Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread

^I'm skeptical. If you're curious at what he saw check page 106. The guy who did the No Limits based his design on that sketch made from the courthouse. If he's right, he's got a good "I told you so!"

^I'm skeptical. If you're curious at what he saw check page 106. The guy who did the No Limits based his design on that sketch made from the courthouse. If he's right, he's got a good "I told you so!"

I downloaded the no limits coaster that was modeled after what that guy said he saw at the courthouse. I would be willing to bet he is at least a little off the actual design, but who knows. Has anyone else tried to go down to the courthouse to confirm this?

I'm still not convinced that the "odd" piece is for the begining of the lift hill. As someone has pointed out, all the other lift hill peices already have the track and lift encasing attached to the truss supports (even the crest of the hill, etc), so why wouldn't the beginning of the lift? The cable lift has to come all the way down into the station (unless the train turns out of the station, but even then, the cable would have to engage the train before it makes it's ascent.

Then again, maybe they need to install the cable lift mechanisms below the base of the lift hill before the track is fully assembled. I don't know. What I do know, though, is this is NOT be vertical.

Also, that layout from the NL design just doesn't seem right. I doubt that is anything near what the real layout will be.

I think the truss part of the lift hill is, yes, going to be used for the beginning of the lift, but also on other parts of the lift; which is not going to be vertical by th way.

On a side note what is the anti-rollback mechanism like on a cable lift coaster. I know it's not like the traditional John Allen style.

On a side note what is the anti-rollback mechanism like on a cable lift coaster. I know it's not like the traditional John Allen style.

Generally speaking it's still the same type of system, there are teeth on the lift and a dog on the bottom of the train. As long as the train is moving forward the dog will drag over the teeth and only allow for one way movement.

What Intamin has done with their lift systems (chain and cable) is something similar to their eddy current brakes. Essentially the dog is balanced on some fulcrum that the front end (off center from the roll back strip) is being pushed downwards (by the resistive force of the eddy current brake) and that in turn lifts the chain dog upwards so you don't get the click-clack noise you normally get on coasters. Just like with their brakes, the resistive force is proportional to the speed at which the train is traveling so if the train begins to slow it will lose that force and the chain dog will fall down into the teeth of the rollback system preventing the train from traveling backwards.

Every once in a while rides like Millennium Force will be traveling slower than normal up the lift and you can hear the loud click-clack of the dogs because not enough of a magnetic field is being induced to hold the dog up. If you've heard Millennium Force's anti-rollback system you'll know that it's LOUD too!

You can sort of hear what I'm talking about in the first few seconds of this video as the train slows down on the lift.

WOW - Thanks for sharing the video - I get it now.

So is this the magnetic braking technology they got convicted of stealing or is the final brakes? Doubt the court's decision will effect this coaster, but it may impact 2011 and beyond?

On a side note what is the anti-rollback mechanism like on a cable lift coaster. I know it's not like the traditional John Allen style.

 

Generally speaking it's still the same type of system, there are teeth on the lift and a dog on the bottom of the train. As long as the train is moving forward the dog will drag over the teeth and only allow for one way movement.

 

What Intamin has done with their lift systems (chain and cable) is something similar to their eddy current brakes. Essentially the dog is balanced on some fulcrum that the front end (off center from the roll back strip) is being pushed downwards (by the resistive force of the eddy current brake) and that in turn lifts the chain dog upwards so you don't get the click-clack noise you normally get on coasters. Just like with their brakes, the resistive force is proportional to the speed at which the train is traveling so if the train begins to slow it will lose that force and the chain dog will fall down into the teeth of the rollback system preventing the train from traveling backwards.

 

Every once in a while rides like Millennium Force will be traveling slower than normal up the lift and you can hear the loud click-clack of the dogs because not enough of a magnetic field is being induced to hold the dog up. If you've heard Millennium Force's anti-rollback system you'll know that it's LOUD too!

 

You can sort of hear what I'm talking about in the first few seconds of this video as the train slows down on the lift.

Thanks for answering the question. I was wondering because you didn't hear the "clickity-clack" noise. Now I see how the whole mechanism works; which is very interesting and intuitive on Intamin's behalf.

There was some documentary about Expedition Everest where you can find out how the eddy current anti rollbacks work too, it's on youtube somewhere

I was going to mention Everest as well, but I believe I may have the documentary on it on YouTube...just a matter of finding it.

I made a diagram with MSpaint to help show what CoryPa77 is talking about.

I'm pretty sure this is how they work.

^Yeah, if I understood what he was saying correctly that's how it works. Nice diagram.

^On the cable lift coasters, it is something similar to this, although with Intamin it appears they have two disc magnets that are turning with a copper rod in the middle which is what lifts the anti-roll backs. These two disc magnets are attached to a wheel that runs up the same track (I-beam) that the catch wagon does for the lift.

On Intamin's chain lift rides (which I guess don't really exist anymore) like Superman:Ride of Steel, there is an actual fin that runs up the track next to the rollback teeth and the bottom of the train has a rod with magnets on it that straddle this fin and that's what generates the resistive force to lift the dogs.

I need to see the Everest video, but I think their way is a little different. I know Vekoma had some unique way of doing it for their SLCs and I'm not sure if this is the same or not.

