Spotty
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Everything posted by Spotty
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That and Superman's launch system honestly hasn't really provided any major headaches for the park in the nearly 20 years that it's operated. Of course it's had some minor issues (but all rides do), but it seems the smaller Intamin Hydraulic Launches (the ones that go less than 120kph) seem to be pretty reliable. Xcelerator and TTD really were the 2 prototypes for the technology, so those 2 being more problematic (especially TTD given the speed and height) is to be expected. I honestly don't see MW changing Superman to LSM's because it would be a very expensive overhaul, and it honestly runs perfectly fine with the current system.
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Generally by the look of them, the Zierer ones tend to have a bit more of a traditional look to them compared to the P&B ones. Having ridden both, I find the Zierer ones to be a little bit smoother in operation. However out of all the companies that build them, I'd say those 2 are the best. The biggest difference is the base of the ride, the Zierer ones tend to be more of an octagon shape and the others tend to be longer. I will admit though, Volare at Luna Park is a very very good looking unit and certainly has a lot of that classic charm either way so I'm hoping that Dreamworld's version is of similar quality so I'm happy either way. Zierer Model Preston and Barberi one
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For force, I'd say Hair Raiser... for the Oh S**T factor... Giant Drop. However my all time fave drop tower was Space Probe 7. The theming etc just really made it something special. IMO it was one of Australia's best themed rides, right up there with Bermuda Triangle and Wild West Falls (pre 2004 fire).
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I'm not sure of the manufacturer, but the one at Adventure Park is 100% not a Zierer model. We have 2 travelling Wave Swingers (March's and O'neills) although I'm not sure if O'Neills still travels or not which are both Zierer. There is also one in Western Australia but I'm not sure of the owner.
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Zamperla is one of the more reputable manufacturers for family rides in the industry. They did all the rides in WBK for Movie World back in 1997 when it first opened (except speedys and LTRR). I would say they are much more reliable and better quality than SBF Visa rides having operated rides from both companies.
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They aren't always replaced every year, they are inspected for wear and tear but generally they won't always have to be replaced. Given the trains move at a slow speed they would encounter much less wear and tear than say Motocoaster, Big Dipper or Jet Rescue that has to move the trains at high speeds. Even then they may not need to be replaced yearly, as long as they are inspected and are within safe limits etc.
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Correct, there is a railing that staff have to stand behind until they get an all clear from the main control room when doing an evacuation. During a ride stop, the staff can walk to this point but must wait till the hydraulic system is fully bled out as the ride is primed and could still launch at any moment until then. That yellow box is generally where they would store one of the battery packs to release the harnesses in the event of an evacuation. Anywhere else in the dark ride, the pack from the load station is taken and there is one for the unload station too.
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Dragons flight didn't actually end up at Sunway Lagoon, but at its sister park The Lost World of Tambun. The ride still operates to this day as well https://sunwaylostworldoftambun.com/lost-world-amusement-park/
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Go with a cheaper manufacturer.. have lots of issues. Or pay a little bit more... and have a ride that more than likely wouldn't have as many issues. Hmmm... I know what I would have picked. Such a shame as the StarFlyer was a perfect fit, even the travelling model they had as a temp attraction is a better ride than this one.
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Yes it is still the procedure. Generally you won't hear about a ride stop unless it results in an evacuation. A ride stop simply stops the ride and can often be reset vs an e-stop which cuts all power to the ride and needs to re-do all opening checks again before guests can continue riding.
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The ride was designed that way for theming, hence the unload station having the cracked walls (from after the earthquake). The no loose items policy also helps speed up the loading process, well was meant to anyway. But once the doors open and guests board a train can be dispatched generally within 30 seconds with 2 loaders that are on the ball. The ride however is not efficient at all with 1 train, and I'd say was designed to run pretty much all the time with 2 trains in mind. IMO what would have made sense is having 3 trains so that the ride can always run with 2 trains as required and only drop down to 1 train in the very quiet months (End of Jan > End of March periods). Superman with 2 trains and a dedicated sorter can easily dispatch between 25 and 30 trains a hour giving a capacity of 500 - 600 per hour which puts it not that far below Scooby Doo on a good day (which is about 700 a hour). Hardly a bad design, just not utilised in the best way at all. When the ride first opened I'd say it was actually getting closer to 35 trains a hour with 4 loaders, a sorter, entry host and 2 unloaders and ran very efficiently. However I think the 4 loaders and 2 unloaders was overkill and clearly the park did because after opening year it was cut back to 2 loaders, entry, sort and unload for 2 train ops. I swear though... if they ever cut that ride down to 3 staff again (Load 1, Entry, Load 2 / sort / unload)... that was the worst decision they ever made and lucky it only ran for a few months like that when they realised 8 trains a HOUR was absolutely horrible.
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If I'm not mistaken The Claw was a giant monster that came out from the sea and terrorised the town of "Ocean Parade". I remember the notice board also had some funny little posters back in the day. I'll also let you think about this... but The Claw was 100% a male... 4 legs, what are you swinging on in the middle?!
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Just a FYI, not every time there is a ride stop will it require an evacuation of the ride. Generally speaking most of the rides when a fault is detected the supervisor will first try to clear the fault. An evacuation is generally a last resort if the fault can not be fixed. Depending on the exact cause of the fault will determine if an evacuation is required. Example being, Movie World has 2 distinct voiceovers for guests when a ride stops. A female VoiceOver that basically states that the ride has stopped and will restart shortly. This would be cycled for several minutes while a supervisor scrambles to fix the fault (Scooby Doo was a particular culprit for this in the early 2010's). If after a certain amount of time of the ride being stopped, the procedure was to go into a forced evacuation. I think this was around 10 minutes or so but I could be wrong. This is when a male VoiceOver would play giving instructions on what to do etc. However if an emergency stop was triggered (not a ride stop) it would automatically be an instant evacuation. In regards to making people exit the ride, it makes sense for dual loading stations like Superman etc. And I know back in the days of Lethal and even at times with Arkham it would depend on the supervisor if they would allow re-rides. However you would have to exit the seat, and wait to the side of the load platform for guests in the line to choose the row they wanted and then they could choose. There was no set procedure saying you couldn't do it, but there wasn't one saying you could either. But of course all harnesses had to be opened and closed (cycled). You could also sometimes do a re-ride on Wild West Falls depending on the operator without getting out of the boat. But harnesses would still have to be cycled and get verbal confirmation from the loader and the supervisor.
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