TTD observations and questions

TopThrillBouncer, what are these "Breaks" that you are talking about. Would that be like a coffee break?

The red train is sitting at the bottom of lake eerie with Millenium Forces green train.

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Jeff said:
The entire assembly is pushed up against the underside of the train by springs. Air bladders fill to push the entire assembly down away from the train so the tires do not make contact.

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For the sake of accuracy, while Jeff's description is correct for the drive wheels at the launch position, the descending drive wheels on the brake run work in the opposite manner. The springs push the drive wheel assembly down and the air bladders push it up.

If it was the other way around, the tires would always be up during a loss of power. If a train attempted to pass over the drive wheel tires while they were not turning, that train's passengers would not appreciate it in the slightest. The train would end up coming to a halt on the brake run. Considering there is no catwalk along the brake run, the only way to get them out of the train in that instance would be with a cherry-picker. The first location a train can come to a complete stop is Hold 2. This is the first location where the drive wheels cannot descend.

Pete is correct about why there are drive wheels on the brake run.

As for why all of the drive wheels turn on when the train is already past some of them, well, it's for the sake of simplicity in programming. It's far easier to just turn on an entire block's worth of drive wheels than to set up a case situation that first determines the exact location of the train within the brake block and then turns on only the necessary drive wheels. Top Thrill Dragster's programming is already complex enough, why make it any more complicated than it needs to be.

With regards to the red train, let the debate continue. :)

Back to lurking.

I don't think you're right about the direction of the springs (even though I understand you worked the ride). Since the wheels are the only thing that can stop the train (as it will roll, even slowly on an incline over the brake fins), a loss of air pressure means you'd want those wheels up to stop the train, not down where it can roll.

I understand the tendancy to lean towards conventional logic on this one, but Dragster is a very unconventional ride. Imagine hitting a stationary object at 80mph. This is what would happen if the fail-safe position of the drive wheels located on the brake run was up. Now imagine using the entire brake run to slow the train to a crawl and then hit the first set of non-descending drive wheels in Hold 2. That provides for a very comfortable stop. Add in the fact that the safety system does not allow for a train to be launched until Hold 2 is clear, and you have safe and comfortable way to stop the train in a fail-safe mode.

However, this fail-safe logic does cause an issue with 6 trains. With 5 trains, Hold 2 is always clear; with 6 trains you have to wait for Hold 2 to clear. That's why 5 trains will always be better than 6 trains. I'll let you decide if it's merely coincidence that the 6th train is now no where to be seen. :)

**ADDITION**
Check out the 2nd to last post on this page. It explains how to use Jeff's logic to benefit the capacity of the ride.
http://www.pointbuzz.com/cpplace.aspx?mode=thread&TopicID=13705&page=2 *** Edited 6/23/2004 5:13:05 AM UTC by Purdue University Engineer***

Yeah, but the train is never moving 80 at the point the tires are mounted on the track (unless there are more mounted uptrack that I didn't notice).

Funny you bring up the second holding area. It seems to me that's the barrier in getting another train launched, not the launch system. It seems to take forever for the ride to advance a train out of that position.

I think the most tactful way to phrase my response is:

You have hit the final nail on the head for Dragster's capacity coffin.

Of course, there are always days when the hydraulic system wants attention too. :)

I'll never understand why so many things about Intamin rides are needlessly complex. Complexity doesn't mean more safe.