Eureka Mountain Mine Ride Maintenance

[Jamberoo Fan]

Anyway, now I am heading up to Dreamworld next week and there will be THREE rides closed! I was actually going to do the drop for the first time ever this trip, but now I won't get the chance. I'm very concerned with 3 closures the lines of everything else are going to be huge. If the BB house is closed my trip is ruined!

Hey, andrewm (if your not at Dreamworld right now) i've just updated the ride and attraction maintenance thing on Post 18. Don't worry the Giant Drop is now no longer closed.

[pin142]

Hey, andrewm (if your not at Dreamworld right now) i've just updated the ride and attraction maintenance thing on Post 18. Don't worry the Giant Drop is now no longer closed.

That would have to be the best news I have heard all day. Now I am looking foward to my DW trip on Sunday even more.

[Adam]

What were the original closure dates? I was surprised to see it operating today.

[Jamberoo Fan]

What were the original closure dates? I was surprised to see it operating today.

I forgot when Dreamworld Railway would have been closed and The Giant Drop would have been closed from now to December 5th? i have AGAIN updated the ride and attraction maintenance thing on Post 18 Edited November 16, 2006 by Jamberoo Fan

[andrewm]

I'm back from Gold Coast now and indeed Giant Drop and Rocky Hollow were both open! Thank goodness too, because even with these rides open, the queues for major rides were about half an hour each. I went on GD as my first ride for the day, and for my first time ever. I am usually afraid of heights, but for some reason I just didn't feel it on GD. Got to go on the park side of the ride which was fantastic and gave great views of Whitewater World and BB Studios from above. Had to give RH a miss unfortunately, as well as Cyclone which I'm a bit over after doing the much smoother Superman Escape. But managed to get a ride on The Claw, Thunder River Rapids, and ToT. Since I took my mother this time (she wanted to see BB house and Outback Spectacular) I took some time out from the thrill rides to catch another look at the Tiger Island show and watched Flow Rider for a while, and drove the little remote control boats with the alligators in them! Eureka was not only closed, but was surrounded by temporary fencing and black shadecloth, so who knows what is going on in there!

[Gazza]

So, are both sides of GD going again?

[Adam]

Yes, both sides of the Giant Drop are operating at the moment.

[MickeyD]

It doesn't suprise me to hear the Mine Ride is down. Eureka has had a number of unexpected closures in the past. This time, it wouldn't suprise me if the issue was a Lift Chain breakage - something that often happens to coasters once every ten years or so due to Metal fatigue. When it does occur, a new lift chain needs to be ordered, leaving a ride down indefinantly as VERY RARELY do theme parks have spares *just in case* Now here's a story that I guess shows my age: I recall visiting Gold Rush Country at DW when it first opened and had a great time. This coincided with the opening of "Lassiters Lost Mine ride" at SW (which of course later became Bermuda) It was a world class addition when it opened and the the attractions were far more impressive than they are today. The Thunder River Rapids ride had better animations and lighting as well as some "Mountain Goats" atop the ledge under the mine ride as the last scene and the Mine ride itself had a completely different Coaster configuration. Back then, passsengers sat one behind the other with two in each car (like Matterhorn bobsleds) The ride WAS EXTREMELY ROUGH!! The cars also "tipped" slightly as they turned in and out of the Mountain. It was also a considerably longer ride too. With far too many complaints to mention (not to mention poor capacity) the ride closed and reopened some time later with new four seater oar cars and an almost totally revised track. The new track offered a more "subdued" ride however still had a vicous ending of "helter-skelter" style dodges in the track causing whip lash and unhappy patrons. Again, around the mid 90's the ride went down again to straighten out the final "Bad bend". Eureka has always been a bit of a wild ride and to this day, remains as one of my DW favourites. I also think it is one of the few rides there that has much potential to be improved upon in the future. Lets hope one of the reasons why it is currently down indefinantly is to do just that!

