HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mexicotb@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Brian)
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
Subject: Riding four abreast
Date: 26 Aug 92 03:00:51 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Purdue University


On a trip to SF Great America early this summer, I was surprised to
see the Iron Wolf and Batman both had cars that seated riders four
abreast.  I must have been away from rollercoasters too long, because
I didn't know this was done.  What are the  advantages to this system?
Do they just carry more riders, or do they contribute to the train's
momentum in some way that makes for a better ride?  I didn't get to
ride Batman, because of the 2 1/2 hour wait, but did try the Iron
Wolf.  I was in the sixth row (of 7) and on the outside, and loved the
ride.  My friend was next to me and felt claustrophobic in a way.  He
said the advantage in not being able to tell what was coming next was
exciting, but the effect of standing up on a rollercoaster was lost
(he'd never ridden a stand-up before).

What I like about KI's King Cobra (stands two abreast) is that on the first hill the effect
of standing up is akin to that of falling off a building, even when
you're not in the front seat, although it's best there.  The Iron Wolf
doesn't feel like that--which was certainly a drawback.  And since the
IW is one hell of a pretzel otherwise (especially compared to the
wimpy King Cobra), I wonder whether the four-abreast cars are the best
way to go.  Any ideas on this?  Are there any really good advantages
to this configuration?

Brian "If I'm gonna stand in line, I'm damn well gonna sit on the
ride!"
From: buck@cavlry.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
Subject: Re: Lake Compounce update.
Date: 31 Aug 92 13:55:26 GMT
Reply-To: buck@cavlry.enet.dec.com ()
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

Tom,

I had three different phone numbers in my book for the Compounce
facility -- all 3 have been disconnected with no further information.

???

Possibly Dave Jackson on the Coaster Hotline has some addl. information
on the status of Comounce for this weekend??  I'll give him a buzz
and find out.


Buck
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: artn@bert.eecs.uic.edu (Ellyn Sandor)
Subject: Re: Batman
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 22:08:36 GMT

edg@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (edwin.g.green) writes:
>In article <1992Aug26.210931.16046@bert.eecs.uic.edu> artn@bert.eecs.uic.edu (Stephan Meyers) writes:
>[stuff deleted]
>Where did you ride?  Our first ride (8/20) was in the first row.  I
>felt like I really took a beating and my chest was bruised for a couple
>of days afterward.  The cork screws (I believe there are three of them)
>seemed to throw me around the most. The next day we rode in the very
>last row.  The ride seemed much smoother, but the view was lost.  Although
>it was painful (to me at least), I enjoyed the ride in the front row the
>most.  It's an awesome coaster.

	I rode on 8/23, second row.  Both times in the second row, which
was sort of annoying, especially since there is no option to wait for the
first row.  None of our group felt battered, and one of us is fairly
sensitive to such matters.  (She is 4'9", and her comment on her first
ride of Power Dive was "my tits hurt!", so chest maladies would probably
be mentioned by her.)  Maybe it's just the first row, but I bet the view
from there is worth it.
	I think your count of 3 corks is correct, which brings us to
an interesting point:  Each cork counts as 2 loops, so why are they
not pushing Batman as having 8 loops?  (2 vertical 3*2=6 corkscrew)
Shock Wave only has 7 loops (3 vertical, 1*2=2 cork, 1*2=2 bowtie) and
the press for Shock Wave pushed the loop count.
	Now, let's get them to put in one more vertical loop on Batman!!
	Batman also appears to be a very compact ride, in terms of
real estate, although it seems pretty well hidden.  Next time I have
to get a look at the whole thing from the flagpole slow-spinny thing.

		sbm


-- 
--
Stephan Meyers | artn@uicbert.eecs.uic.edu
(Art)^n Laboratories, inventors of the Stealth Negative PHSCologram
(312) 567-3762
From: buck@cavlry.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
Subject: Re: A GENUINELY new question.
Date: 4 Sep 92 19:37:53 GMT
Reply-To: buck@cavlry.enet.dec.com ()
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

Wayne A Muth writes:

>Several years ago, Geauga Lake built a DERIVATIVE [i.e. NOT a
>copy] of the wondrous old BOBS from Chicago's Riverview Park.
>No claim was ever made that it was a copy, simply a DERIVATIVE or
>VARIANT or contained elements suggesting old Bobs, or whatever...
>
>BUT, there were some recurring RUMORS that someone was actually
>going to BUILD A COPY OF BOBS.
>
>MY QUESTION -> Is anything happening along this line ??   Thanks.

