Skip-a-Dog
This is a term we use here at the Adventuredome when our Arrow coaster and flume rides basically skip-a-dog. The lift makes a loud banging noise (sounds like its breaking). The Controls operator has to stop the train at the lift (if it isn't at the top) and the loader has to run to the lift for either an evac or restart of the lift. Does Corkscrew, Magnum, CCMR, or Snake River Falls have this problem? What do you do when it happens?
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It's in our operations manual. It says if the train skips a dog we must stop the lift and call the ride 11-1 (downloaded in cp terms). Basically, the train skips a chain dog or something like that causing it to bang against the lift casuing it to shake and make a loud noise like a gun.
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From that description (the bang against the lift causing it to shake and make a loud noise) sounds like one of the lifting dogs is slipping out of the lift chain, allowing the train to slide backwards until the other one catches the chain, or one of the safety dogs catches the anti-rollback. Let me guess...it usually happens near the top of the lift, as the second car clears the lift chain and the whole thing slips backward a few inches.
While the train has two dogs on it, the spacing is such that it is unlikely that both dogs will solidly engage the lift chain, so as the top dog disengages, the second dog will drop into place on the lift chain. Knoebels' Whirlwind, which has three dogs on it instead of the usual two, demonstrates this violently on almost every cycle...
So, am I close? :)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
While the train has two dogs on it, the spacing is such that it is unlikely that both dogs will solidly engage the lift chain, so as the top dog disengages, the second dog will drop into place on the lift chain. Knoebels' Whirlwind, which has three dogs on it instead of the usual two, demonstrates this violently on almost every cycle...
So, am I close? :)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
You are right! I knew it dealt with the lift chain and the chain dogs at the beginning but didnt know why it happened. And true it usually happens at the top far enough to where we dont have to stop the lift, but sometimes it happens in the middle which calls for a shutdown of the ride. Does this happen at CP?
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Yes this does happen, a lot on Corkscrew actually. We don't stop the ride on the lift after this happens, but let it continue to cycle. We let all the trains come back into the station and unload them and stack the trains. Maintainence will then come and watch trains cycle at the lift. At Cedar Point, this is called a chain bounce. Chain bounces also occur quite often on Iron Dragon and ocassionally on Magnum.
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Corkscrew Crew 2002
http://www.msu.edu/~kemppai8/ --- My stupid website
I've never felt or seen it happen on Magnum, but something similar to what you're describing did happen to me once while I was riding Corkscrew. However, since the first car or two is already cresting the hill, I don't think stopping the lift would be a very good idea as it'd be difficult or impossible to do an evac from that point.
-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew
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