The New Unimproved WT

It is true that WT is running half way up the back spike on the first backwards launch. KicksTheSky can attest to that. We walked up and down along side the ride and gathered a few observations.

From what I remember in the first month of operation, when WT launches you hear that high frequency scream from the LIMS firing. I remember hearing that high frequency sound all the way through the LIMS on the first 4 passes of the ride. Of course the last one always coasted through. Now the ride is slightly different, a little bit more tamer, but still fun!

The first launch is the same but the other three launches feel different. The middle three passes you feel the launch at the LIMS that are outiside of the station. Walking up and down alongside the ride you could also hear that the LIMS were only firing outside of the station. What that meant is you coasted through the station which makes the second backward pass not as high, and the forward pass not as high becuase of the shortened length of launchl. I'm thinking that the launches are a little tamer not only because of the recent work on the back spike, but becuase the pullout from horizontal track to vertical may have been so intense, that it needed to be toned down.

That is just a theory from a few observations we made of the ride. In my mind I think they "refined" the ride, rather than an unimprovement, to make it more comfortable for guests. In my opinion it is just as fast and just as fun as it was the first time I rode it.
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"Proud to be Arrow DYNAMIC!"

I was very dissappointed to see it yesterday, Wicked Twister has become Nipple Twister. The first launch is really the only one that hasn't changed. The first time up the back spike, the front seat doesn't even get to the vertical track, and the back seat goes as high as the front seat used to. The 2nd time up the front is about as high as normal, but maybe lacking a little. The 2nd time in the back it goes almost all the way, but still comes up short of what it used to.

I'd been debating all season as to whether WT or Raptor was my 3rd favorite, but by turning down WT's power, CP made that decision for me.

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-Chris Woodard
Just because you can't justify charging $3 for a Pepsi doesn't mean you can't charge $3 for a Pepsi.
*** This post was edited by Ralph Wiggum 6/29/2002 6:23:50 PM ***

I totally agree with you Ralph. Wicked Twister has definitely dropped in my list of favorites. I was at the park on Friday and watched WT from Magnum all day long, hoping to see it return to it's original glory, only to be disappointed. From what I saw, the Forward launch 1 is normal, Reverse 1 only goes as high as the supports, F2 only goes about half now, as does R2. F3 then goes about 1/3 of the way past the support.

I haven't ridden the ride since the changes, so I guess it's not fair to say that I won't like it. BUT, from what I have seen, and what I have experienced so far this season, I am greatly disappointed. I'd rather have the ride shut down and fixed instead of watching it run in its current condition...but that is from a season pass holders point of view. The GP probably doesn't know about what's happening, thus don't know what the ride was initially supposed to do.

Personally, over the off-season, if this problem can't be fixed, I wouldn't mind seeing straight track with a holding brake installed. Hey, they re-did V2, so I don't see why they couldn't change WT. Just my .02

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Michael McCormack CP '02: 17
Magnum XL 200: 148 (273)
Millennium Force: 3
Wicked Twister: 24
*** This post was edited by BirdOfPrey00 6/29/2002 11:04:40 PM ***

Does anybody know why they are running such a weak launch program? Is it to reduce load on the reverse tower? I don't understand why the reverse tower is having such problems and the forward tower is not. If it really is a metal fatigue issue, it should be affecting the forward tower also. The two look to be identically constructed and the load shouldn't be very different on both. If it is a fatigue issue, maybe a certain piece of track has imperfections that are not correctable without replacing it entirely. This is all speculation, but I hate to see the ride running at less than full speed. When I was there a few weeks ago, it was running with no problems at all for two days straight. It was running at full power and I thought it was better than MF. Hopefully CP will do something about this in the off season.

The only thing I can think of is that the rear tower was just about the only new thing that had to be engineered for WT that wasn't already on Superman or V2. I just hope they get the ride at full power again, but that probably won't happen until next year.

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised to see the whole back spike rebuilt in the off season if it's really having the problems some people have said it's having.

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-Chris Woodard
Just because you can't justify charging $3 for a Pepsi doesn't mean you can't charge $3 for a Pepsi.

How is it a new thing to engineer? It's just a mirror of the front.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"We used to hate people, now we just make fun of them. It's more effective that way." - KMFDM, "Dogma"

Agreed that it is a mirror of the front. Given that, why is only the reverse tower having problems? The back tower doesn't have to support any extra load or anything. Just wondering. -Allan

Could it be because the train goes all the way up the back tower twice, and only once fully up the front? --Or are we just looking too much into this and it's just a simple sign of metal fatigue?...hmmm

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Michael McCormack CP '02: 17
Magnum XL 200: 148 (273)
Millennium Force: 3
Wicked Twister: 24

I think it definitely has to do with the train going all the way up the back tower twice... that only seems logical since they toned it down to prevent that.

