Can we get Screamin' up to capacity please?

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Originally Posted by thndrmtnskp

its not the first coaster in the sun or did you forget thunder is mostly outdoors. even there the LIMs have issues especially on hot days. granted they are not launching a train at that speed but they still get a workout. it may be better for them not to run full capacity than to have the LIMs spontaniously catch on fire.
that and the ones running at screamin are closer to the best technology than some other places.

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Big Thunder doesn't have LIMs.....

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Originally Posted by HMFan

Big Thunder doesn't have LIMs.....

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Maybe they installed hiddne LIMs in the dark tunnel, maybe thats what caused those accident, not really *shakes his head*

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Originally Posted by dshimel

I don't understand this overheat thing either.....

RnRC at MGM launches 24 people, 0 to 60, about once every 45-50 seconds for a capacity of 1800 an hour.

Screamin' launches 24 people, 0 to 55, about once every 35-40 seconds for a max capacity of 2400ish an hour.

Trains don't seem to be that much different to me.

Is 10-12 seconds.... 20-25% shorter reset time... that big of a deal?

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I think the biggest issue with this overheating is the fact that the LIM's are in the sun. I know that the sun itself shouldn't make that big of a deal but when you have two ton trains getting launched to 55MPH every 35 seconds I could imagine things getting pretty darn hot.

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Originally Posted by dshimel

So, what is the problem?

Overheating LIMs? I've seen it run with 5 and 6 trains in the past without overheating (after the sprinklers were added).

A couple years ago I heard they were having problems with micro-cracks in the structure that had to be welded up... Are those coming back and they need to run low capacity to catch up?

Or, does Disney just not want guests finishing all DCA's rides that people actually want to ride, in 2 hours? Drop capacity, lines get longer, takes longer to ride, suddenly it is a 5 hour park instead of a 3 hour park... Walkways look busier...

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I don't know what is wrong, but most likely the issues are related to the LIM's. That has been an issue in the past. It has been an issue for other rides like this as well.

From my personal experience with roller coasters the micro-crack thing is BS. If that were in fact the case the ride would be closed. Intamin, B&M, Vekoma, Arrrow, etc. have been in the business of building large scale steel roller coasters for years. Micro cracks? Only on a Disney ride would that be a rumor because of rabid fans who known nothing about the rides. Screamin' is far from a state-of-the-art design. The only thing that is state-of-the-art on Screamin are the LIMs and the fact that Disney asked for such a high-capacity design, but that is not an issue since plenty of roller coasters in the past (many Disney) have been designed to handle this many trains cycling. It's VERY UNLIKELY that this roller coaster would have microcracks. Also, they're actually called something different , but I cannot recall.

I'd stand by Intamin any day. They're products are excellent and generally very reliable. LIMs on the other hand are not.

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Originally Posted by ah schucks

I was unaware the LIM trains created a lot of heat- I have only ever ridden one other LIM attraction the old Superman Great Escape at Six Flags and I don't recall water being involved.

Hence I thought it was strange the water being sprayed on the tracks. If there is little friction, where is the heat being generated? I sincerely am interested if someone can post an answer, I want to better understand this thread.

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Superman The Escape does not use LIMs to launch the trains. STE uses a different, but similiar technology called Linear Synchronous Motors or LSMs. It's different and from my understanding overheating is not as big of an issue with LSMs.

Rock 'N Roller Coaster uses LSMs.

There are many different cooling systems for LIMs, it doesn't have to be water. I've seen air conditioning units blowing cold air onto the LIMs.

The LIMs generate heat when their powered. Its a lot of power in an instant to generate the positive and negative forces to attract and repel. Its not a friction issue. If the fin hits the LIMs they've got a much more serious issue.

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Originally Posted by dshimel

I don't understand this overheat thing either.....

RnRC at MGM launches 24 people, 0 to 60, about once every 45-50 seconds for a capacity of 1800 an hour.

Screamin' launches 24 people, 0 to 55, about once every 35-40 seconds for a max capacity of 2400ish an hour.

Trains don't seem to be that much different to me.

Is 10-12 seconds.... 20-25% shorter reset time... that big of a deal?

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RnRC's environmental conditions are very different from Screamin'. Indoors, air conditioned room, no sun, no light and further their not LIMs, but instead LSMs.

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Originally Posted by HMFan

Big Thunder doesn't have LIMs.....

