Blackpool Pleasure Beach | Icon | Mack Multi-Launch

[CrashCoaster]

And also the second to back, for less rattling.

 

[Lofty]

Or, you know, you could just ride it in the afternoon like most other people have said..?

 

[Pear]

God it can't be that rattly can it? Or are you just that much of a pansy.

 

[Lofty]

God it can't be that rattly can it? Or are you just that much of a pansy.

It does rattle, but it's far from rough. Just a slight vibration that most coasters in the world have. I'm really not sure what people are complaining about tbh.

 

[Robbie]

The rattle is actually the sound of the Wild Mouse haunting the ride.

 

[Matt N]

It does rattle, but it's far from rough. Just a slight vibration that most coasters in the world have. I'm really not sure what people are complaining about tbh.

Is it like how Mako and The Swarm apparently have rattles according to some people, but they are two of the smoothest coasters I've ever ridden? There are probably smoother rides out there, but these two felt smooth as butter to me, and I'm sure Icon will too.

 

[Smithy]

Probably be shot down quickly and corrected, but is this slightly rattle actually part of the design?

Like, surely there's a tolerance of so many millimetres built in to allow for expansion of the track in hotter weather, or to cover the differing weight of the train? So whereas a fully loaded train at the end of the day may have a different direct route throughout the track than an empty train in the morning, and there's a tolerance built in to counteract that? Could that explain the slight rattle?

Or am I, as often the case, talking ****?

I think that makes sense in my head.

 

[James F]

It does make sense. I saw a TPR video of a back row ride on intimadtor 305 with empty trains. The rattle is clearly visable , but if you watch a video of a full train ride you can't see it.

Probably be shot down quickly and corrected, but is this slightly rattle actually part of the design?

Like, surely there's a tolerance of so many millimetres built in to allow for expansion of the track in hotter weather, or to cover the differing weight of the train? So whereas a fully loaded train at the end of the day may have a different direct route throughout the track than an empty train in the morning, and there's a tolerance built in to counteract that? Could that explain the slight rattle?

Or am I, as often the case, talking :emoji_poop:?

I think that makes sense in my head.

Sent from my G3221 using Tapatalk

 

[MouseAT]

Probably be shot down quickly and corrected, but is this slightly rattle actually part of the design?

Like, surely there's a tolerance of so many millimetres built in to allow for expansion of the track in hotter weather, or to cover the differing weight of the train? So whereas a fully loaded train at the end of the day may have a different direct route throughout the track than an empty train in the morning, and there's a tolerance built in to counteract that? Could that explain the slight rattle?

Or am I, as often the case, talking :emoji_poop:?

I think that makes sense in my head.

I think most coasters have a bit of expansion room. It's most noteable on old Vekomas - look at something like Infusion when it's in the station and you'll notice that there's a visible gap between the upstop wheels and the track. If I remember rightly, I'm sure I read somewhere that the likes of B&M used some sort of sprung wheel assembly to push the wheels against the track, providing a smoother ride. I've no idea if Mack do something similar. I'd have thought so, given how well they ride.

Regardless, most Macks have a bit of noticeable vibration. Helix certainly does. It's nothing to be concerned about, as it doesn't really affect the ride at all. It's no worse than something like Nemesis is these days, and from what we've seen with the other Mack rides, it's not something that appears to get worse with time.

 

[Chris Brown]

I remember having one ride on helix at like 10pm when it was flying round the track but had a weird rattling noise. It wasn’t so much a vibration but more the sound of a broken piece of metal / lose bolt. It didn’t make the ride rough but was rather unsettling thinking your seat was going to fly off! No idea if this is what’s being discussed.

 

[Peet]

There's no gap for expansion on Icon - on pretty much all large modern steel coasters the upstop wheels are spring loaded against the rail so that they are always in contact. On older ones like Vekoma SLCs and Mk1200s there are no springs but a small gap instead which does lead to the bumpy ride.

But the vibration on Icon must be caused by something else, I'm off to experience it for myself tomorrow

Edit (because I know the spring-loading of upstop wheels is so fascinating...): here you can see the pivot of the upstop wheel assembly (circled) and the approximate position of the spring (zig zag) that causes the wheels to grip the track with no gap.

 

[Lofty]

I know this is a long shot, but, could it be anything to do with the clue-proximity of the beach and sand? Maybe a different texture that's coating the tracks could potentially be causing vibrations/pumps?

 

[MakoMania]

I know this is a long shot, but, could it be anything to do with the clue-proximity of the beach and sand? Maybe a different texture that's coating the tracks could potentially be causing vibrations/pumps?

Possibly, the sand does cause them problems. Only thing is people are saying that Blue Fire & Helix feel exactly the same.

 

[Lofty]

They don't. Having done all three of them, Blue Fire and Helix definitely do not feel the same as Icon in terms of the vibrations. Blue Fire and Helix both have it in certain areas, but it's entirely through the layout with Icon.

 

[CrashCoaster]

I didn't feel any vibration or rattle on Blue Fire when I rode it in Easter. Icon vibrated/rattled the whole way round. In fact when I rode it in the back row, I actually thought it was going to jolt in a couple of places, but luckily it didn't. Although I fear it may in the future.

 

[Matt N]

Only newish Mack I've ever ridden is Cobra's Curse at BGT, and I don't remember that having any sort of rattle to it at all, so I'm hoping that Icon is the same in August. It must be subjective as to whether you feel a rattle or not, though, because Andy Rumney said that Cobra's Curse "rode like a shopping trolley like all the other Mack coasters". Also, I found Manta at SeaWorld Orlando to have a noticeable rattle, and I think I'm one of only two I know of who thinks that!

 

[CrashCoaster]

Only newish Mack I've ever ridden is Cobra's Curse at BGT, and I don't remember that having any sort of rattle to it at all, so I'm hoping that Icon is the same in August. It must be subjective as to whether you feel a rattle or not, though, because Andy Rumney said that Cobra's Curse "rode like a shopping trolley like all the other Mack coasters". Also, I found Manta at SeaWorld Orlando to have a noticeable rattle, and I think I'm one of only two I know of who thinks that!

Manta's a B&M though.

 

[Coaster]

I found the rattle to just be a noise, rather than actually affecting the ride experience. I don't think it's an issue really, anyone heard some of the noises The Smiler makes? :emoji_astonished:

 

[James F]

Now The Smiler definitely has a rattle!

I found the rattle to just be a noise, rather than actually affecting the ride experience. I don't think it's an issue really, anyone heard some of the noises The Smiler makes? :emoji_astonished:

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[Matt N]

Manta's a B&M though.

I know, I was just using it as an example of a coaster I'd ridden that I thought had a rattle.

And yes, Smiler definitely has a rattle there!