DaptoFunlandGuy

as that appears to be the highest point on the ride, i would be inclined to say it is the second. that picture looked to have been taken just after the initial backwards drop, which is after the first lift hill, so the angle of the lift hill shown in the photo would appear to be the second lift would it not?

Bussy, the report details quite clearly that it is an outside sourced company who does the maintenance on Big Thunder Mountain. Final results as to "what went wrong" in this situation, was that the up-stop guidewheel on the decorative locomotive on the front of Train Number 2 had not had its bolts tightened, nor had it had the "safety wire" attached to the assembly. These are two crucial tasks outlined by Disney in the Maintenance manual that were not performed. The train had been "Yellow Tagged" until such time as it was fixed, but the maintenance worked who reattached the upstop guidewheel assembly (and who also did not bolt it on tightly) was NOT the person who signed off on the trains suitability for service, and gave it a "green tag". Again, I am more comfortable riding a disney ride where a couple of people have died, that I would be riding an attraction at a park that has a history of cutting costs in every direction for the sake of a quick buck (dreamworld). How long will it take until the poor maintenance being done on Wipeout causes a strenuous metal fatigue fracture and the whole structure lands on top of the claw? Who knows.... What I do know is that Disney were following all the correct procedures. they had every item documented and catalogued. As far as Disney were concerned, the maintenance operator employed to maintain that train had confirmed it was in safe and working order. The only loopholes and problems associated with the cause of this accident have since been rectified. And Bussy - its the West Reliability Team that performs the maintenance on BTM.

Gosh Adam, you were right - once - after doing research... my work here is done - YOU DID RESEARCH! Damn, and after I just went and praised your research capabilities, I am quite sure that Wild West Falls has TWO turntables - 1) after first lift hill, before reverse drop then a turnaround (reverse park and then forward system) 2) prior to final drop, to rotate the vehicle onto the "drop" track Indeed, it doesnt have a turntable, but unlike all the other examples you provided, and Mummy itself, ToT is not a circuit coaster, and therefore doesnt need a turntable at all. I never talked of reverse drops, but rather the methods with which the cars are then put forwards again. this is a shuttle, just like demon, deja vu etc.... Feel free to keep gloating that I was incorrect. Its not a regular occurrence these days, but when I am wrong, I will admit it... So as I said, keep gloating... you will be back to normal next week when you claim that the Batman Adventure - The Ride 2 Attraction actually has tracks mounted under the vehicles, and they follow a roller-coaster style layout to deliver the motions felt by passengers, all as a result of a tyre drive system, with fire detecting bunnies in the front of the car that chew a carrot if theres a fire, causing the vehicles to reverse back to the station under its own power.

LOL. Just cause you didnt get in first dan... I didnt attack Phats in my first post: I only then referred to him as Shifty Junior in response to Rappa's comment about my being harsh... and in all fairness, this is the sort of thing that would have come from NightShifter. So far, nobody has come up with any reasonable explaination of what this "extra track" would be used for. The only explainations others have come up with are contradicting the initial report.

I have spent the last 2 hours reading that article, associated articles, and the full 22 page report by the department of occupational safety and health (amusement rides division). I can tell you that the following statements were made and accepted as fact, post-accident: Disneyland Anaheim's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is not considered by the division as inherently dangerous. It was found to meet all quality and control guidelines in its construction. The accident was not as a result of any Guest interference. The accident was not as a result of any Operator error. The safety procedures Disneyland Anaheim have in place were found to be adequate and above average The maintenance personnel, which were all outside-employed contractors were found to be lax in their performance of their duties. The maintenance personnel were signing off on work as completed, without having done the work themselves. No maintenance workers interviewed could demonstrate the correct procedure for "in serviceout of service" protocols for the trains. Cast Members who operate the ride were not properly trained on what to do in the event that a ride emits an unusual noise or other suspicious anomaly. The results of this inquiry were that Disneyland Resort Anaheim would be obligated to re-train all external maintenance personnel associated with big thunder mountain on the correct maintenance proceedures, as well as the "in serviceout of service" procedures. Disneyland Resort Anaheim would also need to modify it's existing operations manuals to define more clearly the procedures cast members should take in the event of a suspicious anomaly in the rides operation. Adam, what you said as far as being put off by Big Thunder Mountain, Space mountain has had the same or more number of incidents as Big Thunder over the past 5 years. There have been (between 1999 and 2003) 5 Major incidents at Disneyland Resort Anaheim, which included 2 fatalities and over 40 injuries. In a related article, from the one you posted, i found these facts and figures for perusal - (http://www.themeparkinsider.com/news/respo...nse.cfm?ID=1296) (figures recorded in 2003) According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (www.census.gov.au) there are currently 20 million people (just over) living in australia. According to Google.com.au and varying sources that were turned up through its search engine, an average of 10 Australians are struck and killed by lightning every year. This means that the odds of getting struck AND killed by lightning are 1 in 2 million. The odds of receiving a lightning related injury are much higher. around 100 Australians are injured every year as a result of lightning strike. Odds of getting INJURED by lightning are therefore 1 in 200,000. Compare this to 1 in 48 million of being killed at Disneyland. I like those odds.