The person to ask would be ACE memebr Ralph Lopez.  Ralph is the
man who used to work maintenance at Riverview in Chicago, and
who currently owns the blueprints to the ORIGINAL Prior & Church
"Bobs" design!

Geauga Lake's intention was to re-build the BOBS coaster ... however,
when Charlie Dinn ran the design through the ole computer, the
g forces produced were deemed "too severe for the modern park goer".
Thus, the design was modified to eliminate lateral and negative
gravity forces, and to make the transitions in superelevation less
'severe'.

Last time I spoke with Ralph was over a year ago at MAGNUM MANIA.
At the time, he was still urging parks to re-build the Bobs coaster
'as is', but he did not have a taker yet.


Have a nice weekend everyone...
Buck a roo
From: buck@cavlry.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
Subject: CONNEAUT LAKE -- CLOSING!!!
Date: 28 Aug 92 13:29:08 GMT
Reply-To: buck@cavlry.enet.dec.com ()
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

A T T E N T I O N !!!

E M E R G E N C Y !!!


If you haven't rode the Conneaut Blue Streak, make fast plans!

If you've rode it, and want to ride it again, make fast plans!


Conneaut Lake Park announced this week that Labor Day weekend,
1992, will be their last operating day as a major amusement park!
CLP will be de-installing ALL of their major rides at the end of
this year to change over to a "family" park for next year (eg -
water rides, mini golf, batting cages, etc.).  Current plans are 
for the Blue Streak to be SBNO next year, ? (DEMO'd) for '94.

FYI to all enthusiasts -- you have this weekend (8/28 - 8/30) and
next weekend (9/5 - 9/7) to ride this wonderful, classic (1937
Vettel) coaster -- the BLUE STREAK!


Letters of sorrow & disapprovement may be sent to:

Charlie Flynn
Owner, Conneaut Lake Park
RD 4 Box 283
Conneaut Lake, PA 16316


Buck, VERY sad, and who'll be there next weekend
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: wjf@controls.ccd.harris.com (Bill Figie)
Subject: Re: Elitch Gardens, Denver ... Moving ?
Originator: wjf@rs2
Organization: Harris Controls
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 20:13:25 GMT


I can't say it enough, the Wildcat needs to go with the Twister.  I hope your
sources are true Buck.  I just love the way the Wildcat intertwines itself
through the structure of the Twister.  No only should the coaster be moved, but
the same orientation to the park and Mr. Twister should be maintained.  I hate it
when a park doesn't remember its past and scraps it rides that have been in "the
family" for 50, 60 or more years.  I wish ACE and I knew who this person that is
supplying backing for the move is.  I bet a few nice letters could put even more
pressure on Elitch's to keep the Wildcat.  Can you believe the stupidity of a
park that has a excellent wood coaster, that wants to not move it but will
probably end up moving their steel looping coaster (Arrow shuttle loop - UGH).

			Bill "save the Wildcat" Figie
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: maglione@media.mit.edu (Tom Maglione)
Subject: Re: The Bat
Summary: Some answers.
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 16:37:39 GMT

In article <1992Aug27.054001.27294@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> pab@po.CWRU.Edu (Pete Babic) writes:
>
>I just saw a picture of the old Bat coaster that used to be at KI in the
>latest RollerCoaster magazine and it got my curiosity up. I never saw this
>coaster in person but was always very interested in it. Does anyone know
>what was wrong with it? Tearing down a new coaster seems a bit drastic,
>why couldn't it have been reprofiled? In the picture the cars didn't seem
>to have the shock absorbers that present Arrow suspened cars have, is this
>true or is the picture not clear? Was the ride good, as good as the Big
>Bad Wolf? In short I'd like to hear anything and everything that you know
>about this ride, especially why it didn't work. I wish I would have been
>one of (the few?) people to ride this ride.
>
Well, Pete, I believe that the photo in RC! was clear, there were none of
the "shock-absorbers" on the car suspension systems in the photo, and that
was the major flaw in The Bat, which was the first prototype suspended
coaster in the world. The problem was that without those absorbers (they
should rightly be called dampers) the trains were destroying the structure,
reportedly striking the support columns on occasion. Many riders that I
know reported stories of being covered with oil/grease/water coming from
the overhead stuff, too. You'll notice on today's suspended coasters, they
all sport some kind of covers over the overhead stuff, and they all have
many of those shock absorbers (dampeners) on each car. One reason that
the ride got torn down is that it had a bad reputation for a lot of down
time, and that can really ruin a ride with the public, so sometimes it's
just better to start from scratch, and that's apparently what Arrow and 
Kings Island did when they removed The Bat.
Anyone else out there have more to add?
happy coasting,
Tom.



Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: sdk@asdi.saic.com (Scott Kessler x6776)
Subject: Euro Disney Thunder Mountain 
Organization: SAIC
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 01:24:10 GMT

Just got back from Europe and EuroDisneyland and I thought I'd mention
Big Thunder Mountain there. For those of you out for tons of speed and
57 million inversions, you're not gonna find them here. What you will
find is a pretty fun ride not without it's share of thrills and Disney
magic.
For starters, Thunder Mountain is an island and the ride takes place on
this island. You board the train on the shore of the lake and immediately
plunge down into a mine tunnell and under the water to the island. 
The ride has a lot of twists and turns in some great scenary which
includes: goats, a miners shack, turtles, coyotes, etc.
The big thrill on the ride comes at the end when the train plunges
into a dark cave, if you look up you can see water falls all around
above you, and starts a sweeping left turn, in the dark. When you
straighten out you find yourself moving down a narrow, dark cave
, bats all around you, and as this is the part of the ride to take
you back under the water you gain quite a bit of speed through
this long tunnell, definately faster than either Disneyland's or
WDW's, and finally the train leaps up out of a mine shaft and you
are back at the station.
I really loved it! 

SDK
From: dblakele@acpub.duke.edu (Dean Blakeley MD)
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
Subject: Re: Kings Island Info needed...
Date: 23 Aug 92 21:41:26 GMT
Organization: Duke University; Durham, N.C.

In article <1992Aug20.004517.2600@news.media.mit.edu> maglione@media.mit.edu (Tom Maglione) writes:

>first few rides to let the monster break-in for the day. I tried this last
>year, it worked just fine, and I got the best rides I've ever had on the
>Beast during this time; the only better time for Beast riding is late at
>night in the dark. Enjoy!

Best time to ride the Beast is doing the front seat, after dark with a 
light rain.  The brake skids are a teensy bit wet and the train doesn't
slow down a bit through the brake shed in the woods after the second
hill.  It's a pity that the tunnel entrances are slightly lit at night,
but going through the 540-degree helix at night is an absolute mind-
popping experience.

Peace


-- 
| Dean D Blakeley, MD            |  This ain't no party.  This ain't no disco |
| Ambulatory Care Service (11C)  |  This ain't no fooling around.             |
| Durham VA Medical Center       |  - David Byrne                             |
| Durham NC 27705                |  NeXTMail accepted                         |
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: wjf@controls.ccd.harris.com (Bill Figie)
Subject: Pipeline coaster controversy
Originator: wjf@rs2
Organization: Harris Controls
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 15:01:25 GMT



I guess it is kind of interesting to those of us who are not involved in the
guessing game of where the pipeline coaster will go, to watch all the guessing
games going on on this news group.  For some reason, I am not too excited about
the pipeline.  I have seen several 10 minute presentations done on TV last year
(National Geographics Explorer and another show whose name excapes me that was
shown on Discovery Network) and it really doesn't look like too exciting of a
ride to me.  This controversy of who is getting the first pipeline has been
boiling for the last 2 plus years.  What I want to know is more about wood
coasters being built next year.  

Again, not to push the IAAPA Convention, but this is a good place to rub
shoulders with park owners and manufacturers.  This is where I got my first good
looks at the Rattler (and some non-confirmation confirmation of the Rattlers
height).  I also found out about Kennywoods Wild Mouse they purchased from Alton
towers and that there is a park in south Florida that really, really wants to add
a wood coaster to their flat rides and become a "major" park.  The gentlemen I
talked to that owned the park were real interested in ACE (I even sold them a
corporate membership), and I kept telling them to listen to ACE members to find
out what makes a good coaster and what makes a ho-hum coaster.  Their enthusiasm
for putting in a good coaster was high but unfortunately, I don't think it was
quite within their budget yet.  This is where people like Mark Wyatt of Inside
Track gets a lot of his advanced information.  Unfortunately, manufacturers don't
roll out in the open their latest wares.  They have a back room (office) where
they show off the heavy artillery and normally the common ACEer is not invited. 
Only paying customers are allowed to see the new stuff.  But it still is
interesting.  Because the IAAPA Convention is being held around the Texas Giant
III thing is the only reason I am considering going to Dallas.


