Cedar Point | Steel Vengeance | RMC I-Box (Mean Streak Conversion)

[Zek_Teh_Kek]

I sure hope they won't be running 1 train! This is Cedar Point, they'd never survive! However, if they run 2 trains they should be ok because when I was there for the Passholder Hoedown the operations were surprising for 2 trains. My guess is that if any train were to be out today, it would be Chess, and not Digger, as it was Chess that bumped Digger IIRC.

 

[streetmagix]

It depends on what caused the issues really. If it was as simple as a failure of the breaks (say a broken breaking fin) then I can understand why. If it's an issue/glitch with the control software then they really shouldn't be opening it. If they don't know they they really shouldn't be opening it again.

I'm also European and I'm very surprised (and slightly concerned) it's opening again so quickly, I thought it would be a week minimum.

 

[MouseAT]

Don't parks usually have some of the manufacturer's engineers on site when the rides first open, to help deal with any teething problems? Do we know whether RMC has any staff on site?

I suspect that if the ride is re-opening this quickly, we can probably deduce that:

• The collision was incredibly low speed and impact i.e. more of a light nudge than a crash.
• Neither train nor riders were harmed in any way in the impact.
• The engineers already know exactly what caused the collision to happen.
• Whatever caused the problem has already been fully rectified so that it can never happen again.

Given the risk of litigation, I seriously doubt that the park would re-open the ride if they were in any way unsure as to whether it was safe to operate.

 

[GuyWithAStick]

it was Chess that bumped Digger IIRC.

Really? I thought it was Digger who banged Chess in the rear

 

[tomahawk]

Smiler caused people to lose limbs. This bumped at a couple miles per hour in the station. That is drastically different.

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[streetmagix]

I respectfully disagree. In any situation where 2 trains are in the same block is a scary situation. It should never happen. Ever. It's the single biggest (non-structural) failing you can have on a roller coaster.

The fact that Cedar Point have reopened it so quickly, without a full report and investigation, doesn't fill me full of confidence. It smacks of a 'get it open now, no exceptions' manglement decision.

I know cultures and procedures are different around the world. Maybe we would keep it closed for 'too long' in Europe but I would much prefer that over opening prematurely. This is peoples heath and lives at stake here.

You can say I'm being overly dramatic, that's fair, but I'm appalled at this decision.

 

[GeodieCoasterFan]

Very quick turnaround, surely means its only something minor. As much as there may be cultural differences between the US and Europe a company as big as Cedar Fairs at their premier park can't be taking anything other than minimal risks

 

[Benenen]

Smiler caused people to lose limbs. This bumped at a couple miles per hour in the station. That is drastically different.

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My comparison was between Smiler and the NTG death to highlight how different countries react to serious accidents. I definitely don't think a little bump in the station is comparable to losing a leg.

 

[tomahawk]

I respectfully disagree. In any situation where 2 trains are in the same block is a scary situation. It should never happen. Ever. It's the single biggest (non-structural) failing you can have on a roller coaster.

The fact that Cedar Point have reopened it so quickly, without a full report and investigation, doesn't fill me full of confidence. It smacks of a 'get it open now, no exceptions' manglement decision.

I know cultures and procedures are different around the world. Maybe we would keep it closed for 'too long' in Europe but I would much prefer that over opening prematurely. This is peoples heath and lives at stake here.

You can say I'm being overly dramatic, that's fair, but I'm appalled at this decision.

They aren't the same though. You honestly think they would have reopened it if there was serious injury risk or potential to damage their millions of millions dollar investment that they've been working on, publically for 2 years, and probably 5 years total? You think the manufacturer, who had reps there, IOE, the park, and state safety all said, you know, something terrible could happen, but there's like 6000 people who are really pissed, and social media is going to talk a lot of ****. We have to open this now. Screw safety.

Yeah, no. They cleared it to run one train at least and there was no safety concern with that.

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[Snoo]

Rode it today. Waited 4 hours. Fantastic ride.

I will say it is ALOT to take in from a ride standpoint. It’s long with a thousand elements. You get airtime the ENTIRE time. It’s definitely a top 10 for me, but I’m still processing. Need to get on it again.

 

[CrashCoaster]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/993195607211806720

 

[Snoo]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/993195607211806720

Not really anything new. Just Velcro padding.

 

[Hyde]

To clarify a few points on operation this weekend:
1. It was Digger that bumped into Chess.
2. Steel Vengeance went back up with one train operation Opening Day night, and resumed one train operation today. Digger ran a few test cycles, but remained off track for operation. All trains carried no visual damage (aka bumpers on trains worked).
3. 4 riders were admitted to first aid, all were released back into the park from the bump. The actual incident shifted Chess forward a row once Digger struck.
4. RMC and Irvine Ondrey Engineering remained on-site throughout the entire weekend.

As for the ride itself: I am still really processing through everything they packed in here. I had the chance to ride twice, once in the middle and once towards the back. Moving more towards the back, airtime and hills were far more heightened, though it sounds like the coaster was running faster today in general. The sheer volume of airtime packed in here is tremendous, to the point of really needing to ride multiple times to get a true feel for the ride. It's rare to have a coaster with so many features and elements.

At the end of the day, it's an absolutely top three roller coaster, and I think squeaks into my number 1. Looking forward to riding more to get a better feel for the ride.

