Spotty
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Posts posted by Spotty
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Finally got to ride Steel Taipan today, walk on all day with 1 train operations (spinner). The ride really packs a punch, although I did notice a jolt when going into the backwards spike over the swtich track.
I didn't try the spinning seat, but I rode in row 1, 8 and 3. Personally I found the back of the train to be more intense than the front and it's my prefered seat. I can't decide if I prefer DC Rivals or Steel Taipan more, as they are both very different in what they offer. I think I would -just- give the edge to Taipan due to the variety of elements the ride offers.
I will admit, getting airtime in an inversion was certainly a strange feeling though. That barrel roll at the end is certainly a holy crap moment when your legs are slammed into the harness with quite a bit of force. It's truly a ride that Dreamworld needed, and I can't wait to ride again.
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13 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:
Sadly necessarily unfortunately. Despite making that so freaking loud, and having a host at entry also checking, there are still regular occurrences of people either at group or load who are found to have loose items...
#Triggered
I still have PTSD from the abuse from my days of being a Superman entry host (Not really PTSD... but some of the crap you copped... honestly, one of the easiest and hardest roles in the park for a ride operator was that. It's probably a lot better now the lockers are free though...) -
21 hours ago, Brad2912 said:
I also put down the 15th
Looking forward to riding, sadly I'll be at work that day
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One of my sources (who has always been very reliable for the last 15 years) has confirmed to me that the Ride will be going to Gumbaya world, and will be undergoing an extensive refurb before a xmas 2022 debut. An official announcement will likely be made soon by the park though.
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I'm going with the 15th as well, to tie in with the 40th Birthday
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I have heard from a few sources that have stated that the ride was actually built by Meshio (same as the Thunderbolt) but this is not 100% confirmed
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20 hours ago, Slick said:
Is that.... Calibri?
Least it's not Comic Sans or Papyrus
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4 hours ago, themeparkman said:
save the Buzzsaw why can't another Australian theme park buy it
Because our parks have learnt to not buy rides that are mechanical nightmares. The capacity was garbage too, and the ride experience was incredibly uncomfortable. I'm glad that it's going TBH
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6 hours ago, Im Hungry said:
Someone should move the birds nest in the top-middle of the non-inverting loop. The amount of times that bird keeps flying away and back from the nest every 5 minutes as soon as the train rumbles past...
Reminds me of the one that used to sit in the Superman top hat. Every time the brake fins lowered on the launch it would fly away... and once the train finished the ride it would fly back. Was there for at least 2 years... used to be entertaining when working batwing to watch it (Something had to entertain you... Batwing was honestly one of the most boring rides to operate. I actually preferred to work the kids area as it was variety!)
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I wonder if Steel Taipan is going to have the awesome control panel chair like Blue Fire and Helix or not? I want one!
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2 minutes ago, Levithian said:
It did get a system upgrade. Road runner didnt just get new trains, it was completely overhauled. Including the control system. Same with west.
You were saying Scooby got a new control system, I have on very high regard that Scooby didn't get a new ride control system. It did receive an upgrade to the show control though. I am aware that West got a new control system in 2017 and is rumoured to be getting new boats as well. I never said that Road Runner didn't get a new system either. As far as I am aware the brakes on Road Runner have been replaced with magnetic brakes (not confirmed) which would have required an update to the control system.
In regards to the 10 year overhaul, I've had a look into it on QLD Worksafe it doesn't require an upgrade of the control system.
"Under AS 3533.3-2003 – Amusement rides and devices Part 3: In-service inspection, a major inspection includes attention to the following:
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structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, control and operational anomalies
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non-destructive testing (NDT) to an appropriate standard
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controls and emergency stops
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braking systems
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manufacturer’s safety upgrades and advice
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adequacy of safety instructions and manuals
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the viability of upgrading to the requirements of the latest standard [AS 3533.3-2003 Clause
11.5].
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Under AS 3533.3-2003, a major inspection involves:
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the disassembly of critical components of the amusement device and removal of paint,
grease and corrosion to allow a complete and thorough inspection
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detailed visual inspection and tolerance checking of all wear components
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thickness testing as required to check for wear and corrosion
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non-destructive testing of all critical areas for signs of cracking or spalling due to fatigue or
excessive stress
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a review of power, control, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, as applicable to the device [AS 3533.3-2003 Clause 11.5].
