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Why do most Wooden coasters start by turning?


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Why do wooden coasters usually start by turning before going up the lift hill? The only one that I can think of that goes straight up from the station is Timberwolf at WoF. Outlaw Run kind of does this, but there is a slight turn. Is there a reason for this, or is it just a common design?

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I think it's mostly by design and the amount of room a park has to install a ride. Many times, the station is actually in the "middle" of the ride, if you think of it as an entire structure, not just the ride portion. And in other cases, the station is just simply the boarding area, and then, due space configuration of the park, the track has to take the riders out to where the actual ride is. Colossus is a great example of this.

 

But I'm sure there are plenty of coasters, wood or steel that go straight out of the station and up the lift hill.

 

Arkansas Twister:

 

Screamin' Eagle:

 

Zipper Dipper

 

Coastersaurus:

 

Falken: 269879661_ScreenShot2015-01-04at12_56_54.thumb.png.c5fc9f793673d3697542718bbded27f7.png

 

Comet:

 

El Toro: 1975654590_ScreenShot2015-01-04at13_00_19.png.aa669a3798996eac31f97688b2c57739.png

 

Wood Coaster Fireball: 1463982202_ScreenShot2015-01-04at13_02_50.thumb.png.6d65bc1b28869b6043fc8ce2c64b7c9f.png

 

Flying Turns: 182582608_ScreenShot2015-01-04at13_06_27.png.4662ab24de47bf25fed9281901add3cb.png

 

White Lightning: 1693003916_ScreenShot2015-01-04at13_17_07.png.c789df025d9fd34131c1051b5f000948.png

 

Anaconda, sort of does:

 

Regina kind of does, too: 1154727861_ScreenShot2015-01-04at13_14_20.png.1bfe93a671f5c77bd7bb8cef9bb03c3b.png

 

Twister at Grona Lund makes a *slight* turn out of the station but goes straight up the lift: 1160756585_ScreenShot2015-01-04at13_47_44.png.7daf7476cfeaab2cd263783a28f6606f.png

 

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many others.

Edited by robbalvey
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It's not just on wooden coasters. Steel coasters often use a quick turn before engaging the lift hill. It's mainly to keep the layout compact. In these cases, the final brakes combined with the station make quite a long stretch of track. If there is no turn before the lift hill, the layout will be more restricted. By turning between the station and lift, less space is used and the ride can fit in a smaller piece of land (and even more when you make a turning drop).

 

As others already said, it just depends on the layout of the ride and the park's surrounding area it's placed in. Sometimes straight is the way to go, otherwise you punt in a turn.

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^Now that I think of it, there aren't many coasters where the brake run, station and lift are all in the same line. (Alpengeist is one I can think of)

 

 

(edit): Ok I've just started remembering quite a few rides which do that (like the BTR clones) so maybe I should say there aren't that many "big" coasters like that.

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Perhaps a few of us are looking at this too far in depth. For all of these wooden coasters that turn or do not have a straight section out of the station, there are just as many steel coasters that feature non-straight runs to the lift. Perhaps it can be by design, or it could also be the fact that most parks do not have all the space in the world to work with in terms of a straight shot from the station to the lift. Some coasters go straight to the lift, most don't. And in the end, the path of travel to the lift when it is simply just a section of basic track to get you to the lift has no effect on the overall ride experience.

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^Now that I think of it, there aren't many coasters where the brake run, station and lift are all in the same line. (Alpengeist is one I can think of)

 

 

(edit): Ok I've just started remembering quite a few rides which do that (like the BTR clones) so maybe I should say there aren't that many "big" coasters like that.

 

Bizarro and Millennium force are the biggest ones that I can think of that do that.

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Also, most RMCs (at least all the conversions so far) have a long straight section of track out of the station I always wondered about.

They are transfer tracks, they allow Six Flags parks to do one train operation.

 

I think the turn has more to do with layout than gaining momentum. Those super compact Schwarzkopf coasters takes this to the extreme. Most wooden coasters don't use friction wheels in the station, the slope will let the train move by gravity. There's always a small dip before the lift to let the chain catch the middle of the train. Colossos might be the only exception because it uses friction wheels in the station, doesn't have a dip before the lift and uses chain lift.

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Perhaps a few of us are looking at this too far in depth. For all of these wooden coasters that turn or do not have a straight section out of the station, there are just as many steel coasters that feature non-straight runs to the lift. Perhaps it can be by design, or it could also be the fact that most parks do not have all the space in the world to work with in terms of a straight shot from the station to the lift. Some coasters go straight to the lift, most don't. And in the end, the path of travel to the lift when it is simply just a section of basic track to get you to the lift has no effect on the overall ride experience.

 

I agree 100%. I would think this is almost always a space issue. Having a straight station into a straight lift requires a lot of room in a perfectly straight line that a lot of parks don't have.

 

Also, most RMCs (at least all the conversions so far) have a long straight section of track out of the station I always wondered about.

They are transfer tracks, they allow Six Flags parks to do one train operation.

 

I enjoyed this.

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Also, most RMCs (at least all the conversions so far) have a long straight section of track out of the station I always wondered about.

They are transfer tracks, they allow Six Flags parks to do one train operation.

.

 

Huh, never even thought of this as I always assumed thatbwas in the back (guess I don't really pay attention lol). Thanks

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Also, most RMCs (at least all the conversions so far) have a long straight section of track out of the station I always wondered about.

 

The rides that RMC has remade that have the transfer tables on station exit were originally designed that way many moons ago. Outlaw Run and Goliath both use the transfer table has a block section before entering the station. But like Robb said, the decision is usually a space issue and how best everything fits with topology.

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^ That kind of design also doesn't require the train to do a full circuit to enter the transfer track. Back then there weren't friction wheels to push the train backwards so putting the transfer track right outside of the station saves time and electricity. So I guess before 2000, this design has more to do with convenience than layout.

 

I don't think there are any friction wheels on the turns before the stations of Behemoth, Diamondback, Intrimidator and possibly Fury325. Does this mean the trains need to do a complete circuit to enter the transfer track?

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^Not Fury 325 as the transfer track is after the station but yes, I have also wondered if the others you mentioned really need to do a run before being stored (I guess they do as not only are there no drive tires but those parts have a downwards slope)

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