Baz_H Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 First post on these forums... long time lurker. (Hi!) Something that's really stuck out to me lately, especially with the mention of the Banshee 'Power Hour,' is the lackluster hourly capacity on most of the attractions. Looking at just about every single coaster in the park, the ride operators choose not to (are trained not to?) launch a train until the previously launched train returns to the break-run/station. Obviously these coasters are designed with block sections, so I'm curious as to why the park/operators choose not to utilize those block sections and increase their current hourly capacity. Most notably the "Stunt Track," "Diamondback," "Banshee," and "Adventure Express." Perhaps it's an obvious answer, so I'm hoping some of you might be able to shed light on this! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Welcome to KIC! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny1388 Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Welcome to KIC! I don't know if it's a choice they're making, honestly. It seems the outbound train isn't finished loading and there's one waiting to enter the station to unload. I've seen a handful of times (on just 3 visits to the park so far) people unable to secure their restraints and have to exit the ride. Something like this can begin a snowball effect, and I'm sure being the beginning of the season is a factor as well. I've seen two trains waiting on Diamondback, Banshee and Vortex (and they were sending trains with 5 riders total) while the third train is still loading. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creed Bratton Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 One answer: guests. When guests bring their whole house to the park and to the ride platforms, they have to place them in bins which take up dispatch time. When guests argue with a ride associate that they are safe but the computer won't dispatch the coaster, that holds up hourly capacity. When guests can't decide whether or not they are too scared to ride, that holds it up. Etc. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Guests can only be blamed for so much. The ride operators have to accept some of it as well. For example, Vortex was consistently triple stacking on Friday. While there was no line, it wasn't as big of a deal, but it would be exceedingly frustrating to have waited in a line to discover the reason for the triple stacking had nothing to do with guests and everything to do with the fact the ride ops were too busy chit chatting to dispatch their trains in a timely fashion. I saw it both on our train and the train ahead of ours. The ride ops were chit chatting instead of scanning and clearing. This was my absolute biggest frustration with working on Manta also - I was often the only op that finished checking and returned to my spot immediately, ready to clear the train, instead of taking 10-20 seconds to chit chat with the other operators before slowly meandering back to position. This holds up capacity and while it seems like a short break to those doing it, to the people sitting on the train, sometimes in uncomfortable restraints or positions, it seems like an eternity. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Backlot's block sections are practically a moot point. The second track section after the MCBR (the tunnel) is so short that it doesn't seem to make any operational difference that the MCBR exists at all. I would guess that it's been a one-train-on-the-course ride since it opened and hasn't deviated from that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Additionally with Backlot, the next train can't pull up to the loading station until the train in front of it clears the helix. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz_H Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 One answer: guests. When guests bring their whole house to the park and to the ride platforms, they have to place them in bins which take up dispatch time. When guests argue with a ride associate that they are safe but the computer won't dispatch the coaster, that holds up hourly capacity. When guests can't decide whether or not they are too scared to ride, that holds it up. Etc. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk But that would suggest that a perfect train would be possible at least *some* of the time, right? I've never seen them run in a perfect manner - even on the busiest of days. Plus, 'Banshee' doesn't allow loose items. Take Diamondback for example - you've got exactly 90 seconds designed for train dispatch. Once a train clears that MCBR, the next one should begin the lift, right? While using 3 trains, perfect hourly capacity is 1,620 and their current operating procedures tally approximately 640-704. If they operated utilizing the MCBR, they're be hitting closer to 1,100-1280 - taking into account the potential for "problem" guests/trains. Guests can only be blamed for so much. The ride operators have to accept some of it as well. For example, Vortex was consistently triple stacking on Friday. While there was no line, it wasn't as big of a deal, but it would be exceedingly frustrating to have waited in a line to discover the reason for the triple stacking had nothing to do with guests and everything to do with the fact the ride ops were too busy chit chatting to dispatch their trains in a timely fashion. I saw it both on our train and the train ahead of ours. The ride ops were chit chatting instead of scanning and clearing. This was my absolute biggest frustration with working on Manta also - I was often the only op that finished checking and returned to my spot immediately, ready to clear the train, instead of taking 10-20 seconds to chit chat with the other operators before slowly meandering back to position. This holds up capacity and while it seems like a short break to those doing it, to the people sitting on the train, sometimes in uncomfortable restraints or positions, it seems like an eternity. Yikes - you think management would be on them about that. Is that pretty typical for a regional park? Backlot's block sections are practically a moot point. The second track section after the MCBR (the tunnel) is so short that it doesn't seem to make any operational difference that the MCBR exists at all. I would guess that it's been a one-train-on-the-course ride since it opened and hasn't deviated from that. I recall when it opened (and confirmed after checking with some of the designers) that Train 2 would launch after Train 1 cleared the action scene (bullets/helicopter). Once Train 2 launched, Train 3 would pull into load from unload. At least, that's how it was *designed* to operated. The final brake pad prior to unload was a buffer if the trains stacked, obviously. Technically it was structured like this: 1. Launch to MCBR/Action Scene - 35 seconds 2. MCBR/Action Scene - 10 seconds 3. MCBR/Action Scene Launch to Brake Pad - 28 seconds So, I guess my overall question is - for the rides that are truly designed to utilize MCBR to "up" hourly guest totals/achieve max. capacity, does it come down to a training thing or is it purely guest conditioning? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creed Bratton Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Guests can only be blamed for so much. The ride operators have to accept some of it as well. Note I said one answer: guests.....didn't say there couldn't be more than one answer lol! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acfinn Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Noob question, what does MCBR mean? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Mid Course Brake Run. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acfinn Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Thanks, I hate being that guy but I've yet to grasp some of the acronyms on here so far. Haha 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Ride Operators are probably still getting used to the ride season. - Diamondback usually has a train 2/3 up the hill while another train is splashing down. - Vortex usually has a train heading up the lift while one is preparing to go through the cork-screw. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Thanks, I hate being that guy but I've yet to grasp some of the acronyms on here so far. Haha a secret weapon for some others... http://www.urbandictionary.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acfinn Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Thanks, I hate being that guy but I've yet to grasp some of the acronyms on here so far. Haha a secret weapon for some others... http://www.urbandictionary.com/ Thanks, I was referring to industry and parks specific ones though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsus Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Of note, Urban Dictionary does not have a record for MCBR. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoF96" Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Ride Operators are probably still getting used to the ride season. - Diamondback usually has a train 2/3 up the hill while another train is splashing down. - Vortex usually has a train heading up the lift while one is preparing to go through the cork-screw. Not my experience at all this past Saturday. Diamondback was the single most agonizing wait out of anything else in the park. Truly lived up to its nickname of Diamondstack. That crew was lucky if they didn't have the third train sitting just after the splashdown for a good 30 seconds before dispatching from the station. Even Flight of Fear was moving quickly compared to Db. Hopefully they work on their efficiency at least on that ride. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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