(K'nex Coaster)Sandstorm

[Ccron10]

It's been awhile since my last update and the reason why was to do a massive overhaul on the coaster's ending. If you remember, it end with a straight section of track that went by the station, went up, dived sharply down to the right, rise and turn right again. This whole section including the station have been removed.

I have added a 3rd lift hill and made it go vertically, and then dorp at an angle between 95-100 degrees. I rises into a low 90 degree banked turn to the left, rises and runs semi-parallel to the new station where it does one or two bunny hops before slowing down.

Next week, track work will hopefully officially finished (except for retracking everything and small fixes) and I will start on getting my lift system to work (hopefully) and adding my drive systems. From there it's testing and if I have enough pieces, add mini catwalks and make it look like an actual coaster.

Steep. (^^,)

More soon.

The rabbit hops and trains which will be painted (let me know what paint scheme you think would be cool on it!).

The helix. It needs a tad bit of more track to it. The train will rocket around this section.

The final rabbit hills. They had to be somewhat-arched shaped.

More lights!

The 3rd and final lift hill. It will be eye-catching.

[mcjaco]

Don't worry about painting the trains. Finish the track.

[Ccron10]

^Ok, will do.

 

Here the teaser video for Sandstorm.

http://s533.photobucket.com/albums/ee340/knexfahrenheit/?action=view&current=KnexSandstormTeaserMovie.flv

 

Feedback please.

[Ccron10]

The track layout work is finished, but unfortunately I forgot to take pictures. Moving on to the next section of construction, I finally got a lift system worked out for the coaster. The system eliminates the use of motors which makes it fast-moving, but I'm still testing to make it more reliable. I am also trying to get the drive systems working as well. I just need to attach a long strip of sandpaper to the wheels and some to the cars to make them grip better.

 

Last night I talked to one of the chairpeople who plan the July carnival and told him about the coaster. I have to go to a meeting in two weeks to present the coaster and get approval to display this. The carnival likely will be June 29 through July 4th.

 

Since I know the coaster works, I have been thinking ahead and deciding what to do. Last year, the Kingda' Ka coaster got a lot of press coverage from Reading down to Philadelphia and New Jersey. Doing the same thing for this coaster would be not necessary. If I do contact any newspaper or news media, it would be local and limited to one paper and one news program. The purpose of this project was to accomplish something that was missing last year and give the people what they missed last year.

 

I am really happy to have the opportunity to do this because I always dreamed of doing something like this. I'd like to thank everyones support, criticism, and encouragement. This project is for all you guys.

 

From here on, I will work on the lift system, run some more test runs, finish the station structure, tweak a few things and modify a few sections to make them more appealing.

[paintballer]

About the video. Your coasters great, but In all means it doesn't break any records of sorts. People see the Kingda ka and are amazed, then see yours and are mildy inpressed. You might wanna compare it to something else.

 

BUT like I said, I love your coaster and wish I could make something like that. But I don't have that type of inniative.

[Ccron10]

About the video. Your coasters great, but In all means it doesn't break any records of sorts. People see the Kingda ka and are amazed, then see yours and are mildy inpressed. You might wanna compare it to something else.

 

BUT like I said, I love your coaster and wish I could make something like that. But I don't have that type of inniative.

 

So instead of comparing it to the Kingda Ka coaster because of height I should compare it to something else and put it into a class all it's own?

[Ccron10]

Well, in a few minutes I will be heading to present Sandstorm to the Community Days board. I typed up a speech, and printed out pictures and I am ready. Hopefully they will like it. In the event that this doesn't get approved, I might either finish it and then take it apart or put it in something else. I will focus it on the idea of it being a learning experience for the GP on how a coaster works.

Here are the photos from last weekend's build session.

Wish me luck!

 

EDIT: I just got back from the meeting and I believe I did good. Everything seems okay to display the coaster, but the only issue would be security since the display area would be outside the area to be patrolled. If approved ( and I will know if it's good to go within 24 hours) the coaster might be displayed Monday June 29 to Friday July 3 from 5 PM to 10 PM each day.

Check back soon for the verdict.

[Ccron10]

The coaster is good to go for displaying. In the last week I have been putting the coaster through it's early stages of testing. Sandstorm would need a minimium of 2 people to operate ( for the two main lifts and to move it around a few spots where it pauses which is before the station and lift hills) .

I am in the process of designing a wooden platform to elevate it and keep it off of the ground.

 

The station is finished as well as the lift system running through the station. I now need to just get the drive system to work ( they aren't moving the cars for some reason).

 

I'll keep you guys updated on the platform.