[djsupersleuth]

It doesn't suprise me to hear the Mine Ride is down. Eureka has had a number of unexpected closures in the past. This time, it wouldn't suprise me if the issue was a Lift Chain breakage - something that often happens to coasters once every ten years or so due to Metal fatigue. When it does occur, a new lift chain needs to be ordered, leaving a ride down indefinantly as VERY RARELY do theme parks have spares *just in case*

That is an absurd statement about theme parks rarely carrying spares for attractions. I can assure you that parts which have a long lead time such as ones from overseas are kept in the store *just in case*. If they are readily available locally like most chain is then they may decide not to keep it on the shelf due to keeping costs down and adopt a "just in time" strategy but ONLY if it is easy to get hold of. It is not unusal to "risk assess" the likeliness of failure on critical parts and depending on the outcome of this this determines whether or not you keep it in the store.

[Richard]

Let's not forget by their nature ("a chain is only as strong as its weakest link"), chains are made up of hundreds of connected segments. In the case of roller coaster chains, they are steel sections bolted at a hinge that only allows two-dimensional rotation. The bolt would be the part that fails 9 times out of 10 and most parks would keep ample surplus parts such that this kind of occurrence could be quickly rectified. I'm not going to say it's not a chain-related problem because the circumstance are such that we don't know any of the full picture of what's happening with the coaster and why it's down, so it'd be a bit premature to suggest that this couldn't be the cause. I'm leaning towards perhaps it being an insurance issue. If something has to be upgraded or improved then it could be an open-ended maintenance period. I could imagine something as simple as needing to add further head clearance would create unpredictable delays.

[Gazza]

Back then, passsengers sat one behind the other with two in each car (like Matterhorn bobsleds) The ride WAS EXTREMELY ROUGH!! The cars also "tipped" slightly as they turned in and out of the Mountain.

You know, that arrangement sounds very much like the mine cars on the wooden wild mouse in RCT1/2, no joke.

[MickeyD]

^^^With all due respect Djsupersleuth, my comment wasn't absurd. The fact that parks DO NOT necessarily have spare chains for the lifts is absurd and in my experience of working 10 years in Theme Park Operations, this was always the case. If the chain breaks, then generally it needs to be FULLY replaced. This is an indication that the entire chain is fatigued and patching it up would lead to further problems. Large Coaster chains are HUGE and weigh TONNES! Imagine say LW's chain is what 200 metres long and each link ways about 15kg. Not an easy job to fix! I recall speaking with Fitters on several occasions as to why the Park didn't carry a spare, no one seem to be able to give a clear answer. Anyway, I was merely suggesting that a Chain Breakage could be a possible reason why the ride is down. Side note; I enjoy sharing interesting and informative stories from my experiences in the Industry. Afterall, there aren't too many places where Theme Park freaks can go to be with their rare kind!! No offence Djsupersleuth but I didn't appreciate the tone of your response. It's not appropriate to downput other member's views especially without adequate background information to support your argument. Please maintain an example and be respectful toward others using the boards

[djsupersleuth]

I recall speaking with Fitters on several occasions as to why the Park didn't carry a spare, no one seem to be able to give a clear answer.

As a fitter and as I stated chain IS available locally this would be why it is not a shelf item.

Large Coaster chains are HUGE and weigh TONNES! Imagine say LW's chain is what 200 metres long and each link ways about 15kg.

Yes they can be huge, I have replaced enough of them to know this.

It's not appropriate to downput other member's views especially without adequate background information to support your argument.

I have as much adequate background knowledge as you do on the current Eureka Mine Ride problem and more knowledge of theme park maintenance.

Side note; I enjoy sharing interesting and informative stories from my experiences in the Industry. Afterall, there aren't too many places where Theme Park freaks can go to be with their rare kind!!

I too enjoy sharing my experience and knowledge of the industry I love.

No offence Djsupersleuth but I didn't appreciate the tone of your response.

None taken, I apologise if my way of informing people on these forums offends.

[Adam]

At Dreamworld guest safety is our number one priority. All rides and attractions undergo daily testing through annual maintenance and regular safety audits and inspections. As part of this process the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride will close temporarily for all Dreamworld guests.