well done Adam, you did some research on your own. keep it up....

that post was to a launched shuttle system though. I can't imagine or conceive of the difficulties in a sliding track section like that being fitted to demon - for one - the original station was shipped to them as well, and it would be a little more difficult to put that into a sliding station version, and secondly, as I recall, the catchwagon begins its descent when the train is staged on its braking column at the correct position. the sliding system would need to be efficient and fast, in order to have the train on the second track in the exact position necessary for the catchwagon to lock on. I see this sort of system causing nothing but trouble to a ride that is already renowned for its difficulties in operation. The only possible uses I can see for the extra sections of track would be - to create a higher lift hill (why?) to creat a longer station (WHY?) to make the inside run of the boomerang longer, to give it a larger footprint (?????) or a transfer section of track, not actually connected to the rest of the ride, on either a truck or trolley or some sort, that they can move the train to to perform maintenance etc....

Lethal Weapon is 35 metres up (+/-)... so this new one isnt going to be that much higher. All rumors so far point to a Rocket Coaster.... with a 40m top hat.... to be opened on December 26.... anyone care to provide further info? *looks at Joz*

ok well since everyone's in the habit of giving the new guy's a nickname - i reckon we call this guy Shifty Junior.

yet again another wonderfully irrelevant post from Albert. PLEASE STICK TO THE TOPIC FATTY

owww man that hurt. lol. you have no idea how old most of us are fatty. now note: your = you're buch = bunch fare = fair but anyway, i'd be careful who you go calling kids around here...

oh yes i recognise this sort of information - its a friend of mine who works there... i dont believe this information to be extremely accurate as - 1)an A/V Cast member wouldnt be in on the operations side of things 2)where in hell are they going to put the extra track sections? the only place they could put it would be on top of the lift hills, or either side of the station. 3) how many other vekoma boomerangs are in the world that look identical to demon, and how many have "Extra track sections" ? 4) how many of those boomerangs with "Extra track sections" got the extra track AFTER the ride was almost 20 years old? im gunna need a bit more information from a reliable source before i swallow this info.

Albert's really set out to put a bee in a few people's bonnets hasn't he? this from a person who is not in it to start an argument... lol. Thats fantastic to see the date more firmly set than what was quoted a while ago as being "some time this year". December 26 is a date a lot of Australian Amusement attractions use to open their new attractions and exhibits. School breaks dont work because the difference between public and private is always a bit sketchy, and most people spend the few days between the start of the holidays and Christmas at home. Opening it on Boxing Day gets all the christmassy stuff out of the way, it gives the park a full "CLOSED" day to pull out all the stops, theme up areas that are in public access areas. it means they dont have to obstruct walkways, and is much easier to give access to heavy machinery for that elaborate artwork or sculpture at the entrance. you'll be surprised what a park can actually achieve when the gates are closed for a good 36 hours straight. But besides that most people dont really "begin" their holidays until christmas and boxing day, so its a good start. Richard is correct though, in saying not to head for the park straight after opening. you might be one of the first to ride it, but it is going to have a lot of teething problems, and the first 2 weeks or so is when the ride's manufacturer's work with the park maintenance personnel to iron out individual glitches, calibrate it properly, and fix anything that would not have been obvious until such time as you have 100Kg guys loaded into the ride. I do not plan on visiting WBMW to ride SE probably until february '06. I visited Dreamworld to ride The Claw 3 days after its opening, only to find that it was closed for half the day with calibration issues, technicians constantly climbing the tower to check things, the floor wasn't rising right and all the rest. When we actually went to queue up for it, it was a reasonable queue, and the ride went without a hitch, but this is not a glorified flat ride that is being added. we're talking a multi million dollar roller coaster, that should hold standards of all the other "superman" coasters out there, and judging from every other ride in WBMW at the moment, will be heavily themed as well. This is going to be a people magnet on opening day. Lovers of Scooby or Wild West, or even Lethal weapon - December 26 will be the day to go, because for a holiday crowd, the queues of these rides compared to SE will be NOTHING. (incidentally, I think I am the first person to refer to WBMW's new Coaster as "SE" so I reserve the right to claim the prestige for such brainy thinking... lol)

well... without ever having ridden it myself, I can answer this yet again obvious question from Adam - cars start the ride in a forwards direction, in the burial chamber, it is reversed, yet when its back at the station, its forwards again. Logic would suggest there are TWO turntables. How else would the cars be turned around to start the ride again? or do they chuck the old cars out at the end of the ride and buy new ones? No... No... wait - i have it - they have 500 cars, and at the end of the day, they run all the cars back through the ride using adams mythical scooby doo on-board propulsion system, from the end, to the turntable, and all the way back to the start at the station... or.. wait - they bring a crane in at the end of every day to turn the cars around, with yet again the same 500 cars in use, and they just lift them, turn them around, and put them back on the station.... that must be it.... yep...