 

[llCoasterN3rdll]

Hang on. I found something interesting last night. So I was talking with someone who actually operated Millennium Force the summer it opened and apparently the same thing happened to it (it kinda blew through the brake run and bumped another train). But look at MF now. I think we just need to give them time to get used to the mechanics while at the same time, trying to get people through as quickly as possible. Because after Saturday, it looks like they weren’t prepared at all for how fast this was going to run and how fast they actually have to dispatch the trains from now on. Because if you were there, you saw that even with only two trains, they were still getting stacked up. I have faith that they’re figuring out everything right now as we speak and will start preparing for the season a lot earlier and better in future years to come!

 

[Hyde]

Hang on. I found something interesting last night. So I was talking with someone who actually operated Millennium Force the summer it opened and apparently the same thing happened to it (it kinda blew through the brake run and bumped another train). But look at MF now. I think we just need to give them time to get used to the mechanics while at the same time, trying to get people through as quickly as possible. Because after Saturday, it looks like they weren’t prepared at all for how fast this was going to run and how fast they actually have to dispatch the trains from now on. Because if you were there, you saw that even with only two trains, they were still getting stacked up. I have faith that they’re figuring out everything right now as we speak and will start preparing for the season a lot earlier and better in future years to come!

Absolutely. You can test as much as you like, but every roller coaster requires a break-in period (because, when you think about it, a roller coaster is just a bunch of new parts put together). Anyone who shows up to a roller coaster opening day expecting a fully functional ride with zero chance of failure is naive. MF and TTD are two extreme examples of prolonged opening troubles (TTD was essentially down half of its opening season), not to mention Maverick having to literally alter track and delay opening by a few weeks. Even simple roller coasters like Gatekeeper and Valravn had their opening troubles too.

It takes time, and everything gets sorted at the end.

For the question on 2 or 3 train operation; Cedar Point has yet to use the Steel Vengeance MCBR - it is totally deactivated with no brake action to be found. They could easily operate three trains, if they were to use the MCBR as an actual block. This weekend however, there was no sign of that intent, with stacking the whole three days through. So yes; two train operation works for Steel Vengeance. Once they iron out the kinks and get this roller coaster to regular operation however, I'd expect them to shift to 3 train operation, especially for its opening season, which would really eat through the queue.

 

[llCoasterN3rdll]

Absolutely. You can test as much as you like, but every roller coaster requires a break-in period (because, when you think about it, a roller coaster is just a bunch of new parts put together). Anyone who shows up to a roller coaster opening day expecting a fully functional ride with zero chance of failure is naive. MF and TTD are two extreme examples of prolonged opening troubles (TTD was essentially down half of its opening season), not to mention Maverick having to literally alter track and delay opening by a few weeks. Even simple roller coasters like Gatekeeper and Valravn had their opening troubles too.

It takes time, and everything gets sorted at the end.

For the question on 2 or 3 train operation; Cedar Point has yet to use the Steel Vengeance MCBR - it is totally deactivated with no brake action to be found. They could easily operate three trains, if they were to use the MCBR as an actual block. This weekend however, there was no sign of that intent, with stacking the whole three days through. So yes; two train operation works for Steel Vengeance. Once they iron out the kinks and get this roller coaster to regular operation however, I'd expect them to shift to 3 train operation, especially for its opening season, which would really eat through the queue.

I just really hope it doesn’t slow it down too much when they start using it. Although, I think that CP has the capability to cook through dispatches and stuff. They do really well at dispatching the trains on rides like Raptor and Gatekeeper. Especially Raptor. Do you think they could slow down the speed of the chain lift so that way they don’t have to trim it on the mcbr? So that way the time it takes it to get to the mcbr is longer which gives them a bit more time to load and dispatch trains. Because I felt like the ride is gonna be that much better when the mcbr is completely off

 

[Hyde]

I just really hope it doesn’t slow it down too much when they start using it. Although, I think that CP has the capability to cook through dispatches and stuff. They do really well at dispatching the trains on rides like Raptor and Gatekeeper. Especially Raptor. Do you think they could slow down the speed of the chain lift so that way they don’t have to trim it on the mcbr? So that way the time it takes it to get to the mcbr is longer which gives them a bit more time to load and dispatch trains. Because I felt like the ride is gonna be that much better when the mcbr is completely off

Throttling the lift hill is always a possibility (and an easy way to expedite dispatch times). I don't think they'll intend to use the MCBR to slow the train; but you could still use it as a block to allow the next train to dispatch. Even if they were to operate three trains and continue letting one train run the circuit (as they currently do now), having three trains would still peel off 5-10 seconds of dispatch so that you have a train ready to go the second the previous train hits the final brake run.

 

[TLARides]

On the topic of the bump...

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[llCoasterN3rdll]

Throttling the lift hill is always a possibility (and an easy way to expedite dispatch times). I don't think they'll intend to use the MCBR to slow the train; but you could still use it as a block to allow the next train to dispatch. Even if they were to operate three trains and continue letting one train run the circuit (as they currently do now), having three trains would still peel off 5-10 seconds of dispatch so that you have a train ready to go the second the previous train hits the final brake run.

Yeah. In the end no one got hurt, they were at least able to get the ride back up and running despite only running one train. Maybe if they actually let us pull down our own lap bars, that'll speed up the dispatches. Did you get to ride it back row? Back row is nuts. I knew I was in for it when I went over those small bunny hops before the lift and got airtime lol

 

[Zek_Teh_Kek]

Does anybody even know why some RMCs only allow the ride ops to push down the lap bars? It's a bit confusing, unless it was for safety after the NTG incident.