[Kennyweird]

I love the Christmas lights...

[Team Thriller]

Holy cow!

That's all I can say. Seriously, this thing is HUGE!

 

I cannot wait to see your final product.

 

--James

[Ccron10]

Hopefully by tomorrow I can get beack on my original computer (no, the CD drive is not back from the shop, but hopefully the computer would work without it) and create the platform design and layout for my display on Sketch-Up.

If I didn't say above, I plan on using the coaster to demonstrate how real roller coasters and amusement park rides work to the general public. Thanks to what I learned on my job shadowing experience, this should be detailed. I'm not expecting the park to help me with this, but if they're willing, then the more info the marrier.

Since Sandstorm's layout is U-shaped, spectators will view the coaster around the outside and the inside will show details on the design and building of coasters and rides. Around the outside, there will be specific areas explaining how each mechanism works and what it looks like on a real coaster.

As for what Snadstorm will be compared to, the coaster can be described as "taking notable elements from several coasters and combining them into one (Fahrenheit, Millenium Force, maverick, etc.). I don't want people coming to see this and expect something 15 feet tall.

I'll keep you guys posted!

[Vekoma Fan Boy]

Ive always wanted to know...

 

What is the point of adding the 3rd piece of tubing in the middle of the tracks? When I used to have Knex roller coaster sets I never used the middle tooth on the track pieces.

[Ccron10]

Ive always wanted to know...

 

What is the point of adding the 3rd piece of tubing in the middle of the tracks? When I used to have Knex roller coaster sets I never used the middle tooth on the track pieces.

The center track was added to make the track stronger and smoother. IMO it makes the coaster look cooler and it helps the lift hills.

[Ccron10]

It is Finished....

After nearly 7 months of work, Sandstorm is to blow into the Governor Mifflin Community Days almost exactly 1 month from now. Most of the work done today was just small improvments such as completing the 2 manual lift hills and making the nylon rope one continuous rope. I also fixed the station lift hill and made it easier for the train to grab onto the chain.

So what's next?

Well, Sandstorm is only half of the plan; the other is an exhibit showing how coasters work and about the amusement industry. It will consist of 5 display boards with photos, facts, trivia, and information. So far these are the topics for each display board:

-The Making of Sandstorm

-How Coasters Work

-Behind the Scenes at A Theme Park

-The Past, Present, and Future of the Coaster Industry

- You get to decide the topic! What should the last one be? It's up to you to think of something! Post below what you want the last exhibit to be!

 

I finally need to make a 21 by 11 foot plywood platform to keep the coaster off of the hot basketball court. Its going to be quick to make.

 

The station lift hill.

 

It's hard to believe that it is finished.

 

The complete build-area.

More soon.

[Ccron10]

The Final Countdown...

 

It is June which means only 28 days until D-Day (Display Day).

 

I have 2 new updates; the trains have been given a different look and work has begun on building the 21 foot by 11 foot display platform.

 

Although the cars might not be the greatest looking, they do look realistic. I have decided to add the names of my "sponsors" to the front and backs of the cars as well as the coaster's name on the lead car. I even added the train number and seat numbers as well.

 

Before you ask why I have Hersheypark on it, I plan on using my February photos in one of the exhibits.

 

 

 

And finally....

The TPR bumper sticker!

 

 

The coaster platform has only 1 of the 4 platforms needed to complete this. Each one is 4 foot by 8 foot and I am going to use 5 wooden panels, and 20 2X4's (enough to make it somewhat look like a logging company in my driveway.

 

I still need a recomendation for my last display exhibit so if you have any ideas, please post them!

[paintballer]

If your gonna set up an exhibit type thing, Try leaning towards a more "Show" type deal and not technical/nerdy stuff. If I was a gp all I would want to see is extreme coasters and such, not like the chainlift or something

[Ccron10]

If your gonna set up an exhibit type thing, Try leaning towards a more "Show" type deal and not technical/nerdy stuff. If I was a gp all I would want to see is extreme coasters and such, not like the chainlift or something

I understand and that's a good idea. So far I have one exhibit made (World Record Breakers). I plan on doing exhibits on Xtreme Coasters as well as rides which will focus on abnormal rides. I also want to put together a video with ride POVs and TV shorts to play. I will provide full credit for the videos and put a disclaimer not to try this.

[Ccron10]

Only 2 weeks left until display day and the platform to hold the K'nex coaster is finished. It will elevate Sandstorm off of the basketball court and protect it from the heat and rain. If you think the platform is a waste of time to build for something like this, then here's something to keep in mind: The wood will then be used to make cabinets for my dad's woodworking shop and firewood.

