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Hamburg Winterdom 2011


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The Winterdom in Hamburg will start on friday this week featuring the marvellous Olympia-Looping. Sadly I'm on nightshift on Fri/Sat/Sun so don't know if I'll make it before monday as weather forecasts looks fine....

 

For now a link to some construction pics from a local St. Pauli news website: Stadtteilreporter

 

10 workers were busy for seven days to errect the looper - well lets see if I can ride it 7 days....

 

Edit: Link to official website

 

Edit: Some more construction pics: Kirmesforum

Edited by simon8899
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Some wonderful b&w historic DOM pictures covering from 1900 to 1980 - including seldom seen pics of wooden portable coasters and the Schwarzkopf Silverarrow from the local TV station NDR

 

In the corresponding german article showmen "Uncle Richters" - on the DOM for over 60 years - muses that the Olympia Looping would cost new today around 40 million Euros...

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A short first-day fix of Winterdom

 

 

Before my first nightshift I did a short fix mostly to get my first of hopefully many rides

on Olympia Looping in the comming four weeks.

 

Walking up to the circular midway from the subway-station St. Pauli you see the ferris wheel.

 

View down the nightly midway towards the world-best looper.

 

Rotor showing its new sparkling LEDs.

 

Turning something good into something even better by adding a counterweight.

 

Break-Dancer with a cow-themed gondola on the right - I guess this a last-minute replacement

for a malfunctioning one...

 

But now for the reason I'm here tonight...

 

Olympia so kicks again...and again...and again....did three rides this time...

 

No better loops than Schwarzkopf loops!

 

 

Up it goes...

 

Full view from the slightly elevated Dancer plattform.

 

Break Dancers at night are always spectacular to watch.

 

Waiting for my turn...

 

Colorful Shaker.

 

This music-express featured red covers for kissing - therefore Lovedream - and a helluva

soundsystem.

 

One of three bumper-cars on the DOM.

 

This one with stobe-lights and lasers.

 

Frisbee was crowded this night - and as my time was running out I had to skip it for now.

 

View over the fairground from the Flying Carpet.

 

My second Weber carpet this year.

 

Its quite dark up there - and the ride runs on an intense program. Have your sixpack ready...

 

On the way out to work the mad house Lach-Freu-Haus.

 

Will go with friends and much of time on Tuesday - also on the other half of the carnival...

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  • 3 weeks later...

Now finally the second take on Winterdom - this time I only had my smartphone with me so

excuse the blurryness...

 

noted!

 

A life bakery - offering the always freshly made buns...

 

View from the ferris wheel over the fairground.

 

Zierer Waveswinger.

 

Fabbri BoosterMaxx whirling you around up to 55 meters at 6 Gs - I even got a weird feeling

in my lower legs and feet.

 

A wild mouse!

 

Colorful walktrough.

 

Two-storey cart-racing. with real gas-powered carts.

 

Music-Express.

 

More comming soon...

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The second Breakdancer on the fair...

 

 

 

Weber Carpet up in the air...

 

Frisbee nerd-shot.

 

 

50 meter Starflyer.

 

55 meter ferris wheel from down below...

 

And again we've the 40+ years old Rotor.

 

This rotating "sky-beams" are the new thing on flatrides here.

 

Approaching the best looping coaster in the world!

 

When Olympia Looping is in town - weather permitting - I round off each working day with a

ride or two...

Now - Do I have YOU jealous???

 

The first inversion on SkyRocker is really slow with great hangtime. And the OTSRs are quite

"slim" so you can lift your arms all up - or down...

 

The kiddie credit - and no, I didn't do it!

 

On my way back changing from subway to bus at city hall: Christmas market time is comming up!

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@MrMorgan

 

It wasn't that cold compared to the last two years with sub-freezing temperatures and heaps of snow. This year it was nearly always dry - but foggy - at 5-10 C. As I always say: "What will you wear when it starts to really get cold?"

 

As far as I know the "long" trains are only used at Oktoberfest for the heavy crowds there with one train departing each 30 seconds. Here in Hamburg they've one "short" train running weeknights and two "short" trains Fri, Sat and Sun.

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Like most Schwarzkopf standard coasters the OL is made to impress on carnivals. With the exception of the Silberpfeil and Double-Loop the coasters have the hills in the backs and the loops in the front for spectators to see. What I also love - and thats due to the compact built needed for fairgrounds - are the high-G curves were you're whipped around from the back to the front of the coaster. On OL these are the curve after the first loop and the S-curve after the 2nd lift.

