Jump to content

Surf dog (accidental) emergency stop.


Fisher
 Share

Recommended Posts

So tonight a ride op accidentally leaned against the emergency stop button on Surf Dog as it was just beginning. The ride op who was controlling the ride was aware of what happened, and the op who triggered it very discreetly pulled the button back to the armed position. The controlling op got on the speaker and reassured the passengers that everything was fine. The controlling op got on the landline for a a few seconds. Next, the controlling op was able to get the ride back to starting position, and raise the floor for deboarding. All of that in about two minutes.

Next, a supervisor showed up about minute later and talked to the op. He announced that there was a problem of some type, and ride will be closed indefinitely. Riders were allowed to get off. Most people in line left, but I chose to stay because I thought this was going to be easy fix involving a green light by management.

Management showed up after a couple of more minutes passed, followed by a maintenance worker with tools. Words were exchanged, and a decision was made to not open the ride for the rest of the evening. It was 9:15, and rides closed at 10:00. The maintenance guy then proceeded to open up the compartment in the center of the ride. He was still working on it 15 minutes later.

This leads me to believe that the emergency stop switch does not just cut power in some fashion, but triggers the blowing of a fuse which needs replacement. If this is so, it seems odd to me that the fuses are so hard to get to.

Overall, it was interesting to watch, and there was a high level of professionalism from all of the workers, in term of staying calm, acting quickly, and communicating to patrons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

E-Stopping a ride (and most machinery) is not a "healthy" condition for the device. Since E-Stop literally kills (stops) the ride, none of the normal end of cycle procedures are followed.

Most E-Stop issues cannot be repeated identically, thus, cannot be planned for.

Maintenance most likely open the control panal to see what bits were enaged and which ones were not.

Due to safety concerns, there is no overriding "reset" button.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^^ No.

Sometimes when an E-Stop is used, the reset is simple as switching into manual, and homing the machine/ ride out.

Other times (when maintenance needs to step in), the machine/ ride will not home out due to a switch that needs to be changed (i.e. changing a bit from "0" to "1" in the ladder.) This is only one example in a plethora of possiblities.

TTD is a great example of how long it takes to reset a ride. When it first opened, it took an INCREDIBLE amount of time to reset. Today- not even close as most recovery procedures have been experienced.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

E-stops are something I know little about, but like has been said, I'd assume that shutting the rude down was a result of the stop messing with something on the ride. I have a friend that worked on The Racer who was explaining e-stops to me, but I don't feel as if the maintenance issue seemed as needed on a coaster from what I could gather.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

E-stops are something I know little about, but like has been said, I'd assume that shutting the rude down was a result of the stop messing with something on the ride.

I'm all for shutting the rude down. People are pretty rude these days.

I believe E-Stops and Ride Stops are different. Without going into detail, certain operating parameters call for different procedures in the event of either of the aforementioned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Easiest way to describe the difference is this: Ride stops are designed to put the ride back in the "home" position and allow passengers to disembark without any other issues. These are used mostly for unruly guests, or in some instances when a certain set of parameters are met in the ride computer. Power is kept onto the ride during a ride stop. Emergency stops are used when a certain set of parameters within the ride computer is met, and the safety of those aboard might be threatened. Also, the operator has an E-stop button available for parameters not set by the computer (someone jumping over the fences and entering lockout for example.)

Almost all the rides at KI must be reinspected by maintenance after every E-stop situation, no matter if it is accidental or not. The reason for this is an E-stop is very harsh on the electrical systems of the newer style of rides, and maintenance wants to ensure that an accidental E-stop will not cascade into a bigger issue, or whatever caused the E-stop is fixed and did not trigger other issues with the ride. Most of these are 5 minute restarts (goes in, checks the ride computer, checks the circuit breakers, buttons it up, puts it to manual.) The only rides that I can think of off hand that do not have a hard maintenance reset are mostly "carnival" style rides that are up at the park, mainly due to the fact that for safety reasons, the E-stop is engaged in order to load and unload guests. The one that springs to my mind immediately is Kiddie Carousel. On that attraction, for safety reasons, the E-stop is pressed in after the ride cycle is done, and for further safety measures, the key is also removed until the ride cycle is ready to go.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know anything about amusment rides but I work on a production line and we have the same kinda E-stops. Most machinerie I deal with these days is so computerized that a simple reset isn't always a option. I would bet Surf Dog is like that too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...This leads me to believe that the emergency stop switch does not just cut power in some fashion, but triggers the blowing of a fuse which needs replacement. If this is so, it seems odd to me that the fuses are so hard to get to.

Where is condescending Wonka when you need him?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...