Is this true and are there any photos of it without the back spike?The first year of operation, the MGA Tidal Wave (Santa Clara) did not use the back spike at all. If I remember correctly, it didn't even have a back spike the first year. In either case, it most definitely came to a full stop entering the station backwards.
The Back Spike...
- jonrev
- Tidal Wave
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The Back Spike...
I read this on a Coasterbuzz post:
Gurnee Ride Op - 2007
There is no potential energy from the back spike. The train is propelled forward by the droping of the wieght in the tower under the front spike. The back spike was just a piece of track the cureved upwards and had nothing to do with the train being shot from the station. In fact, if the train went through the station after coming off the back spike it would not have made it through the loop.Miri wrote:If it didn't have a spike then how would the ride have operated? Doesn't the back spike provide all the potential energy?
- Glorfindel7
- Tidal Wave
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That's not exactly true, there was some potential energy build up in the back spike as it went up the tower but it was really to relieve the excess energy that would have been applied to the brakes in the station. If I recall correctly there was a break application as the train went through the station to slow it down for the spike, then two separate applications of brakes, one to stop it from the spike and one final one to stop the car in position along the ride exits, entrances.
Plus the back spike was fun if you happened to be in the back couple of rows .
Plus the back spike was fun if you happened to be in the back couple of rows .
Actually, as I remember it, the car ran through the station backwards with no brake application... but after the car ran through, the brakes would prepare for the train to come in after the spike, so you'd hear another "Clank"... when the train came off the spike, the brakes slowed it down. It always seemed to me that the back spike was there to carry the force off the backwards loop and it never seemed to go all the way up. The front two rows always got "gypped" because they remained almost flat on the track.
Funny how much we remember.
Funny how much we remember.
Rick Aiello
SFGAm Employee 1988-1999
SFGAm Employee 1988-1999
I was wondering, was there ever a harsh halt in the station at the end of the ride?
This is just a small flaw I remember on the Turbine at Walibi Belgium...
This is just a small flaw I remember on the Turbine at Walibi Belgium...
The rides are GREAT, the shows are GREAT, the fun is GREAT, at Marriott's Great America! REMEMBER Marriott's GREAT AMERICA, REMEMBER Marriott's GREAT AMERICA!
- Glorfindel7
- Tidal Wave
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If I remember it was (clank) whoosh, (clank) up the front spike , back through the station (clank) as it passed through, up the back spike , (clank) enter the station , (clank) final stop. (Then there was some sort of noise I cannot describe that was used to raise the lapbars in the carRLAiello wrote:Actually, as I remember it, the car ran through the station backwards with no brake application... but after the car ran through, the brakes would prepare for the train to come in after the spike, so you'd hear another "Clank"... when the train came off the spike, the brakes slowed it down. It always seemed to me that the back spike was there to carry the force off the backwards loop and it never seemed to go all the way up. The front two rows always got "gypped" because they remained almost flat on the track.
Funny how much we remember.
(From the outside it sounded like a squealing pig...)
- Glorfindel7
- Tidal Wave
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And I'm wondering if that's part of the problem with the "Green Lawn Ornament" they now have in County Fair BECAUSE it has to operate in that fashion. (Granted it's been operating, but it's bound to be closed in the fall).Miri wrote:I unfortunately never got to ride the tidal wave, but for some reason I always assumed it was draged up the back spike to give it momentum like a boomarang ride. I wonder where I got that idea.
With Six Flags selling parks, there might be a good possibility that it could come back some day (one can always hope)..... Until then I'll just remember how much I enjoyed riding it
I'd be surprised to see a shuttle like that brought back to a big park. If the pens belonging to the people responsible for the "ornament" had run out of ink during the yes we'll build this meeting, CF would've had a case for returning a looping shuttle to the park. Now that V2 is there, the launch indeed has returned, just not with the same properties (or cool lapbars!).
It would be neat to have a phase 3 shuttle (following weight drop and flywheel) that uses LIMs. Heck, put a loop behind the station and give it the 'ol double launch like V2!
that_guy, you've been on Turbine? *bows down* I'm not worthy! I assume it is still enclosed?
It would be neat to have a phase 3 shuttle (following weight drop and flywheel) that uses LIMs. Heck, put a loop behind the station and give it the 'ol double launch like V2!
that_guy, you've been on Turbine? *bows down* I'm not worthy! I assume it is still enclosed?
Brad Sherman
Coaster modeler and overall park addict
Only 3 hours from Gurnee's Tidal Wave!
Coaster modeler and overall park addict
Only 3 hours from Gurnee's Tidal Wave!
Lol, Yes it is still enclosed. After hearing so much about Tidal Wave, I had to ride something like it, so I urged my parents to take us to Walibi while we were visting family over there. I was only disappointed that the line stretched out to the 20 minute mark (which took 30 minutes) on a day where everything else was 10 or 15!! Very smooth and fun (especially being in the dark). It was very smooth, especially the loop. The only thing that I didn't expect was the harsh halt at the very end of the ride. There were signs on the back of every seat that were covered in plastic (the ones with the keep your head on the headrest) and half of the plastic covers were shattered because right as your slowly coming back into the station it would halt immeadiately! (why I don't know) but all the first time 6' riders in the back seat of every car (such as myself) hit the headrest in front of them (some breaking the plastic even more.Arrow Guy wrote:I'd be surprised to see a shuttle like that brought back to a big park. If the pens belonging to the people responsible for the "ornament" had run out of ink during the yes we'll build this meeting, CF would've had a case for returning a looping shuttle to the park. Now that V2 is there, the launch indeed has returned, just not with the same properties (or cool lapbars!).
It would be neat to have a phase 3 shuttle (following weight drop and flywheel) that uses LIMs. Heck, put a loop behind the station and give it the 'ol double launch like V2!
that_guy, you've been on Turbine? *bows down* I'm not worthy! I assume it is still enclosed?
Either way, I wish Great America could have enclosed theirs, might have brought some publicity back to it.
The rides are GREAT, the shows are GREAT, the fun is GREAT, at Marriott's Great America! REMEMBER Marriott's GREAT AMERICA, REMEMBER Marriott's GREAT AMERICA!