The Beast After Fireworks

[markhudson17]

Last night me and my friend were in line for The Beast...we got all the way up to the lines in the actual station...then the fireworks started going off...The stopped the ride...but afterwards they did not immediatley open the ride...it was a good 40-50min wait after the fireworks that it started back up..everyone was going nuts and alot of people left...was anyone else there when this happened and does anyone know what was going on

[flightoffear1996]

The ride was probaly having a mechincal delay.

[BavarianBeatle]

They do that every night that there are fireworks. They stop the ride at 9:45. I believe that they walk the track to make sure no sparks from the fireworks land on the wooden structure and create a danger of fire. Then everyone in line gets to ride. I always like the last nightime ride on The Beast and find the walk through the empty park with my kids to be very peaceful.

[TOPGUN1993]

That sort of happened to us Friday night... I was 3 trains away from riding, they closed for fireworks, then we left the park at 10:45.

[CoastersNSich]

While I do know that, at least since that last season, that The Beast does not start back up right away after fireworks, but I don't totally remember for how long. I'm guessing 30 mins at most if no mechanical issues are present.

[markhudson17]

thanks everyone...at least i have an explanation...btw...the ride was awesome...I always love a night ride

[CoastersRZ]

And I`d say that the closure isn`t so much as falling sparks, as it is for falling debris. I`m not sure if any of you have ever been close to a fireworks display when it goes off, but there is quite a lot of falling debris from the expended shells when they fall down. At Coney, when they shoot off fireworks on the banks of Lake Como, they shut off the employee lot, because it is so close to the launch pad. After we finally get clearance to go to our cars, there is always debris around (and sometimes ontop of them), if the wind is blowing the right direction.

[FrankNfreak]

I was coming up the ramp into the final set of queues when they shut it down....in my Cedar Fair VIP jacket ...everyone started chanting.."we want to ride"...I didn't mind the wait...because the ride in the dark at 11pm was well worth the wait. One thing I did notice..on the last hill before the helix...when your halfway down..there is a brake that holds you up and then releases you...it didn't work at all...we went into the helix at full speed...it was AWESOME!

[The Interpreter]

That brake does not hold you then release you...instead it trims the speed, and is called a trim brake.

[Erosarrow05]

he said "holds you up" meaning to slow down i believe... and that it does...

[markhudson17]

I was coming up the ramp into the final set of queues when they shut it down....in my Cedar Fair VIP jacket ...everyone started chanting.."we want to ride"...I didn't mind the wait...because the ride in the dark at 11pm was well worth the wait. One thing I did notice..on the last hill before the helix...when your halfway down..there is a brake that holds you up and then releases you...it didn't work at all...we went into the helix at full speed...it was AWESOME!

The rides near closing are always good...especially without that brake before the helix...a few years ago I was on the last train of the night...and they didn't apply any brakes...it was awesome but it hurt alot

[goofywdw]

I was there this past Sunday and my brother and I were on the last train out before they temporarily closed it at 9:45 for the fireworks. It was funny seeing all the peoples faces still in line when they kept announcing that it would be closed. We were lucky! Night rides are incredible on the...BEAST!

[dare-to-fly]

there is a brake that holds you up and then releases you...it didn't work at all...we went into the helix at full speed...it was AWESOME!

Quit advertising that or they'll add even more trim brakes to the stockpile already present. I believe the explanation for that is that magnets tend to loose power when they get hot.

[The Interpreter]

So you repeat a post from May with information in it you'd rather not be repeated?

My head hurts!

[MidnightBeast]

Just went on a solo trip again last night/tonight and I was really frustrated by the fireworks show. The loading station for Beast is about the worst place to watch it from. They started announcing it around 9:15 p, and every time it was like a two-minute announcement about how the ride will shut down at 9:45, and every time they stopped everything to make the announcement. I had wanted to get in line for Diamondback before 10, and if I'd made it onto the 9:40 train, I would have been able to ride Diamondback before going home.

I gotta remember next time I go to a 10 pm closing night that the fireworks will really interfere with any last minute riding. I do think it's weird that they keep Racer going during the show but shut Beast down. Racer at least looks like it's closer to the fireworks than Beast.

Anyone know where they launch from and what the deal is with that? Racer is wooden, so it could also catch fire. Why don't they shut it down?

[jcgoble3]

The Beast closes because a portion of its track (namely the roofed section where the trim brakes are located and the right turn immediately before) are too close to the launch site, which is in a nearby clearing. You can see where the fireworks are being launched from by riding WindSeeker during the fireworks.

As for Racer, the Red Racer's turnaround is far enough away that it can continue running. The Blue Racer is usually closed for the day by fireworks time, but on the rare occasions it is still operating at that time, I believe it also has to shut down for the fireworks because it is too close to the launch site as well. Can someone verify that?

[xXDrummerKiDXx]

Yes, one of the sides of Racers close.