 

And of course OL was not built by Schwarzkopf - just in case anyone asks. Steelworks made by BHS (Bavarian Steel Works) - trains, brakes and other active parts by Zierer - engineering supervision by Anton Schwarzkopf. This team also built the Jetline and Lisebergbanan...which I will hopefully get on comming summer.

 

Thriller was even harder on speed and Gs. Not only about the first two loops but Thriller had no second lift for riders to catch a breath but its whipping you around from start to end at continuous insane speeds....

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And of course OL was not built by Schwarzkopf - just in case anyone asks. Steelworks made by BHS (Bavarian Steel Works) - trains, brakes and other active parts by Zierer - engineering supervision by Anton Schwarzkopf. This team also built the Jetline and Lisebergbanan...which I will hopefully get on comming summer.

 

This was much the case from 1983- Schwarzkopf rides had gone into receivership by this point, but Herr Achterbahn continued to design rides long afterwards. BHS/Zierer along with Maurer Sohne (HMMMmmmmm...). He is credited with these rides- and supervised them carefully, leading to their flawless performance.

 

It is hoped that Gerstlauer, which is now building Schwarzkopf trains, will allow these great portable coasters to continue scaring people for many years to come!

 

@MrMorgan

 

It wasn't that cold compared to the last two years with sub-freezing temperatures and heaps of snow. This year it was nearly always dry - but foggy - at 5-10 C. As I always say: "What will you wear when it starts to really get cold?"

 

As far as I know the "long" trains are only used at Oktoberfest for the heavy crowds there with one train departing each 30 seconds. Here in Hamburg they've one "short" train running weeknights and two "short" trains Fri, Sat and Sun.

 

The shorter trains could also be due to velocity differences: the longer trains, while weighing more and carrying more people, also tend to traverse elements at a slower pace. With the colder weather, the shorter trains will maintain velocity/speed through the elements better- and thus eliminate the potential for a stall/stop situation.

 

R.D. "I have a very special love affair with anything Schwarzkopf."

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Information about the cow-themed gondola at the Break Dancer No. 2 of Showman Dreher.

The gondola was replaced two years ago just for fun.

It has been well received by the fair visitors, so that the gondola remained there.

The kids love this gondola very much and it is almost always occupied.

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The bull car was added longer ago than that. I rode that Break Dance in Bremen, October 2008, and it was on there then.

 

And yes, Olympia Looping runs 5-car trains everywhere except Munich Oktoberfest, where it's increased to 7-car trains. I have to say I was always a bigger fan of Dreier Looping than Olympia, but riding Olympia with all 5 trains running is truly spectacular, as you constantly have different trains passing under, over, and alongside you. It's virtually a duelling coaster, albeit with only one track.

 

One question for anyone around Hamburg - I visited this year's Spring Dom, and can't help wondering how the fair remains so popular. With 3 fairs every year, each lasting several weeks, and with many of the same rides always attending, I don't understand how they manage to get so many people to visit. I know the fair hosts some superb bars, but surely that doesn't keep the crowds coming back?

 

As for the point about the lack of fences around rides, I find nothing gives me a greater adrenaline rush than the scramble for seats on a busy German Break Dance. Take a look at this clip I filmed during a fairly quiet afternoon at this year's Bonn Pützchensmarkt, and watch out for people failing to board the ride at the start and end of the clip!

 

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I see your point and in some german forums there're also some who plead for a reduction of DOMs.

 

But as long as it seems to be profitable for the showmen and I have a Schwarzkopf coaster - OL, Teststrecke, Alpina - in town three months a year only three subway-stations away I won't complain about it....

 

On boarding the Dancers - and thats also often true for Schwarzkopf Monsters - the plattform or arms sometimes even keep slowly revolving while poeple hunt for their space and the ride starts after a warning horn blast over the speaker system after only 30 seconds again. Normally I avoid such hustle and visit on weekdays but the best trick is to always move with the plattform and not against it.

 

On one visit two weeks ago I had a group of kids who were from Chernobyl on youth exchange on the Dancer and it ran nearly 8 minutes....

Edited by simon8899
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Final Weekend pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So long. Now nearly 4 months until my next coaster ride...

 

Massive crowd on the city square christmas market.

 

Christmas tree on the left - city hall on the right - and public transit bright LED advertising

banner in the middle...

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