May 4: VortexBFF Does A Thing...Finally

[VortexBFForever]

May 4, 2018. I originally planned to pick up an Open shift for work and then ride as a guest after work, but someone needed her Swing covered that day. Since my dad would not let me stay for the fireworks either way, I decided to cover my crewmate's Swing, as my double the next day would allow me to see the fireworks nonetheless.

Since the Swing shift does not start until noon, I had some time to ride some rides as a guest before work! I entered the park at 9:50 and headed left to catch some ERT rides on a certain Arrow coaster that was finally being included in the morning ERT...

I ALMOST got my own train on my first Bat flight of the season...but several other people arrived as the train arrived. Either way, it was nice and quiet aside from Mary Poppins' "Spoonful of Sugar" playing on the FunTV, which was an unexpected surprise. I rode The Bat twice - once in the front and once in the back. I love the pop of airtime one gets coming off the turn into the second drop when riding in the back!

On my second ride, I rode with a spider web next to me, which made for some fairly appropriate theming. The web's eight-legged owner was nowhere to be seen, so it missed out on the fun.

I decided to take a quick spin on Banshee, as I had a couple of friends on the crew and I wanted to see if any of them were there. So after shoving Toothless and my fanny pack into a $2 locker, I headed into line for my first Banshee ride of the season.

I didn't find the friend for whom I originally searched, but I did happen to find Kat! So we said hi as I waited for the back row seat which I had chosen. Yes, chosen, as there was less than a station wait which made for no point in assigning seats!

I rode back row, far right on the Blue train. The ride was very fun, but also very rattling. But it was still very fun. I love getting pulled over the first hill, and it's quite intense!

I retrieved my locker contents and headed to Adventure Express' empty station. Like The Bat, I would have had my own train had several more guests not shown up right as the train arrived, but that didn't matter since I had a nice front seat adventure on my first Express ride of the season!

It was about 10:45, so I headed straight down to Coney Mall's east end. I need to try Coney BBQ sometime! As soon as I entered Coney Mall, I smelled it. YUM!!

By now, I'm sure you know why I headed straight to here...

...not just because I of course craved some morning spins aboard Vortex, but also to finally accomplish something I had originally intended to do on last year's Closing Day HAD IT NOT BEEN SO COLD. It took three rides on Vortex today to get there at last.

After enjoying two fun, intense, airtime-filled back seat rides, I hopped aboard the front...

...for a ride that I waited five long months for. At long last, I boarded Vortex for the 500th time at 11:12 a.m. (as seen on the Snapchat filter )! This is the first time I have taken a landmark ride in the morning. And in case you're wondering...I rode in the same seat in which I took my 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th, and first test rides of 2017 and 2018! Yes, I was once again on Train #1!!!!

This is my visual proof that I rode Train #1; I took it right as I got off. Don't worry, the lady in the foreground is not looking at me.

My 500th ride, dare I say it, was GREAT! Surprise surprise. But seriously, it was great! It was amazing getting to experience my first six inversions for the 500th time. Here's to another 500 more!!

And this also means I have now gone upside down on Vortex over 3000 times!!

While my train sat on the brake run awaiting its station arrival, I thought about the rides I had just experienced this morning. Then I thought this thought that some would think crazy:

"Banshee rattled me more than this!"

But it was true! Aside from the wacky transitions and slight shuffling typical of an Arrow, the three rides I just had on Vortex were actually smoother than the extremely rattling ride I had earlier on Banshee (granted I rode in an outside seat on the Blue train which isn't the smoothest, but still!). Feel free to not believe me, but I will stand by the experience I just had of a 31-year-old Arrow looper giving a smoother ride than a 4-year-old B&M invert. Banshee needs to step up her game because something's up. It's so crazy to think!!

I wanted to cool off with a ride on Flume so I could make it an all-Arrow ride day (aside from my ride on Banshee), but instead I had embarked on a futile quest to obtain the ride photo of my 500th ride. Apparently Vortex's kiosk wasn't working of all times, and even the people at Mystic Timbers' photo station couldn't pull it up. Oh well. At least I have the memories!

It was just after 11:30, so I didn't have time to ride Flume and still get back to Vortex in uniform by 11:45. Even though I didn't get to cool off in the way I originally planned, I would get to cool off later when it began pouring mid-afternoon!

It was raining hard enough for Vortex to close for weather, so I got to clean the train as well as obtain some aesthetic shots. I'll post only a few as I don't want to spoil it all. Dare I say that some are Photo-Contest-worthy!

Overall, May 4 was a good day! For clarification I will consider writing trip reports for only the days that include guest visits, as writing reports for every day would be too much. I may include some details from neighboring work days though, or at least give brief entries about them in the random discussion thread.

+The Bat: 2

Total: 102

+Banshee: 1

Total: 26

+Adventure Express: 1

Total: 56

+Vortex: 3

YTD: 7

Total: 500

[silver2005]

So what's it like to have been upside down on a coaster 3,000+ times (including the other coasters you likely ride significantly less with inversions)? 

[MDMC01]

Congrats once again, VortexBFForever; that is quite the milestone! 

[VortexBFForever]

12 hours ago, silver2005 said:

So what's it like to have been upside down on a coaster 3,000+ times (including the other coasters you likely ride significantly less with inversions)? 

It feels like accomplishing a great deal, as my first time on Vortex I was still afraid of inversions. I have surely come such a long way since then, as I love inversions now!!

It’s crazy to think that I have gone upside down over 3,000 times...it honestly doesn’t feel like that much!

