DegenRider Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 As we all have heard already there was a short power outage Saturday at the park. I witnessed it 1st hand and it caused a wacky situation none the less. From a source who wishes to remain nameless I have new info. It was not just a quick flicker. It was a brown out. Not enough power getting around at the same time. This in theory should cause the power to cut off to avoid damage. Well the theory was correct. Apperantly someone knew before hand in the Paramount Theater as they were doing final work and they were getting low voltage. Did someone forget to tell Cinergy that the park reopened? Who knows!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euclid Beast Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 That was eerie walking around the park with all the major attractions down. Felt like Jurassic Park, after the power was shut down... We had just gotten off FOF when it occurred... perhaps it was too much weight on the end of the train caused to LIM's to overheat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastfreak Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 Odd... I would have sworn the power outage was do to the accident in West Chester at that time which took out a power line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DegenRider Posted April 5, 2004 Author Share Posted April 5, 2004 Well that would constute not enough power getting to the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopThrillDragster Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 It was crazy all the main rides were closed! It was kind of scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobgun Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 Odd... I would have sworn the power outage was do to the accident in West Chester at that time which took out a power line? Yes, that was the reason! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonLord Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 Something in West Chester did get hit and that is what caused the power problem. I'm not sure if it was a brown out or an actual power failure for a fraction of a second, but we were lucky. Some places in Mason were out for a few minutes, other places west of West Chester were out for about an hour from what I understand. It might have been something more than a pole that got hit. Who knows? It was a great learning experience for everyone though! Nice timing too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbilly Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 was there really, wow that is weird. Just thinking about the rides not operating for a while in the park is weird. Did any of the coasters stop when it occurred? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derbeast Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 Nice timing too! Nice timing??? It was probably the worst timing ever... it was right before the shift change for rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StXBomber Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 Yeah, I was stuck on beast's first hill when it happened, made me a lil late to my shift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0-120 Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 You think it was scary with the major PKI attractions down? Well I was at Cedar Point the day of the big power outage (lucky me! ) and everything was down. It was like a ghost town. It was so wierd. But there was one thing running from what I could tell. These cars. They run on gas so there was a huge line for that and it was so funny since all of the little kids were smiling and having a great time. People had to walk down from about 2/3 of the way up on Magnum. It was a crazy time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraderJake Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 You think it was scary with the major PKI attractions down? Well I was at Cedar Point the day of the big power outage Hey me too, it was my two day vacation too so it kinda sucked royally, but as the saying goes, [deleted] happens. I personally thought MF being stuck 300 ft in the air was cooler than where the Magnum was, but then this isn't a topic about my trip to CP. I got some lovely photos of that park with out power though, only wish though that I had saved some photos for the antics that were occurring on the highways back to Cincinnati. Remember, if a stop light is out, treat the intersection like a four way intersection-- it's the law. Anyways back on topic, yeah that was bad timing for a power blip/ shortage/ whatever you want to call it. It happened right after shift change for us, and it caused a huge influx into the stores. It could have been worse for us though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0-120 Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 Well Millenium Forces generator kicked on and sent them over the hill. The people from Magnum had to walk down. It was on my one day stay, but oh well, I still had a blast. TTD twice! I feel bad for the legions of people sitting at the gas station, waiting for the power to come back on. Hopefully that power blip wasn't a bad omen or anything for whats to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenmayes Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 What really happend was a squirrel ****ed on a wire over by racer and it blew out the breakers. All you animal activist dont worry...It landed safe and sound in Sparky's lap over at Drop.. ~Tiny~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrfyter Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 Odd... I would have sworn the power outage was do to the accident in West Chester at that time which took out a power line? Yes, that was the reason! Are you guys sure? A car would have to wipe out a high-tension wire, for it to have any effect on the park. chances are, something just happened to the power grid. Brownouts occur, when there isn't enough power for everything to get the full power it needs, and it only gets partial power, hence how you get a brownout. Simply put, the lightbulbs just dim, instead of completely going out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOB/Gun Steve-O Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 was there really, wow that is weird. Just thinking about the rides not operating for a while in the park is weird. Did any of the coasters stop when it occurred? Yes. The coaster's don't have backup power. If it dies with you on it, you get stuck. Very simple. And for fyrfyter: 1) What's up! Haven't seen you in a while. 