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"Meh."
Wicked twists: 7
Danger: Hgih Voltage!

They may have slowed it down even more :(

On my Skyride yesterday I could tell it was not getting near the top on the 2nd pass back even. Maybe 3/4th of the way, but it was by far the lowest of the season. I don't think it goes 72 MPH anymore since the 2nd pass back is supposed to be the fastest.

Here are the speeds from the release for each launch in MPH (approximations).
1st 50 (forward)
2nd 63 (back)
3rd 69 (forward)
4th 72 (back)
5th 62 (forward)

The 1st pass back it gets up about as high as the 1st pass forward (50). I don't know how hard they are pushing the LIMS on the 2nd forward pass but judging by how high it goes I don't think it can get up to 69 hence slowing down 2nd pass back.

Here is my new guess for speeds , 50, 50, 63, 69, 59. Still I don't know if going a little slower on the 2nd pass will effect the feeling on the rear spike by that much.
*** This post was edited by Joe E. 7/5/2002 3:56:51 AM ***

I'm not an engineer (don't have the temperment for it), but I'm still convinced it's all electrical. Remember they told us there is a separate line feed specifically for WT. It takes a lot of electricity to shoot that train through. I'm not entirely convinced the reduction in launch is soley based on structural problems, even if the train hit the back spike higher twice rather than the front tower's once.

Regardless of whether the train goes all the way up the back spike or not, it's still a taller ride, and that twisting motion up the back is great. I'd rather have a consistently running ride and a little less height.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

Well, whatever the problem is, we shouldn't worry about it. Cedar Point will fix the ride to how it as supposed to work, you know them, they wont "modify" it like some of you were saying. That would just be rediculous, im sure it is fixable.

While I agree that CP will eventually get the ride to a reliable state, I wouldn't go as far as to say they won't "modify" the ride. Several reliable people have said that the launches have already been toned down although I haven't seen this myself yet. Something like that is almost as bad as putting trims on the first drop of Mean Squak if you as me as it makes the ride so much less than it originally was.

-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew

On July 4th, it was definately getting even lower up the back spike than it had been when they originally toned it down.

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-Chris Woodard
Just because you can't justify charging $3 for a Pepsi doesn't mean you can't charge $3 for a Pepsi.

On my trip on July 6th, I noticed an improvement on WT. Though it was not in the speed or height of the launches, it was in the new piece welded onto the track. Right above the solid piece where the track is connected to the supports, there was a new diagonal cross-member in the track. It must have been welded into place the night before because it was white when the rest of the track is yellow, and the burns at the connection points were clearly seen from the ground. From the looks of it, it seemed to be a little wider and thicker than the rest of the same diagonal cross members on the rest of the track sections, distributing the force of the not-so-wicked-twisting train over a larger piece. It was still not running at full speed. But I could be totally wrong and that piece could have always been there.

On another note, the previous Monday, the ride went down at about 10:15 until the park closed at 12. Apparently the 94 degree temperature got to the first LIM out of the station and it overheated and shut the ride down for the remainder of the night. After having an hour to cool off, the operators and maintenance crews tried to clear the train for launch, but the computer would not let it due to the remaining high temp.

This is a really crazy and screwed up theory... But could the power be reduced to provide more power to Sandusky for their air conditioning?

*shuts up*

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Tommy Penner - Variable X
"We'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way."

So does it sound like it will be run like this for now on, or later in the season or the offseason it will be fixed back to normal?

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Grüvïs Mält

I rode the toned down: toned down version today. I don't know if it because I have not rode it in a month but even on the 2nd pass backwards it felt weak. I'd say it was getting 2/3rds up the back spike today. One saving grace is on the first pass back since you don't get hardly any twisting there is some nice air. If only they can get it to go almost all the way up again on the 2nd pass back, It would rule. I kinda like getting shafted on the first pass back and catching that air.

As for 99% of the people who ride, they think it's great.

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2002 Magnum--200
The world I love, the trains I hop, to be part of the wave can't stop.

i work at cp and while none of this is "official", it is more accurate than some stuff i have herd...

the back track has been having problems because it broke when they put it in during construction of it. i herd that the crane screwed up and stressed the steel. the ride is slowed down so that they can keep it running all season untill they can really fix it during fall/winter, otherwise it would just be unsafe. almost every night they weld the "cracks" and fix it from the days worth of running. the last run through the station was never powered, it just coasted. they did have problems with the electromagnets overheating, but from what i have seen, it is fixed now.

basicly the ride is toned down so that people can still ride it untill they can do some major repairs, but you never know, it may end up in the employee parking lot next to vertigone next year:)