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Scott's Coaster Closet


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^ Let's start a classic Epcot thread then. Hmm....attic, closet, basement..... garage? The classic Epcot garage?

 

I'll just take a montage video of all the old attractions. (Horizons, Figment, e.g.)

 

Perhaps Boyz II Men's "Its So Hard To Say Goodbye" could be edited over it?

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Iteresting article. Shane, I too was shocked about the wooden markup. I know something similar was used in submarine construction up until about 5 or 10 years ago. It was the best and cheapest way to make sure things fit.

 

I am guessing Claude and Walter used computers as the transitions etc are way to smooth to have been done entirely by hand. (bu that's just a guess).

 

 

Attic, Closet, then basement? these fun places are getting more interesting names

 

Moose, I am hoping you know that I was joking about Walter and Claude using plywood cutouts to engineer their transitions...I think you did.

 

Hoping we will see "Moose's Dungeon" soon!

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You don't have a dungeon!? That's sad Lol

 

Interesting stuff, I liked the long straight-away after the two loops on Demon when I rode it on the Midwest Tour, the tunnel was epic! It'd be cool with two airtime hills there instead of two loops though.

 

Arrow airtime ='s painfully awesome!

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This 1987 PopMech article features the horrific SFGAdv Lightnin' Loops and Edmonton Mindbender accidents, plus a nice long article on coaster history/safety.

 

Enjoy!

 

Scott

 

Here is the news cast from the day of the Lightnin' Loops accident. You can hear exactly what happened from the guy sitting next to her.

 

PM5.thumb.jpg.8845e4fcb1ce4f6f6a50f24bf1049d78.jpg

PM4.thumb.jpg.6ebd69701b5d9b5efb3b731cdc251118.jpg

PM3.thumb.jpg.80c5365905f75c6c862fe962af7cb242.jpg

PM2.thumb.jpg.dc90a465a33b5357442e98aa616f60a3.jpg

PM1.thumb.jpg.2a2d63e07f02406988a92c87ca09fe82.jpg

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^ She got in and sat down while the restraint was already closed. Remember that in early Arrow coasters, the restraights were flat. Imagine these restraints without the silver handle:

 

She had no idea that there was supposed to be something over her. Yes, I know it sounds stupid, but you have to remember that you don't have to pass an IQ test to ride a coaster.

 

For whatever reason, the ride was started with the woman sitting on top of her restraint.

 

From what I have been told, it was after this accident that Arrow started putting those HUGE round handles on all their restraints.

 

--Robb

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I believe before this accident it was not customary for ride ops to check the restraints. After this happened it became policy for them to check each lap bar physically. Also Six Flags put all those big orange handles on their lap bars which made it impossible to sit back against a closed lap bar.

 

I also thought that the girls was thrown from Lightnin Loops as the train went from the launch area down into the drop, ya know where you get the major airtime on those launched loops. I didn't know it occurred in the loop.

 

I still find that picture of the Mindbender with the body on the ground very disturbing. What a horrific accident

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I believe before this accident it was not customary for ride ops to check the restraints. After this happened it became policy for them to check each lap bar physically. Also Six Flags put all those big orange handles on their lap bars which made it impossible to sit back against a closed lap bar.

 

I also thought that the girls was thrown from Lightnin Loops as the train went from the launch area down into the drop, ya know where you get the major airtime on those launched loops. I didn't know it occurred in the loop.

 

I still find that picture of the Mindbender with the body on the ground very disturbing. What a horrific accident

 

Wasn't there speculation at the time of the LL accident that the girl was intoxicated & sat down in the seat AFTER the staff had already checked,and cleared the train for dispatch? Had she been sobor she would've seen as she approached the car that the restraint was down already.

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I agree, Shane, that shot of the body beneath the Mindbender's loops is awful. I could not get that image out of my mind during my flight from Las Vegas to Edmonton for my first spin on MB after the accident. Despite the train being comprised of three pilot cars with those bloody ratcheting OTSRs, I fully enjoyed the ride. The sheer brilliance of the Schwarzkopf/Stengel design overshadowed everything else. The Mindbender remains one of my all-time fav rides!

 

-S

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Scary -- I have that exact same article in my stash of stuff. This is the kind of thing you had to go find if you were interested in theme parks before the Internet.

 

My focus was mostly on Marriott's Great America in Gurnee, IL. Guess I may have to fire up the scanner and share some things with everyone as well.

Please post those! That's my home park and I think it would be very interesting

 

Also, that article above was fascinating.

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Does anyone else notice the body laying under Mindbenders loop?

It is one of the first things I notice every single time somebody posts that image in a topic about accidents. I guess it is natural to be scared seeing that.