		Bill "may little trees grow into mighty coasters" Figie 


Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: geoff@pmafire.inel.gov (Geoff Allen)
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 92 16:57:08 GMT
Organization: WINCO
Subject: Messages from Buck


Howdy all, Buck seems to be having some problems with his (or perhaps
DEC's, dunno) news software.  Stuff he's posted is showing up on his
news server, but apparently not getting any farther. 

Anyway, he's given me three messages to post for him.  The Subject:
lines are:

	CONNEAUT LAKE -- CLOSING!!!
	Williams Grove CYCLONE
	Dorney Park & HERCULES News


Technical stuff follows....

I've never tried forging messages, and I'm not really trying now, but I
did leave Buck's From: line in them.  We'll see what inews thinks of it
all.  I deleted Buck's Date: and Message-Id: headers, so he'll see them
(currently, he's not receiving news, either, but just in case it gets
working again...).  The Reply-To: is directed to Buck, so replies should
work as expected.  The Path: will lead back to me, but that's no biggie,
since I freely admit to posting these messages. 

End of technical stuff.

Coming your way....

Geoff ``A friend in need'' Allen

-- 
Geoff Allen          \  <chink> <chink> <chink> <chink> <chink> <chink> <chink>
uunet!pmafire!geoff   \  <chink> <chink> <chink> <chink> <chink> ............
geoff@pmafire.inel.gov \   aaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: wjf@controls.ccd.harris.com (Bill Figie)
Subject: Batman Animated series/Contest
Originator: wjf@rs2
Organization: Harris Controls
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 11:23:18 GMT


Well I remembered!  For anyone interested here is the address for the
Fox/Batman/Six Flags contest.  Send a post card with your name, address and phone
number plus in big letters (I presume) the name of your favorite Batman villen
such as Joker, Catwoman, Penguin to:

       Batman on Fox
       P.O. Box 1126
       Hollywood, CA 90078

Entries must be postmarked before Sept. 7th.  

For those that missed my previous post, this is a contest by Fox to promote their
animated Batman series.  The prize is a trip to each of the Six Flags parks (7
parks) in seven continuous days.  I presume that because no Six Flags park is now
open 7 days a week, and the weather will be turning bad in a couple months, that
the prize will be awarded next year.  You may be able to catch the information
about the contest yourself on a local Fox TV station on Saturday morning.  I
think I will enter on Saturday.  What a rush; to visit a different Six Flags park
every day.  Take care and good luck to those that enter.

			Bill "looking for videos" Figie
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: buck@cavlry.enet.dec.com ()
Subject: Re: Pipeline/other questions comments
Reply-To: buck@cavlry.enet.dec.com ()
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 13:42:21 GMT

Ok folks...

Lets get some things staight on Cedar Point:

1) They are NOT getting the Pipeline in 1993!!!

2) They are putting in a major water attraction in
   1993 (rumor has it is will be a "racing" splashwater
   Falls ride, with the boats FACING each other for a
   HUGE dispersemet of water!!)

3) Cedar Point is installing a new steel coaster in 1994.


Ok, now about the pipeline:

1) It has been sold to a park in the US

2) A person who knows who bought it tells me
   "You won't have to drive far from Boston to
   ride it" -- so it's being installed somewhere
   in the Northeast

3) Rumors are flying that Geauga Lake is the park
   which bought the Pipeline.  Everyone knows the
   park has wanted one since the concept was 
   announced, and the park has recently started 
   clearing land and marking for footers in the
   area behind the RAGING WOLF BOBS -- so, if you
   put 1 + 1 together...


Wassail,
Buck
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: artn@bert.eecs.uic.edu (Ellyn Sandor)
Subject: Re: Batman
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 23:08:01 GMT

buck@cavlry.enet.dec.com () writes:

>I hate to correct people, but the above information is grossly mis-leading!
>Batman does NOT have 8 loops/inversions, it had 5 loops/inversions!

>The problem is with you touting corkscrews as two loops.   Arrow usually

>Also of note, the 2nd inversion on BATMAN is not a corkscrew -- it's
>a brand new looping element  develops by B&M called a "Heart-line Flip".
>Aptly named as this "loop" centers gravity in your heart while inverting.
>It's the best loop on the ride!!

