Amusement Ride Breakdown!

[viking86]

I dont know if it can be called 'weird' but on Kanonen last week they had serious problems getting the copper fins on the launch down.

[PKDFreak]

I was riding Flight of Fear it PKD and got stuck on the break run right after launch and the three inversons. The lights came on and we were stuck for 5 or 10 minutes...it was cool!

[alpengeistdude321]

One I've experienced was on "it's tough to be a bug" at Disney's California Adventure and there was something wrong with the 3-d effects and my eyes behind the 3-d glasses felt all cross-eyed and it was very uncomfortable. They informed us about 3 minutes into the show the the 3-d effects were having technical difficulties.

 

Another one i've witnessed was that California Screamin' launched and put on the breaks on the hill after the launch. It looked very uncomfortable going from 55 mph to a complete stop. I'm glad I wasn't on the ride but I was in the Paradise Pier area when it happened.

 

The weirdest one I've heard of is Demon at SFGAm getting stuck in one of the loops.

[Janus]

I always got a good laugh out of Hammerhead at Knott's when it was still there when it would flip upside down at the end and not come back up. That's gotta suck.

[Zingo!]

On DCA Soarin', having an E stop because of a fire alarm. It happened about 2 minutes into the film. The lights go on, and our mechanical movement turns into free swinging. We were lowered to the floor after a minute or so. The ride op was on the phone at his console area, and didn't know to evacuate us. It was funny to see other workers from the ride bust in and hurry us out. It happened right before the park closed, so sadly we missed Soarin' that trip.

 

-scott

[Nemmy]

I was going on the Barnstormer, and it was going up the lift hill when it suddenly rolled back for no apparent reason. The lift was still going. Is it possible that the chain dogs (or whatever they are) broke?

[maliboomer]

Anyways, that CA Screamin thing happened to me, and it was only slightly extremely painful, I was in the front row so for the evac it was unnerving stepping out of the car.

[freestylenut]

On Doctor Doom's Fear Fall at IOA, we were going up slightly (before the blast up) and Doom did his speech about "Ignore all safety warning and blah, blah" and suddenly everything seemed to turn off, we glided back down slightly and we sit there for about 2 minutes.

 

Funny part is we were conversing leaning over as we talked since its 4 in a row and OUT OF THE BLUE and without warning we shot up! My sister banged her nose on the restraint & we pretty much made fun of her all day! I tell ya, it was much scarier that way!!!

[ScottBrown]

The Chairswings at PGA had 2 good breakdowns back to back, first they couldn't get the thing to stop then they couldn't get it to start right (it would do the wave motion but refused to spin) strangest thing I have ever seen a ride do

 

Scott " Im sure Robb and Elissa would agree " Brown

[Nemmy]

Wasn't that in the PGA video on TPR?

 

So you're Scott? http://www.themeparkreview.com/bay03/bay13.jpg

[ScottBrown]

Yes that would be me

[Twister II]

O...hmm

 

probly seeing one on Twister II

 

Something was wrong with the chainlift. I over heard the ops saying something about a 5-click rule. (anyone know anything on this?) It was down for about 1hr. They had to restart the lift over and over agian.

[diggerg56]

A couple weeks ago the restraints wouldn't release on Revolution at SFGAm after the ride cycle. First they said they would have to cycle the ride again but too many people complained so we were stuck until the mechanics got there.

 

I heard one of them say the ride op hadn't "parked" the ride properly. I thought that was automatic?

[Angry_Gumball]

We got stuck in Medusa's final brake run (just before the station) for 10 minutes. The train would inch it's way toward the station and then stop. It did this about 20 times or so and finally it rolled into the station leaving the front of the train hanging out past the station. I was thinking "Oooh! Re-rides!" and then the train suddenly reversed to line it's self back with the retractable floor. End result was a free 1-time use fast pass thingy for our group.

[thrillrider1]

Im not sure if this counts as a breakdown but what about when fabio was riding apollos chariot and a goose flew into his face.

[diggerg56]

It's a pity the poor goose had to endure that!

[palmerleeberry]

"And now here is another old post that can be reused!"

 

I was at Carowinds riding Thunder Road in the backwards section (back in the day when they had a forward and a backward section - now it's all forwards), the train I was riding just completed its run and was now stopped on the brake run. Okay, I thought to myself as I sat there with my back towards the station, not seeing what was going on, I'm sure the other train is taking a little extra time getting loaded. No, the other train in the station wasn't getting loaded with new riders; it was being clean and sanitized due to a previous rider who got sick and couldn't wait to get to the nearest restroom without vomiting. So the train I was in stood there, stuck on the brake run, for about ten minutes while the other side continued to run (Hey, did you know that when the trains come to a stop on the brake run, the platform actually shakes?). Finally, the now-clean train was dispatched and our train finally went to the station. And for being stuck on the brake run for all that time, we got the option of riding that ride again.

