Carowinds Employees Hurt Testing Ride

[Discodude3737]

To my knowledge, Vekoma intended to have the trains lower into the "lay-down" position after they had dispatched from the station, possibly on the lift hill. However, this system was never put into place for whatever reason and now the seats lower while the train is in the station before dispatching.

I really don't understand why they would make it possible for such an incident to occur by just pushing a button.

[PKIVortex]

Yeah doesn't seem like they would want that possibility of a mistake like that happening.

[RollerNut]

They have to press buttons for them to lower. Hence why they say:

"Clear!"

"Clear! All Clear, going down!"

"Clear!"

"All Clear, dispatch!"

On a side note, a photo of BORG after the accident clearly shows the seats in the laying down position. I find it very unlikely that this accident was human error as, on all other coasters the train has to be in the station for such a button to work. Oddly enough this accident was always my worst fear on BORG. Also, I like how the park claims it was a safety feature that stopped the ride when we all know that the trains are controlled by gravity once it leaves the lift.

[Gordon Bombay]

Well no one can really say wheteher it was a safety feature or not that stopped the ride since all the full details of the accident arent really known.

[Cory Butcher]

I was told that the Trains for the Flying Dutchmans have a possibility for their own set of brakes dependent of the track, in case of failures, since they have an onboard computer system this is made possible.

I'm not sure how this works (probably some skids that clamp the rails harder?) and Im not sure that it is true either, so take it as you wish! It would make sense for trains with all these extra saftey restraints and things to have brakes on the actual train I would think anyways, if not now, possibly a design for the future--Im looking at you TYCOON! (inside joke)

[CoastersRZ]

As I said before, I highly doubt that the trains are capable of stopping mid course. There is simply nothing (at least that I know of) that can stop the trains, other than the brakes that are mounted to the track.

[teenageninja]

If you read above, it was said that the Flying Dutchmen can have a feature built in to have brakes on the train itself. Whether Borg has them or not, I don't know.

[RollerNut]

Quick questions, if the trains can stop themselves, why does it have track mounted then? Why would they throw money away on a extra set of brakes? Why didn't stop the ride sooner? Why did it still rollback during the loop? Based on these question even without the answers there is no train mounted brakes.

I dont see anything that could be a brake.

[Reclaimer]

I really don't understand why they would make it possible for such an incident to occur by just pushing a button.

Ah, but a button and human error were what caused the accident, according to reports today.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/11308720/detail.html

[Cory Butcher]

If you read above, it was said that the Flying Dutchmen can have a feature built in to have brakes on the train itself. Whether Borg has them or not, I don't know.

Yes, I posted that, however I did disclaim that I do not know for sure. It is something I was told that could be true or could not be true about the Flying Dutchmen in particular, by an engineer whom I know.

Quick questions, if the trains can stop themselves, why does it have track mounted then? Why would they throw money away on a extra set of brakes? Why didn't stop the ride sooner? Why did it still rollback during the loop? Based on these question even without the answers there is no train mounted brakes.

I dont see anything that could be a brake.

If there was to be one, I would say that it would clamp on the inside of the rail or push against it to create friction, probably in the vacinity of where the guide wheels are. It is also possible that some sort of mechanism is on the trains to lock up the wheels (this would depend on them being on free moving ball bearings or on 'axles' if you will). If they are axled wheels which I believe they are, this is much more plausible, however they could be a ball bearing-cuplet type assembly which would make this very implausible.

Also, from the info gathered from various articles and the known layout of the ride, I and others have come to the assumpitve conclusion that the riders were upside down for no more than 15 seconds and then the ride either stopped because of a safety feature, or slowed down before the loop. In all the articles I have read nothing was ever mentioned about a rollback in the loop, just a pure stop before it.

With a computer physically being on board the train, and the ability to push a button in the station that unlocks the lie-fly mechanism. I would venture to say that CPU isnt just for physics monitoring but an innovative control system as well. Saying that, I have to believe it is possible that many other "safety" mechanisms and failsafes on the trains are in fact linked to this computer. But there could not be, I am not sure!