Train speed going over the top hat...

Im sure some people will laugh at me for bringing this up, but I was just wondering why now when the train goes over the top hat it almost looks like there is going to be a rollback. but when TTD first opened it zipped right over the top hat, which I am sure creates more weightlessness! Has anyone else noticed the same thing? If you go to TTD's website and look at the videos of it you will see what I mean. It went much faster when it first opened....anyone know why?
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First trip the the point: 5/29/03
MF: 2 Magnum: 5 Raptor: 1 Mantis: 1 (TTD was closed)
Second Trip: 8/17/2003
MF: 1 TTD:2 Magnum: 2 Raptor: 1 (plus others)

When it first opened it had 4 cars. I'm sure that played a factor in it.

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2003 Stats: Top Thrill Dragster: 12
Magnum XL-200: 55
32 trips to the Point

I actually think that going slower over the tophat creates more airtime because the radius of the tophat is so small there is airtime no matter what speed(to a degree) you will feel weightless. It's just that you will feel the weightlessness for longer when you go slower over the tophat because it takes you longer to clear the tophat. As for the speed of the train going over the tophat I can only give you my guess which is around 20mph.
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You haven't ridden Top Thrill Dragster until you have been on a rollback.
TTD- 4 (0 REAL launches ;) ) MF-12 RAP-24 WT- 13
*** This post was edited by Topthrill420 9/27/2003 11:35:53 PM ***

My theory is that they're trying to find that comfortable slow pass over the top fast enough to prevent rollbacks but slow enough to not cause ejector-force airtime. The problem is it would seem there are far too many variables to realistically ever expect to achieve that.

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Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?
*** This post was edited by Jeff 9/28/2003 9:57:35 AM ***

Good therory Jeff.... that makes the most sense, and is a very likely descision.
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TTD: 6 (Rollbacks seen: 24)
MF: 20
WT: 9

Why try get rid of the ejector airtime? That was one of my favorite parts...lol.

I was actually wondering the same thing. I rode it on opening day (and have some of Walt's Video's DL'd). I can't really imagine why they won't just pluck one of the cars off. What they lose in capactiy they would re-gain by getting rid of most of the roll-backs.

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OMG! The Space Spiral is leaning!!" Must be the weight of that new air conditioning system everyone keeps hypothesizing about...

I feel that what makes the ride is the top hat. And I think the faster you go over the top hat the more scarier it will seem to riders. Take any normal rollercoaster, for example, when the train has a series of bunny hops they are much better when you are going faster. Your stomach tends to drop. But if you go slow over them it just feels like you are going up and back down again. Thats what I felt while on TTD. I was anticipating a great amount of weightlessness yet I didnt feel much at all! Does anyone else agree with me that if they made you go over the top hat faster that the ride would be more intense?!?! I think it would make riders feel like they need to hold on instead of put there hands up while on the top! Agree/Disagree??
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First trip the the point: 5/29/03
MF: 2 Magnum: 5 Raptor: 1 Mantis: 1 (TTD was closed)
Second Trip: 8/17/2003
MF: 1 TTD:2 Magnum: 2 Raptor: 1 (plus others)

Why take a car off? It only rolls back a few times per day, if that. Some days it'll roll back a lot due to wind or other weather related issues. Those days they just load half of the train. So whats the difference? When the weather is good, the capacity is way up.

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D/\MN GINA!!!!!!!!

They won't send it over the top faster because it's too hard to control the speed at the apex, and they have to make the possibility of going dangerously fast over the top non-existent.

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HW 2K3: 2

On a side note...does anyone know if guests with amputated legs are allowed to ride? I saw everyone talking about ejector air-time and it would seem (at first thought) that a guests would need strong muscular power in both legs. Maybe I just didn't take the time to think about it, but I was just curious to hear what you thought.

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MANTIS ROCKS 2002 & 2003

Especially being because the ride is a sit-down with lap restraints, I dont see any problems with having an amputated leg, but of course I could just not be thinking of something, either.

It would just seem to me that as long as the lap restraint can cover your waist and secure you the way that it should, there shouldnt be any problems.

Wasnt the issue with Perilous Plunge the fact that lapbars are designed to secure the thighs mostly? I remember hearing something about how Intamin designs restraints to retrain midsection movement by securing the upper, most muscular portion of the thigh. That's why the woman flew out, the bar rested on her stomach or something like that and not the thighs and that it was possible for fatty tissue to "slip" from under the restraints and therefore not restrain the rider?

If this is the case, it would depend on how much of the leg was left. If it was a partial amputation (knee and below), it seems that that would be fine since there is enough thigh and midsection to restrain. But for someone with a full leg amputation, wouldnt that run serious risks?

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Future CP Ride op?

I thought the Plunge bars were the same as those on Dragster, i.e., bent and not straight like those on MF. More to the point, I thought the woman who was tossed from PP was just too large to be safely restrained.

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Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?

Not to mention that there is also a seatbelt on Dragster, which will surely keep you in there.

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AKA Cobraroller on Cbuzz

Restraints on PP are almost identical, besides color, to those on TTD/Xcellerator. The womans gut on PP was under the lap bar and the seatbelt was unfastened when the boat came into the station. Now whether it was ever fastened in the first place is unknown, but seeing as how a gut can most likely come out of from under the bar, leaving more than enough space between thighs and the restraint to keep her fastened safely, is the most logical explanation for her flying out of the boat.

Seatbelts...Those are more created to keep you from moving side to side, to keep you comfortably seated and god forbid a last resort if those bars fail (but have the hydraulic restraints ever failed?) ...I dont think they're intended to keep you safely attached to the seat, i've slipped out of the belts on Xcellerator after the lapbars were released just to see if i could, they loosen easily as well.

And airtime wise, i can see if your flying over the tophat at 50 mph how that could do some damage, but when the speed varies from 20-30 mph, i dont think it does too much harm.
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-Adam Carolla is GOD
-*Perturbed at the world*
-No good deed goes unpunished- Ben Franklin

I bet you'd change your thoughts after they send you over at 25 mph.

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HW 2K3: 2