GCI Coasters

[Eric_Smith]

I have wondered this for along time and no one has been able to tell me. What is with the things that are circled?

[FeelTheFORCE]

My guess is bracing so that the track doesn't come apart under the forces in that spot because the track transitions from left to right (or vice versa) so quickly. Most woodies have these, not just GCI woodies.

[Giovanolafan]

Yea there on Texas Giant to

There on the High Lateral Forces Parts so it doesnt split in half!

[hyyyper]

 

those things won't make the structure that much stronger. No, they are used for getting from the left catwalk to the right catwalk and they are also used at crossovers to prevent things from the top tracks to the tracks below.

[FeelTheFORCE]

^ I disagree because some coasters have them on first drops, or big drops, where you would just slide right off a flat surface like that. They are also very long. I'll see if I can find an example.

 

EDIT: found one.

Hades has a steel structure, but the middle of the track is wooden and can still split. No way those two are used for workers to just simply cross over. The one on the first drop is too steep to be able to use it anyway.

[Eric_Smith]

Maybe it is the wooden coaster companies equivalent of B&M's zero car......The world will never know why it is there.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

My guess is to protect the anti rollbacks and the chain lifting dogs on the underside of the train.

[CP_RULES]

Hyyyper is correct that they are used for workers to cross over from one side to the other when the banking changes. However, they also serve the purpose of a being a sort of net to catch anything that my fall (or drip). Notice how they appear when the track is crossing over something below?

[Eric_Smith]

My guess is to protect the anti rollbacks and the chain lifting dogs on the underside of the train.

 

If that was the case, then the whole coaster would be like that.

[Evan1127]

Hyyyper is correct that they are used for workers to cross over from one side to the other when the banking changes. However, they also serve the purpose of a being a sort of net to catch anything that my fall (or drip). Notice how they appear when the track is crossing over something below?

 

This is my best guess, too. Grease is probably the most common thing you don't want falling on a passing train.

[sixflagsguy5]

I think it's so stuff doesn't hit people below. They have them on Viper (SFGAM) right when the train comes out of the station and crosses over the exit. As you saw above, Hades has them, because there's an entrance there (group sales I think). I'm sure that they can also be used to cross over the track, but they probably have to be carefull on the steep hills.

[All Clear]

The whole end of The Legend is like that, in a way that would support the "lateral forces" arguement.

[reissecup]

wait, but the rollo coaster at idlewild has them near the end, and it doesn't cross over anything and the parts they are on don't have anywhere the worker would need to switch sides and there's no high Gs at those sections so i don't know

[TNT]

Deleted 

[australianalex]

What about the bizarre long bits of wood found on Gold Striker? I think Thunderhead has some weird wooden blocks on the track too this year, but for what purpose?

[Evan1127]

What about the bizarre long bits of wood found on Gold Striker?

 

Fall protection.