trim brakes

After recently riding the Gemini this season i noticed the trim brakes slow you down a lot right before going into the helix.....Maybe i never noticed this but at the beginning of the season i dont remember feeling the brakes...are they new?

No, the brakes have always been there, But I do believe they are using them more now, the 12 times ive rode it this year it feels as if they have strengthened the brakes, and they do slow the coaster train down much more...

I'll ask my buddy who is a ride op on the gemini next time i am there

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TTD: 2 (Rollbacks seen: 1)
MF: 15
WT: 6
Usually at CP: every mon, tuesday, thursday
*** This post was edited by MrFat699 7/27/2003 1:46:01 PM ***

I think the reason for them is that they're trying to gain a couple of seconds to hit the dispatch interval, since it's taking a couple extra seconds to load trains since the addition of the air gates.

They could just ditch the helices entirely and make a really long brake run, I suppose.

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Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

I thaught the Air gates aren't to be installed until next year along with an automatic blocking, and sensor system.. or did you see the air gates installed already?

Jeff, are you thinking of the MeanStreak where the Air gates have been installed? because a week ago when i was there there was no Air gates on Gemini, and my friend who is an op on the Gemini said in the off season the Gemini was to be re-worked

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TTD: 2 (Rollbacks seen: 1)
MF: 15
WT: 6
Usually at CP: every mon, tuesday, thursday

No, there isn't any airgates on Gemini currently. I was thinking it would be a good idea to install them because people are always standing on the yellow area, but I realized there isn't much room for the gates to swing open, unless people were restricted to stand on the top step, which would be harder to enforce than people standing on the yellow area.

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Egg nog... how'd they think that up?
"I want to get a little drunk... but I also want some pankcakes."

My bad, I meant to say "forthcoming," because from what I understand, Gemini is next.

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Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

They're hitting the trims harder coming into the helix, sure...

But am I the only person who has noticed that for much of this season the trims on the mid-course block brake have been *off*?

Jeff, I don't think it has anything to do with interval unless you caught them running five or six trains...they have mostly not been running more than two trains per track, and that gives them an additional 37 seconds per train right there.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Ok in one night, about a week ago, I rode gemini about 8 times right before close, on the red side, all the trims were on, and it was really clamping hard just before the helix. But on the blue side, it was completely trimless! It was the greatest ride on gemini I have ever had! Guess which side won every single race.

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Arms down.....Arms down.....Arms down.......Arms down.....Arms down....Arms down...(you think they would get it the first time?!)
*** This post was edited by liebevision 7/28/2003 12:02:35 PM ***

Last season, at least when I was there, the trims were not clamping, therfore the helix was pretty wild.

When I went this past May and on last Thursday, I could definitely feel the trims clamping.

Speaking of trims, they were clamping so hard on Mean Streak on Thursday that we were barely eeking over.

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Andrew L. of Waterville, Ohio
"Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?."

No one has mentioned this yet in this thread, but look at the sign over the control booths at the front side of the station. It says "trim brakes are off" or something like that, and if the light inside the sign is on, then you're in for a wild helix at the end. Most people here already know this, but this is just a heads up for all the newbies ;)

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Egg nog... how'd they think that up?
"I want to get a little drunk... but I also want some pankcakes."
*** This post was edited by pagoona 7/28/2003 1:24:17 PM ***

I'll definitly be looking for that sign when i go! If you just made up the thing about the sign and it's not really there, i'm a gullable guy and i've never been to the point:)

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Can't wait to be at the Point!
2003 coaster count:43

They were running 6 trains on Sat. I noticed that the lift on the red side was running on slow when a red train was going up the hill. Anyone know why? It was on slow just for one train, the entire way up. After that, both lifts ran at normal speed.

I would not want to see the helix removed for a brake run. The helix is a nice ending to the ride, it wouldn't be the same without it.

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I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks,
than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.

Pagoona: I believe the sign says "Trim Brakes Open". So when the light is on, which it has been alot lately, the trims are off.

the other Eric

The exact wording on the sign (which is really an EXIT sign with a custom faceplate) is "TRACK TRIM BRAKES OPEN."

Pete: Were you watching it just as they restarted the ride after adding the 6th train to the red track? I watched them do that once, from the parking lot. They loaded the train with mechanics and ride operators at the bottom of the lift hill, then idled it all the way to the top; subsequent trains ran normally. It has something to do with loading the train at the base of the lift instead of in the station...and loading the train like that has something to do with the danger of a rollback if the train isn't fully loaded the first time it goes around.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Just guessing again...

That may be it Dave. I saw it from the Soak City parking lot, so I can't tell for sure if they just put a train on. But, I did make Gemini my first ride, and there was a supervisor on the platform, so something like that probably happened.

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I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks,
than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.

On a side note, I was there on late June it appeared that the red side trims grabbed a little too hard and the train was stuck in the helix. It was closed for the morning and and reopened in the afternoon. I have no idea how they got that train out of there. It was quite an interesting site!!!!!
*** This post was edited by Jason Slone 7/29/2003 1:13:29 PM ***

Ive seen the blue train stuck on the mid-course brakes with the last car still kind of hanging down the hill and not making it over. I think I have read were this has happened a couple of times or more this year.

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

Last week (on Wed.) blue's lift was running quite a bit faster than red's. I'd wager about 8-10% faster.

Both trains hit the lift at about the same time and blue crested at least 3 or 4 seconds before red.

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- John
I Snap Flyers

Jason, next time you ride Gemini, go up the back entrance (right-hand entrance) and when you get to the landing just before you go up to the platform, turn around and look very carefully at the hardware. I don't remember whether you should be looking at the work platforms between the tracks, or if you should be looking between the rails near the station approach safety brakes. But somewhere in there, (doggone it, I need to go look again myself...) you should get your answer to how they recover a train stranded in the helix. :)

Pete, I think it's interesting to note that a careless sailor can cause the first condition in your .sig to become the second condition in your .sig... :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

ok here is my question, people say gemini doesnt make it to the first hill after the drop sometimes? and it rolls back and is stuck between the first drop and the first turn kinda thing... i dont really believe this although alot of people say it is true, if someone has a pic id really appreciate it, but i was also wondering how in the world do they recover the train from inbetween two hills?!?! do they have a crane come in and hoist the train to the first drop and try again after they evacuate the people? do they have like a winch under the track on the hill so they can just attach it and pull it up to the second hill?

or what happens? i was also told they were quite often, so whatever

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TTD: 2 (Rollbacks seen: 1)
MF: 15
WT: 6
Usually at CP: every mon, tuesday, thursday