Fallen Heretic

Yes, its normal. if the wheels top and bottom were both touching the track, it would bind whenever the track bends up or down. The same with the guide wheels, there has to be a small gap to stop binding. The alternative is to change the track guage on turns like they do on some woodies. In theory, the upstops are never meant to be used anyway, they are only there just in case. The reason they are so small is because they arent expected to bear the weight of the train for long. More modern coasters have more sophisticated wheel sets so that they use big saftey wheels, springs and levers to keep all wheels in contact with the track, to allow hang time.

Travelling fairs tend to travel with their kids. Its not like they can leave them in day-care for that long. I doubt that he was an employee. Maybe more just learning the family trade. Better that than spend all day and night sitting by himself while his parents work. He was probably enjoying it. lol.

Yeah, they both have that insane looking drop in the middle. That must be about 70 or 80 degrees. I saw Jetline when I was visiting Sweden a few years ago. they do look very similar and share some elements, but I think Jetline is a little bigger with a different layout. It will be nice to have this only 3 and a bit hours away.

1. What is your best friend's Mum's name? I dont know, never met his parents. They live down south. 2. What body part do you hate? Feet 3. Who was the hottest teacher you ever had? We had a substitute teacher in high school but cant remember her name. 4. Have you ever made out in a movie theatre? Yes. 5. What body part do you wash first? Hair. 6. Do you have any piercings? No. 7. Have you ever had withdrawal symptoms from fast food? No. 8. Is your driveway steep? I dont have a driveway. 9. What's your favourite flavoured Pringles? Texas BBQ Sauce. 10. Have you ever been tied up? Yes. 11. What was the worst thing you ever got grounded for? Im too good to be grounded. ahem. 12. Have you ever thrown up over something you've treasured? No. Ive always made it to the loo before its too late. 13. Have you ever had two dates in one night? No. 14. How many times have you been cursed at? Many thousands of times. 15. Which shoe do you put on first? Depends whether I pick up the left or right one first. 17. Have you ever been to a gay bar? Yes. 18. Have you ever had any Friends with Benefits? Yes, but never again. 19. Is there one thing all of your love interests have had in common? A general sense of them being nutters. 20. Where's the most random place you've ever awekened? I once woke up on the beach in Largs. The incomming tide woke me. 21. Have you ever been cow-tipping or snipe-hunting? Cow tipping, yes, but not anymore. snipe-hunting no. 22. Who is the last person you usually think about before you fall asleep? Usually whoever Im caring about/worried about most at the time. 23. Have you ever had a song written about you? Not written, but sung. In the playground. Im still not sure if it was good or bad. 24. If you had to choose to not ever wash your bed sheets again or not wash your bath towel ever again, which would you choose? Bedsheets, as I wouldnt have to buy replacements as often. 25. Have you ever found anything in your parents' bedroom that was questionable? No, I have never gone snooping in my parents room. 26. What was your childhood nickname? Crow. Im not sure why, I didnt look like a goth or anything back then. 27. When is the last time you played the air guitar? About 3 hours ago. 28. Have you ever peeked in the opposite sexes locker room? No. 29. Have you ever groped someone before and then yelled 'stop groping me'? No. 30. Have you ever bitten your toenails? No. 31. How do you normally eat your Oreo cookies? I dont. 32. Have you ever stopped in the middle of the street to do the YMCA? A few times, yes. Shame on me. 33. Name something you do when you're alone that you wouldn't do in front of others? Sing. I cant sing at all. 34. Have you ever tried to kiss a policeman/fireman/nurse? No. 35. Have you ever randomly gone up to someone and asked for their picture/autograph/moblie number? No. 36. How many drinks does it take before you get drunk? Depends on how much Ive eaten and how long its been since I last drank. I dont drink much these days, so not many. 37. Why are you doing this survey? Because the F1 on telly is boring. 38. Have you ever got into your birthday suit while drunk? No, I dont need the aid of alchohol to get into my birthday suit. 39. Do you scrunch or fold your toilet paper? Fold I suppose, I dont really think about it. 40. Do you have any strange phobias? I hate inflated balloons. I cant go near them for long, let alone touch them.

I just bought two watches that Im having imported from Japan. £116. But once they get here, I will have to pay VAT and some sort of administration fee to the delivery guys.

The most fun Ive ever had on this ride...in fact the ONLY fun Ive ever had on this ride, was one October. Its was dark, cold, and started to snow heavily on the way up the lift. All the snow whizzing by, caught in the headlights, kinda looked like warp speed. So my friends and I spend the whole ride singing the original Star Trek theme. Now that really is sad. OK, thats a lie, the helix and last dive through the little tunnel used to be fun before they crippled it with the MCBR.

It was close between the Nash and that immense violation of health and safety, the Mouse. I voted for the Nash mainly cos I somehow always end up in either the last or second last seat no matter if I try to or not, so I've always had a great ride. I'm also less likely to come off it limping, like I sometimes do with the mouse. Bog One, sorry, Big One doesn't rate. Last time I rode, after the first drop I spent the rest of the ride having a conversation with my ride buddy about the Mattesons Smoked Pork Sausage advert, and how even that is less wrong than PMBO. I reserve Judgement on Infusion till I get off it. I'm keeping an open mind about it.

