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Weird, Wacky & Strange Coaster Bits

roomraider

Best Topic Starter
Is this not the track underneath heading off the frame?
LKPZZQw.png


This would seem like the Occam's Razor answer to me. It's hard to tell from the picture, but I wonder if it was just a bench seat so you could sit with your legs either way (or seats running parallel to the track and you straddle them).

What I find interesting is that, given they also have a 'reverse spike' lift hill, it seems surprising to me that they'd bother inclining the station rather than just having the station level and low to the ground (like the modern Boomerangs). Elevating the station makes sense when you're not adding a spike, but it seems unnecessarily extra effort when you are. Commendable though, those sloping v-shaped roofs are pretty great.

You are correct. Somehow i missed that last night. I did notice it when i re looked this morning but kind of hoped no one else would :p

Another bizare thing about the ride is i guess because it has stations at either end all the hills are exactly the same height. which just looks a bit weird.
 

Matt N

CF Legend
I’m not sure if this is the right thread for this, but it has recently been discovered that, perhaps surprisingly, the track from Maverick’s removed heartline roll is still about, sitting in a field in Mansfield, Ohio:
What a cool discovery! I have to say, I assumed that the track from Maverick’s heartline roll would have been melted down years ago… how weird, yet awesome, that it still exists!
 

Archie

Mega Poster
I’m not sure if this is the right thread for this, but it has recently been discovered that, perhaps surprisingly, the track from Maverick’s removed heartline roll is still about, sitting in a field in Mansfield, Ohio:
What a cool discovery! I have to say, I assumed that the track from Maverick’s heartline roll would have been melted down years ago… how weird, yet awesome, that it still exists!
for a second i thought Mansfield Nottinghamshire
 

roomraider

Best Topic Starter
It's at the Adena warehouse by the look of it. Adena having worked on quite a few rides and I'd assume including maverick since it's on their website

 

RcTmix

Mega Poster
Seeing these photos (the second one in particular) hammers home why that element didn’t last. “Heartline” roll appears to have been more of an aspirational name really.
 

Indy

Hyper Poster
Seeing these photos (the second one in particular) hammers home why that element didn’t last. “Heartline” roll appears to have been more of an aspirational name really.
I also feel like it was a little before its time.

Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that the forces involved were immense and too much. You can see in videos how quickly the train negotiates the roll. The restraints wouldn't have done the ride any favors either. However, just two years later, Mack unveiled the Blue Fire model which features a roll that is very much not heartlined. Fast forward to 2021 and everybody is losing their minds over the "mosasaurus roll," which is also not heartlined. I feel like CP/Intamin could have fabricated a roll that was slightly more heartlined (but still not heartlined at all) and slightly more elongated and it would be praised, but it was ultimately quicker and cheaper to make a slight jaunt to simply connect the two ends.

It would be quite amazing/amusing if CP announced an upgrade where they brought back the heartline roll... re-engineered and fabricated obviously.
 

Inverting_Thrills

Mega Poster
American Eagle's helix:
This element is ridiculous. It seems to last forever while doing nothing. The rest of the ride is almost completely composed of airtime hills aside from this one massive element.
 

TilenB

Strata Poster
This amazing bit of coaster engineering that @gavin recently rode in Uzbekistan.


It looks kinda similar to the Chinese coaster that was recently posted in this thread, albeit a bit more compact and using smaller cars and track design. The car and the track design appear to be similar to Credible's work, @roomraider, do you happen to know whether they ever built a coaster like this in China?
 
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roomraider

Best Topic Starter
This amazing bit of coaster engineering that @gavin recently rode in Uzbekistan.


It looks kinda similar to the Chinese coaster that was recently posted in this thread, albeit a bit more compact and using smaller cars and track design. The car and the track design appear to be similar to Credible's work, @roomraider, do you happen to know whether they ever built a coaster like this in China?
I was the one who sent this into the RCDB a little over a week ago 🤣 was surprised when Gavin got there so quickly.

It is similar to the ride I posted to VH a month or so ago (see a few posts above) but there are some differences. The roll being the opposite side of the lift for example and a completely different track type and profile

At the moment no idea who built this one either. And as far as I know Gavin didn't spot a manafactured either. Your guess is as good as mine for now.
 

gavin

Moderator
Staff member
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I was the one who sent this into the RCDB a little over a week ago was surprised when Gavin got there so quickly.

It is similar to the ride I posted to VH a month or so ago (see a few posts above) but there are some differences. The roll being the opposite side of the lift for example and a completely different track type and profile

At the moment no idea who built this one either. And as far as I know Gavin didn't spot a manafactured either. Your guess is as good as mine for now.
Yeah, couldn't see anything regarding the manufacturer. I didn't really pay any extra special attention, but there was nothing obvious from the cars, signage etc.
 

Rob Coasters

Hyper Poster
Apologies for the unforgivable number drawing but odd observation I made. Is Odysssey the only coaster (of somewhat substantial length) where every single element is lower than the previous, starting from the drop off the lift? I know that perspective may play a role in this (as I can't figure out for the life of me if the final corkscrew is shorter than that small hill beforehand) but I do know that everything seems to be smaller than the last. The second half of the cobra roll is shorter than the first half.

I know that Swarm does something similar but I ultimately consider the turn over the lake to break that chain of consistently lowering elements

1684490153027.png
 

cookie

Giga Poster
Apologies for the unforgivable number drawing but odd observation I made. Is Odysssey the only coaster (of somewhat substantial length) where every single element is lower than the previous, starting from the drop off the lift? I know that perspective may play a role in this (as I can't figure out for the life of me if the final corkscrew is shorter than that small hill beforehand) but I do know that everything seems to be smaller than the last. The second half of the cobra roll is shorter than the first half.

I know that Swarm does something similar but I ultimately consider the turn over the lake to break that chain of consistently lowering elements

View attachment 24911
They lowered several elements the winter after it opened (RCDB says it was the large turn, the hammerhead, and the sidewinder) to prevent trains from stalling. The park is on the shores of the North Sea where it can get quite windy.
 

roomraider

Best Topic Starter
Something truly mad from the king of truly mad countries, Japan.

Tama Tech is something of a pet favourite park of mine as it seems half the attractions were completely unique and look home made.

The park closed in 2009 along with all its weirdness but before its sad demise the park was home to a classic terrain jet coaster called Canadian Jet Rider.
Tama.jpg

What I hadn't realised until today was that the ride had a different life when it first opened.

The ride first opened in the 1970s as the Honda Sleigh which instead of having a traditional lift and chain (or normal coaster cars) features a lead car with a driver and a Nissan car engine one of the employees literally bought at a local market.

Engine1.jpgEngine2.jpgEngine3.jpg

Its unclear when the ride was converted to a traditional coaster (it doesnt seem to have lasted long in its first incarnation either way) and as far as I can tell much of the layout stayed the same. But what a strange ride.

This quote from the article linked below is just lovely
At that time, Honda did not have a large engine yet, so I bought a Nissan engine at the Ponkotsu Market in Midoricho, Sumida Ward, and installed it. The first test was dangerous and no one could ride it, so I drove it myself.

No one was hurt because we had sandbags on board, but it was dark and we couldn't see what was going on. I remember that I couldn't fall asleep even after returning to the inn where I was staying.

Pictures and details were found here (In Japanese)
 

JustLarry

Roller Poster
This came across my feed , wasn't sure what forum here to post it in... nifty little self powered mountain monorail tube coaster thing!!!
Swheeb Racer, Rotorua, New Zeland!
 
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