nannerdw Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I'd be more concerned if it didn't sway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GigaG Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 (edited) What you guys think safe or not safe? Never seen that much noticeable swaying on a steel coaster (although Wicked Twister sways a bit.) Wood is another story. Check this out- Of course, a coaster or other tall structure needs to sway so it doesn't snap like a twig. Edited May 26, 2014 by cfc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aCoasterStory Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I was ready to comment something along the lines of how it's not abnormal for coasters to sway & that I'd even observed the whole MCBR tower for SheiKra shaking this morning... ...and then I watched the video. There's no way that's normal. I'd be willing to bet that they do something to improve the rigidity of those supports in the not terribly distant future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 This is nothing compared to Kingda Ka after a train passes over the pull-up to the tower. Insane. (And safe.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmicha Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 As someone who works in a field that deals with structural engineering on a daily basis, it's fine. Every ride sways it's just that unless you have the right perspective it's often difficult to notice. Standing under Griffon you can see the whole drop track and supports fluctuate when a train descends. On Top Thrill Dragster the pull up and pull out both sway like crazy when a train passes. On The Bat the entire brake run sways when a train stops. On Diamondback the first drop fluctuates as a train drops. Obviously all of the impulse coasters sway quite visibly. It's normal for this type of structure. Literally every structure ever made moves and fluctuates when a large live load is placed on it. Parking garages, radio towers, bridges (especially suspension bridges), skyscrapers, your typical suburban house, everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Toro_Ryan Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 The tree that bends doesn't break haha literally. Check out this video of Rattler before they redid it. Structures need to be able to give into the forces their submitted to. It's how forces are absorbed. ^You beat me to it lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbeeler Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 As someone who works in a field that deals with structural engineering on a daily basis, it's fine. Every ride sways it's just that unless you have the right perspective it's often difficult to notice. Standing under Griffon you can see the whole drop track and supports fluctuate when a train descends. On Top Thrill Dragster the pull up and pull out both sway like crazy when a train passes. On The Bat the entire brake run sways when a train stops. On Diamondback the first drop fluctuates as a train drops. Obviously all of the impulse coasters sway quite visibly. It's normal for this type of structure. Literally every structure ever made moves and fluctuates when a large live load is placed on it. Parking garages, radio towers, bridges (especially suspension bridges), skyscrapers, your typical suburban house, everything. I know its safe but people who doesn't understand coasters have final destination in mind lol and is letting KK have it on their Facebook page smh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmicha Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 ^It happens everywhere unfortunately. I remember watching a news report from NYC that was about how much the Williamsburg Bridge fluctuating when a subway train went over it and how "that can't be safe." Completely ridiculous. They had a camera angle that made the fluctuation most obvious and the news anchors were talking about how uncomfortable it made them, etc. etc. The only problem was that subway trains are insanely heavy and therefore serve as the largest single live load that can be placed on the bridge at any point in time and therefore creates the biggest fluctuation in order to absorb it. It's simple for anyone who knows what they're looking at but people love to freak out and make uninformed claims as if they were fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glouthan Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Lightning Run is completely safe. The shaking I'm sure is designed to "deaden" the coaster's force into the track. If it didn't shake, the supports would be taking a hard slam every time and could cause damage under that force. I know that wooden roller coasters use the rule "if it doesn't shake it will break", and they use the "play" in the track to cause less stress on the supports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I don't think collapsing have never happened due to the designed swaying. The more dangerous thing is roughness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailBlazer Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I agree rides sway, but count me on the side of that hill is swaying too much. Usually coaster structure will sway a bit and then stop, but this section continues to rock back and forth for about ten seconds (maybe more) and you can clearly see it in the video. My guess is this hill will need better support and/or bracing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I agree rides sway, but count me on the side of that hill is swaying too much. Usually coaster structure will sway a bit and then stop, but this section continues to rock back and forth for about ten seconds (maybe more) and you can clearly see it in the video. My guess is this hill will need better support and/or bracing. Does your guess come with an engineering degree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmicha Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 (edited) Seriously people, structures sway continuously whether you're noticing it or not. Some skyscrapers built before dampening techniques improved continuously sway several feet back and forth all day everyday. Toilets at the top of