stuck at the top.....almost

I witnessed one of the trains roll back twice, and finally go over the third time. I was rather envious of the people in that train. I also heard from a couple of people about the loaded train that was balanced at the top for nearly a minute. That would have been awesome just to look around the park that whole time. If I would have been in the train I would have had everybody hit their backs against the seats so it would roll back. :)

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...and the most anticipated event of summer 2003 is...

The Matrix: Reloaded!

The thing that frustrats me is, going to the park 13 times this year already hoping for a rollback. Then the past few nights I see these out-of-towners.. who dont even know what a rollback is get one on there first ride on dragster.. heheheheh.. it makes me sick..... hahahhahah good times..

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TTD rides =11.
occupied train rollbacks seen =23. Balanced at the top for more than a few seconds seen=6

I was also there Wed. night and witnessed so many rollbacks that I lost count. It was crazy. The one train that balanced on the top seemed to be up there for several minutes but it was more like 30 seconds before it inched backwards and finally rolled back. It crept over on it's second launch.

For the next 30 minutes or so EVERY train that was launched rolled back. Each one then crept over on their second launch. I also witnessed the train that CP bound saw that rolled back twice before again creeping over on the third launch. How lucky were those riders!

The crowd was electric. There were people standing all along the midway and watching every launch and gasping and cheering. Most of the riders cheered but a few looked shocked, even terrified. There was a whole new element to the experience. It was so fun to watch. Unfortunately it brought the line to a crawl.

After 7 rides I haven't come close to a rollback. I flew over every time. I would PAY to experience what many riders experienced on Wed. night!
*** This post was edited by malibu stacie 7/24/2003 11:31:15 AM ***

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MeanStreaker said:

yeah as much as your there i bet.. but 11 in 1.5 hours, doesnt that sound kinda made up

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TTD=10(frontseat=3)double digits baby!!!
rollbacks seen=2...1 almost stopped at top

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Ya see MeanStreaker. No lies here. Just the facts. ok? We have probably been in line near each other often.. cya there. :) CG

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TTD rides =11.
occupied train rollbacks seen =23. Balanced at the top for more than a few seconds seen=6

Hi everyone, I'm new here..I've been reading for months now, but never registered until now. My name is Ryan and I'm a 21 year old coaster nut, so I hope I'll fit in here :)

The reason that I'm posting this in this topic was because I was there yesterday, Wednesday the 23rd for my 6th time this season, and was at dragster when all of this was taking place. I was with a few of my friends and we were waiting in load 2 front seat. There were about 12 people (6 trains) in front of us waiting to go, when all of a sudden the crowd started to cheer. We couldn't see what was going on because of the roof of the station, but watched as the green train came back down. They had to move unload 1 to unload 2, load 2 to unload 1 and so on, so that the transfer and launch were both clear. They relaunched, and to everyones applause, made it over. However, the next 4 trains that launched rolled back on their first attempt, making a very irritable crowd. The 5th train to go made it over, and so did the 6th. Then the 7th went, and like I said, I couldn't see the top, but everyone was staring up and saying "Oh my God" and gasping. I thought to myself "Thats it! I can't miss this!" so I ran over to the turnstyle and poked my head around so that I could see it, and lo and behold, there was a train "paused" (don't want to say stopped cause I'll get yelled at) at the top of the track. It sat up there, in total, for about 20 seconds before finally rolling back. The crowd went NUTS!! I have never seen so many people into a ride as they were into this one.

Anyways, the next few made it over, and it was our turn. We got into the train, and sat there for a few moments and we got our clear. We followed load 1 as they went to the launch pad and we went to the transfer track. They launched, went up, and rolled back. It was pretty cool to see it from that view. So we were pulled back to load 1 and the train in front of us came back to transfer track, then up to launch again. We were left in load 1 until they cleared the hill, and then we were moved up to launch position. This is where I almost messed myself. I've been on this ride 9 times now, but never in the front. The brakes dropped, and so did my heart. We shot up, my mouth was just forced open by the wind, we went up. And up and up and up. I was certain that we were going to make it over the top because we started to look down...and all of a sudden the train just STOPPED DEAD. BAM. It seemed like an eternity, even though I'm sure it was only like 2 seconds...

And then we started to roll backwards. Holy Cow. Thats all I can say. Holy Cow. It was the weirdest sensation I have ever had, its not like Wicked Twister at ALL, it was just so fast, so surprising. I would have bet my life when we were up there that we were going to make it over. So we were bought back to the transfer track, and a ride op came out and asked if we were all okay, and if we were having fun, etc. etc. just to make sure we were all okay. So we sat for another 3 or 4 minutes and we were moved up to launch. We launched, we slowed near the top, but we made it over this time.

On our way down, I saw something flying. At first I was like "Uh oh, someone lost their glasses!" and then I realized. It was my car key. I forgot that I had taken my key off of my keychain so that I wouldn't have to carry my whole set of keys. It was in my back pocket, and we came to discover that when we were stopped after the rollback, it had to have come out of my back pocket and when we launched again, it went flying. Nonetheless, i was upset, and it really ruined the front seat view of the way down. (Don't worry though, we went and rescued my key from the paddlewheel excursions girl afterwords..she heard it hit the ground and held onto it!)

To end this jabbering, just wanted to let you know what an amazing experience it was to roll back, and I really hope that you all get to experience it. Oh yeah, and secure your keys, you never know whats going to happen! :)
*** This post was edited by Endophrined 7/24/2003 2:33:54 PM ***

Paragraphs! Click edit... break it up... it hurts my eyes!

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Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - Luau II Cam 7/19
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

In my three hours at the park last evening I saw no fewer than a dozen rollbacks.