[NoChickens]

I was coming up the ramp into the final set of queues when they shut it down....in my Cedar Fair VIP jacket ...everyone started chanting.."we want to ride"...I didn't mind the wait...because the ride in the dark at 11pm was well worth the wait. One thing I did notice..on the last hill before the helix...when your halfway down..there is a brake that holds you up and then releases you...it didn't work at all...we went into the helix at full speed...it was AWESOME!

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but aren't the brakes currently in use magnetic? There is little chance they didn't work, if I understand the system correctly. On a side note, the trims are way to harsh in the "shed". Still one of my favorites, just wish they'd take off 1, or possibly 2 trims in that section.

100th post I think? And only 9 months, lol

[The Interpreter]

Using that time machine from another thread, I answered this a bit more than five years ago! See below:

That brake does not hold you then release you...instead it trims the speed, and is called a trim brake.

And yes, the brakes are magnetic (and were in 2008). That's why they are so abrupt. They could perhaps be less powerful and slow the train down more gradually, but that would require a longer and more expensive section of them be

used.

Terp, who hopes he now isn't stuck in 2008.

[MrSaturdayNite]

Back in 2010 or 2011, I went to the park by myself on a weeknight. Unaware of the fireworks policy, I got in line for a night ride on The Beast. I didn't make it onto the ride before the temporary shutdown. Once that was announced, I decided I would bide my time and try to get on the last train. It was then announced that the delay would be extended. After which, the miked ride op and an area supervisor began a game of KI trivia with the crowd that stuck around. Because of my naturally quiet voice, I gave the kids around me the answers rather than try to yell them out myself. Eventually it was announced that The Beast would not reopen that night, but Diamondback would remain open for those of us who had stayed in line throughout the delay. While everyone else fled the station to get to DB ASAP, I calmly meandered my way down the Fast Lane stairwell and out the exit path, stopping to let the guy at the photo booth know that his ride would not reopen. I was still intent on riding the last train of the night on something. In the Diamondback station, I let anyone who got behind me in line for the back row cut ahead of me until it was announced that there would only be 2 more trains. At which point, I was exactly 2 trains away from riding. But then a couple got behind me, assuming that I was the person ahead of me's riding buddy. Wanting to be a good fellow park guest, and only caring about getting on the last train, I gave up my spot and moved a row up. I got to talk with them for a little bit while we waited, boarded and ascended 230 ft into the air and found out they were ACE members from out-of-town. I got to help improve the experience for some fellow enthusiasts while having a memorable experience myself. This is possibly my favorite KI memory, even though my original plan fell through.

[BoddaH1994]

It always baffled me that there wasn't a sign up at The Beast's entrance explaining the policy. Their PA system doesn't reach to most of the queue. One Saturday - a midnight close - I had Fast Lane, and was walking up the FL entrance around 10:15, knowing that the ride should reopen soon, and had people yelling to me from the queue saying that the ride was broken. They were clearly not informed that The Beast shutting down was a routine thing at that time of night. The whole thing is baffling.

[Tanna]

Checking the tracks for debris is an incredibly cool factoid.

[medford]

Do they still check the track for debris? My son took his first spin on The Beast about a week ago with my wife. They were stopped for fireworks, so after the fireworks ended, and knowing no one would be coming down the exit ramp, I wheeled our daughter in her stroller up the exit ramp so I could see where they were in line/see my little boy's face after he was done riding The Beast. From the end of fireworks, to however long it took me to wheel here thru the exit line was how long it took them to load up the 1st train and dispatch it for the post fireworks ride. They could have been walking the track during fireworks, or perhaps they have monitors now to see if any problems arise. Or perhaps wind direction dictates if they need to walk the track or not. I don't know, but shut down was minimal, any other time I've ridden The Beast at night, I've always gotten off prior to the fireworks going off.

[DontWantToWait42mar0]

Yeah they definately slow roll when it comes to starting Beast up after the fireworks. It is still the best ride in the park though.

[AZ Kinda Guy]

It always baffled me that there wasn't a sign up at The Beast's entrance explaining the policy. Their PA system doesn't reach to most of the queue. One Saturday - a midnight close - I had Fast Lane, and was walking up the FL entrance around 10:15, knowing that the ride should reopen soon, and had people yelling to me from the queue saying that the ride was broken. They were clearly not informed that The Beast shutting down was a routine thing at that time of night. The whole thing is baffling.

The whole reason for shutting down baffles me. The Beast ran for how many years while the fireworks were going off? Did they move the launch site of the fireworks or something recently?

[DontWantToWait42mar0]

It always baffled me that there wasn't a sign up at The Beast's entrance explaining the policy. Their PA system doesn't reach to most of the queue. One Saturday - a midnight close - I had Fast Lane, and was walking up the FL entrance around 10:15, knowing that the ride should reopen soon, and had people yelling to me from the queue saying that the ride was broken. They were clearly not informed that The Beast shutting down was a routine thing at that time of night. The whole thing is baffling.

The whole reason for shutting down baffles me. The Beast ran for how many years while the fireworks were going off? Did they move the launch site of the fireworks or something recently?

Most of the people in line think that it is ironic that The Beast shuts down yet WindSeeker continues normal operation.