On Intamin's chain lift rides (which I guess don't really exist anymore) like Superman:Ride of Steel, there is an actual fin that runs up the track next to the rollback teeth and the bottom of the train has a rod with magnets on it that straddle this fin and that's what generates the resistive force to lift the dogs.

That's interesting. I never noticed that, thanks for pointing it out.

Did anyone go to the park over the weekend to see the progress of construction?

Yes I did but since you cant wait til i post instead of asking a rhetorical question I will not post my pictures...

That was harsh man

In all seriousness, you won't see any significant work done every day. You might see something once a week now, but until supports start showing up and they start going vertical there won't be any major changes all the time.

Just be patient.

I my self didn't think a vertical lift was going to happen until I read this.

Also, I was on Shockwave with an employee who just got off and happened to be a coaster nerd too so we talked throughout the ride and he said "I'm NOT supposed to say anything, but the coaster in the parking lot is an Intamin that's going to be around 380 feet tall with a vertical lift". Vertical lift part depressed me. I know park employees aren't always reliable, but considering he talked about other coasters I'm sure he was rather knowledgeable. Oh well. Either way..

Now I'm pretty sure it might be plausible.

I my self didn't think a vertical lift was going to happen until I read this.

 

Also, I was on Shockwave with an employee who just got off and happened to be a coaster nerd too so we talked throughout the ride and he said "I'm NOT supposed to say anything, but the coaster in the parking lot is an Intamin that's going to be around 380 feet tall with a vertical lift". Vertical lift part depressed me. I know park employees aren't always reliable, but considering he talked about other coasters I'm sure he was rather knowledgeable. Oh well. Either way..

 

Now I'm pretty sure it might be plausible.

I like the look of a coaster way more with a normal style than a vertical lift. I think a Giga with a vertical lift would look plain ugly.

I like the look of a coaster way more with a normal style than a vertical lift. I think a Giga with a vertical lift would look plain ugly.

"Phallic." I think the word you are looking for is "phallic."

(Especially if the drop gets anywhere NEAR vertical too)

I my self didn't think a vertical lift was going to happen until I read this.

 

Also, I was on Shockwave with an employee who just got off and happened to be a coaster nerd too so we talked throughout the ride and he said "I'm NOT supposed to say anything, but the coaster in the parking lot is an Intamin that's going to be around 380 feet tall with a vertical lift". Vertical lift part depressed me. I know park employees aren't always reliable, but considering he talked about other coasters I'm sure he was rather knowledgeable. Oh well. Either way..

 

Now I'm pretty sure it might be plausible.

Just because he talked about other coasters doesn't mean anything other than he's just like the rest of us.

I'd be willing to put money on saying KD's management certainly wouldn't tell lower-level employees what's coming.

^I've worked at two parks in rides around the time of new rides opening, and in most cases (9.9/10) Lower level employees wouldn't know much more than we would before a press release. It's not like the park president walks around and tells every hourly employee, "Hey tiger, spread the word. We're building an Intamin".

Also, I was on Shockwave with an employee who just got off and happened to be a coaster nerd too so we talked throughout the ride and he said "I'm NOT supposed to say anything, but the coaster in the parking lot is an Intamin that's going to be around 380 feet tall with a vertical lift". Vertical lift part depressed me. I know park employees aren't always reliable, but considering he talked about other coasters I'm sure he was rather knowledgeable. Oh well. Either way..

pff for all you know he simply read some speculative post you or i made about it, and was repeating that info as fact!

this is how religions get started, you know.

I my self didn't think a vertical lift was going to happen until I read this.

 

Also, I was on Shockwave with an employee who just got off and happened to be a coaster nerd too so we talked throughout the ride and he said "I'm NOT supposed to say anything, but the coaster in the parking lot is an Intamin that's going to be around 380 feet tall with a vertical lift". Vertical lift part depressed me. I know park employees aren't always reliable, but considering he talked about other coasters I'm sure he was rather knowledgeable. Oh well. Either way..

 

Now I'm pretty sure it might be plausible.

 

Just because he talked about other coasters doesn't mean anything other than he's just like the rest of us.

 

I'd be willing to put money on saying KD's management certainly wouldn't tell lower-level employees what's coming.

Seasonal, nearly minimum wage type employees (including ride ops) don't know any more then we do. They don't tell them anything. They might have hearsay from their managers, but even their managers aren't clued into everything thats happening since they too are pretty low on the rung of an amusement park's "corporate ladder". To say the least I'll take this with a grain of salt.

^I've worked at two parks in rides around the time of new rides opening, and in most cases (9.9/10) Lower level employees wouldn't know much more than we would before a press release. It's not like the park president walks around and tells every hourly employee, "Hey tiger, spread the word. We're building an Intamin".

exactly.

Also, I was on Shockwave with an employee who just got off and happened to be a coaster nerd too so we talked throughout the ride and he said "I'm NOT supposed to say anything, but the coaster in the parking lot is an Intamin that's going to be around 380 feet tall with a vertical lift". Vertical lift part depressed me. I know park employees aren't always reliable, but considering he talked about other coasters I'm sure he was rather knowledgeable. Oh well. Either way..

 

pff for all you know he simply read some speculative post you or i made about it, and was repeating that info as fact!

 

this is how religions get started, you know.

Outstanding.