Adam

If the sound was heard when the train was coming into the station, which it was, and the ride shut down or train removed immediately, the accident would not have occurred. And about the retraining, that was related to the second accident on Big Thunder Mountain. I am not sure of the new policy by Disney but I presume it would be to shut down the ride or remove the train from service immediately (i.e. without passengers being loaded). I am still trying to find the policy and ill tell you if I get it.

Universal Studios Hollywood is mad.

Who thinks the metal bends from weakening which causes the tower to bend? Or who thinks the tower "bends" the same way as the Eiffel tower from one side expanding?

Is this chest harness a backup device (e.g. is it the same as the seat belt you were talking about before)? Or is it the primary safety restraint system?

I am partially to agree but I have the following points to make The operators didn’t say anything about finding it hard to locate which train made an unusual sound, it was simply a case of “not knowing what to do” The operators described the sound as unusual – “Rarely occurring or appearing”, not different – “Unlike in form, quality, amount, or nature”, which you seem to be interchanging regularly. The noise wasn’t a variation to the normal sounds of the carriages, they were unusual noises. Everyone is talking about operators getting told off for closing a ride, but what about the operators who were on duty when the incident occurred? I would not like to be in their position when the boss comes. Safety, Safety, Safety. At the end of the day, despite what everyone thinks, Disney have drafted a new policy to shut down the entire ride when an unusual sound is heard. I think it’s their best option in the interest of guest safety, which Disney claim is their number one priority. The ride could be closed for an hour or two while the train is removed, and then reopened, or the ride could be closed for six months with DOSH investigators all over the place. I do not believe Disney would have drafted a new procedure and retrained every operator, if the current procedures and policies were working. Just my opinion (not to mention Disney’s and DOSH’s as well). Case closed.

Now I understand. I thought that was the brake fin. At first I thought you meant the drive wheels would contact the two metal blocks at the front, but were you refering to the thin metal strip that runs the length of the carriage (as shown in the diagram)? Thanks Richard.

Alex that is just stupid… seriously. If even half of what you saying is true about an operator’s priority being convenience not safety, then I can tell you I'm never going to Disneyland again. The sole reason was they didn't think the noise was dangerous, none of this convenience stuff is relevant. Daniel, Wonderbus… If you were operating Big Thunder Mountain railroad, under the new policy etc. after the crash, and you heard a carriage making an unusual or irregular sound when leaving the station, would you e-stop the ride? Or keep the ride running and risk the lives of those onboard and maybe even lose your job? I know you don't work at Disneyland, but if you take your operator experience and apply it to this situation. Thanks. Vote in the Big Thunder Mountain Poll (question located in first post)

Thanks Richard for the detailed explanation. The only thing I didn't quite catch is the location of the permanent magnets on the boat. I cannot seem to find them. Could you point them out again? Or if someone could draw an arrow to them... Also, I have attached a photo of the drive wheels if anyone is interested. Thanks.

Hey, New Scooby Doo interactive attraction ay? http://www.sallycorp.com/darkrides/scooby_doo.htm Looks a pretty good ride

Just wondering, has it been confirmed by Movie World to be an Intamin Accelerator?

Thanks Richard for the detailed explanation. The only thing I didn't quite catch is the location of the permanent magnets on the boat. I cannot seem to find them. If someone could point them out that would be great. Also, I have attached a photo of the drive wheels if anyone is interested. Thanks.

Thanks Gazza for your reply. The drive wheels are similar to those used on Scooby for this ride and push up against the bottom of the carriage. I was just wondering if they would contact a metal plate or something on the bottom of the carriage or not. What do you think? On colder days induction brakes are used on the drop to slow the boats so the passengers don't get as wet. Is this a magnetic system? I assume it's similar to an LIM launch? Thanks.

Ok, progress has advanced steadily on this new Mack attraction and on the 28th of February the first boat arrived. I have a couple of questions. Is the fin under the boat used for the air brakes? I am assuming it is. Are the two metal plates at the front of the car used to slow the car on a cold day? If not, where would the magnets be located? Or is this process not done with magnets? Looking at the carriage, where do you think the drive wheels would contact? Any specific place or doesn’t it matter? Also, does the turntable have a drive motor located to the side and when that spins, it connects with teeth on the side of the turntable causing it to turn? Or is it a big motor underneath the turntable that is connected directly to the turntable? (this is for any turntable as well) Thanks.

Hey Alex, I read about that new ride somewhere, it's a log ride ay?

Mark, Redundant means - "exceeding what is necessary" Although to be correct, it isn't really a redundant system; the ride would be really unsafe without the restraints.

Do you know Mickey? It sounds as though you do... are you still working there?

I am pretty sure it would expand uniformly. Why would it not expand up? The tilting of a tower in the sunlight is from expanding metal, not weakened metal that bends.

Ok, let me ask you this. If the operators had closed the ride when they suspected something was wrong or removed the train immediately from service, would someone still have died?

Ok Alex, let me ask you this. If the operators had closed the ride when they suspected something was wrong or removed the train immediately from service, would someone still have died?

Have your say on this issue: http://www.parkz.com.au/forums/sh...read.php?t=1666

I just want to know what everyone thinks - dicussion can be found here Question: Do you think the new operator procedures implemented by Disney will help to prevent the same type of accident occurring in the future? Answer above: Yes or No. Thanks.

It seems I cannot delete this but it needs to be deleted.

Alex, what you are writing about the operators is in disagreement with DOSH. If the operators had acted on the situation appropriately - something that doesn’t result in death or the loss of life – then there would be no need to make modifications to the operators instructions. Since the operators didn’t shut down the ride as what should have occurred, I would say the operators need extra train. DOSH agrees. So you are suggesting should another unusual sound be heard, the train should simply be tagged? Or should the operators be trained to shut down the ride in this situation? Your guessing Alex. I am going to go with DOSH on this one. You have already said it was unknown when the train made the sound, it could have happened on the first run, in which case the train would have been removed immediately (under the new procedure). No Alex, the written instruction was added to ensure the ride operators keep the ride running safely. Actually your wrong. Yellow tagging a train when it makes an unusual noise is not the correct procedure. I have never read a ride manual, but I assume the majority of the procedures are in place to prevent the loss of life, rather than promote it. Since the Big Thunder Mountain manual had no such procedure (Disney’s fault) they yellow tagged the train. Alex everything you are suggesting is that the operators do not need extra training or procedures don’t need reviewing. If a strange sound occurred again, the exact same thing is likely to happen. Can you not see this Alex? If you can't work that out Alex, then I give up, I'm just glad you don't work for Disney or DOSH.

All I have to say is... The cause of the accident was improper maintenance yet Disney had not performed any checks on the maintenance (7), and operators had not followed proper tagging procedures (5) nor had they been properly trained (4). Ultimately, I still stand by my statement, it was to a certain extent, Disney's fault. If you still believe it was no fault of Disney whatsoever, I think you should take it up with DOSH. But I am pretty sure you do agree with me Alex... I'm glad we could both reach an agreement I also think Bus knows what he is talking about...

Actually if that was the case it would bend away from the sun. As the side in the sun would expand causing it too lean away from the sun.