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So unless there was a major fault with the control system or critical issues there was / is no need to replace the entire system after the 10 year mark as implied.
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17 minutes ago, Levithian said:
It does apply to the control system, it's the entire ride, not just mechanicals. Why do you think rides like Scooby Doo, Wild west falls and just recently Road Runner got a complete upgrade? Road runner for example could have gotten new trains without updating all the controls and wiring.
What cost cutting do you think was going on? and what did you think was damaged on arkham?Scooby didn't get a whole new control system added to the ride, it was a cosmetic overhaul and some theming changes to ensure that it met the new fire standards. Road runner got new trains because the ride was 20 years old, and a common complaint was that adults didn't feel that their children were secure due to the 1 lap bar. Hence the seatbelts were added as a temp measure until the new trains were ordered. At this point in time, they decided they may as well update the entire ride.
I know many rides that have fallen victim to this new 10 year thing that has been implemented across the industry and it has NOT required a re-build of the entire control system, if you are able to show where it states that I am happy to be proven wrong.
As far as cost cutting goes, I'm talking about recently by deciding not to do the work on Arkham. The parks have lost a lot of money due to COVID. They were looking at keeping Arkham going, but with the uncertainty still with the pandemic they have decided not to spend the extra money which is a fair decision given the rides age. It's not the choice I would have personally made, but it's the choice they have made to save money which is a given with the economic climate right now.
As far as damage goes, towards the end of it's run there were certain areas that were being looked at more than others for stress in the track. I'm not at liberty to go into extensive details into the maintenance side of things, but those Kumbak trains did more damage than they did good. Several other parks have actually removed their Kumbak trains for similar reasons (Efteling did the same with Python, and replaced it with the much better Vekoma trains seen on Gold Coaster). Those cars ripped the crap out of the track on the Corkscrew at Sea World too.-
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2 minutes ago, Levithian said:
The top of the train was original, they only replaced the bottom hangers and seats. Id like to know why you think it was heavier though, the kumback design was more compact than the original frame. What is the added wear and tear too? it ran for 7 years with the upgraded trains, that would tend to suggest it was pretty reliable. The fact the control system hadn't been upgraded, and the new 10 yearly requirement the government created after dreamworld is what spelled the death of Arkham I was told. It needed a complete overhaul and they decided it would cost too much money vs the age of the ride.
As someone who worked on the ride fairly often, I can tell you that the new seats were actually heavier than the original LW rolling stock. The ratcheting system of the old harnesses is actually very lightweight compared to a hydraulic system that the new harnesses used. The 10 year requirement also does not apply to the control system as it was fully working and didn't need work. The ride has been closed due to cost cutting mostly, it does need some quite heavy work (as most rides approaching 25-30 years do) especially as it's very forceful compared to say the Gold Coaster who's track would be in much better condition given it hasn't operated as much as Arkham and isn't as forceful.
Basically the government requires a full strip down of all moving parts on the ride, and high stress parts of the track (The entrance to the Sidewinder in particular) would possibly need replacing after 25 years. Movie World have decided that it's not worth doing, which is a shame because the SLC has a damn great layout, and with the work done to it and better rolling stock the ride still could easily have another 10+ years in it.
Although in the last 2 years of operation it was certainly running very infrequently, I don't think for what they spent on the overhaul they got the best value for their money at all.-
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19 hours ago, Baconjack said:
I don't think Vekoma was offering new trains for SLC's at the time AA/LW was upgraded (correct me if I'm wrong) so Kumbak was the only option. Plus when Village made the deal I don't think they were aware with how much damage the trains did to Corkscrew at the time. After what happened with Corkscrew it was only a matter of time before something similar happened with AA.
Village jumped the gun with the upgrade if they waited a few more years but they seemingly were eager to integrate the ride with the DC area
The new Vekoma trains were available from at least 2008 onwards (Possibly earlier) The Great Nor' Easter at Moreys Piers got them installed that year. So before the Sea Viper trains were even installed onto the Corkscrew, however the plans may have already been in the works.
QuoteWere those trains new from the ground up (or should I say the track down?) - The Kumbak trains used the same 'purple train' rolling stock in service from Lethal Weapon.
Are the new Vekoma trains just replacement hangers \ seats \ harnesses? or was it brand new everything?
