Splash Mountain History/Interesting Facts?

[haiderodes]

They sit near the end of the runout on top of a metal bracing, just under the water level. They look very similar to the magnetic brakes added to Manhattan Express a couple years ago. I would imagine they are only used to slow instead of stop as they are in fixed position.

 

Still trying to find those pictures, but in the meantime check these out...

Located about here...can barely see them under the water.

Similar to these found on Flying Unicorn at IOA

[coasterfreak101]

When they had the trough drained this past January, I don't remeber seeing any magnetic (or really-large-nine-foot-deep-pit) brakes at the end of the runout.

 

Either way, this is all really interesting. It's amazing how much goes in to the operation of these ten-million-block Disney rides!

[natatomic]

When they had the trough drained this past January, I don't remeber seeing any...really-large-nine-foot-deep-pit...at the end of the runout.

 

Probably because when the flume is drained, the brake is raised.

[BigThunderMtn]

^ Esactly right, the brake mechanism is so big, that it takes up the bottom 3 or 4 feet of the pit even when it isn't raised. When it's up, it fills the whole thing. The pit is completely undercover in the shot Nat posted, by the time you're out from under the bridge, you're past the pit, the Brake and its mechanisms.

[Revolucion]

I'm a little surprised that Florida still has a runout brake. As I recall it was removed from Splash at DL because it made almost no operational difference but had the potential to cause severe injuries due to the rapid reduction in speed with no restraints.

 

Splash Mountain at DL has a drop that most guest are unaware of: Drop 6, which is visited by cast members on their breaks!

[BigThunderMtn]

^ I don't think they do... They certainly wouldn't be anything like the ones on the Flying Unicorn picutred; the logs don't have fins to be received. And the logs are moving so fast at that point, I just can't believe they would even do anything.

[nomorefloor]

 

go 30 seconds into the video, is that where the brake is?

[haiderodes]

^ I don't think they do... They certainly wouldn't be anything like the ones on the Flying Unicorn picutred; the logs don't have fins to be received. And the logs are moving so fast at that point, I just can't believe they would even do anything.

 

I don't know what it is that I saw then, but I distinctly remember seeing something that looked like magnetic brakes.

[natatomic]

If you want to avoid getting totally soaked on Splash Mountain, try to arrange the seating so that the heaviest people are in the back of the log. This will keep your "nose" up on the drops, so that the front of the log itself will shield you from the worst of the splash. Naturally, if you prefer to be drenched, put the heaviest people in the front seat. If the weight is really concentrated there, it's possible to get the very front tip of the log just under the surface of the water, and when it bobs back up, the water will slosh back into the log.

 

 

Yes, it is true that Pirates of the Caribean has the most cameras it has twelve. But it shares the number with Splash mountin which also has twelve. I know that they have twelve because when you look back on Pirates before the first turn you can see twelve black and white monitors looking at different points of the ride. You can also see the monitors on Splash they are on the right after the ride starts, you can see the first nine easy but the last row is hard to see.

 

Maybe these are true for Splash at DL, but there are over some 40-odd cameras on the WDW version (the exact number escapes me at the moment). I'd say about 10 of the cameras, however, are either on staircases or the reservoir in the back, which the tower operator doesn't usually keep an eye on unless there's someone running around the Mountain who shouldn't be (advice: DON'T DO THAT!), at which point the intrusion alarm would be going off anyway...

 

As for the "heavy people in the back" theory, that's not gonna keep you dry at WDW. The thing is, the big drop towards the end is NOT where you get the most wet (even if you're sitting in the front row, so long as you duck, you won't get much more than a spray). The place that gets people soaked is in between the 1st and 2nd lifts - about 30 seconds into the ride - when the log is directly to the left of the big drop and about to go into the "Old Mill." Here's a photo so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

(The empty looking log directly in the spot where the water from the cannons would land)

 

If it's timed right, a log will go do the big drop, at which point water cannons go off, bringing a large amount of water down not on the dropping log, but rather the log that's just calmly making it's way along the flume. Which row that gets hit by the cannon is really just random chance, but if you want to stay as dry as possible, the best advice I can give you is to sit on the left side.

 

Or better yet, go ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

 

Actually, I think they turn the water cannons off during the parades, so try to ride it then.