I was on the Magnum stairs when TTD was able to balance itself at the top of the tophat for what seemed like a good 20 seconds. Everyone in the Magnum queue was cheering, everyone on the midway was cheering, and everybody on the stopped train was cheering (you could see it). It was quite a sight.

After said stopped train launched the second time they rolled back again. Third time's the charm- they made it over... but barely.

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- John
I Snap Flyers

were they cheering from the beginning, or did they start to cheer once the immense shock began to wear off? i would be stunned for a while before i could start to move.

btw, i really enjoy these first hand expirience stories, so if anyone else has one i would love to hear it! :)

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It's like a new pair of underwear; at first it's constrictive... but after a while it becomes a part of you. -Garth Algar
*** This post was edited by johnz 7/24/2003 7:39:56 PM ***

I know this has nothing to do with this Topic, and I dont want to start a new one for a single question. at TTD, why does it always say Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, are you ready for ............, it isnt always sunday when you go. So why do they say Sunday. Just wondering if any of you know.

Just being there with the crowd in that state is so fun to me. Especially listening to those in line who know all about dragster. " You know. those metal things make it launch. that is why the pop after it passes them" I heard that in line wens night. it was funny.. and the magnum is still sinking.. it is amazing when it rolls back how many of these stories it stirs up so quick.. They all know everything :)

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TTD rides =11.
occupied train rollbacks seen =23. Balanced at the top for more than a few seconds seen=6

I was in line for MF after Dragster "paused" at the top and I heard a guy telling his daughter what happens when it gets stuck at the top. He said that if it stays up there long enough that they have to get a cherry picker and take the people down. Thank god I heard that. I was wondering what would happen if I got stuck up there ;)

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Steve Sergent
MF count: 247
TTD: 11

Because that is what a lot of those drag race commercials and tractor pull commercials say. Things of that nature.

Its to give it that Theme that they wanted it to have.

The timing of that "Sunday Sunday Sunday" thing is so odd! I'm sure it's set to a certain interval, like every 1/2 hour, but sometimes it starts RIGHT before a train is about to be launched! I don't think it should overpower the engine sound effects!

Actually It seems to only play when it does down it seems too.

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2003 Statistics
Top Thrill Dragster: 9
Magnum XL-200: 38
Trips to the point: 26

ok i take back what i had said early, you can have that many rollbacks in that short amount of time...i say that because, when at the park yesturday i saw many rollbacks in a very short time say like 45 mins...

but thats not all, i also saw it roll back another 3 times that day and had the extreme pleasure of being on the last rollback of the night...at least thats what i think...because as i was leaving the park i didnt notice that they had launched anymore trains, and magnum seemed to be down also, this was at like 11:30ish.

man are rollbacks scary...at first your like whats goin on...but then the fact that your rolling back hits you and everyone else on the train and then your kinda cheering/laughing, some people, mostly the women were screaming, almost on the verge of crying their so scared on the train at the same time...goodtimes

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TTD=11(frontseat=3)double digits baby!!!
rollbacks seen=10...3 almost stopped at top

Rollbacks that i have been on=1

*** This post was edited by MeanStreaker 7/25/2003 7:27:00 PM ***

MEANSTREAKER<------------- AKA// Lucky DOG... 11 trips and not a rollback yet.. I am very jealous....

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TTD rides =11.
occupied train rollbacks seen =23. Balanced at the top for more than a few seconds seen=6

I was there Thursday evening and Friday (and Soak City Saturday). Lots of rollbacks both days, many with people. In fact, the first time I saw a train on it (from outside the park waiting to enter at 5:00pm on a Starlight ticket) it rolled back.

Up and down like a yo-yo Thursday evening. Got in line at 5:40 with the line to the soda machines and it took 2:10. Lots of down time and lots of long delays before launches. But when we finally made it on, we went with no delay but seemed to crawl over the top (but I suspect your idea of crawling is different when you're on it vs. watching).

Friday evening, we rode it again. Queue was only filling the first set of mazes before the ramp (halfway from the ramp to the soda machines). 1:35 wait (announced wait was 3 to 4 hours) including an about 30 minute down time which involved about 15 minutes of mechanics working on the launch area and then three rollbacks of an empty train before it made it over. Never heard so many cheers for a roller coaster going over a hill!

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MeanStreaker said:
and magnum seemed to be down also, this was at like 11:30ish.

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We got in line for Magnum about 10:58 Thursday to find it just went DDIPA (IPA = Inoperative P.A. system). We stuck it out and it reopened about 11:40. They declared "two more trains" based on how many people were left so we were on the last train of the night. Pretzel turn trim was off! Felt like Coastermania!

Larry we must have been in line for Dragster at the same point on Friday....

Also, they turned off trims on Friday night just before 11. I got a trimless ride in 1-3

I was working Dragster Foto on saturday and I s*** you not the black cherry train rolled back 6 times in a row. I dont mean that every time it got to the black cherry train it rolled back I mean that they tried 6 times to get that train over and each time it rolled back it took 7 launches to get that train over. Man working the photo place I loved that downtime. I so wish I could roll back on it. that would be awesome. oh well maybe some day.

-Doug-
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I am a Mechanical Engineering major not an english major so pardon my horrible grammar

Very funny click Here
Refinedmadness.com

WOW!!! 420 feet tall. I didn't know they could stack s*** that high!!!

I have only been on the Dragster 3 times because of the horrible timing our trip planning has been. I have yet to see a rollback first hand. I so wish I could see a rollback let alone be on one. I think I would be more scared then excited to be on a roll back. But all in all it would be good fun.

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The scariest thing is realizing its all over.
)()()()()(TTD)()()()()(