That description (emphasis added) seems to give the impression that they use the method of 'annual maintenance' to administer the daily testing. The absence of the word 'to' (as in "undergo daily testing through to annual maintenance") really gives a completely different meaning to Dreamworld's safety workings. It's been down for almost two weeks now. They've also gone to the effort of completely blocking the ride's queue off. Is that how the ride usually looks when they are conducting regular scheduled maintenance? Or is this a special 'cover up our mistakes' shield?

[T-bone]

I have a feeling it's the later Adam.

[Richard]

It's pretty clear that this isn't regular annual maintenance and the extensive fencing is just further proof of this. Typically the ride will just be roped off with signage saying that the ride is closed for annual maintenance. With construction fencing up, that points to one thing alone - construction. This points to some form of modification or replacement to components on the coaster that may require heavy machinery or other work which needs to be kept away from the public's eyes and ears. For instance, when the Log Ride had its drop replaced the area was extensively fenced off to keep noise and more important dangers like eye-damaging welding flames away from guests.

[stardust]

Yeah it is totally fenced off and covered up, looks very ominous. I hope it comes back soon though, it is my fave ride!

[westical]

Going to Dreamworld in a couple of weeks for the first time in over 10 years (the Wipeout was new when I was there last), so I thought I'd check to see what rides would be closed. Which this one still is, nearly five months later. Bit disheartening as it was one of the rides I missed out on going on last time. The Thunder River Rapids Ride will be closed too, which I loved last time. Ah well, at least all the big thrill ones will be open...

Edited March 4, 2007 by westical

[GoGoBoy]

I certainly hope they get this ride up and going again soon. I don't think it's acceptable just because Dreamworld is getting a new family coaster that the mine train is allowed to stay closed. The park needs as many coasters as it can get

[Spotty]

^ Saying that Dreamworld needs all the coasters it can get is a bit of a stupid thing to say, while coasters are fun and exciting, they are not everything. From what i've seen in the past, dreamworlds FLAT RIDES have been alot more popular than rides such as the cyclone during opening season. Roller Coasters only make up a small portion of Dreamworld. So saying that is biased as they don't NEED more roller-coasters to be successful at this stage but they have decided to so that they can be sure to be on top of the theme park chain in Australia. And also remember for the cost of 1 roller coaster averaging $20,000,000 you could buy 2 or 3 Flat rides at $6,000,000 such as the Claw and the Wipeout.

[D.C.]

I don't think he was talking business. Just personal preference. I know I'd like to see as many coasters as we can get on the Coast.

[Adam]

You can't compare the worst roller coaster in Australia (Cyclone) to the best thrill ride (The Claw). We all know that rOlLerCoAsTERs_rule_4lyf! What could've happened that would take five months to fix?

[Spotty]

I'm comparing dreamworlds best (unfortunately) roller-coaster against what I feel to be tied for 1st place for thrill ride (Claw and Wipeout) and I know that it's based on personal preference. But from a business point of view, getting 2 or 3 flat rides instead of a roller-coaster is often seen as a wiser move, but roller-coasters are still needed every 4 or 5 years. The cyclone opened 2002 if I'm correct and the new coaster is 5 years after the Cyclone, and Dreamworld was getting to a point where they needed a new roller-coaster, especially after the additions at Movie World.

[T-bone]

With this whole Eureka problem, have any of you stopped and had a thought properly into why the ride is closed? Have you ever thought as to what the situation may be? Surley you should all know by now that Dreamworld Management are not stupid, they wouldn't close an attraction just because they can, there would have to be some legit reason as to why it is closed. And just as to why the ride is closed. It has been discussed many times what could be wrong, and from what has been mentioned on here, it all just doesn't add up. You all have to think outside the square dudes, stop thinking mechanical, think structural. If you think logically, I believe you will find your answer as to what is happening to the Eureka Mine Ride.

[willsy]

Has anyone heard whats going on? I heard the other day that it's a indefinite maintenance closure as some of the parts are proving difficult to procure due to it's age.