The sections will be eventually screwed together.

 

 

The Making of Sandstorm display has been finished which leaves me with 3 more displays. The last few will be one with rides of the future, other K'nex roller coasters, and behind the scenes of a theme park. They will be finished in a few days.

 

More soon.

[Ccron10]

Yesterday was the Set-Up day for the coaster at the Community Days carnival. The platform has been laid down, the coaster has been transported over from the basement where it was held for the past 8 to 9 months, and some sections got fixed on it yesterday.

Today is another big day because I still need to finish up the coaster, move a few tables down, my Over-the-Edge coaster down, fix it possibly, and set everything up.

Here are some photos from yesterday. Enjoy.

When we showed up, someone had the bright idea to use the basketball court as a parking lot, right where the coaster was going.

 

We had to move the coaster in sections and assemble them in sections.

 

As an improvement, we are adding a spine down through the center of the track. This will hopefully smooth out some sections, make it stronger and the coaster to travel farther.

 

It was windy yesterday and the coaster could still stand on it's own! This section has to be added today.

 

The first drop.

 

The whole coaster.

 

Last year the coaster took up the whole basketball court. Not this year!

Well, I must get down there and continue working and finish this by 5:30 tonight. I'll post another update tomorrow morning!

[Ccron10]

Day 1 went really well. Sandstorm was completely put up and by 6:30 we sent the train around the track for the first time. We also installed a spine running through the center of the track to make it stronger. The first run was very slow with the cars barely making it to the second lift hill and onto the 3rd lift. One of the biggest things I learned was never underestimate the power of WD-40! The next run sent the train ripping around the track to the point where we now have to worry about slowing the trains down to not damage the chain dog.

A lot of people liked it yesterday and were very interested.

 

Today so far has started out a little low. I took off the motors to protect them from a storm we had this afternoon. It was very windy and I am happy to say that the coaster survived intact. The only problem is that it's wet and it moved 2 feet and nothing fell off.... weird.

 

More soon.

 

 

 

 

It got crushed while geting it through the door in one piece. It will be fixed tonight.

 

 

[Ccron10]

The End...

 

It was fun while it lasted, but the carnival only allowed me to display Sandstorm untill Thursday. This ment that everything had to come down last night. What took 8 months worth of weekends to assemble was taken down in 1 hour and tossed into a trash barrel where I'll organize the pieces later. At 9PM the coaster train made it's last trip around the course with the same speed and aditude it did on Monday and was deconstructed not long after.

To sum up everything, here are the key points of the week:

 

-Hundreds to possibly a little over a thousand people stopped by to look at the two coasters and exhibits.

 

-The most common questions were, "how long did it take to build?", "who built it?", and "is it a world record?".

 

-Two of the lift hills used a new type of lift system that are almost like Intamin elevator lifts. The systems are new for a k'nex coaster and I found them to be efficient when you don't have many knots on the rope.

 

-I have learned a lot about building k'nex roller coasters over the last few months while building Sandstorm and to confess, this was my first custom-built coaster I have done.

 

Finally, I have been asked many times if I want to go for a record-breaking coaster next year? As of right now, I don't want to go that far... yet. I do have the pieces, but it would take a lot of time which is something I don't have a lot in the time for as of now. If I do go for a record, don't expect anything until 2011. Next year we want to do a recreation if a park nearby builds a new coaster or celebrates an anniversery for one. For right now I just want to practice my building skills.

Thanks to everyone who posted in this thread and who gave me help and advice throughout the year. As a reward, here are the last batch of photos. I will post a video of the coaster sometime in the next few days!

-Ccron10

(Chris)

 

The second coaster called Over-The-Edge seemed just as popular as Sandstorm despite it's size.

 

I was able to use a tutorial to create a chain dog for a Rippin' Rocket car.

 

While Over-The-Edge wasn't as reliable as Sandstorm, there were a few times where it could run as long as 20 minutes before it would need some fixing.

 

Then came the time I was dreading... 9PM.

 

We ran the cars around one last time...

 

Then parked them in the station and began the clean-up.

 

Over-The-Edge took less than 15 minutes to take apart.

 

Then it was Sandstorm's turn...

 

It is now finished...

 

Just like the saying goes... "Ashes to ashes...

 

Dust to Dust."

 

Thanks for everyone's help! It was a fun and enjoying experience. I should start work on another K'nex project sometime soon!

[4rturo]

Awesome dude, sad it had to be destroyed, but hey this means you have time an pieces to make another one

Congrats!!