The Giant Drop Refurbishment 2022

[red dragin]

41 minutes ago, New display name said:

Connecting the sign to the old TOT connection points would have solved the problem of the sign getting messed up by the grease.

Would that have caused any issues with loads on the tower, from say the wind?

[joz]

23 minutes ago, red dragin said:

Would that have caused any issues with loads on the tower

More than the wind?

[New display name]

32 minutes ago, red dragin said:

Would that have caused any issues with loads on the tower, from say the wind?

Didn't the old TOT track remain, and the Drop operated for months, before the refurb started?

 

On 01/05/2021 at 12:39 PM, themagician said:

Another piece of track was removed this week 

 

[red dragin]

2 hours ago, joz said:

More than the wind?

Don't know, that's why I'm asking. The tower wasn't engineered for a sail. There are plenty of smart (ass?) people on here, hoping someone could confirm/deny. 

More asking out of curiosity, rather than "that's a terrible idea". 

[Gazza]

Yeah in the wind I think the letters would be like a sail, and pull a bit on the old track connection points in a direction not originally designed for.

[joz]

56 minutes ago, red dragin said:

Don't know, that's why I'm asking. The tower wasn't engineered for a sail. There are plenty of smart (ass?) people on here, hoping someone could confirm/deny. 

More asking out of curiosity, rather than "that's a terrible idea". 

Ignore me, I was thinking tot track

[New display name]

 

You would be lucky if the letters added anywhere near 20kn of resistance.    The tower isn’t going to fall over with that.  Sure, you might have to stiff up the connections, but I doubt it, when you consider the weight of the TOT train and that too would have encountered cross winds.  DW’s new greasy signage is the cheap option.   If DW has worked out a way for the signage not to end up looking like a mechanics floor, then I’m all for the cheaper option.

 

(sidenote the signage = same letters only fixed from the side)

[Gazza]

Wouldnt the TOT car have put basically neglible loads on the track at that point, since the car is effectively weightless for the entire vertical section. Its not pushing down on the track.

Not saying that the tower would fall over, just that its more re-engineering.

FWIW having sail type letters would be less visible to southbound traffic IMO, since the tower itself is hiding them till the last minute.

Perforated steel I've got no issue with though. From a distance you cant tell.

 

[Dean Barnett]

13 minutes ago, Gazza said:

Wouldnt the TOT car have put basically neglible loads on the track at that point, since the car is effectively weightless for the entire vertical section.

It's very forceful on the way down..

[REGIE]

Well I learned a lot more about physics ha . One question though why would the letters need to be connected to a sail type add on? Couldn’t they just be bolted on like they are in the front but on the tot track side? It would only be visible from one side of the road though.

[red dragin]

2 hours ago, Dean Barnett said:

All this physics chat about shitty lights that will hardly ever be on when the ride it's attached to is open

I'm finding it interesting and a nice change from some of dribble on here. 

It's good to see a sensible debate on differing opinions on the matter. 

I've gotten much more discussion than I expected, my thanks to all. 

5 minutes ago, REGIE said:

One question though why would the letters need to be connected to a sail type add on? Couldn’t they just be bolted on like they are in the front but on the tot track side?

It could be. We've discussed the sail design as that's how @New display nameappears to have originally proposed it. 

[REGIE]

I agree it’s cool to really see just how much knowledge some of the people on this forum really have.  I am right into the engineering and physics side of roller coasters (mostly because I realise I am never going to be able to ride hundreds of roller coasters so the next best thing is to research the ride them selfs VS the experience. 

[Gazza]

4 hours ago, New display name said:

Those things are not interchangeable because the coaster is trying to pull away from the track all the way down.

If what I was saying isn't true, why did the TOT car have up-stop wheels?

 

The second the car stops on the track at the top and the car starts going down, it puts the full 6 tons onto the track. 

 I'm not debating the forces doesn't change as it goes down because I already know this.  

 

 

 

Can you go and cry somewhere else.  I'm talking to adults here.

So yes I should clarify, there's probably a bit of force against the track, eg if the car is rear loaded it will want to tip forwards etc so, upstops are necessary.

But by definition it cannot be the "full 6 tonnes" as you claim.

Remember the 3rd law.

Parked in the station the car exerts 6 tonnes downwards.

The track exterts 6 tonnes upwards in return. If it didn't, the track would collapse and the car would land in the gift shop.

When the car heads up the incline to vertical, that is what gets the tower shaking. It goes from pushing down through the columns to ground to transferring against the horizontal ones that were braced against the tower as it curves up 

 

Now the vertical part ...

The track is able to guide the car "a bit" but is mostly not supporting it.

The car would not be able free fall at the speed of gravity if the track was applying a significant force to prevent that.

The track that was preventing the car from falling through the station floor is now doing nothing to prevent it falling vertically.

That's why shallow drops like on roadrunner pick up speed slowly but vertical ones accelerate down at near the full 9.8ms²

 

Again, you're ignoring all these other examples where coasters with vertical track slim down the structure in those parts. How do they get away with it @New display name?

[New display name]

I've already acknowledged the track side forces are different on vertical track so naturally the track is going to require less supports, "like Gazza shown" so I don't know what you want me to say about it. I never said the forces at the curve would be the same forces at the top.

The car weight I mentioned is what I believe to be an empty car so I did take some weight off the track.

Impossible and painful to reply to you properly on Parkz after the Samsung update 😢 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by New display name

[Gazza]

Another way to consider it is the other vertical track on that tower... Giant drop.

Say the gondola weighs four tons.

On the way up what is supporting that four tons? The track or the winch?

What the gondola is released?

How much is the track supporting then?

Likely only a small amount sufficient to keep the gondola falling straight, enough to resist the wind Blowing it off course or uneven seat loading making the thing tip.

[Rivals]

More letters have been added onto the tower.

(jaggsjourneysau)

[themagician]

Only 3 to go

[Dean Barnett]

Anyone taking bets on how long it takes for them to be covered in oil?

[STRAWS]

Are they lighting up yet?

[Whombex]

Lucky they didn't leave the top "D" until last...

 

(I'll show myself out.)

[CR4ZE]

6 hours ago, Whombex said:

Lucky they didn't leave the top "D" until last...

 

(I'll show myself out.)

What a cheeky comment.

[Stevie]

On 09/04/2023 at 12:18 PM, Dean Barnett said:

Anyone taking bets on how long it takes for them to be covered in oil?

Probably 5 months of operation before you start noticing discolouration 

[themagician]

I’d like to think that during the rides future maintenance periods they’ll clean the letters if they need it 

[themagician]

No more letters have been installed, but part of the tower is covered up

Anyone know what this yellow thing is?

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

If you look closely, the yellow device is also in your closeup shot under the 'A' - it has running gear to go up the track, and a ram or actuator to push off the support structure below it. 

At a guess, these devices assist with placement of the letters in some way - they're able to move up or down the length of the actuator. they're positioned at a level below the letters though - so perhaps it supports a work platform, or holds the tools and fixings needed?

Not sure on the wrapped section, but its literally taped on so its not going to be there for long. Similarly, my guess is its related to the install of the letters. they probably didn't get as far last night as they wanted to \ haven't finished cleaning up after last nights work.