 

Meanwhile, I've liked everything so far in this topic. I like these attic/closet topics.

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Wasn't there speculation at the time of the LL accident that the girl was intoxicated & sat down in the seat AFTER the staff had already checked,and cleared the train for dispatch? Had she been sobor she would've seen as she approached the car that the restraint was down already.

 

It will amaze you the number of people that sit on closed restraints. Now most realize as soon as they have sat down, but not everyone.

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I was about to tell you how excited I was to be reading something from the past concerning the LOCH NESS MONSTER until you added some articles on roller coaster accidents. I'm very thankful that I've never been riding a coaster in which a terrible accident occurred, nor stood in the queuing line when an accident occurred, nor even been at the park the day when such a tragedy had occurred.

 

I believe the last accident I know in which someone dies after being tossed off had to be the handicapped elderly man who was thrown from Superman : Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England. All Superman rides of steels were closed and extra restraints were added and tighten to prevent an occurence like that ever again (not to mention PO'ed a few people who once ride the ride, but now couldn't due to new restraints). As for me and my long bulky legs, I can only sit down in certain seats due to restrictive (and most unneeded) black plastic pads, thanks to someone who shouldn't have gotten on the ride anyway and to those attendants who failed to recognized that anything was wrong.

 

But I'm not trying to lessen those accidents in those past articles; any roller coaster accident is a tragedy no matter who's fault it is: the rider, the attendants, and/or the ride itself. The point is in the aftermath of such accident: what was learned and what can we do to make sure no one else will suffer in a similar accident.

Edited by palmerleeberry
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Wow, I really enjoyed reading that accident article. I love these past article and ride information stuff.

 

I'm thinking about going through my families thousands of photos, from Six Flags Great America, Santa's Village, Silver Dollar City, ETC. I've seen photos from the 1940's my family has enjoyed amusement parks for years. To bad they didn't organize them, so I would have to through "ALL" the photos. Might be kind of cool to see what I could find, to bad most of the really good pictures are most likely in Illinois with most of my family.

 

-Brandon

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Yea, I remember these tragedies, they were so publicized back then.

 

Back in ancient times, when I was a young'un, Kennywood NEVER checked restraints on coasters until they installed the Laser Loop. And even then, they just did a sport check to see if restraints were down, not necessarily locked. As we all know, today, it's a different story.

 

The only other restraints they really checked back in the 70's (which was really ahead of their time) was for the Kangaroo, Space Odesy (Scrambler) and Paratrooper. These rides had (and still do, minus SO, which is gone,) old brass latches that a lot of smaller kids have trouble locking themselves.

 

Most of the rides back then didn't have restraints at all, like the Catepillar, Calypso, Grand Prix, Le Cachot, Old Mill, and more...

 

Slightly unlrelated, I just heard Kennywood is updating the Log Jammer with seat dividers. (Back rest in the middle of the boat to divide seating 2 and 2 per boat.) Shame that the way we remember things gets ruined by a letigious society and stupid people's children.

 

I really need to get my classic videos encoded.

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Back in ancient times, when I was a young'un, Kennywood NEVER checked restraints on coasters until they installed the Laser Loop.

 

Dennis, when was that? The time of Jesus or before Jesus? No, seriously you can't be that old!

 

But, it is sad when someone dies on a coster do to an Op's fault.

 

(Let us take a moment of silence for all those who've lost their lives on coasters).

 

-Tatum

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^ I went to parks with Moses, so how old do you think I am?

 

I wonder if any ride manufacturers have considered putting a sensor inside the OTSR so the computer is notified that there is a body behind it, and not just a seat. Could be done. But of course manually checking restraints is a good idea as well because as we all know, electronic and mechanical things do fail...

 

Eric

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I believe before this accident it was not customary for ride ops to check the restraints. After this happened it became policy for them to check each lap bar physically. Also Six Flags put all those big orange handles on their lap bars which made it impossible to sit back against a closed lap bar.

 

I also thought that the girls was thrown from Lightnin Loops as the train went from the launch area down into the drop, ya know where you get the major airtime on those launched loops. I didn't know it occurred in the loop.

 

I still find that picture of the Mindbender with the body on the ground very disturbing. What a horrific accident

 

Wasn't there speculation at the time of the LL accident that the girl was intoxicated & sat down in the seat AFTER the staff had already checked,and cleared the train for dispatch? Had she been sobor she would've seen as she approached the car that the restraint was down already.

 

I think one of the stories was that she had chickened out on the platform and was heading to the exit stairs but changed her mind at the last minute and jumped in the seat after the Ops had checked it.

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