How weather Affects rides

[@mariesoleilpelletiermarqui6873]

You are so interesting! I just discovered your channel and I'm spending too many hours watching your videos. Wow! I just love it. I'm not a mechanic but I'm a passionate about rides, roller coaster, accidents.....I'm an encyclopedia and your knowledges completes it perfectly. Than you very much. 😍

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@mariesoleilpelletiermarqui6873 your welcome

[@TimothyChapman]

Me taking notes for designing coasters on a simulator that can't simulate even half these things.

[@batshtcrazy5293]

That sounds like a friggin nightmare. But at least you learned your lesson. Poor guy. Thanks for all the info, because it's facinating.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Your welcome

[@michaeltaylor1603]

i watched Boardwalk Bullet valley when new. Greezed Lightning valley due to loose "flag" dragging along track. Astroway Von Roll aerial sky way goes down due 2 lightning/wind.

[@stevevandemark7169]

Really enjoy your knowledge on rollercoasters,keep them coming very interesting

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Thank you

[@janmcguire5268]

Interesting story!

[@simoncurrie5520]

Old (very 😂) wooden coaster. If we felt a sudden drop in air temp we used to have to run out to the check brake and move it up a notch before the rain started. Otherwise a train would come in to fast. I can still tell when it's gonna rain the wife calls me a human barometer.... Lmao.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Ha! But did it work? I know the body tells people info in advance.

[@simoncurrie5520]

@@ryantheridemechanic most times. Better calling it wrong and the train stopping in check than it flying into the station to fast with manual brakes. Got it wrong a few times though.

[@pk26pk26]

In short, what is the bare minimum as far as temperatures and any accumulated snowfall on it can a coaster tolerate for regular ride operation, regardless of attendance or ridership levels during the colder months? I'm not advocating opening parks in the Rust Belt parts of the country in January or February, but I believe that parks are not financially viable with such short seasons, made shorter due to schools infringing on the tourist season by being open in August, and that parks need to at least be open more in Spring and Fall to be relevant. I'm familiar with what some call the "Kings Dominion Law" and the cold war between educators and tourism officials, and would like to see a way for Northern parks be open in March, April, November, and maybe December.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

That is a very complex question. I would not run a ride below 40f without replacing the grease in the wheels with thinner grease. Absolutely no snow or ice on the track. But I Really doubt people are going to go out and ride coaster in that temperature. Think of the wind chill at 50mph. And most parks uses seasonal kids to run the rides and food. So when they go to school you would have to pay full time adults 2-3 times the pay to do the same thing. It’s a slippery slope.

[@bassjasinski]

Wow thanks for the info. Do the ride manufacturers vary the lift speed to adjust for wind so the train could start with extra energy?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Most do not just because the speed the lift can output is minimal.

[@timault8209]

Ryan... since "valleying" is possible, don't creative procedures exist for rescuing a stranded train other then disassembly? 'frinstance, you couldn't have McGiver'd a solution using stout lines and snatch-blocks and winched the thing to either crest of that track? I find it difficult to believe that in over the past hundred-plus years, coaster tradesman haven't passed down their experience to resolve this less-than-uncommon dilemma.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Crane companies won’t pull it because their never a vertical pull. The used to higher a big rig towing company who could use park supplied cables and pull it through but the companies insurance stopped that. If it’s light enough you and use a series of ratchet blocks but in the case of a full size train, pull it apart. I know one park explained they literally cut the track out to recover it!! How crazy does that sound!

[@mcloughlinguy4127]

@@ryantheridemechanic How did they put the track back in place after cutting it?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@mcloughlinguy4127 just lined it all back up and welded it together. That park and a extremely specialized track crew that I’ve never seen anywhere else.

[@KartDriver04]

Six Flags great america with raging bull right

[@spinba11]

I’ve seen a park rescue a spinning car (single car per train) using ratchet straps to pull it up the the next brake segment.

[@spinba11]

Well at least you stayed to help get the train off I bet some mechanics would leg it, I’m assuming the first thing you do after a valley is hit the E-stop, would I be correct?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

I think the first thing we did was to transfer the other train off the track. Then lock out. Then we started making phone calls to anyone that had a good way to recover a train. The manger was extremely on point with these things. Then we called a crane company and waited for the park to close.

[@kendonagan5535]

Was this on your B&M?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Yes. I made a bad call on a windy morning and spent the next 28 hours paying for it.

[@kendonagan5535]

@@ryantheridemechanic everyone has made a bad decision in their job at one point. For most of us, the repercussions are pretty minor. For some it's catastrophic. In your case I'm sure it was a major pain, but no one was hurt so it could have been much worse.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@kendonagan5535 only reason was it was unloaded about 45min before the park opened. Had there been anyone on it protocol is to evacuate and the decision to move the train forward would have been removed from my control. Empty, cold, windy, not a good combination.

[@TheCoasterSerpent]

You valleyed Medusa, that is funny and I hope you can look back on it and laugh though I am sure that was hard work taking the train off. Based off the description I guess it almost made it into the mid course and then it rolled back.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Most stressful 28 hours of my life.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Right before the block suspended 50feet off the ground. What a pain

[@TheCoasterSerpent]

@@ryantheridemechanic Sorry to hear that, truly. I'm no fan of seeing anyone suffer for a bit of bad luck.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@TheCoasterSerpent changed me for sure. I had a hard time making the call to send the train over on a windy day after that. Thanks for the comments.

[@4everpee]

why you dont put dummies or sit with other peoples in that train to give it more energy to complete the circuit.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

When a 32 person train is load tested it takes a crew of 6 people roughly 3 hours to load the dummies. Then approximately about 2 hours to unload the dummies. Sandbags can be used but these are more dangerous and take even more time to secure.

[@coastermania17]

Is the element you were referring to the cobra roll?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

I’m not sure what it’s name is. I think it was more of a serpentine element. When it comes to the maintenance of these rides, names of elements and things like that are not necessary and are not told either it is all just track at that point.

[@coastermania17]

@ryantheridemechanic I'm sorry, I was mistaken. For some reason, I thought that the floorless coaster was a clone of the Medusa at Great Adventure. The element is definitely not a cobra roll. A serpentine roll is definitely a better description of that element