SFGAm buys Little Dipper from Kiddieland

[onyxhotel08]

Nah we have 3 already in Glow in the Dark Parade, Dipper and unofficially Chang. We have enough. I think Pictorium will eventually go...

Anyone care to dirve by Kiddieland to see when Little Dipper comes down???

[FParker185]

I will be at Kiddieland tomorrow afternoon to help someone who bought some stuff there, I will post here a park update tomorrow night.

[B&MGuy29]

Nah we have 3 already in Glow in the Dark Parade, Dipper and unofficially Chang. We have enough. I think Pictorium will eventually go...

Anyone care to dirve by Kiddieland to see when Little Dipper comes down???

Totally agree with this!! Have you seen Pictorium lately...It's Falling apart! They have not maintained this building at all and I'm assuming it is because something is going to replace it. Not to mention hardly anyone ever goes in there anymore. It has really lost it's popularity over the years.

[SFaddiction84]

Six Flags Great America is not Disney World! People are there for 1 day only and do not have the time to SIT through shows and movies! They come for 1 day! This whole "Making the park family friend with shows" is not gonna work unless we get a major over hall and make it some place that people will travel to coughcedarpointcough

[monsterfan99]

Six Flags Great America is not Disney World! People are there for 1 day only and do not have the time to SIT through shows and movies! They come for 1 day! This whole "Making the park family friend with shows" is not gonna work unless we get a major over hall and make it some place that people will travel to coughcedarpointcough

^People do have time use the shows as a break. During the summer, it is a nice cool place to relax for 30-45 minutes. Do people forget not everyone that goes to a park is a 12-30 year old person there for thrills? Someone who is 60 and there with the grandchildren enjoy the shows.

[onyxhotel08]

^IF the shows were actually good and chances are a good majority of kids would rather go on a ride like Roaring Rapids than Pictorium to escape the heat

[Viper 88]

^IF the shows were actually good and chances are a good majority of kids would rather go on a ride like Roaring Rapids than Pictorium to escape the heat

No kidding the pictorium show is terrible wouldn't mind if it was anything good but usually it isn't. They need to change this Sitting for a while is nice especially after you eat lunch or something. And Roaring Rapids? It has gotten wetter but needs to be alot wetter that last waterfall needs to make it over the side of the raft like cedar point and universal do.

[FParker185]

Well, was at Kiddieland today. For little dipper the construction crew was working on it though not much has been done yet. Train is still sitting in the station, the lift chain has been removed but that's about it. Looks like they were busy marking a bunch of stuff today. As for the rest of the park, some small buildings have been knocked down, a few of the kiddie rides have been removed. As far as the adult section of the park, going in order from enterance to pipeline... Tilt a Whirl is gone (as it was last week, sold before the auction), Scooters building was closed up, Polyp is still there untouched, Scrambler like the tilt a whirl was sold and gone before the auction, antique cars were shuttered up so no idea if they took the cars yet. Little Amerricka was there disassembling the Flume though nothing has been taken down yet, they did have a large (boom) forklift there looked like they were about to start removing pieces of the high sections, Ferris Wheel is fully disassembled and mostly gone, some support pieces and random cable was sitting there, Galleon and Tornado were both sold before the auction and like last week are gone, and finally Pipeline Water Coaster is about 1/4 disassembled with pieces in an empty lot next to the park.

That's it for now.

[NightRider785]

First of all, the guy in the picture looks like he's asleep
Secondly, what is a PLC and MicroLogix?
Is there a website or book out there that explains how the contro systems on rides and coasters works?

[BP317]

A PLC [Program Logic Contoller] is a computer system that is built to operate heavy machinery using electrical triggers, in a roller coasters case input/output proximity and limit swiches. The PLC is programed to monitor the location of the trains, trigger the brakes, etc. Although the details are very complicated of how this works to put it simply when an electrical signal on the train passes over a switch on the ride track (typically a small green computer) it relays that information back to the PLC so it can monitor the positions of the trains and stop them when need be. Typical example would be if a train is going to stack or if the block of track in front of it is still occupied by a train. Which is why you see on a ride like Viper they will wait until the train passes by that small hill next to the station before sending another train, if the train were to reach the top of the lift and the other one hasnt cleared the brake run the PLC will automatically stop the other train on the top of the lift to prevent a crash if the other train rolls back. Most coasters have 2 PLC's for added safety and are stored in climate controlled rooms somewhere near the ride.


Typical PLC cabinet for a coaster (from http://www.number-one-electric.com/prod01.htm)


Green = proximity switch
Yellow = electrical signal
As you can see in this pic of DejaVu if the yellow plate doesn't line up with the proximity switch when the train comes back in the station to park the PLC will not recongnize the train as parked in the station and the floor will not come up/bar that powers the restraints will not lower so the restraints cannot be unlocked.

[FRD714]

^Thanks for that info. Was that a big problem on Dejavu because the catch car wouldn't line the train up right?

[Cs6153]

Alot of people complained that there was no looney tune show after they turned the the Theatre Royal into a queue house. And when I went last year to Great America and they had a looney tune show at the Mardi Gras stage there were so many people gathered. I think they may convert the Pictorium into a Theatre kind of like they did at the Cedar Point.

[sfgam1]

^ That isn't a bad idea at all. When you go to see a show in the Pictorium its always like half full, at most. I would like to see that.

[FParker185]

There was some talk at the end of this past season about looking into the possibility of moving Susan Rosen into the Pictorium next year, though there are logistical issues to work out(mainly no stage), people at the park seemed to think it was possible.

With a quick and easy temporary stage in the pit at the bottom of the screen, no reason why it wouldn't be possible, though not sure if you want groggy people who may have just been hypnotized traversing steep stairs, but nothing an usher or 3 couldn't handle.

[onyxhotel08]

Is she the Fright Fest lady?

[sfgam1]

^Yes. She would have to cut some of her stuff like the road runner bit.

[onyxhotel08]

Back on topic, how is the deconstruxtion of Dipper coming along in Melrose Park?

[CoasterDude04]

Just passed Kiddieland this afternoon.

Most of the structure is still up for the Little Dipper. From the road, I could see the lift, first turn around etc... There was a red cherry picker/crane visible right beside it.

Many of the flats are gone, and a good portion of the flume is gone too.

[onyxhotel08]

By the looks of it I do not think Little Dipper will be up and ready by April 24th. They must be getting prepped for the ride at the park before construction starts but it will take a while for it all to come down and get transported to Gurnee then set up and put up all again. And we are in winte rnow when bad weather could set them back a bit...I'm thinking May/June.

[DejaVu2001]

The thing that is worrying me is that they olny have until December 30th to disassemble the ride and move the parts to SFGAm property. December 30th is the deadline to clear the Kiddieland property.

[sfgam1]

I wonder if they are doing to put it in SSA place.

[FParker185]

Little Dipper is confirmed to go into one of the kids areas. And it shouldn't take more than a week total to take down Little Dipper. As few as 2-3 days once prep work is done and they get really get moving. There really isn't much to move. I think it's only something like 25-30 bents. No reason why they couldn't lay down about 5 bents an hour.

[david]

^^What I thought but I remembered that they said it would go in a kiddie area.

[onyxhotel08]

I would still love to see Little Dipper by American Eagle in the SWF area but I guess they would need to rid of GAR and I'm assuming that won't happen...too bad we can't see if the Go Karts are moved to SWF till season begins. Bugs Bunny national park seems the strongest contender for where Dipper will end up at.

[Jcoaster95]

^Yeah, since Camp Cartoon already has a coaster, and Wiggles World has no room (Camp Cartoon really has no room either).