coasterkid124 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 IMO, all rides that have magnetic brakes (excluding Dragster) should be able to run in reasonable rain. Since there is no contact between the brake fins and the brakes, it is a fail safe system that rain would not affect. But if the rain picks up hard enough to slow rides down considerably, or the kicker tires slip under the trains, then they would have to be shut down. When I used to work maintenance at Darien Lake, Ride of Steel would often shut down in the rain because of two reasons. A) The trains would slow down early and crawl through the brake run causing an error on the PLC. The brakes only released when the train reached the kicker tires, which could take over a minute. B) The kicker tires slipped so much that the train failed to park right in the station, causing an error or E-stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Hero Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Uhh guys, it looks like we found what CP's doing with VR (I'm surprised nobody caught this on CF's analyst day release) Looks like whoever said they would use virtual reality for the coaster announcement was right. There's also "virtual reality coaster pilot", whatever that means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewesker Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 They already said what the virtual reality coaster pilot is. It's testing VR on an EXISTING coaster. They also never said it would happen at Cedar Point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastin Eric Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I've learned this from talking to a few dragster ride ops, once the winds hit that speed the ride's computer automatically shuts it down and they can't control whether or not they launch trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcurry11 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 ^That would just be a coding change. They do that to comply with the restrictions on wind. If they would change the policy, they could easily change the code. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagnumFreak25 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I do wish CP would re-evaluate their inclement weather policy. If other parks can run their rides in rain (with no lightning) why cant CP? If other parks can run most of their rides in mild wind why cant CP? I agree with this completely and I'd love some insight as to why some Cedar Fair parks like Kings Dominion run everything in the rain while Cedar Point closes just about everything. The only coaster at Cedar Point that should close in the rain is Top Thrill Dragster because other parks in the chain run everything in the rain including Arrow rides (like Magnum)... Kings Dominion runs Anaconda with all trains in the rain, Vortex at KI runs all trains... why is it okay there? The rain policy at Cedar Point is so ridiculous that when we went in 2012 Snake River Falls closed in a slight drizzle, and because I couldn't help myself I asked if the ride was down because of the rain and the person at the front confirmed that it was. Snake River Falls... What makes the policy more confusing is that it's inconsistent. The only coaster that's consistently closed in the rain is Dragster, with the others they might as well flip a coin. I believe Wicked Twister is usually open (as it should be) and Raptor is usually closed but aside from that I see no consistency at all. As for wind, yeah that one's a little nuts too. Of course I get it on Sky Ride and Windseeker... I don't get it at all on Dragster. If it rolls back, just launch it again. Why shut it down at a certain wind speed? If you send a few trains and they all roll back it makes sense, but if they're all clearing and then the wind speed gets "too high" but trains are still clearing I don't get why they care when they used to run it in all kinds of wind. With the other coasters I wish they'd use their best judgement. If it's cold and windy early in the season then Millennium Force and Gatekeeper can really crawl over the high points but if it's 80 degrees in the summer and both coasters are hauling through the course I doubt a 5mph increase in wind speed when it's been windy all day and the coasters have been hauling is really going to make a difference. Raptor is a tough one as it really can crawl into the mid course. Again, I'm not an expert but these things make no sense when other parks in the same chain don't care. I don't expect every park to be Great Adventure where the wind policy is "Keep Dispatching until it Valleys", the rain policy is "Keep Dispatching until the riders drown" and after last year we now know that the sleet policy is "Tell the riders there's nothing they can do to stop the pain and if they want to ride anyway... lol dispatch" (though I love that policy). But a happy medium would be nice. I know some ride ops from Cedar Point are on here though, maybe they can offer some insight. Dragster has to reset for every launch - it takes time. Millennium Force is not the kind of ride you want valleying. It would help if Magnum had mag brakes, but it sounds like it uses traditional friction brakes. I'm pretty sure Kingda Ka doesn't fun in high winds and it's less prone to rollback (because high winds are not as common at SFGAd). So even the park who has to worry less about it closes their version, so I'd imagine CP has a very good reason to close Dragster since they'd dealt with high winds daily since 2003. The rain policy is a bit strange but in general they'll always keep millenium open, but they will take the third train off so they have an extra block in case it comes in with to much speed. Rougarou I'd assume is the same as Mantis was, and that always stayed open. Wicked Twister was usually open. Gatekeeper and Raptor never open in rain. TTD closes at anything so don't be surprised. Magnum is strange, sometimes it'll close while other times I've seen them run it with just 2 trains for rain. If you're really stuck, the scrambler is always the last ride to close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I wasn't sure about Rougarou. I assumed the reason Mantis stayed open was that there was always an extra block since it was designed for 3 trains and only had 2. I'm glad to hear they still run it un the rain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