2) Ride ops are trained to immediately turn off the ride if there is any kind of power flucuation that we can see. I think its to prevent the panel from frying when the power comes back on. I know that on Top Gun the power was down for no more than a few minutes - but we were still down because we had to get approval to go back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrfyter Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 was there really, wow that is weird. Just thinking about the rides not operating for a while in the park is weird. Did any of the coasters stop when it occurred? Yes. The coaster's don't have backup power. If it dies with you on it, you get stuck. Very simple. And for fyrfyter: 1) What's up! Haven't seen you in a while. 2) Ride ops are trained to immediately turn off the ride if there is any kind of power flucuation that we can see. I think its to prevent the panel from frying when the power comes back on. I know that on Top Gun the power was down for no more than a few minutes - but we were still down because we had to get approval to go back up. to answer 1.) I have been in paramedic school since September. I test out June 17 & 18, so i have been quite busy, but figured I had better get back to the boards at some point in time. The funny thing is, as it turns out, several of the people at school work Fire & Safety and First Aid for the park, so I guess its a plus to have new friends there. 2.) I figured the park would have some kind of visual voltage meter, that way you can see how much power you are getting, that way you don't fry the panel if there is a spike in the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpetarson Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 Would Drop Zone get stuck if the power went out or does it have a backup generator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastfreak Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 Are you guys sure? Pretty darn sure. Down power line is on West Chester Road, by my house. My guess, while Cinergy shuts off power to that line, inadvertenly shuts down power for split second everywhere then leaving it off in area of trouble. Again, I'm no electrician either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenmayes Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 If I were you guys I would subscribe to my squirrel theory~ It makes sense! ~Tiny~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwware Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 I am very curious about rides and power. If the power goes out just as Drop Zone is released, then what happens? Does it emergancy break on the way down? I have always wondered stuff like that and thought what a perfect time to ask! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsMasta Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 drop zone has a permament magnet for a brake (as do most freefal rides) so the brakes do not rely on electricity at all. it's just two like charges coming together so they "attract" which stops the ride. it's completely fail safe. most drop rides have springs at the bottom of the ride mounted to the tower.. i don't htink DZ has these since it has the magnet but it might have some.. i'll have to check Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted April 6, 2004 Share Posted April 6, 2004 Hydro's are the backups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrfyter Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 My guess, while Cinergy shuts off power to that line, inadvertenly shuts down power for split second everywhere then leaving it off in area of trouble. Again, I'm no electrician either. Most of the major cincergy lines in the tri-state are controlled from the main station down town, which uses electrical digital signal to control the flow of power. If Cinergy is going to move a line, or disconnect it, first they call downtown by radio and get power re-routed, to affect the smallest area possible. then take care of the line. I have seen it many times. Usually power in a large area goes out, due to a lightning strike or when a car hits a pole and shorts the system. After Cinergy gets there, they can call the main plant and have them re-supply all the areas of the grid, except where they are working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryler87 Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 most drop rides have springs at the bottom of the ride mounted to the tower.. i don't htink DZ has these since it has the magnet but it might have some.. i'll have to check There are large either hydraulic or pneumatic arms that are pumped up after the "car" gets a fifth of the way up the "track." You can see them, they're big - they come about 6 or 8 feet (I think) up above ground level. My guess is that inlet valves for these things lock as soon as they are up all the way. I think these are also the same "arms" that slow the car to the ground to a stop. Although this all makes sense to me, I could be totally wrong. Can someone else help if I'm out of the loop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CYoung2003 Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 Ride ops are trained to immediately turn off the ride if there is any kind of power flucuation that we can see. I think its to prevent the panel from frying when the power comes back on. I know that on Top Gun the power was down for no more than a few minutes - but we were still down because we had to get approval to go back up. Actually, we do that because if the power comes back on and we are evacuating, you dont want the ride to start back up and the trains, units, etc. to move. So you E-Stop and Key off just to be on the safe side because it could happen. You have to assume the worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adbort Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I remember back in 2001, I was at Action Theater driving "B" side (smash factory). I believe most of the park was down for weather (thunder storm). But action theater never closed for weather, so we running, and all of a sudden the ride went black. So I remember hitting the e-stop. It was pretty weird. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but after that we were down for awhile. When sound came and started us back up, we had to re-run all startups, and we did not re-open to close to an hour after that happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenmayes Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 ^ Stellar story Tiny mwahaha, Just playing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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