CrashCoaster
CF Legend
How does the anti-rollback system on an SLC's lift hill work? It just looks like a fin that runs the whole way up the lift hill, but does anyone know how it actually functions?
You can hear it as well when it starts up. Being it's normally half way up the lift, it echos around the area. You certainly know when you stop and when you start that train.I'll toast to that. Millennium Force just suddenly starts making a loud clanging noise that can be heard down on frontier trail. It's pretty wild.
Two possible answers to that one:It actually seems like a really good system... Wonder why it’s not ‘industry standard’ given the noise constraints on many parks?
Two possible answers to that one:
a) I think it is actually reasonably common nowadays. I definitely don't think new coasters (on the whole) make as much racket at older ones. But also, maybe:
b) If it ain't broke don't fix it.
I would say that with woodies you're in a slightly different game there. For the same reason the brake runs are on a slope, there isn't the accuracy of track construction with wood as there is with steel, and so relying on a fin that has to be fairly well aligned between two contact surfaces when you have more tolerance in your structure may be a perfectly valid reason why GCI still use the cruder (less precise, no less safe) anti-rollbacks.I think RMC and GCI both lost that memo. ??
Far be it for me to disagree, but I don't buy the accuracy thing at all. If they're accurate enough to rely on brake fins as the single safety mechanism for bringing the train to a halt, from speed, then accuracy cannot be a factor here, when lining up a similar mechanism at a very slow speed, in a straight line.I would say that with woodies you're in a slightly different game there. For the same reason the brake runs are on a slope, there isn't the accuracy of track construction with wood as there is with steel, and so relying on a fin that has to be fairly well aligned between two contact surfaces when you have more tolerance in your structure may be a perfectly valid reason why GCI still use the cruder (less precise, no less safe) anti-rollbacks.
RMC? Well they're just a bit janky aren't they? No surprises there.
Sorry, maybe I didn't really explain myself. In order to make sure the brake fins enter the brakes properly, wooden coasters often have banked (to the left or right) brake runs. This means that they can precisely measure the distance from one rail to the brake device and then be sure they line up. If the brake run was level, the tolerances between the two rails means they couldn't be sure that the brake fin would enter the brake cleanly. I was hypothesising in my previous post, but I wonder if similar alignment/tolerance issues mean that a 'old school' anti-rollback is easier to implement.Far be it for me to disagree, but I don't buy the accuracy thing at all. If they're accurate enough to rely on brake fins as the single safety mechanism for bringing the train to a halt, from speed, then accuracy cannot be a factor here, when lining up a similar mechanism at a very slow speed, in a straight line.
Thanks man - I appreciate it.I had a look at your website earlier, (or was it yesterday?) really impressive stuff, I've seen some of your photography before, obviously, but it's nice to see a lot of it together in one place, it genuinely is fantastic stuff to look at. I also got to find out that my chosen CF background for the last year or so is one of your photos