What's new

Efteling Replacing Python.

Mysterious Sue

Strata Poster
They need to do something. I still haven't ridden it yet because we didn't want to stand in the three hour long queue on my last visit (went with someone with a dodgy back). We weren't the only people being put off.
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
tokx0u7kfs.jpg

Bridging the gap between the old track first drop and the new track loops. However the track didn't actually fit and they had to saw off some more of the old track to make it fit.

So a few days ago they couldn't get the new bit of track to fit. However they seemingly were far too enthusiastic in
sawing off part of the old track because...
DW9CdM9XcAAgyUa.jpg

DW9CeQFX0AAwGYF.jpg

DW9CsP2XcAUrLV4.jpg

DW9CtPvW0AAt965.jpg

... now it doesn't fit because it is too short!
https://twitter.com/Eftelwesley
DW9Dr4GX4AA4Lod.jpg

Oh dear and they were making such great progress ahead of the planned 31st March reopening.

After some more measurements the track was set back down on the ground again and the crane folded up.

However Efteling's social media team at least saw the funny side of it.
 
Last edited:

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Efteling PR team are winning today! That made me laugh!
Great job Efteling! Now you'll have to spend even more money to get a new piece of track manufactured!
This has ticked me off - and makes me feel the need to defend "the engineer" again.

My day job involves designing buildings (granted as a mechanical engineer, but it's one big process at the end off the day), and when our projects get to site there are ALWAYS fabrication/construction issues to deal with. We see misalignment issues of this nature every day, it's a contractor's bread and butter. I'm currently working on two major 'refurbishment' projects - your eyes would water if you saw the amount of problems that actually come up on site. The number of people and interfaces required to get these kind of things are probably higher than you can count. Contractors are ready for this.

Not to mention that if this error has come about due to incorrect survey information, design dimensions, fabrication, etc, then it's not even Efteling that will pick up the tab. There are procedures in place from the start to absorb these kind of costs.

Just because you can make it in No Limits means next to **** all in the real world.
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
I don't even know what a pull through is...
A pull through is a way to check that everything has been lined up correctly and is ready for a 'full speed' test. They set up a series of winches and pulleys and literally pull the train through the track meter-by-meter. It's often not done with a full train for convenience.

They're checking track alignments, clearance envelopes, etc. Probably particularly important when you're integrating new and old track. Of course, in theory you account for all of this during the design/manufacture/installation, but it's always good to check! :p

I suspect there may also be insurance/regulatory reasons for doing it, which might explain why it doesn't seem to happen on every coaster.
 
Last edited:

Matt N

CF Legend
A pull through is a way to check that everything has been lined up correctly and is ready for a 'full speed' test. They set up a series of winches and pulleys and literally pull the train through the track meter-by-meter. It's often not done with a fully train for convenience.

They're checking track alignments, clearance envelopes, etc. Probably particularly important when you're integrating new and old track. Of course, in theory you account for all of this during the design/manufacture/installation, but it's always good to check! :p

I suspect there may also be insurance/regulatory reasons for doing it, which might explain why it doesn't seem to happen on every coaster.
Doesn't Intamin often do pull throughs?
 

Lofty

CF Legend
Most manufacturers perform a pull through of some kind on their coasters. As well as wheeling around a clearance envelope frame - but this is mostly for coasters with a lot of theming or interactions. Pull throughs aren't always performed, though. From memory, a lot of the time they happen is when there's been alignment issues during construction, although I could be wrong.
 

CSLKennyNI

Giga Poster
At 8:48 in this documentary about the construction of Taron you can see them perform a typical pull through test with a basic chassis and using pulleys to wheel it along. Although in this case the test was for the clearance envelope frame due to the theming.

 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
^My German is a bit rusty, but it looked as though some of the rock work was a bit too close for comfort during that pull-through test, hence why that jockey was chipping away at it with a lump hammer.
Just goes to show how important they are, dunnit?
 
Top