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I'm 5'-8" and I just wedge my arms between the OTSR and my head and I don't have any problems. On the same note, I stick my feet straight out on X2 to avoid the leg banging that I used to get when the ride was X. When I ride Viper, I pull the OTSR down as far as I can and just sit up straight. My head is above the top and I don't get any headbanging there either. On Batman, Riddler's Revenge, and Scream!, I get the restraint as snug as I can and lean forward a bit. No pain on those rides. To me, you shouldn't have to "know" how to ride, but on some rides, being a little proactive can mean the difference between a good ride and a painful one. Eric

So, it appears that riders won't be sitting up high like on Space Mountain at WDW, and will still use seat belts like now, only they'll use a different type of buckle. Also, I would hope that the seats will have some sort of padding. Otherwise, these look really cool. Are they all going to be the same color or will the color vary from car to car? Eric

Thanks for the Sarajevo Bobsleds pictures, Shane. That was a fun little ride, and I think something like that would be nice at SFMM even today. Definitely a family ride. Eric

Gregg, if you see this, be sure and call my cell phone because I won't be at the house. I'll PM it to you just in case. Eric

To Gregg: If you're interested in going, get in touch with me and we can ride up there together. Of course, it depends on the weather. Eric

^ It's been awhile since I've seen Colossus running three trains---odd because that was the whole purpose in flattening the double dip on the parking lot side almost 20 years ago. But at that time, Colossus was more popular than it is now. Today, more often than not, there isn't enough of a wait to warrant three-train operation. I may go tomorrow or Thursday, but it depends on how I feel. Eric

For whatever reason, I thought the Forte was a bigger car than it is, but I did a little research on it and found that it is more or less comparable in size/class to the Honda Civic. It looks like you need to use specially shaped CDs for your player. But I know that's just a shadow. Eric

^^ It doesn't matter how many times I see that, it cracks me up every time! Eric

At Revolution, the train at load/unload sat on a long chain that was about two full train lengths long. Another train would pull up behind that one, connecting to the chain. As the first one pulled out onto the lift, the second one rolled right up to unload position. There's still a chain there, but it's quite a bit shorter and only serves to move the train from load onto the lift. If you look down onto the track while waiting, you can see where there was a longer chain at one time. In my observation, generally, a train would be released from the station about the time the previous train got to the bottom of the second drop (the one passing close to the station). But another thing to keep in mind is that back then, there were only lap bars on the trains, which were much simpler. Having read what Joey said, I will agree with him. Today's crews just don't have the "hustle" that they once did---and really should have. Eric

To gforce532: In that very cool collage, I can see four trains on the track, and I will assume that a fifth one is in the station, having just pulled to load/unload position as the one starting up the lift left the station. That's the way the ride was run back then. Also, I will guess that today there is the one teal/silver train and the one "original" red, white, and blue one. I have not noticed a third train parked on the side, but will look next time. If I can get out there this week, I'll post a report. Eric

Sometimes, running three trains is pointless if they stack. And that's the case at Riddler's Revenge to be sure because of how slow the load process is. Running three trains on Tatsu is good, provided both stations are open. Three trains on Viper works if the crew hustles. Three trains on X2 (I've seen it) is pretty much nothing but stacked trains---on that ride, running two works better. Three on Scream! will also stack nicely, thank you. If the crew hustles, three on Ninja can work well. I'm old enough to remember four-and five-train operation on Revolution, and at least three-train operation on Gold Rusher. Colossus was originally designed to run five trains on each track! I don't think they ever did that---at least not effectively. And that was before any block brakes were added. Eric

Could you imagine a KFC breakfast sandwich based on this? Eric

To Gregg and jmicha: Despite having driven a number of cars under different brands, I have yet to drive a Kia. While I'm not currently shopping for a new car, I should go drive one anyway just to check it out. I do like my CR-V and would replace it with a car of similar size (like the Sportage) when the time comes. I think the Hyundai Tucson is the same car. Maybe I'll just drive both since I've never driven a Hyundai either. Eric

