so. It's a joke.

Thank god for that, I couldn't handle someone who dorks it up by making with a website dedicated to coasters staying until close and pretending to be better than people who have had this annual last train "non-sense" since you were in diapers. (maybe you still are and thats why you are so uptight) I swear, it's like you created this website so you could come here and feel better about yourself. I guess if I were you I would have to do that too. *** Edited 10/31/2006 4:30:25 PM UTC by Coastern3rd***

Pardon me for taking tons of pictures of something I had never seen before and probably will never see again!

Yet, you didn't say a word to the members who posted pictures, and I am sure they took more than 1 picture.

As for the last ride of the season, (and the 1st ride of the season in fact) it is my personal tradition. Period. I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks about it.

Jo

^Well said. If taking those pictures, whether or not the train looks the same valleyed as running, creates a memory for you later...fine.

If first and last train of the season is your tradition...fine.

I, myself, have never seen Raptor valleyed. I found the pics fascinating, and I'm not an "enthusiass."

Raptor did roll back before the park opened. Over the radio you heard "344 did not make it" They will use a tool named a "come - a- long" to get it back to the block brake. Then try to drop the train from the breake so it can end up in the station.

I have seen the train during morning testing make it to the block brake and stop, even though it was on a downward slope and we have had to hit the ride stop, due to the fact that more of the train was hanging out of the back of the block and the weight of the back of the train would have made it roll back, so the brakes only grabbed the front of the train. And earlier this year, the winds kicked up after the train was on the lift (empty for testing) and hit the lift stop and waited for the winds to die down so that the train wouldn't roll back.
*** Edited 10/31/2006 4:05:52 PM UTC by my3amsn***

LuvRaptor said:
Yet, you didn't say a word to the members who posted pictures, and I am sure they took more than 1 picture.

I'm certain they didn't leave the park and make a big production out of it. Seriously, the only time you ever post on here is to say who you know on the crew or who you visit in marketing or how many laps you did. I can't stand attention whoring. If you ever contributed something else that didn't say "look at me" it would be a lot different.

Coastern3rd said:
Thank god for that, I couldn't handle someone who dorks it up by making with a website dedicated to coasters staying until close and pretending to be better than people who have had this annual last train "non-sense" since you were in diapers. (maybe you still are and thats why you are so uptight) I swear, it's like you created this website so you could come here and feel better about yourself. I guess if I were you I would have to do that too.

Oh you figured me out. Good for you!

My point remains... the last train nonsense has been a blight on the community for years, and it strains relationships between the community and the parks. If I'm wrong, then you explain why they have to post security people at the rides in the last hours of operation.

If you want to thump your chest and call me names, go ahead. But if you want to make a point, try sticking to the issue.

I personally missed not being able to be open for the last GP ride at Raptor, because usually, it's the last time I get to see all the Raptor enthusiasts for the season, and get to have one last chat with them before next season, and thank them for their dedication to the ride.

Well, the easy solution to that is don't send an empty train when there's a high wind advisory.

Easy, you Hypocrite. Do you remember what you said?

These idiots in their 70's satin jackets acting like they're entitled to some last ride are pathetic.

So, if you want to make a point try sticking to the issue.

Magnum went off without a hitch and there are some pretty die hard people on there. Same for last year... Sure there are a few bad apples, but that hardly constitutes the group (which you cater to with your website) being pathetic, or calling their traditions non-sense.

I never said I figured you out. But I've read enough of your blog that I find you as a super dork. *** Edited 10/31/2006 5:00:36 PM UTC by Coastern3rd***

Jeff said:
Except that the track up from the mid-course is not lower than the mid-course, so if it gets that far, the train is already on a down-slope toward the brakes, so it wouldn't matter.

That is, unless the wind was blowing hard enough to actually push the train back up the slightly-declined block section (which happens). It's happened before and could have easily happened again on Sunday, given the right conditions. That's also assuming that more than half the train makes it over the "crest" leading into the block.

Instructions given for dispatching that first train of the day included keeping a hand on the e-stop in case it looked like it wasn't going to make it.

It didn't even make it up to the block...
*** Edited 10/31/2006 5:53:17 PM UTC by my3amsn***

Lil: That would have to be a heck of a gust I would think, but if you say so it sounds like you'd know better than me.

And yes, those "idiots" are "pathetic" in my frequently less than humble opinion. I don't remember what year it was, maybe '98 or '99, where I watched this kind of crap go down. Mind you I had been on the ride hundreds of times that year, and I was thankful for the chance to ride as much as I did. I expected nothing in return, and these jackasses show up on the last day and think they're entitled to something.

How ridiculous is it? One guy who has been on the rides at CP probably more than anyone else on this site actually opted to go to an entirely different park to avoid the nonsense. What does that tell you? What a load of crap that someone should feel compelled to not spend his day at an amusement park because other members of the community don't know how to behave.

Too bad for that guy, he missed a rather uneventful last day.

I talked to him on his way out the gate on Sunday morning. After what happened to him the last 2 years for last rides, I don't blame him one bit.

Like Rob Willi said, we got in 3 or 4 trimless Magnum rides before the last trains went. We had to push our way through some people who were waiting right outside the line entrance for 8:08, and they were still standing there when we came back for the next ride.

We were on our last ride and they announced that everybody better board and fill this one because there were only 2 trains after ours. After we got back, they were loading the very last train, and I stood on the exit ramp to watch what happened.

There were some stubborn folks, but eventually everybody filled in rows and it went off pretty much without a hitch. Now, I can't speak for MF or Dragster, but I'm really glad Magnum went down that way.

IMHO, I'm way happier knowing that I got to ride a couple times while everyone else waited.

This year was the first time I'd been to closing day so I figured I would try out being on the last train. I got there at about 5 to 8 and I saw many people ride multiple times in the time we waited for the last train. I saw Josh go by atleast twice. Next year if I'm there closing day I will definetly ride those multiple times rather than wait for last train.

Yeah, I waved to you when I passed one of the times, Vince.

I was wearing my new snoopy beanie that I had to buy because it was too damn cold and I left my OSU one at home (oops). A lot of people didn't recognize me with a hat on. (which, I'm not complaining about completely.:))

-Josh

Josh, things seemed to go rather smoothly at Millennium and Dragster, compared to previous years...

*** Edited 10/31/2006 7:15:22 PM UTC by DBCP***

I got last ride of the night Saturday on Magnum.

Can I have a cookie now?

That's probably the only time in my life you'll see me happy about not getting trim.....brakes turned on during my rides.

I too took a few pictures from Cads and Cedar Downs. Like Raptor Jo stated, you rarely ever see something like this and we took advantage of this rare opportunity. When they dispatched Raptor Sunday morning, the wind speeds were like 10-15 MPH. I talked to Bob Wozniak and he stated that he too would have sent out the train that morning.

Nothing you can do with Mother Nature.