Levithian

The tape could denote cylinders that need repair/replacement. They used to have a bad habit of cracking the clevis at the bottom of the cylinder mount, that and internally, the spring inside sometimes randomly breaks and it rattles around inside. No real worry about brake operation when open, but during a shutdown you have the perfect chance to inspect them thoroughly.

Wonder if the AOS kitchens are getting an overhaul too.

Good to see lots of original practical theme elements in use again.

The problem is finding something developed with cues for the effects. If the animation is not developed with these in place, you have to sit there for hours/days/weeks, time stamping a text file and developing and testing a cue sheet to program the PLC that runs everything with new sequences to sync with the video. It's not an easy swap out process to build a new show from scratch.

It's pretty well land locked, so there isn't a lot of point in replacing useable track vs conversions to something else. It's not really a super rare launch system. It just uses hydraulic pumps and nitrogen filled accumulators to drive a series of hydraulic motors that spin the drum winch the cables attach too. The problem is when it's not an off the shelf part readily available, so even the manufactures have had to produce overhaul/replacement kits for reconditioning/repairing components right from when the ride was developed. Nobody but the manufacturers supply critical components for ANY of the rides. Even if the component was available locally from another supplier, it's just not how it's done and all responsibility for maintaining compliance/quality rests with the ride manufacturer. The biggest problems in recent years have been problems with the diaphragms sealing internally within the accumulators and keeping the pressure balanced, plus prior to that the chiller system that used hydraulic fluid cycles back through to cool down. Those things were really old and needed replacement years ago. Back when they actually gave a damn about launch cycles, on really hot summers days it was possible to cycle the cars too fast that they couldn't keep the hydraulic oil operating temps under control and the ride used to go into alarm because of it. The only thing that would feel similar to a hydraulic launch would be air. It has the same almost instant acceleration you don't get with electro magnets.

The old buildings behind HSD were actually carpenters sheds originally. Nothing to do with the services for the fireball or anything air related were out there. LPG storage vessel is against the fence further forward towards the gate, while the buildings remaining towards the grass hill behind/beside the new building they put up, cannot be removed easily. There is an energex feeder/substation (one of three in the park) there, while next door is a room full of services cabinets for stepping down and distributing power from the feeder. You don't actually own the substation and it's not something you just pickup and move with how integrated transmission lines are running to other services underground. Those two small buildings stayed right where they were. HSD guys used the carport for tyre related stuff for awhile, the one the superman float end up parked in permanently, but by large part, they have had a workshop tied to the back of house area for ages. It's directly behind the left corner of the set where the "parking garage" is. The reason why you used to see a HSD car frequently parked out the back was because the park took one of the black evo's and used it as a lead vehicle (police car) for the parades for a long time. They originally had a deal with Mitsubishi Australia, the cars were never plated with compliance plates, just build tags, they were never to be registered. They sold a bunch of the back lot cars off about... I want to say 7ish years ago. 3 of the evo's went as a package, but they also sold a few others like the remaining caprice from the police academy stunt show.

It was an example of projection mapping done properly though. The river scene projected on the sand was magic.

The jump car was never recertified, that put an end to that ever being put back in use with a new show. It was still there, mitsubishi lancer body and all up until a few years ago. The fireball was fine for a very, very long time into the new show. Neglect and the fact that it was a major project to remove and replace pneumatic components hidden inside the wall and overhaul the control system that triggered it is what put an end to it. Risk aversive fun police put the brakes on anything remotely dangerous (even in a controlled setting). I don't remember the jump car crashing through walls though? I remember the "launch" side was a fake poster looking curtain that hid the launch ram and the "landing" side was a doorway, made it look like it was the opening to an alfresco. It was a frame with half a fibreglass shell that was bolted to a carriage a lot like a coaster car. There was a curved section of track it ran along below the wall. Not sure they would have wanted anything nearby that could fall onto the track/into the wheels. I'm probably wrong, but was there something in the lower door opening at one stage? between the barn doors that swung open and the same drop style curtain currently in use where the polaris jumps through?

It's 100% how village like it. They basically set the price for how much they are willing to spend and showtime went away to develop a show for it. They were absolutely bleeding money with the first incarnation of HSD. The vehicles alone cost eye watering amounts to modify/maintain/keep running for the show, so when someone came along and struck a deal to take all that off their hands, they saw it as a blessing. It's just another example of their priorities changing during the late early teens. Within reason, when previously continuing to run police academy even after the guest numbers dropped off, then with HSD which replaced it, the main emphasis was on the show quality with running costs being more a secondary consideration. IE, they didn't want to see the guest experience suffer because they didn't provide enough $$$$$ to put on a decent show. Now? I don't think you could say that guest experience is the leading consideration in anything village do.

look up EBITDA reports when Village was still a public company. Literally shows you the operating costs.