Terminator's capacity would improve with better control/handling of people going through the pre-shows. I've already said this, but I think spacing out the pre-shows a little more, and moving them back (earlier in the queue), say, ten minutes' worth of waiting would allow for the necessary backlog at boarding to assure full trains. In my opinion, adding a twelfth car to each train would do little but add confusion to a station that honestly is a bit too small. From what I've heard, this is GCII's standard size station, but other GCII rides don't have pre-shows that affect the continuous flow of guests going into the station. This is one time where, perhaps, a custom design might have worked better. At WCB, the single-rider line was brought up, and was said to be something in development at that time. That also is a good way to fill trains and move people. I did find it interesting that this is being considered, since it could cut into sales of the Flash Pass system. But we'll see how that works out. Eric

^^ Diana saw that earlier tonight and said it was pretty funny. Time to get off of here and go to bed. A day of shooting has worn me out. Eric

^ Big Bad Wolf's demise was mentioned at WCB, and a question about Ninja's future. We can take some comfort in the fact that Jay Thomas, Neal Thurman, and Tim Burkhart said at WCB that Ninja is here to stay. Eric

^ I know where you live and might "swing by" to see it. Congratulations! I know how it feels to drive a new car home. And I agree about Kias. Not too long ago, they were considered "throw away" cars, but their quality over the last few years has reached the quality levels that many Japanese cars have. Consumer Reports is recommending more models as time goes on. Eric

Maybe I'll try and get out there sometime this week instead, as I don't think too many spring breaks are still going on...are they? But tomorrow is OUT. Eric

Not an expansion joint. I'd almost call it an "oopsie" Seriously, an expansion joint would most likely have a thick layer of rubber and/or some sliding plate(s) to allow for movement. Certainly there is no gap/rubber in the rails. The joints pictured here look pretty solid. I seem to recall when Goliath opened 10 years ago (!) it was all over the Internet forums of that time that there was one place on the track that was several inches too short for some reason (miscalculation, whatever), and this appears to be where they filled in that gap. If a miscalculation or error of some sort is the case, it's not unusual. During my years in engineering, I've seen such things, and they are more common than you think. Eric

No, because I have so many questions that it would take a lifetime to ask all of them. But honestly, I should search because sometimes I have a tendency to repeat myself repeat myself. If you didn't do so at WCB, would you eat a chocolate bacon funnel cake?

I looked at the SFMM calendar and noticed that this weekend is both the "Miss Dance Drill Team USA" and "Wiz Bang Boom Tour." Therefore, contrary to what I said in the Rant thread about going on Sunday, I don't think I'll be at SFMM any time this weekend. Eric

^^ If the tower is closed, there's usually a chain across the entrance and a "Closed" sign of some kind on it. It's a shame you've missed going up there. For me, it was always fun because I like to see things from high up, but since the Magic of the Mountain museum opened a couple of years ago, that's just another reason to go up there. (The museum is a bunch of displays of old park maps, photos, equipment, etc., along with videos of early commercials from the '70s and '80s. Well worth a trip up to see it whether you're new to the park or have been going since Year One (1971). Eric

^ I just got back from Carl's Jr. with Diana. Had I known, I'd have called and had you join us or something. If you're free on Sunday, I'm thinking about a quick trip out to SFMM since the girls won't be home. Eric

No, he'd end up as a "has-Bean." Do you like to ride escalators?

McDonald's takes a lot of crap just because...it's McDonald's. Personally, I have no problem eating there. But regardless of where I eat, I know enough to order food with little or no condiments (which is where a lot of the fat is). On a Big Mac, for instance, you can get it without the sauce, then put a little ketchup on it instead. It tastes exactly the same and saves over 100 calories worth of fat. As for the Double Down, it's not likely something I would order anyway even if my health was better. It just doesn't appeal to me at all. The new rules requiring restaurants to post nutrition information is a good thing. All they have to do is inform. It's up to us to make wise choices as to what and how much we eat. Eric