certifiedcoastergeek Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 They already said what the virtual reality coaster pilot is. It's testing VR on an EXISTING coaster. They also never said it would happen at Cedar Point. Kings Dominion's "new coaster for 2016" - ride the Crypt with 400 lb. Oculubet Samsoft HoloLens helmets and it *almost* feels, looks, and sounds just like an S&S 4D Free Spin. Cost per rider - $25, or $40 if bundled with the all-new FunTime SlingShot, "Shockwave's Revenge". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPFan1234 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Looks like the coaster timeline has been taken down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) Cedar Point just posted this on their Facebook: At approximately 5 p.m., a guest entered a restricted, fenced area of the Raptor roller coaster and was struck by the ride. Park safety officials responded immediately to the situation. Unfortunately the guest has passed away. Local authorities are on the scene conducting an investigation.Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family at this time. http://www.sanduskyregister.com/news/fire-ems/9322141 Man dead in accident at Cedar Point Man entered restricted area and was struck by a train from the Raptor roller coaster UPDATE 6:11 p.m. A man in his mid-40s jumped over the fence and was struck by Raptor, a roller coaster at the park, according to Erie County coroner Brian Baxter. The incident remains under investigation and the body is being sent for an autopsy. The man's name has not been released as police are notifying the family. UPDATE 6:05 p.m. Sandusky fire and police are at an access road to the park underneath the Blue Streak roller coaster. The Blue Streak and Raptor rides are not running. UPDATED 5:59 p.m. Sandusky police was contacted by Cedar Point for a 'ride accident' according to Sandusky police chief John Orzech. Police and fire have been dispatched to the scene. Updated report says "Man was looking for his cell phone." http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/local/ohio/2015/08/13/cedar-point--investigation/31663211/ SANDUSKY, Ohio -- A Cedar Point guest died after he was struck by the Raptor roller coaster around 5 p.m. Thursday. The man was in a restricted area of the park surrounded by a fence when it happened. He was looking for a lost cell phone, according to a report by the Associated Press. The Erie County Coroner Dr. Brian Baxter told WKYC Channel 3 that the victim is a man in his 40s. His identity has not been released. Cedar Point police and the Sandusky Police Department are investigating. Edited August 14, 2015 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Bad news from the park. Looks like someone was just hit and killed by raptor. I guess they were in a restricted area. That's all the info that is out right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TB305 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Holy shart, SFOG all over again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDawg Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Holy shart, SFOG all over again. I think it was a sabotage from Six Flags for us having no one get killed on our inverted coaster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccron10 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 http://www.sanduskyregister.com/news/fire-ems/9322141 A man in his mid-40s jumped over the fence and was struck by Raptor, a roller coaster at the park, according to Erie County coroner Brian Baxter. The incident remains under investigation and the body is being sent for an autopsy. The man's name has not been released as police are notifying the family. I expect a hat or cellphone to be involved in some sort of way as more info comes in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyRCT3 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) I expect a hat or cellphone to be involved in some sort of way as more info comes in. Gotta get that selfie. Prayers. Edited August 13, 2015 by JonnyRCT3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XShortestStrawX Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 So sad. Why can't people simply follow the rules My heartfelt condolences to the individual's friends and family. I also hope the riders and witnesses are able to cope with what was more than likely a horrible sight. I hope the park can recover quickly from this incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 An autopsy? Why? Wtf do you think the cause of death is? I feel bad for this guy's family, but I gotta say that this guy was an idiot. All the low zones at the park have tall black fencing with signs all over them warning people not to go near (as if they should even have to put them up to begin with ). Common sense people. ..common sense. I sure hope that nobody on the ride was hurt. With raptor being an inverted coaster, people's legs were dangling. Very sad and totally avoidable incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 So sad. Why can't people simply follow the rules If you could answer and resolve this question with the world's people, you'd be a billionaire. I hope the park can recover quickly from this incident. Usually in cases like this when it's a clear-cut case of human error (or should I saw Darwin award?) they usually do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpengeist04 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Wow, I must have just missed this by about 5 minutes. I took one last ride on Raptor before leaving the park at 5 pm. ...Just wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ape Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 It should be a Darwin Award, same with the kid from SFOG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Wow. People are so ignorant. That is all there is to it. There is no reason a guest should have climbed over a fence into a restricted area. It's that simple. But no, they ignore the signs, AND the fence, and not only ended up getting themselves killed, but could have possibly injured innocent riders on the train. To me, it makes no sense as to how this could even happen, even though it obviously did. Not that they should have EVER been in the low zone to begin with.. but Raptor is not exactly a quite coaster, how did the guest not hear the train coming and either 1.) Lay on the ground, or 2.) Get out of the way?? Maybe I am a bit harsh, but I have no sympathy for someone that ignorant. I do however have sympathy for the family, and friends of the person, as well as the park guest who had to witness it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) Oh man..... Coming up next on ABC word news tonight, they just had a teaser about a Rollercoaster accident. By the way, did they get rid of the live webcams in the park? Can't seem to find them. Edited August 13, 2015 by thrillrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcoaster10 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 It makes me sad for the park knowing they're going to get so much bad uninformed press now just because of someones idiocracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbatboy Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Is this the first time someone died at CP in an accident? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koasterking48 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 It makes me sad for the park knowing they're going to get so much bad uninformed press now just because of someones idiocracy. Exactly. Such an incident never should've happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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