Photo TR: Coaster Mayhem II

[LOVE SFKK]

I was also there, but I think TW ran like CRAP! It had a lot of air, but is SO rough still its not even funny. At night everyone went to SD and Patriot, so the TW Q was empty so i rode like 15 consecutive times, and it was rough eveytime.

 

ALso whats with the ride ops on Thunderhawk saying ''Sorry, this isnt a water ride anyore!''

[steel]

I keep saying it - RIDE IN THE BACK! It's smoother than any other seat on the train and there's obviously more air!

[Jive]

The back is smoother but the air doesn't compare to earlier in the year.

 

Roughness isn't even an issue anymore.

[thrillerman1]

Swoosh you keep saying for them to fix the TW rolling stock, so what exactly is wrong with the trains? By the way I rode TW last July...sadly it was not impressive & rough rough rough lol.

[CoasterEricHP]

Great pictures! Patriot looked really strange to me though, don't most inverts have 8 rows??

[CP_RULES]

Also whats with the ride ops on Thunderhawk saying ''Sorry, this isnt a water ride anyore!''

 

Were they running it with the water jets on? I haven't been yet this year, but maybe they got rid of the water jets on it.

[Swoosh]

Swoosh you keep saying for them to fix the TW rolling stock, so what exactly is wrong with the trains?

 

Trains are not supposed to shuffle down the track like the rolling stock does on TW.

 

Um, I'm not sure what TW some of you are riding because the brakes were on light and there was monster air when I rode TW when I was at CoasterMayhem

[RailBlazer]

Well, maybe the brakes were light for Coaster Mayhem, but I can tell you from experience, I haven't had a good ride on Wolf in the last two weeks.

 

Things can change from day to day and even hour to hour. A month ago it was great, but it has been very slow lately. The drop brakes have been really bad and you drag down the drop. The train is crawling at the top of the helix. I keep waiting for the train to stop, but somehow it keeps moving. I rode once last night and it wasn't even worth riding again. I finally talked to someone at the park last night regarding how bad of a ride it has been lately. Except for a few speedy sections, it has turned into a very dull, family ride at best and nothing like it used to be. I hope this is not how it will run from now on.

 

As for the trains, the trains may play a part in shuffling, but the track and track gauge and the speed at which the trains travel also have something to do with the shuffling.

[Swoosh]

^The current trains are not the original rolling stock and thus why the shuffling occurs. It is not because of the track.

[RailBlazer]

Swoosh, why are you so sure that the track, track gauge and speed don't have anything to do with shuffling, in addition to any part the trains may play? While I am no expert, I bet these things do contribute to shuffling.

 

I am curious what parts of the ride you are referring to that shuffle?

 

As for "not the original rolling stock", what do you mean? Do you think it has newer trains and if so, when were they bought?

[Mark Rosenzweig]

Swoosh, why are you so sure that the track, track gauge and speed don't have anything to do with shuffling, in addition to any part the trains may play? While I am no expert, I bet these things do contribute to shuffling.

 

I am curious what parts of the ride you are referring to that shuffle?

 

As for "not the original rolling stock", what do you mean? Do you think it has newer trains and if so, when were they bought?

 

I was under the impression that the current trains on Timber Wolf are the original rolling stock that were simply modified with the removal of the buzz bars in favor of individual ratcheting bars, and the addition of headrests. The original rolling stock also had two bench six car PTC trains. When the modifications took place exactly I'm not sure, but it had to be when the ride was only a year or two old, probably not too far after the rider was flung to their death on the first lift cut through lateral air hill.

 

-Mark

[RailBlazer]

Mark, you and I are under the same impression. As fas as I know the trains are the original trains, with modifications and I imagine a lot of replaced parts over the years. The ride started out with two trains, but the park bought a third train in the first few years to be used as a backup I guess.

 

The headrests were added sometime after the collision that occurred the first day of the 1990 season. I don't recall exactly when that took place, but I would guess for sure by the 1991 season.

 

In 1994, Timber Wolf was closed for about six weeks in the middle of the summer while two trains were changed to have four wheel cars. The trains originally started with trailer cars. The third train apparently didn't get the conversion and I am guessing it was used for parts?

 

The individual lapbars came at the opening of the 1996 season.

[LOVE SFKK]

Were they running it with the water jets on? I haven't been yet this year, but maybe they got rid of the water jets on it.

 

 

The water jets were on, but they didnt even come close to touching the seats. Without water, i dont see any point of going through the pain to ride it anymore

[Swoosh]

I meant that there had been so many 'upgrades' (for a lack of a better word) to the rolling stock that they are not the 'original' trains that were designed for TW.

 

The shuffling is most noticeable in the first banked curve, the helix, the Bobs turn and the run back to the station -- basically everywhere that has been "fixed"

[RailBlazer]

Well, I am not sure what you would suggest they do with the trains then, as all the things that have been added aren't going anywhere. I have wondered if dropping a car would help with reducing the weight of the train and maybe they could lighten up on the brakes. Maybe not.

 

Swoosh, thanks for answering about the places that you notice the shuffling the most. You basically gave the spots that I expected you would and most of those places still need work and/or the train isn't moving fast enough due to the brakes.

[Mark Rosenzweig]

Well, I am not sure what you would suggest they do with the trains then, as all the things that have been added aren't going anywhere. I have wondered if dropping a car would help with reducing the weight of the train and maybe they could lighten up on the brakes. Maybe not.

 

Swoosh, thanks for answering about the places that you notice the shuffling the most. You basically gave the spots that I expected you would and most of those places still need work and/or the train isn't moving fast enough due to the brakes.

 

It's amazing to me that parks don't realize that while they may be saving maintenance dollars by trimming wood coasters, that they are creating a safety risk in two major areas:

 

a)Some trims are abrubt and can/have caused rider injuries (see DP's Thunderhawk- specifically the hard stop at the end of the circuit).

 

b)By trimming speed, the train is now taking the course at too *slow* of a speed, and the original banking designed into the ride actually works against the rider. Timber Wolf suffers from the same issues as rides like Mean Streak and (RIP) Hercules. The last turn on Hercules was probably banked 20-30 degrees, and with the trains crawling through the turn at no more than 25-30 MPH, I always found myself sliding towards the inside of the turn. In other words, totally defeating Summer's reasoning for banking that turn in the first place! This was probably not an issue before that trim was installed at the top of the ride's 148 ft first drop. Then again, I'm not so sure I would have wanted to experience that "less than butter smooth" lake skimming banked turn without the trim.

 

On the other hand, a ride like SFStl's Screamin' Eagle saw the opposite, which was having its turns banked from their original near flat design, but not having a single trim installed on the course.

 

-Mark

[Jive]

I've heard others speculate that TW rolling at full speed would reduce the shuffling.

 

I guess that slower speeds = more shuffling.

[RailBlazer]

Timber Wolf was running a bit better today. I hope this continues.

[Swoosh]

That's great news!