It really does look like alot of fun. I love the rattling noises you get on woodies. It does seem to flow very well, has a nice rhythm to it. Reverse POVs are awesome.

Yeah, thats an awesome model. He is still in the process of making it. Its using the Coasterdynamix model coaster system. He has tons of information and construction pictures of the model on the forums of the official Coasterdynamix site. Really worth a look if your interested. You can just see a hump of green track in that first photo. Thats his model of Kingda ka. Thats also awesome. He has tons of pictures of that as well, and videos of it operating.

I was planning a day-trip down there this Saturday. Considering how many rides seem to be closed, I might give it a miss until later. Though I do think it could be busier over the weekend, considering its the may holiday. Midweek would be quieter as its not holiday season yet.

^^^ Its for stability. Just the same as how Alpengeist has an empty car at the front. Only Vekoma run the trailering the other direction, so their stabilizing axel is at the back.

I cant help but giggle at the Pleasure beach marketing strategy. They get around false advertising laws by not actually lying, but telling half truths instead. Their heights are measured from sea level. Speeds are given in KPH even though MPH is more commonly used in the UK, to make it seem faster (Alton Towers do this one as well). The sneakiest part in the Infusion blurb is the claim its the tallest and fastest SLC in the UK. Now we know thats not true, the custom SLCs are faster and taller (Jubilee Oddessy and Kumali). Believe it or not, they can legaly get around that because infusion is the tallest and fastest STANDARD SLC in the UK. Its also the only one. lol. Beggars belief, doesnt it? lol.

I hope Infusion is not all that rough. Hopefully Pleasure Beach will look after it and keep it at least bearable if not glass smooth. About the wheel thing, its rarely the gap between the wheels that causes roughness. The shaking is more likely a worn wheel or worn track, and the violent jerks entering or leaving elements is mostly down to track design. Its general opinion that the three wheeled design (one safety and two road wheels) does allow a little too much shuffling and shaking. Its not expected for inverts to run on the safety wheels much when they are designed but the SLCs sometimes take the inversions so slow they 'fall' onto the safety wheels. If you look you will notice that they have switched to a four wheel design for the new trains, which is much more stable. You might also notice that many of the arrow rides accused of being rough use a three wheeled system as well but it affects regular sitdowns much less as they don't have the extra distance between rider and wheels. This only applies to trailered designs, as other train types have two wheel sets per car so only need one road wheel and one safety wheel per set for stability. Oh, sorry, did I bore anyone? lol.

My most memorable ride to date has to be my first ride on Nemesis. It had been raining heavily all morning, and this was my first invert. I was in the back seat, and it was awesome. Ride Op said the rain was making it faster. Mainly its my most memorable because that was the ride that hooked me.

It does seem to be looking good from the photos I've seen. Im going to try get down for a day the weekend after next. It will likely be very busy though, what with it being the May holiday and all. The 2010 thing has been doing the rounds for so long now. Its unlikely they can build too high that close to the airport. The CAA will have something to say about it I imagine. I dont think they will be breaking any height records even if they do produce a big project for 2010.

I think alot of people overestimate how much money Pleasure beach makes. Yes, it gets 6 million visitors a year, but not all of those are paying customers. I reckon they didnt get a brand new coaster because they simply couldnt afford one yet. There are lots of rides in the park, many of which are pretty old, and cost alot to maintain. I imagine that moving the SLC wasnt exactly cheap either. Anyway, Im curious about the waterjets peppered around the ride. Are they aimed at the riders or are they aimed more for a close miss? If its the former, I will be convinced that Pleasure beach are trying to make us ill. lol. Would be fun on a hot day though.

^ I spent along time looking for info in the Wild Mouse a while ago, and that site is the best I found. It seems the origins are a little uncertain. Im pretty sure it came from Germany first.

Its Wales, not Whales. The two words arent pronounced the same. If your gonna trash it at least spell it correctly. (Yes Im just joking with you). Scotland is NOT the place to go for themeparks, thats why we all cross the border for coaster thrills. That doesnt mean the whole place is boring though. I always have fun here.

The amount that you "look through" the paper is actually very slight. You end up with each eye focused on the surface of the paper, ony looking at different points. It feels quite odd and can make your eyes feel very strained and hurt at first. If you have wonky vision in one eye, then its going to be pretty impossible to see.

Nice photos, but damn dude, what a great way to make a nation miffed at you. lol. I cant help but wonder if you have seen much of this country? Seriously, I wont be visiting Loudon again till the S&S is ready. EDIT: ^Damn, beat me to it. lol.

Its weird, I can do them usualy when they are in a book or on a poster, but I can never do them when they are on a computer or tv screen.

People in the 1920s all seem to have a real hat fetish going on. lol.

Awesome vid. Great discovery.

Wow, I had completely forgotten this place existed! I vaguely remember playing spot the ned here a while ago. Its a fun park from what I remember.

I would love to go on the European trip, but sadly I cant get the time off work. booooo-hisssss. I can go to these parks anyway as they are pretty close, so its really just the ERT (and the company) Im missing. Still...damn!