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actually they do they just aren't as powerfull and aren't used to launch the train at a high rate of speed. when you're standing in the station looking at the track the long skinny things that open and close are the brakes, the short one near the back being a trim brake that slows it and the longer one near the front is the one that stops it. right by both of those are these black shoe box shaped things in rows those are LIMs. they are used to gently push the train into the tunnel, cuz the weight of the train isn't enough to move it. there are also LIMs in the brake section in front of the town area those ones are used to slow down the train and push it forward into the station. and i also know that on hot days when thunder is running 5 trains its possible for the ones out by the town to overheat and give out, which for those of you who have stood in line and heard that loud buzzing noise comming from there that is what is causing it.

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Originally Posted by cfparkmanager

From my personal experience with roller coasters the micro-crack thing is BS. If that were in fact the case the ride would be closed. Intamin, B&M, Vekoma, Arrrow, etc. have been in the business of building large scale steel roller coasters for years.

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I'm not saying there is anything worng with the ride or that it is unsafe. The track, like the trains, needs constant maintenance. About every coaster I've ever been on has little spots of fresh paint here and there where they've painted over litlle places they've been working on with the wleding torches.... It happens...

It is it happening faster than you can keep up, you reduce capacity to slow the formation of new stress cracks while you catch up...

This is why Shockwave was moved from Six Flags Magic Mountain to Astroworld (where it is now called Batman the Escape) where it could be run more seasonably and at much lower capacity.

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Originally Posted by pyrateslife4me84

I'm not really sure what they can do with this ride...they are certainly not going to close it for the refurbishment that it needs until at LEAST this fall, and likely not until after the 50th ends, as it is a huge attraction for DCA to have closed. In the meantime, they ought to at least swap the trains out one at a time for a couple weeks at a time to refurbish them, and I'm sure they could paint small sections of the track at night. Maybe they should install fans (or air conditioning units) near the LIMs to keep them cool, in addition to the water they spray on it--that would cool the LIMs faster and not affect guest experience at all. If you've ever been to Animal Kingdom in the summer, they have fans huge fans installed around the park that they spray water through, which helps you cool off in the hotter than SoCal temperatures.

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Why do you and others keep bringing up the trains? I think a very important point was already made that a few of us have seen 5, possibly 6 different trains in operation on different days over the past couple of weeks. There is nothing wrong with the trains. The only thing not working on the trains is the onboard audio systems.

It is my understanding that they have seven trains so one can always be under refurbishment.

I think the really issue with the LIMs is the sun and the number of trains this roller coaster can have cycling at once.

cfparkmanager, can you explain to me how exactly these LIM's work? When the train leaves the station, is it those magnents out along the launch that pull the train and then shut off when the train stops before launching? And when the train launches, do all of those LIM's turn on as sort of a chain reaction?

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Originally Posted by cfparkmanager

Why do you and others keep bringing up the trains? I think a very important point was already made that a few of us have seen 5, possibly 6 different trains in operation on different days over the past couple of weeks. There is nothing wrong with the trains. The only thing not working on the trains is the onboard audio systems.

It is my understanding that they have seven trains so one can always be under refurbishment.

I think the really issue with the LIMs is the sun and the number of trains this roller coaster can have cycling at once.

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No need to be so snappy and condescending. I was actually referring to fixing the onboard audio, as that is pretty integral to making the ride experience anything more than a Six Flags style ride, and it is ridiculous that the audio is not working. Not my idea of Disney standards at all.

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Originally Posted by DisneyMickey

cfparkmanager, can you explain to me how exactly these LIM's work? When the train leaves the station, is it those magnents out along the launch that pull the train and then shut off when the train stops before launching? And when the train launches, do all of those LIM's turn on as sort of a chain reaction?

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http://www.me.utexas.edu/~uer/roller/tech.html

They have descriptions of how LIM's and LSM's work ... they also have a lot of other great information.

Thanks for the link, very informing.

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Originally Posted by pyrateslife4me84

No need to be so snappy and condescending. I was actually referring to fixing the onboard audio, as that is pretty integral to making the ride experience anything more than a Six Flags style ride, and it is ridiculous that the audio is not working. Not my idea of Disney standards at all.

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I hear ya about the onboard sound system.

Has anyone been to DCA lately and happen to see how many trains they were running? Sorry cfparkmanager :D

You know what scares me? If they cannot get this right on a roller ocaster how are they going to get it right on the next generation huge platform of power projection?