@DaptoFunlandGuy As far as I am aware the new Vekoma trains are a whole new unit, designed to be much lighter. https://www.thecoasterkings.com/the-secret-of-freedom-seats/ Has a bit more of an in depth read on the seats. One of the plusses with these new seats is they don't require the floor to be raised / lowered which will slightly increase dispatch time too. I also am fairly sure they worked with the old control system (which works more than fine, and didn't need upgrading but it was when the magnetic brakes and the very sensitive individual harness control came into play)
Village did look into them, but for whatever silly reason they went with Kumbak... -
Arkham / LW was basically ruined the moment that Kumbak came in and did the overhaul on the ride. I would have thought they would have learnt with Sea Viper's horrible transformation and the amount of issues they had with the ride.
Basically, Kumbak came in and patched over the original control system that Vekoma installed with the ride. This enabled individual seat unlocking instead of the whole train at once. This alone caused so many issues in the first 6 months or so of operation where it wouldn't be uncommon to see half the train out of action due to faults in the computer system. After a year or so, the faults became less common but it was still no where near as reliable as it should have been.
Village should have gone with Vekoma for the upgrade from the start, but fairly sure they got a deal with Kumbak after the Sea Viper disaster. The trains were heavier with all the new running gear, and also caused extra wear and tear on the ride. Also being the 4th SLC to open to the public, it was not built as well as some of the newer ones. I would love to see the ride reopen with Vekoma trains, as honestly it was one of my favourite rides in the park not just to operate but to ride.-
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I hope we don't get another launched coaster for a while... and I think it would be kind of silly. The next coaster that Dreamworld needs in the next few years is something unique to Australia. As expensive as it is, something like a flying coaster or a 4D (FreeSpin or Axis) would really stand out. Best bang for your buck would be a FreeSpin by far, anything like a Skyrocket I think would be too similar to Buzzsaw.
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16 weeks is a very long time for testing... maybe because it's a prototype. Normally most new rides only take 4-5 weeks of constant testing. If I'm not mistaken DC Rivals started testing late July, early August and opened mid September? I'd say if they are ahead of schedule, and providing COVID doesn't cause any issues we would be aiming for a late November, early December soft opening with maybe an official opening for Boxing Day.
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Unless your pass comes with a fright nights entry (some of the early memberships do) you will have to buy the terror tour ticket and the fright nights ticket separately.
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I think another week at least, just to really make sure we are ontop of things. At least all the cases in the last 2 days have been linked and in quarantine. As much as I'd love restrictions to ease off a bit, I'd rather another week now than end up with a potential situation like Sydney.
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On 27/07/2021 at 2:26 PM, Renae said:
I’m risking it because they have told me what I can and can’t say, I’m only allowed to say things that the ride ops team are, so basic hints and mentions on it, if I was to tell you the name or the layout or what it is exactly then I would then be sued and I’m not going for that.
As an ex ride operator for VRTP I very much doubt that the operations team (front line) would know what rides are coming to the park more than a year before they are built. For example, Green Lantern opened December 2011, staff were not told what ride was coming until about 5 months before it opened. Lethal's retheme to Arkham, staff were not told about it until AFTER lethal had closed and the work was already beginning. Justice League opened September 2012, operations staff were not told what the ride was until around June 2012 what it was, and that was after construction had commenced and opening crew's for the ride were chosen. Sorry, but based on my knowledge of how the park does things (and many people on these forums can vouch for me) I very much doubt what your friend is telling you is accurate.
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On 12/07/2021 at 5:02 PM, DaptoFunlandGuy said:
Well, yeah - because its a launch and not a lift chain. If a lift-chain somehow allows a rollback you're gonna have a bad time.
Just look at Twist Coaster Robin... that one had a very bad time!
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On 04/07/2021 at 10:22 PM, pin142 said:
If they are getting a new train it makes perfect sense to upgrade the braking system too.
So no more tooth chipper?
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If you speak to the entry host at the attractions they are normally happy to take you through the exit to test the seat before queuing up to make sure that you fit. Alternatively if you speak to Guest Services they will be able to assist you fairly easily
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Seems that Roadrunner is getting new trains...would explain the extra downtime. Taken from Vekoma’s Facebook page.
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Looking forward to riding, sadly I'll be at work that day
Dreamworld’s BuzzSaw is Retiring
in Theme Park Discussion
Posted
Hmmm... I wonder why