Greesing Wooden Coasters

[verticalzero]

How often do wooden coaster tracks and their cars need to be greesed/oiled. Once a Season or more...?

 

When the track is dry "Robin Hood" at Walibi World makes a screeching sound when going round the corners and there is vibrating from the floor.

 

Does the Park need to give the Woodie some TLC and stop the "metal to metal" grinding..?

 

Seems like the Park has left the Woodie to it's own devices and not given it any attention over the years.

 

What are your views on this and anyone been on a coaster which makes the same sound and vibration as this is not normal for a woodie..!

[jamesdillaman]

I know many woodies I've been on make the screeching sound, especially around corners and on hot, dry days, when the grease simply dries up.

[Dailey Enterprizes]

I know the coasters at Kennywood park get greased up everyday. I do mean everyday, I swear that when the trains dis-engage from the lift hill, grease splatters over everybody.

[CoasterFanatic]

^ Another great thing about Kennywood, is the grease give the coasters a very distinct smell. There is nothing better than the wood/oil smell baking in the sun on a hot summer day. If you have been, you will know exactly what I am talking about.

 

Also, up until a couple of years, Kennywood also used to lubricate their tracks from a moving train. Manually! It was a sight to behold.

[DenDen]

^ I miss that smell! You could smell it in the parking lot before even getting into the park!

 

Geno was the guy that used to hang out of the trains and oil the tracks up. If you've seen Kennywood Memories, you've seen this done. I saw it in person when I worked there, it is really neat to watch.

[Jon Sabo]

I honestly believe it depends on the park maintenance/operations. One reason is because the labor manpower (and cost) can be quite high in just lubricating the track while inspecting it. The priority is, of course, safety, but it generally takes a couple of hours just to inspect/walk the track (and even up to 3-4 hours on large woodies). Lubrication of the track is time consuming, but I believe the chain section and channel is performed frequently.

 

I believe most parks lubricate the wheels and undercarriage components daily, but track lubrication could vary between 1 per month or even every 3 months (or longer).

 

Steel coasters is a different story, of course. BG parks perform parts lubrication every day (preventative maintenance as well as mfg. requirements). I worked on all of the BGE coasters and that was a standard policy and still in use today. But, I am not sure on the BGT-Gwazi maintenance.

[jamesdillaman]

I know the PTC's on the beast were self-lubricating as far as the moving parts of the trains, and I assume most modern day undercarriage systems are also self-lubricating. This doesn't take care of the track, though.

-James Dillaman

[coasterbilly]

i agree with the Kennywood comments, it was so cool seeing them actually oiling down Thunderbolt in the morning from the front of the train, and the smell dispatched into the air as the day progressed, so good!

[Freefallbestrideever]

idk but i don't think Magic Mountain does any of that...*sniff sniff*....

[kidcoaster]

I have seen them oiling Comet at Waldeermeer A couple times and they did it with a full load of park employees. And the Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park once.