Official Questions/Ideas Topic

[david]

I meant it just as I said it, they wanted to get rid of Chang at KK so that they can take it somewhere else, knowing KK hadn't 2 years left.

I'd prefer to drop this now.

[onyxhotel08]

Even if Chang was not given to SFKK by them they did see the most potential in it. Now, Kentucky is left with a huge plot of empty space, one wooden coaster closed (for good) and Northwest Territory well what it is.

[Goku1910]

^On that subject, have they started the removal of the flat rides already?

[david]

I'm thinking no. They need to get them approved according to the lease.

[monsterfan99]

Yes, they wanted to begin Bonzai Beech construction so that they can remove Chang, so that a park can get a new coaster that deserves it.

I think you meant "They wanted to remove Chang so they could replace it with Bonzai Beach." When you said "so that they could remove Chang.." You were actually saying it as if they were using Bonzai Beach as an excuse to get rid of Chang. Which That just wasn't the case.

Rant Over.

Actually, they would. The park must put X amount a dollars in each year with the lease(this was reported when Chang was being removed and recently the fair board has said they had to give permission to remove Chang) so they had to show plans to get Chang. Make plans for a fake water park expansion for 2011, do no work and get a ride they never paid for.

[guitarhero119]

Does anybody know the details of converting a stand-up to a floor-less? Obviously there are modifications to the station, but can the ride control system be reprogrammed to accommodate the new type, or does a whole new control system need to be purchased?

[david]

If I'm correct, I think the only modifications needed are the station, a slight re-programming, and accommodations for 3 trains if it's coming to GAm.

I have a question:

How was running Blue in reverse messing up AE?

[Goku1910]

If I'm correct, I think the only modifications needed are the station, a slight re-programming, and accommodations for 3 trains if it's coming to GAm.

I have a question:

How was running Blue in reverse messing up AE?

Because the trains were not designed to run backwards.

[david]

How was that destroying the structure though, that has nothing to do with the trains?

[DejaVu2001]

The trains were not designed to "steer" going in reverse, so doing so would probably damage the track in the helices. Speaking of which, Eagle Blue has gotten so bad that I will not ride Blue until they retrack the second helix.

[david]

I haven't rode Blue since opening day 2009, It's either to rough on some rides, or MY LAPBAR FLIES OPEN!!!!!!!!!
I've experienced quite a few problems with Eagle, on Red, a bolt flew at my forehead, and on Blue, my lap bar flew open during the end of the helix. Quite frightening, luckily I got it back down really fast. They closed blue for like 5 minutes, and then re opened it. meh.

[rizash]

To end the chang bit.... Most if not all of chang was on sf owned land, not leased land. Many rides are also on six flags land, so sf owns those....

As far as eagle... I know it originally had a lot less brakes than it now does, but I swear blue has more of a slowdown in the brakes than red, couldn't part of the roughness be due to the speed difference? Where you get banged around instead of just shaking?

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[FParker185]

No, the track is in pretty poor shape on parts of the Blue side, red also in the second half of the barrel.

SFGAm's PTC's have articulated axles at the back of the car, so the front 2 wheels which are fixed slide laterally on the track and work to bank the car while the axle kinda follows along and allows the banking. In reverse it leads with the axle causing it to hunt up a lot and bounce around which is never good for the track. Structurally Eagle is rock solid.

[david]

When we used to ride BLue backwards, my friends would always say, "IT FEELS LIKE IT'S GONNA FLY OFF THE TRACKS!!!!" I would tell them to shutup, it's not gonna!

[rizash]

Of course it's structurally solid, it's built like a tank. Remember it was the highest and fastest coaster ever built. They built it to take that abuse, and they have maintained it quite well. Look at it compared to older woodies and you see just how strong the structure is. Yes, some old ones that look like skeletons used hardwood, and few were half as tall, but eagle was built to last.

I was under the impression that most aging woodies have trackwork done every year (adjusting and aligning at the least). Since eagle is a snow dwelling bird, it probably swells and shifts a bit every season. Remember when one part of track wears bends or shifts, it can change other track areas too (like with son of beast). From what I hear many classic woodies need some sections re tracked every few years.... Thanks for the info on eagles cars, I didn't know what setup they had. Do you happen to know if they have to do daily track walk with hybrid coasters? I know all well maintained woodies get track walked every day, but wonder how you can do that on eagle, much the less Hybrids like hades or el toro.... Would hate that job!

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[david]

I don't think that American eagle is walked around, due to the water in the middle of the barrel. Was that water always there anyways? It adds to some of the scariness of the barrel, so I like it.

[DejaVu2001]

^ They walk the track, not the structure, so the water wouldn't effect that.

[onyxhotel08]

Of course it's structurally solid, it's built like a tank. Remember it was the highest and fastest coaster ever built. They built it to take that abuse, and they have maintained it quite well. Look at it compared to older woodies and you see just how strong the structure is. Yes, some old ones that look like skeletons used hardwood, and few were half as tall, but eagle was built to last.

I was under the impression that most aging woodies have trackwork done every year (adjusting and aligning at the least). Since eagle is a snow dwelling bird, it probably swells and shifts a bit every season. Remember when one part of track wears bends or shifts, it can change other track areas too (like with son of beast). From what I hear many classic woodies need some sections re tracked every few years.... Thanks for the info on eagles cars, I didn't know what setup they had. Do you happen to know if they have to do daily track walk with hybrid coasters? I know all well maintained woodies get track walked every day, but wonder how you can do that on eagle, much the less Hybrids like hades or el toro.... Would hate that job!

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Just because it can take some abuse does not mean it should

[rizash]

Of course it's not worth damage or major increases in maintenance to run blue that way. But couldn't the "trucks" or whatever you call the wheel housings be swapped? Don't they still have an unused red and blue train that they could convert to run backwards without damaging the track? Or would that cause other alignment issues? I also think that running blue backward could change it's weight balance, also altering it's track wear.

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[forddude1416]

^PTC builds the trains, if i remember correctly, its unsafe to run the trains modified or PTC wouldnt uphold the warrenty or something like that.

[rizash]

But running them backwards was fine? I'm sure they could work with ptc to figure something out. And, warranty on a 29 year old train? That's wishful thinking. How many other coasters have been run backwards? I read that some woodies just are high maintenance, in 2007 -- after just one year in operation -- the voyage got almost 2000 ft re tracked, so I don't see why we can't baby eagle. I mean, isn't eagle more popular when blue is backward? Maybe I am just annoyed I never got to ride blue backwards?

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[Goku1910]

The trains wheels were modified to run it backwards...Thus voiding the warranty.

That was mentioned earlier in the topic discussion.

[FParker185]

The wheels weren't modifyed, they just turned around the rollback/chaindog component, and switched the brake fin to the other side of the train.

Also from what I can tell, PTC and SFGAm aren't exactly on the best of terms. It's really hard to call American Eagle's trains PTC's, with all the homemade modifications that have been done, such as the hard side padding, high backrests, wings on the side, home made electric lapbars, extra wide seat divider, and a bunch of other things that SFGAm has done to those trains without PTC's consent.

[david]

Isn't thet kind of why Vu' wasn't running well, since we created the software?

[wishman35]

American Eagle does make me nervous also because I believe one time on the blue slide either last season or the season before that... As we were going up the lift hill, I was in the front car and the car was popping up and down a little bit...

Everything about riding eagle scares me now..