Tamed Down?

They were added a year after opening. The first year they spent most nights re-welding parts of the track during the first season.

Theoretically, it was due to excessive sway, but I cannot give a definitive answer on that.

Oh, it still sways quite a bit...in fact, the entire tower shakes...just try standing on the entrance ramp or on the platform in the back row and then look up at the rear spike...the whole spike assembly - supports and all - actually sways back and forth several feet!

It's designed to do this though; in high winds it has to be flexible, otherwise it would probably break or fall over. I believe someone on this site said, "if it doesn't shake, it's gonna break!"

It really is quite safe, and you don't notice it while riding. *** Edited 1/13/2006 2:50:30 AM UTC by Twisted Wicker***

I think before, the supports were installed, the track was swaying more than the structure. Hence why the maintenance had to do nightly welding jobs, as well as the installation of the extra supports. With the extra supports now, the whole tower sways together (i.e. the force of the train on the track is being distributed more evenly through the tower).

At least, that's my opinion.

i've seen it hit the plunger durring pre-season testing.

WT's control systems only care about the SPEED of the train. If you have a train full of heavy people, the train should, in theory, go higher, because it has more inertia. You'd still be traveling through the station at 72 mph, but because of the extra weight, it would take longer to stop and come back down.

I've always wondered what would happen if it hit.

^If you're on the train, you'd feel a jolt and the train would fall back down. I sure it makes a unpleasant noise as well.

The laws of inertia do not apply here. Everything on earth accelerates towards the earth at 9.8m/s/s (or for those of you who are metricly challenged that's 32ft/s/s). That has nothing to do with mass (or weight in this case). If the ride is launched at the same speed everytime, it will rise to the same height everytime.

But they're not talking about the speed at which it is returning to earth. They're talking about how much more inertia a loaded train has on its way UP the spike, not down.

-Josh

WT's train never really gets anywhere close to getting to the top. The difference of momentum the train has does make a difference, but even with that, the train will always slow before it gets to the top.

e x i t english,

Even when the train is moving UP the tower(or spike, whatever), the train is accelerating down always at the same rate (9.8m/s/s = 32ft/s/s). The train will slow down and stop at the same place given the launch speed is the same because mass and inertia have nothing to do with acceleration due to gravity. Trust me. I just completed the Honors Physics I course at the high school (with an A). The class also went to the Point for Physics Day. I know what I'm talking about.

I always laugh at "I just took such and such a class in high school and I know everything" statements.

What they don't teach you in high school is that the factors you mentioned are pretty minute when compared to real-world physics. A lot of things can affect how fast the train goes, from temperature to what the guy sitting in the third row had for lunch.

Ben and dj - you guys just took the words right out of my mouth. :)

Were the bumpers there from day one? I don't remember them being there when we went in 04, but maybe it is just a bad memory. I know that when we went in 04, the yellow supports were not there, and I noticed that the track was swaying like 5 feet in both directions.

I was basing my conclusion on the fact that the ride was launching at the same speed everytime, and therefore will rise to the same height. If it launches at a different speed, then of course it will rise to a different height.

:rolleyes:

e x i t - now you took the words right out of my mouth.

...or is it eyeballs out of my head, in this case? ;)

Hi..Im new here..Ive been reading topis and such for a while now..I dont really know about wicked twister hitting the bumpers..but I do know because i was there..that Steel Venom at Geagua Lake has hit them a few times..Also i rode Wicked Twister on its opening season and i didnt think it was nearly as powerful as Steel Venom..So if it was weak then and they are saying its been tamed down it must be really bad now..

laughingman6 said:
e x i t english,

Even when the train is moving UP the tower(or spike, whatever), the train is accelerating down always at the same rate (9.8m/s/s = 32ft/s/s). The train will slow down and stop at the same place given the launch speed is the same because mass and inertia have nothing to do with acceleration due to gravity. Trust me. I just completed the Honors Physics I course at the high school (with an A). The class also went to the Point for Physics Day. I know what I'm talking about.

highschool physics classes only provide a very very basic understanding of basic physics. yes, it is true that if the train was shot vertically, and in a vacuum, at a certain speed, then it would not matter what its mass was. it would travel to the same height each time.

but lets put the WT into the real world. it would seem that a loaded train would go higher, because it is heavier and could sustain its momentum agains air resistance along the horizontal track better than a lighter train. but observations of the empty train going higher clearly contradict this assumption. so what is going on here?

friction, my friend, friction. friction far outweighs the benefits of a heavier train (because the majority of the mass of the train is hidden behind its air-resistance-profile). but anyways, the WT has hard rubber wheels. as you know rubber experiences a lot of friction against metal... or most surfaces for that matter. a loaded train weighs maybe 5-20% more than an empty train (i have no idea the weight of the train, but i can assume its a butt load). this causes more friction on the wheels. especially when the train pulls upwards towards the towers. this will slow it down by a certain percent, making it not as able to go as high.

Phritter1,

You sound pretty smart, but have you ever considered using capital letters?

MrScott