Raptor's trains

I was at the park Saturday and Sunday, and is it just me, or was Raptor going really fast this weekend? It was flying over the loop, the ZeroG roll, cobra roll, and flying through the MCBR! Raptor has been on point the last 2 days! Did they turn the brakes off or something? Or could it have been from the heat?

It was probably the heat. It also depends on when you ride and where you sit. Maybe they changed the wheels or something. But theres no brakes before the loop and cobra, so brakes wouldn't have anything to do with it.

I could notice it was flying through the course while off ride watching it from the midway. I don't know, I was just wondering if they did any quick maintenance on it or something or if anybody else went this weekend and thought it gave an awesome ride like it did to us.

I didn't want to open another thread for this even though it is completely different, but I have noticed this piece of track on Wicked Twister the last 2 years. Did there used to be an LIM there? Because when I watch the video of WT when it debuted, the train went all the way up the back spike the first time going in reverse, opposed to now, it doesn't even go half way up

The picture is the first link, and the video of it's debut is the 2nd link. Does anybody have a connection to this or know why it doesn't go as high as it used to?

http://www.gallery.pointpixels.com/details.php?image_id=6996

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOhqZDtaCDQ

p.s: In the video, skip to 2:08 unless you want to watch the interview with Kinzel

Could it be the area where the track disconnects to take cars off? Just a thought, but thats the only thing I could think of besides your LIM theory.

We noticed Raptor was running quicker a couple weekends ago as well. Attributed it to the warmer weather, which seems to affect other rides as well (Mean Streak is a lot meaner at 88 degrees than it was at 70 degrees).

It's all about wheels. On a hot day, try riding just about any coaster early in the morning...then ride again much later in the day. Chances are that you will tell a difference.

As for your WT question, yes, the ride was tamed down in the first 2 months it was running. Here is the original thread:
http://www.pointbuzz.com/Forums/Thread/8225.aspx

I'm not sure about the photo you referenced. Those conduits going to the building seem like that might be where the power is provided to the ride, but it's possible there was a LIM there originally.

WT developed cracks during 2002 and it was common to see welders near the ride throughout the year. In 2003, additional yellow supports were added to the spikes.

That section of Wicked Twister track in your picture is indeed removable, and I'm pretty certain they remove it to pull the train off. There's a couple of sections like that throughout MF's track as well.

I was there on the 12th, which was a very hot and humid day, and I thought the same thing. Raptor was running great, and I even got some significant airtime on TTD and MF. It was a welcome change, as I usually make my annual visit during Halloweekends.

Chuck Wagon, thanks for the link to that thread, I tried searching for that kind of topic but I couldn't find it. Thanks again!

Raptor's trains are also a little lighter this year. ;)

~Rob

weather can make a difference and also running time as well!!and also wheel material can do that too, so who knows , as long as you had fun that's all that counts right?!!!LOL!!!

And also i would like to add that they may have turned up the chain speed too that can make a difference too, just some more food for thought!!!!

No, it can't make a difference, no matter how many exclamation points you use.

Jeff, is absolutlly correct. What goes must come down no matter how fast it may go up, the train still relies on gravity and air temp to run through the course.

Ralph Wiggum said:
That section of Wicked Twister track in your picture is indeed removable, and I'm pretty certain they remove it to pull the train off.

That's correct. If you go up and look at the fence just outside that piece of track, you can see that there's several fence sections that are designed to be easily removed for when the train is removed or put back on. Here is the OnPoint! blog entry about it.

awesome DBCP! Good find!

OK the peak height or the CROWN they call it is the highst point of the ride and it will make it through no matter what but if you accelerate that climb it will pick up speed going over the crown hence it will go faster.
Here think of it this way if you just let a ball at the top of the hill go it will just go at it's average speed, but if you throw the ball it will not only go but go faster!!! do you see what i am talking about!?

It would make sense if a chain lift was designed to 'throw' things. It's not. The chain takes the train to the top of the hill and releases it, making the speed at which it takes the train to the release point irrelevant. It's a pulley not a catapult.

Even if the speed of the lift could be altered it wouldn't make any sense to do so because of how the ride is blocked.

pointperson said:
Could it be the area where the track disconnects to take cars off? Just a thought, but thats the only thing I could think of besides your LIM theory.

That is the area of which the cars of the train can be taken off. It was never the home of a LIM for Wicked Twister.