Howie
Donkey in a hat
In this day and age of extreme internet coaster goonery, I can't believe that some nerd from some forum somewhere hasn't already done this?
Who's good with the search engines? @Pokemaniac - you're up.
“Warming up throughout the day” - a myth?
- Thread starter Nitefly
- Start date
In this day and age of extreme internet coaster goonery, I can't believe that some nerd from some forum somewhere hasn't already done this?
Who's good with the search engines? @Pokemaniac - you're up.
If somebody has, and posted it online, I think Google's algorithms would be good enough to catch it from a simple search. I tried a few variations of key words and found nothing - of course, it didn't help that any search including the word "statistics" points you to pages that list the vital stats of the ride.In this day and age of extreme internet coaster goonery, I can't believe that some nerd from some forum somewhere hasn't already done this?
Who's good with the search engines? @Pokemaniac - you're up.
However, I suspect that some German fans might have tried to collect the data, but I don't speak German. I tried a few phrases using Google Translate, but didn't find anything. The existence of pages such as this gives me some optimism, though. Somebody is apparently eyeing the queue time monitor closely.
So yeah, if somebody speaks German and is willing to do some Googling, you might find something interesting. There are some rather big and active German amusement park forums, so somebody out there probably knows.
Yeahhhh it also turns out friction brakes need friction to operate.
Dar
Hyper Poster
On the opposite end of the scale, I've stalled on both Blackpool's Wild Mouse and Yarmouth's woodie because of the rain swelling the wood. Got stuck on the first and then the second switchback on the mouse, had the op clamber up to give us a push. Then at Yarmouth we got stuck on the turnaround after the second drop, brakeman had to get his mate up to help him push!
rob666
Hyper Poster
And grease and water don't mix,which is more what I meant.Yeahhhh it also turns out friction brakes need friction to operate.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Just to throw another question into the mix... What about coasters warming up throughout the season? I ask this because, well, Icon. It’s the only coaster I’ve ever noticed it on. For two years now it has seemed noticeably slower at Wow weekends (start of season weekend only openings)
Now I’m not sure if this is a) because it’s the start of the season... b) because I always visit wow weekends on the Saturday, when it’s been sat idle all week... Or c) none of the above and all in my head!
I know Icon is not the quickest and whippiest of coasters at all, but most of the season it does have some whippy transitions in that second half, some even providing good air time. However, during wow weekends it just seems to meander, slowly, with no forces at all.
Now I’m not sure if this is a) because it’s the start of the season... b) because I always visit wow weekends on the Saturday, when it’s been sat idle all week... Or c) none of the above and all in my head!
I know Icon is not the quickest and whippiest of coasters at all, but most of the season it does have some whippy transitions in that second half, some even providing good air time. However, during wow weekends it just seems to meander, slowly, with no forces at all.
jay37415
Mega Poster
I think it goes back to air temperature. Its obviously warmer in July vs April.
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Possibly, we’ve had some amazing rides on it at the end of October, though it has been a fairly mild October the last few years.
The Undead Creature
Mega Poster
We need a ride engineer to give us the low down!!
Somebody shout me?
I assure you all that wheel temperature and track lubrication is a serious thing that has a huge influence on how fast a coaster runs.
Coasters are no different from any other machine in that they are not perfect and there will always be friction in the wheel bearings which causes them to heat up. This heat is actually quite beneficial as it works to thin the bearing grease out a little reducing the rolling resistance and allowing the train to hold its speed better. The first empty test runs at this time of year are the squeaky bum moments, but once the ride is running as it should, it only takes an hour or so for it to fully warm up.
The vast majority of the coasters I've worked on have a lap or block timer which is responsible for the trims that we all love to hate. The difference between cold and dry first thing in the morning and hot and wet at the end of the day can be as much at 15 seconds on some bigger rides. That may not seem like much but it's the difference between a nice, comfortable stop at the end or the equivalent to hitting a brick wall.....
Very interesting, thanks!
The Undead Creature
Mega Poster
Ya welcome.
Another thing you may find interesting is just how hot wheels can get. They usualy end up around the 50-60 degree mark depending on the speed they get to.
One example I could give would be the very first morning test run on Stealth when it is raining. The wheels on the first and third car would be noticeably steaming until the water on the track was dispersed.
You can even get an idea of this for yourself, the next time you go on a coaster in the rain, I challenge you to find any water at all on the wheels.