Wire ropes get replaced on superman as preventative maintenance. Same as on batwing. You can't see the internal structure as it's actually made up of multiple spiral strands of wire wrapping inner cores, themselves spiral wrapped forming an even larger inner core surrounded by outer spiral winds. Think of it more like multiple wire ropes surrounding multiple inner ropes spiral wrapped around to form the outer. Most of the reasonable cost testing machines run the length of the rope checking for variations in thickness with very fine tolerances or use very powerful magnets checking for deviations which indicate some sort of deformity (usually broken strands). The absolutely unreasonable machines basically xray the rope. Alternatively, as preventative maintenance you can inspect it and replace it well before the next test date is required or the service life is reached. These are the end stops holding the rope packed tightly. They are sandwiched between wear blocks and bolted into position to anchor them to things like the catch car.

Anyone thinking foxwell road is anything other than a complete clusterf*ck during peak periods of the day has never tried to travel in any direction to or from it.

They are running a hundred laps (or more) a day in testing before anyone even sets foot inside a car. It's pretty much the most intensive run time a ride ever experiences because you don't have the cycling down time experienced by guests getting off/on. You are punishing the ride with the shortest dispatches for hours on end, for days on end, it's like a giant torture test. THEN you switch to live testing with guests in it. The problems usually happen when the test period is cut short because you're either behind schedule trying to make up time or operations put pressure on you to get it open as soon as possible. It's not an issue of safety so it's ok to physically open, but nothing looks worse for maintenance teams when a ride breaks down, sometimes hours after it was reopened. Sadly, often people making decisions much higher up don't seem to place must stock in the public image your park projects to members of the public. So rather than drill it until you're sure the major kinks and bugs are worked out, it's often experiencing situations that make everyone look like amateurs and leave members of the public questioning if it's actually safe and do their maintenance teams know what they are doing.

And I simply stated the facts as to why it took so long and happened like it did. At no point did I say you can't split the train or it was impossible. I said there was no procedure in place to do it, they had nothing to attach the car segments to and even when it was considered it was decided it was more disruptive to do so. Pro tip. Nothing. And I mean NOTHING is attempted unless there is a procedure to follow. You know who dictated the whole process? Mack. Know who had no procedure in place for removing a train? Good guess. One big problem with your whole scenario. The train isn't secured suspended from lifting equipment. It has to be clamped and anchored. It's also incredibly difficult to remove a pin or axle from a loaded component. You've got the whole train suspended perfectly in the air, you are overestimating the level of control you have. A regular evac from GL (and every other coaster really) sees track clamps fitted around multiple axles to prevent the train from moving, then its also tied off with a puller/come along as a secondary measure. Bit different doing what you have to do to get people in danger off a train vs putting employees in harm's way trying to split the train. Quite simply, it was deemed risky. You can't sit the train on any of the running gear, place it back in the maintenance bay and return it to service. You have to completely remove the wheel carrier to remove it from the track, so that just leaves the spindles sticking out to bottom. Everything you remove, all the stuff you are suggesting to just sit it on now has to be rebuilt and reassembled. You can unbolt the wheel assemblies relatively easy and pull the axle pins out, but the spindles are not coming out in the field. They take a considerable amount of force to drive the king pin out. I'm not even sure if they would be ok reusing the main spindles if you were to sit the train on top of them as it's not something that is ever done, so best case expect weeks of rebuild time, maybe more if they don't have replacement bearings and fasteners in stock to reassemble wheel carriers, or months because they don't keep a whole trains worth of spindles just sitting there on the shelf. They are usually removed, sent for crack inspection and returned to service. You could maybe get it off the track quicker, but then what? Sit out of service for longer, incur greater costs in actually reassembling the train? Again, it stalling was not an issue with the train or any sort of mechanical failure, so it was in a state that could return it to service if you didn't pull it apart. Anyway. I'm not going to argue any further. I was trying to explain the realities of the situation faced, not how you would do it better now without any of the external factors they had to consider at the time.

You'd have to build/make something to fit to the track and mount to the chassis. Don't forget it didn't valley in a flat piece of track, it ended up at the bottom of a curve which makes things even more difficult to remove as the train moves. Also have to remember they were trying to come up with solutions that resulted in the least amount of down time possible. It was cheaper, and ultimately decided to be less disruption to pull the train over rather than dismantle it given the reason for it stalling in the first place had absolutely nothing to do with the train and could be put back into service more or less immediately after passing usual inspections.