i tried to search for past topics about The Bat but, i keep coming up with a search error.

i was watching a you tube video of The Bat and it looked like a blast.

what were the malfunctions that led to its demise? it looks eerily similar to flight deck.

what is the difference between the 2 rides?

Well, the primary differences were the fact that The Bat didn`t have banked track, which led to issues with the shock absorbers. Additionally, the brakes and brake fins were mounted on the bottoms of the cars, as opposed to by the wheel carriages. Those are just some of the issues that led to The Bat`s sporadic uptime, and eventual closure only a few years after it opened in 1981.

The brakes caused wheel torque issues, which caused them to crack and need replaced almost daily. Another cause of the wheel cracks was where the chain dogs were located. Being at the bottom of the tub also increased torque on the wheels of the cars.

Tom, I believe the chain dogs and anti-rollbacks for The Bat were at the top of the wheel assembly, the brake fins were located at the bottom of the cars.

Tom, I believe the chain dogs and anti-rollbacks for The Bat were at the top of the wheel assembly, the brake fins were located at the bottom of the cars.

Here is some video of The Bat you can see all the assembly and brake fins.

Hmmm. All I see is a white box....

EDIT: Now he has put in a link. Bravo!

Hmmm. All I see is a white box....

Ditto.

Yes, the chain dogs and anti roll backs for The Bat were located by the wheel assemblies. Additionally, while hairline cracks did occur in the wheels, I believe they did not have to be replaced daily. I have heard that due to the lack of banking, the shock absorbers needed to be replaced frequently, weekly or sometimes daily.

Sorry Youtube is not working your just going to have to copy and past the link.

Tom, I believe the chain dogs and anti-rollbacks for The Bat were at the top of the wheel assembly, the brake fins were located at the bottom of the cars.

Here is some video of The Bat you can see all the assembly and brake fins.

Yep, you can see the the brake fins on the bottom of the car as opposed to the single guide wheel commonly found on the bottom of the later Arrow suspended coasters. The chain dogs were at the top of the car by the wheel assembly.

I belive that, with time, The Bat's problems could have been worked out. But, I'm talking years and that's unacceptable for a park. Also, what is available in today's market was unavailable back then so it's hard to know for sure that underengineering could be compensated for.

I am curious as to how the brake fins on the bottoms of the cars worked. One inch of swing too much one way could cause a major problem.

There was a guide for the brakes to slip through - kinda like the opposite of the antique car guide (it gets wider). The cars were on a straight away when entering the brake - not swinging from side to side. It worked well - I don't remember them ever having a problem stopping a train and, having ridden The Bat several times, I can tell you that all stops were very smooth and never did I suspect any braking problems.

There was a guide for the brakes to slip through - kinda like the opposite of the antique car guide (it gets wider). The cars were on a straight away when entering the brake - not swinging from side to side. It worked well - I don't remember them ever having a problem stopping a train and, having ridden The Bat several times, I can tell you that all stops were very smooth and never did I suspect any braking problems.

Only problem ever stopping the ride was if it was raining.

If it was raining, the brakes would not catch property. That's why the ride would not run in the rain.

The Bat was awesome! What you have read here are the reasons it closed. However, I remember hearing lots of other crazy stories about why it closed years later. One that comes to mind was how some girl had been thrown from the ride.

No one was ever thrown from The Bat. Furthermore, no one else was ever seriously injured or killed on The Bat. Just like many other popular urban myths, such as The Vortex sinking, they simply are that. Myths, and not based on factual events.

The brakes caused wheel torque issues...

Uhmmm thers's no such thing has "wheel torque" on a steel coaster....

At least on any of KI's past and present steel coasters.

Lost Legends

The brakes caused wheel torque issues...

Uhmmm thers's no such thing has "wheel torque" on a steel coaster....

At least on any of KI's past and present steel coasters.

I think he was referencing the huge moment created by the brakes being a good distance from the wheel assemblies. Torque is technically not correct, but in layman's terms...

Technically, because the brakes were so far from the axels of the wheels, the moment of inertia would have been greater. As the distance from the fixed point that the force is applied to increases, the moment of inertia increases. That force is slowing down of the car or (de)acceleration x mass. Because the distance is greater the moment is greater. In laymen’s terms you could say that the leverage is greater. This is the force that would cause stress on the wheel axels. It’s a rotational force as the lower part of the car slows down but the upper part wants to continue forward. It's not technically torquing anything because torsion is a rotational force about the axes of something. Torque would be attempting twisting a dowel rod where the moment of inertia would be bending it in half.

Technically, because the brakes were so far from the axels of the wheels, the moment of inertia would have been greater. As the distance from the fixed point that the force is applied to increases, the moment of inertia increases. That force is slowing down of the car or (de)acceleration x mass. Because the distance is greater the moment is greater. In laymen’s terms you could say that the leverage is greater. This is the force that would cause stress on the wheel axels. It’s a rotational force as the lower part of the car slows down but the upper part wants to continue forward. It's not technically torquing anything because torsion is a rotational force about the axes of something. Torque would be attempting twisting a dowel rod where the moment of inertia would be bending it in half.

Well thank you Dr. Bingaman! Oh, wait a minute, I'm not in Physics class about to fall asleep, but on coaster forum. Back to "braking" news...