JG-77 Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 Among my 1-1.5 dozen visits, I've seen Batwing run two trains exactly twice, I think most recently in 2018, maybe 2019. I think the reason is staffing rather than maintenance, since you need a crew twice the size. However, for whatever reason, I don't think I spotted Batwing's 2nd train (or ME and JJ's FWIW) anywhere on the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jconsolmagno Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 9 minutes ago, JG-77 said: Among my 1-1.5 dozen visits, I've seen Batwing run two trains exactly twice, I think most recently in 2018, maybe 2019. I think the reason is staffing rather than maintenance, since you need a crew twice the size. However, for whatever reason, I don't think I spotted Batwing's 2nd train (or ME and JJ's FWIW) anywhere on the track. Ha, really? Did they use the 2nd station when they run 2 trains? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG-77 Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 Appears so, I've never seen two train operation with just one station in action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Maier Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 1. Maybe they're waiting until spring/summer to put the second train on JJ's track. 2. I didn't see ME's second train in use at all last year. 3. Only once have I seen two train operations on Batwing 3a. Perhaps at this point the other train is being used as a parts donor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disownedpear Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Had a decent half day at the park today, like people have been saying it's been surprisingly busy. Jokers Jinx and Batwing had decent lines due to one train. Although Wild One was running two, the dispatches were incredibly slow so that had a large line as well. However, Superman was running two all and the crew was hauling ass, often dispatching before the other train hit the brakes. Pretty impressive SFA! Couple other notes: Mask compliance was pretty great but the amount of employees with it below their nose was a little annoying. I've seen multiple measures to combat line jumping, including a phone line you can call. I've always heard that was a problem here but have never experienced it myself. Roar still sucks Actually got the fliers to snap a bit, surprising as I've never been able to do it with the Larson ones. Still think this park has the best employees of any Six Flags park, bar the shoddy operations. My restraint was not checked on Roar. The first time this has happened in over ten years of going to amusement parks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaCoasters Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 34 minutes ago, disownedpear said: Had a decent half day at the park today, like people have been saying it's been surprisingly busy. Jokers Jinx and Batwing had decent lines due to one train. Although Wild One was running two, the dispatches were incredibly slow so that had a large line as well. However, Superman was running two all and the crew was hauling ass, often dispatching before the other train hit the brakes. Pretty impressive SFA! Couple other notes: Mask compliance was pretty great but the amount of employees with it below their nose was a little annoying. I've seen multiple measures to combat line jumping, including a phone line you can call. I've always heard that was a problem here but have never experienced it myself. Roar still sucks Actually got the fliers to snap a bit, surprising as I've never been able to do it with the Larson ones. Still think this park has the best employees of any Six Flags park, bar the shoddy operations. My restraint was not checked on Roar. The first time this has happened in over ten years of going to amusement parks. Maybe an unpopular opinion but I wish parks would stop bothering to check restraints. Disney hasn't checked restraints for years. It's really a waste of time and it's not necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyUD06 Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 It's not necessary to ensure that riders are secure in their vehicles and won't go flying out? In 2021 America where companies get sued for everything? What are you smoking man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 My restraint on Ragin Cajun straight-up failed 2 weeks ago. Maybe they should check them an extra time to be honest. I wasn’t even going to mention it since it’s the like of thing that enthusiasts will brush off as it basically never happens and I’ve never personally seen it before on any coaster ever but at some point mid-ride the bar was up around shoulder level and relying on the fact that it was chained to the other bar to keep it that low. It was still semi-locked if you lowered it again and it didn’t happen again but it was crazy. The ride has a seatbelt too which in-itself is sufficient to keep you in the ride so I wasn’t freaking out about it but I had a major “WTF?” moment there for a minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disownedpear Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 1 hour ago, coasterbill said: My restraint on Ragin Cajun straight-up failed 2 weeks ago. Maybe they should check them an extra time to be honest. I wasn’t even going to mention it since it’s the like of thing that enthusiasts will brush off as it basically never happens and I’ve never personally seen it before on any coaster ever but at some point mid-ride the bar was up around shoulder level and relying on the fact that it was chained to the other bar to keep it that low. It was still semi-locked if you lowered it again and it didn’t happen again but it was crazy. The ride has a seatbelt too which in-itself is sufficient to keep you in the ride so I wasn’t freaking out about it but I had a major “WTF?” moment there for a minute. I've had nearly the same exact thing happen, except on Windstorm at Adventure Park, another Zamperla in Maryland haha. I'll often tell a story of something I saw working rides and an enthusiast will go "that didn't happen"... like okay enjoy your bubble of safety. The rides are extremely safe but some people here act like nothing wrong ever happens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Yeah, I mean if you told me that happened on Fury 325 I wouldn't believe you but Windstorms and Reverchon mice... lol. I'd have got right back in line, the seatbelt is fine by itself but that's still the only time I've ever seen that happen but... yeah. Also yeah, I'm pretty sure Adventure Park USA has a "Jesus take the wheel" approach to maintenance on that thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG-77 Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 I actually had the same experience on Ragin Cajun. It wasn't frightening thanks to the redundant safety features as everyone's always mentioned, but several times the lapbar came up about half a foot if not more. I'd be very curious what causes that to happen mechanically, this is the first time in my visits anything like that happened. It's also worth noting that both Bill and I had this experience on the same day, so for all we know it could be fixed by now, but I can certainly imagine it freaking some people out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disownedpear Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 9 hours ago, coasterbill said: Also yeah, I'm pretty sure Adventure Park USA has a "Jesus take the wheel" approach to maintenance on that thing. The state of Maryland took Adventure Parks permission to run two cars on Wildcat since they kept colliding, because the park did an in-house modification to ironically increase capacity. It's pretty sketchy over there ha. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRTeller Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 On 3/16/2021 at 11:07 PM, JG-77 said: Appears so, I've never seen two train operation with just one station in action. It's definitely been over a decade, but early on they used to do two train operation with one station and I distinctly remember it only due to the glaring sun on the brake run and sitting for what felt as an eternity with their operations. Also, these comment on Adventure Park USA have me cracking up. The owner is, well, interesting of that place. He used to run "Put Put Golf" in Frederick MD before opening the park and he's had a reputation for decades on not paying contractors. They also attempted to crowd fund a water park awhile back by pre selling season passes. I rode Wildcat when it first opened and even then they had to manually release the brakes and push the cart to the chain lift. While asking each other if something was fixed on it yet, I honestly don't know how it made it back to the station from that ride. It's always been one of those parks that when I see a "only in Europe, never in USA" type of trip report I always think "well you've never been to Adventure Park USA", haha. It really was and I feel still is a nice facility for what it is visually, but I have zero faith in their safety and maintenance of the rides. The only reason a major accident hasn't been reported is likely due to it's small size and that the rollercoasters are down a lot of the times and don't see too many riders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disownedpear Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 The Owner of Adventure Park(Not the Manager who is an awesome dude doing the best with what he's given) is actually the worst person I have ever met, no exaggeration. In the years I worked there I saw things that had they happened at SFA, would have made state news at least. When people say SFA is the worst park in the country they forget the East Coast Mt Olympus is around the corner. They were seconds away from a Verruckt style accident on the Skycoaster. Enthusiasts don't always believe me when I say this but I know what I saw. The employee that prevented the accident(and wasn't even working) did not receive a promotion or anything. The two responsible for it received no punishment. The place is pretty and everyone, including the owner really care about the park in other ways I wish it would extend to their maintenance/operating procedures.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 From what I've gathered from this thread, Six Flags America will keep their rides open in rain. Does this park tend to close early on a rainy day like Great Adventure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterBrow Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 I think it is more of if there is lightning in the area than rain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 From what I saw today, the only coaster that wouldn't run in the rain was Wild One. Thankfully, I got a dozen rides on that coaster in between the rain at the start and end of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jconsolmagno Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 Would have guessed Batwing myself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 Speaking of Batwing, the crew working that ride was incredible. They were averaging 30-60 second dispatches (as long as the ride didn't go down, which was beyond their control). That's amazing for any ride, let alone that one. Especially since it usually has dispatches in the 5-10 minute range. The operations at Six Flags America were way better than usual. I'm convinced they kidnapped a Cedar Fair staff. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG-77 Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 Damn! I've noticed dispatches have been improving in the last few years, but sub 60-second dispatches on Batwing is impressive for any park, especially this place. Great to hear. Would be very interested to see how fast they can move the line if they ever put the 2nd train back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dankeykang Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 7 hours ago, Canobie Coaster said: The operations at Six Flags America were way better than usual. I'm convinced they kidnapped a Cedar Fair staff. You never know, especially considering Kings Dominion isn't opening for another two months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Maier Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 I never thought I'd see the day where they have quick dispatches on Batwing! Wonder if they'll ever put the 2nd train for it back on the track (unless it's being used as a parts donor). As much as I've wondered if it'll ever be gone; I give the park credit for keeping it going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disownedpear Posted March 31, 2021 Share Posted March 31, 2021 As others have noted, dispatches are so much better this year. I talked to a crew member earlier and they said they were practicing for the spring break rush. Where the heck is JJ's second train though that thing gets a line with almost no crowd now. It is pretty amazing they've kept Batwing this whole time. I've been going for eight years and have never even seen it closed! Bets on who goes first, Nighthawk or Batwing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG-77 Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 3 hours ago, disownedpear said: I've been going for eight years and have never even seen it closed! Man you've been lucky. I was closed for a very large chunk of 2019 iirc due to needing a replacement part, and I've seen it closed on several other occasions. Still glad they keep it around, as I really do enjoy it, and it is quite a large draw to the dry park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jconsolmagno Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 3 hours ago, disownedpear said: As others have noted, dispatches are so much better this year. I talked to a crew member earlier and they said they were practicing for the spring break rush. Where the heck is JJ's second train though that thing gets a line with almost no crowd now. It is pretty amazing they've kept Batwing this whole time. I've been going for eight years and have never even seen it closed! Bets on who goes first, Nighthawk or Batwing? For sure Nighthawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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