Ed Farmer Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Good lord, how do you even get into that thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveStL Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I was fortunate enough (I guess) to ride it back in '84. From what I can remember it was slow, boring and a general lame experience. I rode it after the incident if that makes any difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking86 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) Good lord, how do you even get into that thing LOL I laughed way too hard at this post!! But yeah, those trains looks absolutely hideous! Edited February 16, 2016 by viking86 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsAstroworld Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookiex Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 As seen on the last page, the original restraints apparently looked like this, so you can sort of see how you can fall out from them. Interestingly the restraints on the promotional art better match those on Extremeroller at Worlds of Fun, minus the belts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terdferg Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Wait. That last photo, the train says "worlds of fun" and the track is blue with white supports...Did those stand up trains make it onto an arrow looping coaster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Wait. That last photo, the train says "worlds of fun" and the track is blue with white supports...Did those stand up trains make it onto an arrow looping coaster? Do you mean the photo that directly follows this comment? Interestingly the restraints on the promotional art better match those on Extremeroller at Worlds of Fun, minus the belts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Crazy that people used to do this to themselves by riding that thing. I mean look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generational Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 ExtremeRoller and Rail Blazer were both 1984 Arrow retrofits, and both were then reverted to their former coasters after only one or two seasons, with the the former (EXT) being removed completely over time. There's actually a video floating around YouTube of EXT in action, albeit it's not the best footage and the majority is shaky handheld. However, during that video, I believe there is an on-ride POV with someone holding the camera (the footage is ass, though). But it would be interesting to find that video again to potentially get an idea of how Rail Blazer might have operated as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking86 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 The idea of a standup train on an Arrow corkscrew is absolutely terryfying! The fact that it actually happened is just beyond me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generational Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Took a bit of search refining, but I found the video of EXT I was looking for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n1ch0las Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Wow. For anyone who didn't watch the whole video, let me go ahead and share this screen cap: I give you exhibit A: A ride op literally pushing the train out of the station. Hope he doesn't trip and fall. And exhibit B: This woman likely broke her jaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsAstroworld Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 ^since it was a Vekoma coaster, I definitely think that it was like . Ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generational Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 ^since it was a Vekoma coaster, I definitely think that it was like . Ouch! I am fairly certain it was an Arrow coaster, but your point is still valid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking86 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 ^&^^ I can say for sure that it was an Arrow. I think this picture says it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsAstroworld Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianparkfan Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Railblazer pictures are definitely scarce. There's a few pictures here: www.geocities.com/Pipeline/Reef/6776/SFStL.html And Shane (of Shane's Amusement Attic) had a clip of some news coverage of the accident. From Shane's Amusement Attic What's the ride at 0:48 in the video? As for railblazer, while the ride looks pretty brutal, the trains don't look much worse than the old Togo standups that came along a year or two later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsAstroworld Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 The ride at 0:48 appears to be an enterprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianparkfan Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 ^Sorry, meant 0:47 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitterOldHag Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 The ride at :47 is a Venture Cobra. Wisdom makes a "modernized' version of it called the Viper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsAstroworld Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 I heard rumors that the woman who died on Rail Blazer haunts the Palace theater. I think people made that up to scare everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 ^ If I died on a roller coaster that was that ugly, I would come back and haunt the park too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCForce Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) ExtremeRoller and Rail Blazer were both 1984 Arrow retrofits Actually, the EXT opened on May 31, 1983, a year before Railblazer. I know this because I was on the first public ride of the EXT that day. I have pieces of an original press kit, which I'm posting to share. As for the ride on EXT, it was surprisingly smooth up through the first drop and turn. The lead in and the exit of the corkscrew were pretty rough. The thing that freaked me out (and it took at lot to freak coaster-crazy 14 year-old me out!) was at the tops of the corkscrews, your feet actually lifted off the floor a couple of inches (!) when you were upside down for a brief fleeting moment. Braking was kind of hard on you too, your belly seemed to bulge out between the shoulder harness and leg restraints. It was a good thing there was a seat belt around your middle section, but your mid section wanted to squeeze between the restraints when it hit the brakes. I worked at the park in 1984 and BEFORE the accident at Six Flags, the EXT trains were returned to sit-down style. The train was so heavy and it was causing excessive wear and tear on the track and structure. Except the lead car was missing when they changed it back, so you had a flat nosed 6-car sit-down Arrow train. It looked so weird at first, but we got used to it. The standard Arrow lead car was returned at the start of the 1985 season, my second season at the park, when I worked on the Orient Express. Ah, memories. And finally a working model of the EXT that I built, along with one of the original car bodies that was on temporary loan to me. Edited March 1, 2016 by KCForce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsAstroworld Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theredskull84 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Wow. For anyone who didn't watch the whole video, let me go ahead and share this screen cap: [attachment=0]wtf.jpg[/attachment] I give you exhibit A: A ride op literally pushing the train out of the station. Hope he doesn't trip and fall. And exhibit B: This woman likely broke her jaw. MY. GOD. That restraint though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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