Top Thrill 2 Pit Stop- Ep 5- Paint, Spike, and Trains

Wow, they are flying fast.
-Spike is almost complete
-Paint is complete on top hat
-Trains are at Cedar Point (Should be put on track "Soon")
-LSMs are installed and have begun testing

Can't wait to ride, looks like they are going to have a lot done before the winter weather hits!

Would be cool if they had a first rider auction for the day of the solar eclipse. “Drive the Sky” would take on a new meaning.

Wait, are they planning to be open in some capacity on eclipse day?

Well, per the latest Lake Erie Lifestyles upload, they have indeed started loading cars onto the transfer. At the time they were flying, it looks like they had one blue car and 2 white cars on the transfer with another (still wrapped) car in the process of being brought over. Outside of the notion that they could be doing some kind of super early testing, I'm wondering why they would load the cars on now and expose them to the harsh winter weather as opposed to keeping them in a climate controlled storage area.

Does the exposure really matter? Aside from when they are being overhauled, every car/ride vehicle sits outside all winter. Even if testing is a ways off, getting them onto the track now confirms that they do in fact fit on the track, gets them out of the way, and checks a step off the list.

Plus, any testing they can get done now, even if it's the "boring" stuff like moving trains between blocks, etc., is testing they don't have to do come spring.

And they can always wrap them up right on the track for winter in a few weeks.

TTD 120mph:

I'm wondering why they would load the cars on now and expose them to the harsh winter

So they can get accustomed to the Ohio winters. Remember, these trains are from Italy where it's in the 60's right now. They're likely in a state of shock, what with all their new surroundings.

Best to get it over with now.

I'm wondering where on the schedule some of the remaining stuff will fall.

We're still waiting on another station roof support column, right? I don't remember seeing confirmation/denial of a separate load/unload platforms, or much about the station interior yet at all.

Was the new gift shop a remodel of the speed zone building, or a teardown/rebuild? Were the midway improvements limited to just what they showed in the concept art, or is there still more to reveal?

Kinda surprised the bleachers are still there. Why bother to work around it if it's not staying?

Kevinj:

So they can get accustomed to the Ohio winters. Remember, these trains are from Italy where it's in the 60's right now. They're likely in a state of shock, what with all their new surroundings.

First step is moving them around on and off storage tracks, making sure the bits are all programmed right.

I don't think there will be seperate load/unload with only three trains as having it would just make things more complicated and require more staffing with little benefit provided with three trains and negative benefit provided if they ever have to run two trains.

The launch cycle seems to take about 45 seconds from start to train clearing the tophat, but that does not include time to move the train from the station (or possibly a staging position in front of the station) to the launch position and switch the track back and forth. My guess is a 72 second interval is best case, but 80 seconds is more realistic. With a 20 passenger train, that puts capacity at 900-1000 per hour. I don't see how it can be any better than that, but hopefully it won't be much worse.

I wonder if there's some kind of physical interlock on the switch track that prevents launch motors from working if it isn't in place.

The locking pins (grey end of switch track facing tower) seem to have wires running from them or near them. I imagine that's not the only one my my bet would be those are position sensors. Possibly with one in the pin to confirm a seat in the next section of rail it's supposed to lock into and on in or near the actuator to confirm position.

I don't know but I would imagine that's a designed in feature.

I'm sure there are sensors, but they can break or be wrong or programming can be wrong in some weird edge case. I'm talking about a mechanical interlock. For example, a lot of high-voltage systems (broadcast transmitters come to mind) have interlocks where if the maintenance door is open, they can't physically be energized unless they are mechanically closed. The circuit (presumably a low-voltage line closing a contactor) is incomplete when they're not closed, so no juice.

Oh, great point. I wonder if the locking pins themselves make enough contact to be used that way.

Jeff:

For example, a lot of high-voltage systems (broadcast transmitters come to mind) have interlocks where if the maintenance door is open, they can't physically be energized unless they are mechanically closed. The circuit (presumably a low-voltage line closing a contactor) is incomplete when they're not closed, so no juice.

I am struggling with how this works without a switch. I do not have an electrical background (I hate wires), but I am comparing your example to my furnace. The access panel that I open up to get to the blower has a switch on it. When the door is in position the switch is closed and the blower runs. With the panel open the switch is open and the blower is interlocked to not be able to run. Is that what your example is or is it something different than that?

I am trying to figure out how to do an interlock without a switch of some sort.

Well, for high voltage enclosures, a circuit breaker usually includes a mechanical interlock that requires the door to be closed in order for the breaker to close. These can usually be defeated manually if needed, since it's often literally nothing more than a mechanism that protrudes when the breaker is engaged, and if that mechanism doesn't make contact with the enclosure door, the breaker won't engage/close.

I think what Jeff is talking about is a low voltage (e.g. 24VDC) circuit that uses the track position to maintain continuity (as in, electrical contacts mounted to the switch track), and in the event that electrical continuity is interrupted, a relay is triggered which opens a separate electrical high voltage contactor, disabling the launch power.

Not sure if that makes sense or clarifies it at all...

Lake erie lifestyles deserves to be on the first ride for all the updates and promoting of the ride!

Yeah, nothing pleases a park's marketing department like snooping over their fence.

Question for you Jeff, how do they get away with that? Isn't CP a no drone zone?