[Cmhornblessed]

In all those times has your train every stopped on the mid course brake run? It happened to us a couple weeks ago. We were they a good 30 second or so. Why does that happen? How often does it happen?

Thanks for the great trip report

It feels like accomplishing a great deal, as my first time on Vortex I was still afraid of inversions. I have surely come such a long way since then, as I love inversions now!!
It’s crazy to think that I have gone upside down over 3,000 times...it honestly doesn’t feel like that much!

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[VortexBFForever]

6 hours ago, Cmhornblessed said:

In all those times has your train every stopped on the mid course brake run? It happened to us a couple weeks ago. We were they a good 30 second or so. Why does that happen? How often does it happen?

Thanks for the great trip report

 

Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk
 

 

I have had a few rides where my train has stopped completely in the mid-course brakes, but it wasn’t anything big. My train was up there for about 10-15 seconds tops.

Sometimes (usually when someone is learning to drive the ride) we don’t release the train from the first set of block brakes at the end early enough because sometimes the driver “forgets” that a train is there, which causes the next train to stop completely in the mid-course brakes because of the ride’s block system. It doesn’t happen very much though, and it’s no biggie!  

[Cmhornblessed]

I have had a few rides where my train has stopped completely in the mid-course brakes, but it wasn’t anything big. My train was up there for about 10-15 seconds tops.
Sometimes (usually when someone is learning to drive the ride) we don’t release the train from the first set of block brakes at the end early enough because sometimes the driver “forgets” that a train is there, which causes the next train to stop completely in the mid-course brakes because of the ride’s block system. It doesn’t happen very much though, and it’s no biggie!  

Thanks, didn't think was anything major but was curious!

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[goettablitz]

While i am not a huge fan of Vortex I love your enthusiasm for it! 

I do agree about the Banshee rattle.  I dont remeber it rattling on opening day but it seemed to develop part way through its first season and for me at times can be painful on my back. I have ridden alot of beemers and have not felt anything quite like it.  It really is disappointing and has caused it to drop well out of my top 10 unfortunately.

[Arrow]

So I got back from KI about 2 hours ago, and yeah I actually agree about Vortex being "smoother" than Banshee, it's weird! 

[Cmhornblessed]

Third row teal train after dark last night was really smooth on Banshee. Friday night on blue train had a rattle.

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[goettablitz]

I love B&M rides but I just don't understand how it is "ok" for a brand new ride to be rattling like it does and did on its opening season.  Especially with B&M's reputation for silky smooth rides I don't get how they have not been asked to fix it.....  It boggles my mind how I can go to Busch Gardens and ride Kumba which was their first sit down coaster and built in 1993 (the same year as The Bat) and have a perfectly smooth and awesome ride on it and now this is how many years and coasters later and Banshee rattles uncomfortably....  Seems to me like their engineering has gone backwards.

[Creed Bratton]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the rattle from what I understand is not from the steel, but from the wheels.

[goettablitz]

Im not sure what the cause is.  My assumption is that it is in the trains somewhere as they are a new style and first used on Banshee.

[Creed Bratton]

33 minutes ago, goettablitz said:

Im not sure what the cause is.  My assumption is that it is in the trains somewhere as they are a new style and first used on Banshee.

Banshee isn’t the only coaster that has a rattle, Diamondback does as well. Raptor at CP has rattled before. I’ve even experienced a rattle on Maverick before. It’s lilely the wheels, it’s not specific to Banshee because it has new restraints. 

[Cmhornblessed]

The rattle does not seem to be constant and is not uncomfortable imho

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[goettablitz]

12 hours ago, chugh43 said:

Banshee isn’t the only coaster that has a rattle, Diamondback does as well. Raptor at CP has rattled before. I’ve even experienced a rattle on Maverick before. It’s lilely the wheels, it’s not specific to Banshee because it has new restraints. 

Most coaster do have some type of rattle or vibration at times.  I am just saying that I find Banshee's at times to be much more severe than it's peers.  I has not been enough to stop me from riding it (it has made me think twice before) but is has stopped me from re-riding.  Keep in mind that the new restraints require the seats to be farther apart and therefore and entirely new train design (and a wider track gauge).  Look at pictures of the trains for some older inverts like Raptor and Montu VS Banshee.  

[Creed Bratton]

It’s not the trains themselves. If it were it’d be consistent each ride and train. 

Have heard numerous people/friends tell me, “don’t ride teal today if you can, it’s rattling,” or “don’t ride purple today, it’s rattling.” And other days those trains are fine. 

I’m quite aware that Banshee has a new style of trains. As I’ve said, it’s not specific to just Banshee. Doesn’t matter what generation or style of coaster. It happens, most of the time when a wheel is going bad. 

[Tera Ryzing]

I hate to say but ki's pair of b&m's are the roughest of any collection.

[Creed Bratton]

According to you. Having ridden several B&Ms in my over 250 coaster credits, those two rank as some of the highest in smoothness as well as the best for me. 

[goettablitz]

3 hours ago, chugh43 said:

It’s not the trains themselves. If it were it’d be consistent each ride and train. 

Have heard numerous people/friends tell me, “don’t ride teal today if you can, it’s rattling,” or “don’t ride purple today, it’s rattling.” And other days those trains are fine. 

I’m quite aware that Banshee has a new style of trains. As I’ve said, it’s not specific to just Banshee. Doesn’t matter what generation or style of coaster. It happens, most of the time when a wheel is going bad. 

It does make me wonder how often wheels are typically replaced.  In other words "how many miles" can you get out of a wheel.  Not so much the up stops, just he main road wheels.