 

All right, dear readers, I've found another post that hasn't been visited in five years, so what are your stories of weird breakdowns?

 

"I've got one: if you don't stop typing and come to bed with me, I'll just breakdown and cry."

[cfc]

I was on DarKastle at BGW a few years ago when the video and audio stopped working, and the worklights came on. The "golden sleigh," however, kept bucking and spinning through its usual sequence, but in reaction to nothing. It was hilarious! The ride ops were handing out exit passes as people got off the ride, and they had it all up and running about an hour later.

[SFMM fanboy]

I've got one. We [My ohana (Family)] were riding USH's ROTM & right before the climb to the turn before the scarab scene, we came to a hault under one of the mummy banners. It was like going from 40 to 0 in 1 second! It was like getting stopped by the breaks from HELL!

[willh51]

Nothing crazy for me really. Stuck on Big Bad Wolf's second lift for 10 minutes, stuck on Hydra's brake run for 20 because they couldn't release the other train's restraints, stuck on Intimidator 305 for 15 because they couldn't get the locked light to go on or off.

 

Most interesting was probably getting stuck on Top Thrill Dragster, front row, on the launch for 30 minutes. Something broke right before we took off (the train in front of us launched). They offered us water and such and would have let people off but we all wanted to stay. Anyway, we finally did launch and returned to the station to cheers.

 

None of these were anything out of the ordinary, but that's all I got.

[CoasterKidKyle]

The only breakdown I have experienced (Technically it was an E-Stop but I am sharing it.) was on SuperDooperLooper. A lady was checking restraints when the dispatcher accidently hit the dispatch button. The restraint checker arm was stuck on a seat, and the dispatcher hit the E-stop just in time, before the station ended. Me and my friend were stuck in there for a good 15 minutes. Needless to say, the woman checking restraints had a panic attack, and seemed very tentative after that.

[Jerrykoala2112]

My most unique breakdown was on Ragin Cajun' at Six Flags Great America, we got stuck on the hairpin turns and it was pretty cool. We were stuck for a good 20 minutes, they probably didn't want to evacuate us because you'd have to crawl through a vertical ladder to get out.

 

The even weirder part was when the ride started up again, we were going about 1 mph through the rest of the turns. I did take some sweet photos though, here's one of them...

Can you find 7 roller coasters in this photo?!

[coasterlover420]

Dragster stuck at the top...

Have any other rockets ever done this?

This wasn't technically a break down, but one time the proxys in the Dragster station weren't sensing the train in Load 2, so before every dispatch, control had to move the train backwards 2 or 3 inches in Manual before they could dispatch.

[mr. cockblock]

I have a couple that I can remember:

Superman: The Escape SFMM: our train stopped behind the curtain and we where stuck there for about 15 mins.

 

Riddler's Revenge SFMM: our train got stuck on the MCBR for about 30 mins and we had to exit the train.

 

Freefall SFMM: our train got stuck while on top of the the tower in the drop zone for about 25 mins, then without warning we dropped! It really added to the thrill!

 

All of my experiences at SFMM having a breakdown the staff always gave the whole train front of the line passes for any coaster at the park, which was amazing on crowded summer days!

[Intimidator305]

Intimidator 305 provided me with some interesting experiences this year...

~Not really a breakdown, but while boarding 305, the ride attendants made the riders switch seats with the person next to them not once, but twice AFTER the riders were all strapped in and "checked"...

~On a late no wait night during KD's Halloween Haunt at around 11:45 while on 305, the first 2 cars made it up the lifthill and we stopped with 7/8 of the train still stuck in the station with passengers waiting to get off on the brakerun. 5 minutes later maitenance was there fixing the ride, which took about 5 minutes and then we went up the lifthill at a speed of 1 mph MAX until the whole train got out then it went back up to the regular insane quick speed. It was just weird going up that hill slow leaving the station when usually it hauls out of there!

 

Wild Mouse at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion broke down while I was on it (at the very top "brake" section) and we were up there 30 minutes or so before the ride started back up. This was about 8 years ago and it was actually my brother's first ride on a roller coaster ever, and it broke down! Haha. It provided awesome views of the park, ocean, and Myrtle Beach and I got some very unique pictures to remember the park from since it sadly no longer exists...