OK - Albert - Daniel is like this. In your first post you mentioned you have read the forums as a guest for a while, you must know already what daniel is like. Secondly, one daniel missed - GrammAr, not grammer. Don't go pointing out everyone else's mistakes until you're perfect yourself... only Richard can do that. Thirdly, Dan, give the guy a break for a while... you've initiated him, let him get his wind back. Fourthly... Albert, if you take offence to being called Fat Albert, please say so in a serious and straight up manner. I am sure nobody wishes to cause offence, just a Nickname. We called Liam Flea, Daniel is Dan, Wonderbus2003 is Bussy, Nightshifter was Shifty, etc etc. Consider it a term of endearment. but if you're not comfortable with it im sure Daniel won't mind dropping it,... but bottom line - thick skin is sometimes needed here because numerous people have differing opinions and sometimes people are going to clash. Finally... LETS GET THIS BACK ON TOPIC PLEASE.....

Adam your fixation with Scooby Doo, and Tyre Drive technology is starting to wear thin. I am no expert on the mechanics of rollercoasters, but ive been able to answer most of your queries in a single post... I dont wish to discourage you from posting on these forums, but let me tell you that the majority of your answers can be found in 30 seconds in a google search. to answer your query (after spending 2 minutes reading through a site found on google... Tyre drive systems impart energy through friction - the tyre rubs against the car, which pushes the car forward. the problem with this technology is it is not capable of high speeds without sufficient speed from the motor, and therefore, a lot of wear from the contact Disney's Test Track first opened with rubber tyres, and through the punishing they received, they were burning out tyres very fast because of the constant high speeds. They now use an aircraft composite wheel which doesnt burn out at high speeds. LSM's and LIM's rely on magnetic propulsion, and therefore, little to no contact is necessary with the car, meaning less wear and tear. LIM's can be used on an entire launch, however LSM's are capable of higher speeds (100mph in about 7 seconds) so, higher speeds, in less time, without the need for lift hills or a gravity drop, and less wear and tear from contact friction. here is info from the site -

I have only been to Disneyland Anaheim, and to try and pick from them is tough. Space Mountain would probably be on top, but it would be impossible to measure the gap between it and - Haunted Mansion Splash Mountain Pirates of the Caribbean which would be the next three i would choose. I saw a documentary on the design and construction of Space Mountain Paris, and the concept behind it, with individually calibrated headrest speakers, and an outdoor launch, sounded pretty good, but everyone who has been on it says its not even close to Anaheim's version. I think all the other parks by Disney are great in concept, but I dont think anything could ever surpass the original Disneyland Attractions.

have a look at this image adam, it should clear it up... its crude, but it should explain what you are asking. compare it to the photo of a vekoma looper (this is knott's boomerang) and you can see on the photo the rails are on the inside of the "ribs" of the track, and the wheels are clearly visible on the insides...

I love irony.

Blacktown Olympic Park Micka. don't worry... took me a while too.

to get a little more specific, if the topic is about "Movie World's Movie Magic Show", and Rabid has an article on his site - OZCoaster, with pictures and a story on the final show, removals, etc... then is it appropriate for rabid to say - "a full story on the movie magic show can be found at www.ozcoaster......." It is not appropriate to have URLs in a user's signature, listing, describing or promoting another site, as this has no relevance to the topic it is posted in, as it is in EVERY topic that the person has posted on. bottom line, any reference to any site other than r-c.com.au should be relevant, described clearly, and posted in the correct forum, and only in relation to a discussion on the topic for which the thread was created. links to images from a site, rather than the page containing the image is also frowned upon.

See, Nebuchanezzars biggest problem is he doesnt like other people having a thread discussion that is popular, generates a lot of discussion, without reverting to a fight. So he comes in to try and start one. Thanks for the support Daniel, but i really think I can handle this little weed on my own. Back to Rider Cam, its great to see so many people with these ideas. I dont think $40 is too unreasonable. i voted in the 39.95 bracket myself, because most parks round to the "9.95" to make it appear cheaper, and i couldnt see it as 49.95... Bus has a great point as far as two photos compared to two videos on one DVD.... Perhaps they could say charge "39.95 for the first video, $5 for each extra video on the same ride, and $2 for every other ride you go on, stock footage, advertising and all the rest is free....

Very well said and diplomatic as always Richard. I agree and support you 100% on that. That some childish immature member(s) continuously want to start an argument with everyone, just because they have had a disagreement with you is just ridiculous. I recall a time when Daniel had a fallout with yourself. He made one public post, calling you numerous things under the sun, and then left. More recently he returned and is at least reasonably behaving himself. Coexistence is again possible. The current group of members that appear to be forwarding this movement are those who were either unable to follow the community guidelines, initiated a public attack on a well respected member or members of this site, or had a direct disagreeance with you. Regardless, I think it would be more appropriate to be using a harsher penalty on those members of R-C.com.au who choose to repeatedly violate the guidelines, or openly cause disharmony within the forums. You have spoken before of banning, IP blocking etc. I think now is an appropriate time to start considering those options as a permanent solution. Those are my comments and suggestions. Alex.

Posted by a park employee of Sea World

well, facades and the like are always useful. They could always move really slowly, and have a winch that slowly ramps up so that its not a sudden jolt, but a gentle floating glide that one does not feel. Look at Giant Drop.... the last part of the lift, you almost feel like you're not moving.... same principle?