Top Thrill Dragster was awesome!

[Jeff Waegelin]

Well... the title says it all. I went down to Cedar Point yesterday for Physics Day, and TTD was fricking awesome! It was the most intense, thrilling 15 seconds of the whole trip. It was one of the most impressive things to watch, and the ride itself was one of the most exciting, intense rides I've ever been on. Fortunately, the park was almost deserted (less than 20 mins on all the other rides) so the wait was only 2 1/2 hours... but it was worth every minute of the wait. If you get a chance to go to Cedar Point, you HAVE to ride this thing... just be prepared to wait.

[Onizuka]

0 to 120mph in 4 seconds 420 feet tall....insane, thats all i can say

[Jeff Waegelin]

Originally posted by Onizuka
0 to 120mph in 4 seconds 420 feet tall....insane, thats all i can say

But it's so awsomely insane... you have to see it and ride it to get it. There's just nothing like it.

[Joe Matt]

Lucky. The only thing near me like that is Hypersonic. 0-80 in 1.8 seconds...

Im assuming there was little or no wind.

Its been reported that if there is a nice gust of wind the car wont make it to 120 MPH and it wont make it up the hill. Then logically it will fall backwards back into the station. Its a ride in itself but it takes like an hour to reset the ride and get it ready for the next set of riders....

[Madison]

Originally posted by D.J. Fluck
Im assuming there was little or no wind.

Its been reported that if there is a nice gust of wind the car wont make it to 120 MPH and it wont make it up the hill. Then logically it will fall backwards back into the station. Its a ride in itself but it takes like an hour to reset the ride and get it ready for the next set of riders....

It's probably a better ride than what Top Thrill Dragster was designed to provide.

I somewhat expect this ride to be a bit like Millenium Force -- all show, no go. I'll take my itty, bitty, 78' tall, 45 miles-per-hour Phoenix over the rides at Cedar Point any day of the week. That, my friends, is roller coaster bliss.

[Joe Matt]

I never will get you M... never will.

But DJ, the launch mechinism can adjust the launch speed for the wind speed. But if it does roll back (official term) then the train gets stopped by breaks on the launch track and it goes to the launch position again. The train is launched outside of the station.

[Jeff Waegelin]

Originally posted by JosephM
But DJ, the launch mechinism can adjust the launch speed for the wind speed. But if it does roll back (official term) then the train gets stopped by breaks on the launch track and it goes to the launch position again. The train is launched outside of the station.

That is correct. There are magnetic brakes on the launch side that are on pneumatic (at least they sounded pnuematic... possibly hydraulic, though) cylinders that raise up right after the car passes through. That way, if it doesn't make it up, and rolls back, there is a set of brakes deployed and ready. We spent forever trying to figure out what all the metal plates on cylinders were, but when we figured out they were brakes, it all made sense. Joseph is correct in that the train does launch from outside the station. The car pulls out about 2 full train lengths from the station to launch. There's even a "christmas tree" that counts down with lights before the launch.

To answer DJ's question, there was quite a bit of wind at times yesterday, but there was not a single "roll back" all day. We watched it launch at least 30 or 40 times, and never once did the launch speed drop below 118 mph, and it never looked like it wasn't going to make it, even when the wind was at its highest. I think that the initial problems have been fixed by launch speed adjustments based on wind.

It was funny, though... right by the station, there is a sign that says Top Thrill Dragster will occasionally not make it all the way over the hill, and when that happens, the car will return to the station, and they will reset it for a second launch. It was rather comical to read.

[Joe Matt]

Originally posted by Jeff Waegelin
It was funny, though... right by the station, there is a sign that says Top Thrill Dragster will occasionally not make it all the way over the hill, and when that happens, the car will return to the station, and they will reset it for a second launch. It was rather comical to read.

You forgot the best part of the sign "Don't be worried if the ride dosn't make it over the top." That's the funny part! Imagine all the regular people freakin' out!

Here's a video (I hope) http://www.drinkduff.com/drag2.zip or http://www.drinkduff.com/drag.zip if it's not in the first one.

[Jeff Waegelin]

Originally posted by JosephM
You forgot the best part of the sign "Don't be worried if the ride dosn't make it over the top." That's the funny part! Imagine all the regular people freakin' out!

Yeah... I wish I could remember the exact wording of the sign... it was a lot funnier. I do believe that was part of the wording, though. We were actually hoping to see it not go over once... it would've been funny to watch. Maybe it would've cleared the line a little bit.

[Madison]

Originally posted by Jeff Waegelin
That is correct. There are magnetic brakes on the launch side that are on pneumatic (at least they sounded pnuematic... possibly hydraulic, though) cylinders that raise up right after the car passes through.

They are pneumatic. They're designed to be in a normally 'closed' position, as well, so that should the ride experience a loss of power midway through a launch, the brakes default to the 'closed' position and can stop the train.

The magnets in each brake unit are not alike. They each have varying mixture of metals that affect the force they exert on the train. The brakes closest to the station are the most powerful.

If Intamin, the company responsible for designing Top Thrill Dragster, is using the same braking system that's in place on their megacoasters (Superman: Ride of Steel near Rochester, NY, near Washington D.C., and near Springfield, MA as well as some others) it'd be interesting to note that the FESTO pneumatic valves we receive in our kit of parts are used to control the braking cylinders.

[Jeff Waegelin]

Originally posted by M. Krass
They are pneumatic. They're designed to be in a normally 'closed' position, as well, so that should the ride experience a loss of power midway through a launch, the brakes default to the 'closed' position and can stop the train.

The magnets in each brake unit are not alike. They each have varying mixture of metals that affect the force they exert on the train. The brakes closest to the station are the most powerful.

If Intamin, the company responsible for designing Top Thrill Dragster, is using the same braking system that's in place on their megacoasters (Superman: Ride of Steel near Rochester, NY, near Washington D.C., and near Springfield, MA as well as some others) it'd be interesting to note that the FESTO pneumatic valves we receive in our kit of parts are used to control the braking cylinders.

All correct, M... including the FESTO parts. I'm not sure if they were the exact valves we used, but I did see numerous parts labeled "FESTO" when I got a look at the track. You're right about them being normally closed, too. When the car is in the station, the cylinders are all up, then they all drop in unison 3 seconds before launch, and as the car moves by, they raise up in about 5 segments immediately after the car has passed.

[Madison]

A Technical Introduction to Top Thrill Dragster

I thought you all might find that interesting.

[Jeff Waegelin]

This really irked me, too... The ride didn't open until 2:30 because of the stupid commercial they were filming. We were all set on running there first thing, and then they told us it wouldn't open 'til mid-afternoon. We almost didn't get to ride it because of time...

I found the actual wording of the sign, too... "Occasionally, a launched train will not clear the hill. You should not be concerned; the train will slowly return to the launch position."

[Madison]

For what it's worth, beginning in Spring 2005, people seeking the tallest, fastest ride on Earth will have to visit the lovely Garden State to ride Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure's newest coaster.

It accelerates to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds and climbs 456'. The second hill is taller than most roller coasters in the park at 129'.