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X2

CoburnJason54

Roller Poster
1. What causes X2 to break down all the time? I know it was a prototype, but whenever it broke when I was there no one knew why. Is it just the computer or the restraints are poorly made?

2. Why is it always closed? Does it cost so much to run they won't run it on off days or is it too much of a hassle to run when attendance is down? Is it sometimes just broken?

The six flags employees seem to know as much as I know and don't tell you why its broken they just say its broken. I was sitting on it all locked in and they made me get off and wait for 45 minutes and didn't tell me why. I didn't see the mechanics really do anything, and they let us back on without it even taking a test run. Confused by it.
 

bmac

Giga Poster
Six Flags employees are not allowed to tell guests what the specific issues with rides are, no matter how much you ask. We usually do know what the issue is, just we're not allowed to tell anyone as per company policy.
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
^ That's not Six Flags specific policy, but industry wide. It isn't a matter of ride employees keeping guests in the dark, but rather wanting to be sure that ride staff will not quote a length of downtime that is inaccurate. Think of it like children in the back of their parents' van asking, "Are we there yet?" While the parents have a rough idea of how much longer is left in the trip, they cannot give a specific length of time. So then, parents say, "We'll get there when we get there", to make sure the kids aren't counting down the time and throw a temper tantrum when the time passes and they are still travelling. In this way, park guests can be easily compared to five year olds. :wink:

As to X2, though the roller coaster is 12 years old, it still represents one of the most complex pieces of technology ever used on a roller coaster. This will lend to more downtime than on other roller coasters, that use more traditional technology - B&M for instance still only needs to worry about a lift hill chain and buckling restraints.
 

bmac

Giga Poster
And sensors dying, which really any coaster with a computer system needs to worry about.

It also isn't about time frames for the ride being down. Employees aren't allowed to tell guests anything because it could also cause confusion or get them mad because what brought the ride down is 'stupid.' A loose screw off of the seatbelt buckle can bring the ride down, but we're not allowed to tell anyone and we have to keep the ride down until maintenance comes and fixes/replaces it. Natural causes can bring the ride down, a guest complaining that their harness came loose, their seatbelt came undone, strange noises, trouble lights, computer glitches. Doesn't matter what it is, we're only allowed to tell you 'minor delay' or 'minor-technical difficulties.'
 

CoburnJason54

Roller Poster
I'm sorry I didn't mean to give the impression that the employees are bad because they are just doing what they are told. I guess I was just more asking what made it so complicated. Is it something with the dispatch or just the way the restraints are built? Or is it we don't simply know and it is something different every time it is down?
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Sensors tripping is a big problem for rides. If one trips, then it's necessary for the ride to be shut down and the problem checked. More often than not, this is simply a case of resetting the system, observing that the sensor isn't tripping again (sometimes by running the trains round the track empty) and giving the ride the all clear.

With X2, which is an old ride with still some cutting edge technology, it wouldn't surprise me if simply it simply lends itself to being tripped more often. They're big rattly trains, covered in tons of sensors, with a complex restraint system, complex dispatch mechanisms, etc.

If one in a thousand sensors trips once a day, and the usual ride has (say) 1000 sensors, you'd expect at least one shut-down a day due to a sensor tripping. If X2 has two, or even three, times as many sensors on it, you would expect (even at the same failure rate) to see two or three times as many shut downs a day. If they reboot time is also proportional to the number of sensors, the more sensors there are the longer the coaster has to be down to be reset.

I have no actual facts to base this off, it's simply speculation and I'd love to know more about how the sensor systems are designed and how they're sorted out when they go wrong etc, I'm just proposing one theory.

Of course, it could just be that is also actually breaks a lot. :lol:
 

bmac

Giga Poster
El Toro's computer system tells you which specific sensor is throwing an error, whether it's on a train, in the station, or on the lift, etc. El Toro usually trips 1-3 sensors a day and it requires maintenance to come in, tap the screen a few times, turn a key and the ride opens back up again after both trains cycle once. With a ride that doesn't have a computer screen to tell you which sensor is crapping out you have to reset the system, cycle trains to see if the sensor doesn't do it again. Then open the ride back up and hope it doesn't tell you 5 trains are on the blocks when only 3 exist.

On another note I know people like to put their weight on the handrails and stuff so they don't have to stand all the damn time but please in the name of all that is holy whatever you do don't put your weight on the air gates of any roller coaster, those things will cause a ride to go down more often than anything else.
 
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