Wicked Twister down 5/23

Went to Cedar Point on Thursday for our school's physics day and enjoyed the great weather. After getting our required work done we headed over to Wicked Twister around 1:30 but they had closed it. Didn't get a good chance to see it at this time but after coming back around 5 and seeing it was still closed we walked up to the exit gates to get a better look. It looked as if the train didn't return all the way to the station as the first three rows were outside of it. They had a bunch of guys walking around and messing with something near the track (I'm assuming the LIMs) while on a portable ladder. They were on the beach side so I couldn't see. There was also another guy that would open up this cellar-type door at the front of the base and walk in with a wrench. I wish I knew what was wrong with it. The ride ops just kinda walked around and cleaned up. It was still down at 6 when we left and I don't know if it came back up last night. I wonder what was wrong.

Word on the street is that there was a fin (or I suppose LIM) alignment problem.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

Are you sure that didn't rollback? I heard that another Intamin in the park did that, too. ;) Must be this weather.

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"Proud to be Arrow DYNAMIC!"

I'm assuming that the small problem that I experienced on WT was from something else but it was kinda freaky. What happened is my train was launched right after they said the 3 on the 3-2-1 countdown and it was a shock because I didn't expect it. Was this due to ride op error or a small system malfunction?

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America's Rockin' Roller Coast

Twister was back up around 6:30 yesterday.

I walked over there to see what was up and they tested it. I Could hear it making unusual banging sounds as the fins were clipping against something as it passed by. I almost sounded like the brakes kicked in except it in this case it was still accelerating.

Interesting.

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Break the scream barrier NOW!
Wicked twists: 3
Danger: Hgih Voltage!

I wonder if this is had something to do with the banging noise I've heard as it passed back through the station. I thought it sounded like an alignment problem. But, that was in the station. I didn't notice anything outside of the station.

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2002- Raptor Hot Shots
Force Laps: 427
Wicked Twists: 48

I got to the entrance gate just as WT closed. They parked the train outside of the station and I saw what looked to be important people on the platform. I was going to wait around because any other malfunction this year seemed to have been remedied quickly. The people on the platform had suits on and were pointing up at the LIMs. I assumed it was an alignment problem or perhaps an electrical problem to maybe that particular set of LIMs in the station. I'm really surprised that this doesn't happen more often -- with any other impulse. The clearance for those fins is so small and the train going at those high speeds, its just asking for trouble.
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Michael McCormack CP '02: 7
Magnum XL 200: 79 (204)
Millennium Force: 1 (55)
Wicked Twister: 15

This noise accrued when the train passed outside of the station on the long run by the shed It wasn't back there but that could be it too.

I rode it three more times today and everytime I was near the station and the train passed back through, I would hear a banging sound. When I rode in the front the first time today I did hear banging by the shed. I've been hearing these sounds for a few days now.

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2002- Raptor Hot Shots
Force Laps: 427
Wicked Twists: 51

The second to last LIM is visibly not in line with the others. I heard the knock, but it wasn't on every single pass.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

I've heard and felt that banging a few times. It was not there for my first two trips, but it was for my second two. It was in the back of the station near the back spike. Also, CP FANatic, I had the miscount happen to me too. I assume the dispater just let their finger "slip" on the launch button. That was the best ride I've had on WT so far because of the launch catching me off gaurd. I wish they didn't have the countdown, but at the same time I can see why they do.

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-Chris Woodard
"Thank you for replacing Mean Streak's square wheels with round ones."
VertiGo: VertiGone but not forgotten.

I was on the ride right before it went down. While I was waiting for the back seat, I got to see a couple of train launches, and before EVERY launch the harnesses would pop open and they would have to re-check them. I assumed this was why the ride had gone down.

I went to get back in line right after the ride, but they had already closed it.

Finally, I can confirm that the train would clank on something as it passed out of the back of the station.
*** This post was edited by JT Coaster 5/27/2002 10:35:37 PM ***

I was there on 5/23 and I remember riding it at around 1. That's when my Freeway time opened. I think it was down in the morning. I tried to hit it during early entry, but the mechanic with the ladder was there. It was a good thing perhaps, since I got 3 MF rides in a row with very little wait (probably 5 minutes at the most).

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I got to see a couple of train launches, and before EVERY launch the harnesses would pop open and they would have to re-check them. I assumed this was why the ride had gone down.

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Probably not... the ride ops themselves call for the harnesses to pop open, for any one of several reasons. They've had to do it quite a bit... although EVERY launch is A LOT... so I can't be sure.

The interesting thing about the "clank" towards the reverse spike is that it only happens when the train is traveling backwards. When I was waiting for the back on Sunday, I heard it EVERY single time the train came backwards through the station, but NEVER when it was going forward. Eventually I kind of got immune to it though ;)

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Break the scream barrier NOW!
Wicked twists: 4
Danger: Hgih Voltage!

Working here I dont really mind sitting around when a ride is down so when WT was down on Thursday I sat and watched the maintenence crews working on the ride...They pulled the LIM fin down and then re-attached it...after that they did a test run and it made a hideous clanking noise....at that point i left until it was running later in the day (around 7:00) at that time it wasnt clanking quite as bad...

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~ Josh M. ~
3 footers + Fence = 400' Ride? (Even Ms. Cleo couldnt call that one!)
"I will never doubt the forces of physics again"~Passenger leaving MF

Ripcord Crew '02
'02 MF Rides: 00
'02 Wicked Twists: 00