the Empire State Building slosh around from it. Steel bends a lot more than you'd expect it to and that's part of how it absorbs and disperses forces. There's a strong lateral load at this point in the ride which is placed in the short direction of the supports which are just vertically oriented cantilevers and that type of force on that type of structure results in a lot of deflection. It's fine. Edited May 26, 2014 by jmicha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 From KK Facebook on LR. Regarding the questions we've received about the movement of one of the columns supporting Lightning Run, we've contacted Chance Rides, the manufacturer of the coaster, and spoke with the president of the company, Mr. Mike Chance, who had this to say: "This structure has to move, that's the way it was designed. This kind of movement (or deflection) is perfectly normal for this type of roller coaster. The coaster has been thoroughly analyzed and tested and is 100% safe to ride." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbatboy Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I'm sure the structures of these rides go through THOROUGH inspections daily that we don't even realize Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil009 Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I can't believe the amount of flak this park is getting on Facebook. Opening day of the first season after being closed for how many years, and people are tearing them to shreds over the operations, I mean how unkind can you get. And now this stupid thing over the track swaying. I would kill to have a ride like Lightning Run near me, these people should be grateful for what they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kafka Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I was at the park yesterday and I would agree that operations on some of the rides were not quite there just yet. I would say that the operations for all three of the coasters were excellent. Lightning Run requires a lot of teamwork to run effectively, but the team did an excellent job with it. One thing I would criticize is the lack of queuing for Lightning Run. In most instances the line was outside of the organized queue. Lightning Run is amazing, theres really no other way to describe it. Ive ridden a fair share of airtime heavy coasters, but this took the cake for me. The airtime on the last two bunny hills is beyond belief. After riding this, I hope more parks get these, because they are great additions. Thunder Run ran incredibly smooth and fast. The ride didn't let up for its entire cycle. Sadly, the ride only had one train operating so I was only able to get a single ride. I do believe this park has a ton of potential and after talking to the staff, I believe that they will reach that potential in time. -Kafka- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrapesLie Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 People love manufactured drama and we should definitely not give it any credit here! It's a great park and everything is going to be just fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 This is nothing compared to Kingda Ka after a train passes over the pull-up to the tower. Insane. (And safe.) True. I also noticed that. And that ride has been running for 9 years no it's obviously perfectly safe. I also saw a video of diamondback where you could see the drop swaying a bit after the train went through it. I bet a lot more coasters that we don't know do it, it's just not clear sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GigaG Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 This has made it to a Toledo local news channel- http://www.toledonewsnow.com/story/25611811/kentucky-kingdom-viral-video-doesnt-tell-whole-story-lighting-run-roller-coaster-safe?clienttype=generic&mobilecgbypass&utm_content=buffer73b47&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glouthan Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Oh, the drama over a section of track that wobbles a bit . . . it is insane that this made the news! Lightning Run is amazing, theres really no other way to describe it. Ive ridden a fair share of airtime heavy coasters, but this took the cake for me. The airtime on the last two bunny hills is beyond belief. Could this possibly be better than a Mega Lite? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koasterking48 Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 For those who went, how are the prices on food and drinks? Also, what about parking? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 ^Parking is $8. I had a giant slice of pizza near the water park for $7.99, and I saw burgers go for $8.99 (seasoned french fries were much cheaper but I forget what it was). A drink (I believe) was somewhere under $4, but with season pass it's around $0.45, same for souvenir cup refills. I think you might get a better bang for your buck if you eat at one of the walk-in restaurants though. It's good to see students studying engineering confirming on the park's Facebook page about how certain structures need to sway, but it is pretty ridiculous this is getting attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 (edited) It's good to see students studying engineering confirming on the park's Facebook page about how certain structures need to sway, but it is pretty ridiculous this is getting attention. It's not ridiculous that it got attention when it was first called out. but it is ridiculous for people to continue talking about it after Chance and the park have responded. For the general public that still don't feel it safe, than just shut up and don't ride it. For any news outlet that continues to report about it, Kentucky Kingdom's public relations director and social media director have the tools to confront the situation. Although it certainly helps out when educated people bombard unsubstantiated stories with factual comments. Edited May 27, 2014 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Ridiculous! GP's brains function base on the idea "roller coasters aren't safe". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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