	So sorry, I thought corkscrew inversions always came in pairs.
	Now that you mention it, I think I remember the heart-line loop...
OK, I'll vote for more of them!  Are there any more coasters planned
in the near future with this?

		sbm

-- 
--
Stephan Meyers | artn@uicbert.eecs.uic.edu
(Art)^n Laboratories, inventors of the Stealth Negative PHSCologram
(312) 567-3762
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: cf170@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Kevin R. Russell)
Subject: Re: The Bat
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 19:21:01 GMT


I have contacts in the industry.

have a nice day woodieheads
From: muth@a.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu (Wayne A Muth)
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
Subject: A GENUINELY new question.
Date: 4 Sep 92 18:05:01 GMT


This is simply OLD RUMOR chasing ...

Several years ago, Geauga Lake built a DERIVATIVE [i.e. NOT a
copy] of the wondrous old BOBS from Chicago's Riverview Park.
No claim was ever made that it was a copy, simply a DERIVATIVE or
VARIANT or contained elements suggesting old Bobs, or whatever...

BUT, there were some recurring RUMORS that someone was actually
going to BUILD A COPY OF BOBS.

MY QUESTION -> Is anything happening along this line ??   Thanks.
From: rcurrier@Sun.COM (Ron Currier - Sun BOS)
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
Subject: Conneaut Lake
Date: 2 Sep 1992 21:09:02 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. Boston Development Center
Distribution: world
Reply-To: rcurrier@Sun.COM (Ron Currier - Sun BOS)
NNTP-Posting-Host: mycroft.east.sun.com

For anyone interested in going to Conneaut Lake Park over the Labor Day
weekend, Saturday and Sunday are normal price days ($10.95 POP). Monday
is $15.95 because of the Lynard Skynard concert. Hours are 10-10 with
fireworks on Saturday night.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ron Currier  Sun Select - BOS        rcurrier@suneast.East.Sun.COM  508/671-0417
             Pentucket Software      ..uunet!wang!penware!currier   508/373-7815
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
From: maglione@media.mit.edu (Tom Maglione)
Subject: Re: Please Help
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 23:19:04 GMT

In article <1992Aug25.154937.20584@sei.cmu.edu> mapike@sei.cmu.edu (Mary Ann Pike) writes:
> (some stuff deleted)
>My feelings exactly! I thought the Mean Streak was ho-hum. I really
>like gully coasters, having grown up with them in Western Pennsylvania.
>Adds a lot of suspense to the ride, not knowing where you're going
>next. Mean Streak is not an out-and-back, but it's not a gully coaster
>either. Also, I feel the same way about the Magnum (not too exciting,
>like traveling down the turnpike). But I know some people who think
>these coasters are tops. Actually, a good out-and-back is lots of fun, too
>(one of my favorite defunct coasters was an out-and-back), but it has to
>have the g's and air-time.

Please, Mary Ann, tell us what your favorite defunct coaster was; I certainly
agree about the gully coasters, too, but I do like Magnum more than I like
Mean Streak; Magnum is one of my favorite steel coasters, and Mean Streak is
one of my favorite LOOKING coasters, but alas does not ride as well as it
looks.
> (some Beast discussion deleted)
>This is a great coaster (and what a long ride!). I was on it this past
>weekend, and it was flying. There was one thing that happened, though,
>that perhaps someone who understands the mechanics of coasters can
>explain to me.  On several of the straight runs after a fast section,
>the cars actually seemed to be bouncing up-and-down on the tracks (not
>a side-to-side motion).  One person in my group thought that perhaps
>the ride was going particularly fast, but I don't know if it would
>cause something like that to occur. I didn't notice much (if any)
>braking.

Some of the bouncing motion you describe can be ascribed to the fact that
at certain points on the ride, the rear cars of the train have more
momentum than those in the front, and so act like ram-rods, actually
pushing the front cars along. This would most likely occur as the train
negotiates an upward going section of track. If the rear cars push against
the front cars, that action combined with the joints in the steel rails
that the cars ride on could be enough forces to cause the motion that 
you describe. I'm also sure that if there was up and down motion, there
most certainly was also side-to-side motion, also known as "hunting",
where the cars try to hunt through the available clearances to find a
reasonably straight path through them, while constantly bumping against
the sides of the tracks.

Let's hear some more stories like these, I love technical grit issues!
Tom Maglione


Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster