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GCI Brakes

Lofty

CF Legend
Hey everyone,

Sorry if this has already been asked in the past, did a quick search and found nothing...

I'm just wondering why 90% of GCI's coasters have extremely long [strike]break[/strike] brake runs? They hit the [strike]breaks[/strike] brakes, usually head through a transfer shed, (I understand why they do this) and then hit another [strike]breaks[/strike] brakes before the station? Is this due to running at higher capacity in terms of number of trains or is there actually no known reasonings?

Btw, I'm asking for an actual answer rather than "I think it's because of...".

[edit - The spell check part of my brain was going on overdrive - Hyde244]
 

MouseAT

Hyper Poster
Re: GCI Breaks

The only recent example I can go off is Thunderbird.

The main brake run seems to be magnetic, and simply slows the train down. The train then advances to the transfer shed, and the brakes on the transfer track seem to be the block brakes that hold the train until the one ahead has cleared the station. Thunderbird was certainly stopping there during ERT until the operators dispatched the other train.

There's a final brake just before the train reaches the station, which looks to me like a trim to keep the speed under control between the transfer shed and the station. That's just an educated guess though.

I've just checked a POV of Wodan and it looks pretty similar.
 

Lofty

CF Legend
Re: GCI Breaks

Thanks a lot MouseAT... Yeah, I thought it may be a block of some kind, but it truly seems so excessive on most of the layouts; Gwazi is a prime example.
 

MouseAT

Hyper Poster
Obviously they have to have a block brake somewhere, and I suppose putting a single one on the transfer track makes sense, rather than having to have multiple sets brakes that are all capable of completely stopping the train.

I'd guess on the coasters that meander a lot after the magnetic brake run it's more down to "where could we fit the storage/transfer shed" than anything else.
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Re: GCI Breaks

MouseAT said:
The only recent example I can go off is Thunderbird.

The main brake run seems to be magnetic, and simply slows the train down. The train then advances to the transfer shed, and the brakes on the transfer track seem to be the block brakes that hold the train until the one ahead has cleared the station. Thunderbird was certainly stopping there during ERT until the operators dispatched the other train.

There's a final brake just before the train reaches the station, which looks to me like a trim to keep the speed under control between the transfer shed and the station. That's just an educated guess though.

I've just checked a POV of Wodan and it looks pretty similar.
Bingo.

We were having a similar discussion on this in the Magnetic Brakes topic:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=36507

At least for new GCIs, as with majority of modern roller coasters, you have a hybrid braking system; beginning with a series of magnetic brakes, followed by friction brakes.

What might make GCI's brake runs appear long is the addition of the transfer track as a section of the brake run, which adds obvious length.

Other manufacturers will either sneak their transfer track as a portion of the friction braking section, such as these B&M coasters:

GateKeeper09-1600wx1035h.png


3526444064_a3c9ca035a_b.jpg


Alternatively, you can insert the transfer track at the beginning of the ride, before the lift hill:

mavericklayout2.jpg


By having three solid segments in the brake run, in addition to turns on many of their designs, GCI can indeed add up the length of their brake run.
 
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