The Edge

redfishpaw · Post by **redfishpaw** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:15 am

Thanks Tech Services 1,
Your photos are quite interesting, I look forward in seeing what else you post. Thanks again.

RandyV · Post by **RandyV** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 11:03 pm

Great pictures, Tech Services 1, thanks for sharing.

The pics of The Edge coming down were sad to see. I still think that was one of the greatest rides in the park.

We had a thread going a while ago on why The Edge was ultimately taken out. I posted about what I believed were the circumstances of the accident, the subsequent fixes to the ride control programming and braking system and finally, the reason for the removal. This was based on info I had from the local papers and media at the time

Here's what I originally posted:

Here's the deal on the Gurnee Edge accident -- I followed this extremely closely when it happened since this was my home park. I have tons of local news articles and newscasts on video tape from when this accident happened.

The original ride control programming had one car start up the tower just as the car before it was released down the slope. This helped improve the rides capacity by keeping cars moving all the time. Before the tower ascent, the ride weighed the car at the bottom of the tower so it could properly adjust the braking force once the car went down the slope. In addition, the ride also measued the velocity of the car as it was coming down the slope to further adjust the braking force required to safely stop the car.

It was raining the day of the accident in Gurnee. When the car at the top of the tower was released, the other car started its ascent. However, the computers detected that the car travelling down the slope was going too fast, causing a fault and shutting down the ride immediately. This stopped the car ascending the tower 2/3s of the way up.

When maintenance attempted to reset and restart the ride, the lift chain broke. Partly due to the rain, but mostly due to under-sized anti-rollback brakes on the lift, the car that was in the tower fell back to the platform.

It did not land on another car. The three boys in the car that fell had internal bruising and were in the hospital for a few days.

After the accident, three things were changed: (1) ride programming was modified such that the car in the tower does not begin its ascent up the tower until the car before it has completed its descent. Therefore, if the ride detects a fault simialr to what happened in Gurnee, the car in the tower is just sitting at the bottom of the lift. (2) The anti-rollback brakes in the tower were replaced with units twice as large as those originally spec'd for the ride. (3) The number of anti-rollback brakes was doubled from 12 to 24.

All FreeFalls, to my knowledge, received these upgrades.

Can you confirm or deny my understanding of the situation?

Shockwavegirl · Post by **Shockwavegirl** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 2:27 am

All I can tell you is that isn't what my supervisor told us had happened. She said that the brakes at the top of the lift side of thetower failed, and the car fell back down the lift tower. Of course, this was in '96 and I don't know if she had the details all correct, but she was just telling us the story because of the rumors that people died on it, and she was reiterating that no guest ever died IN the park (or at least not then anyway, as we all know a few years later a girl died on RB because of a heart condition...you know, the one that continually gets told as she choked on her gum?), but I am pretty sure that there may have been deaths related to the park, but no one actually DIED IN the park.

Tech Services 1 · Post by **Tech Services 1** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 8:19 pm

RandyV wrote: . . . We had a thread going a while ago on why The Edge was ultimately taken out. I posted about what I believed were the circumstances of the accident, the subsequent fixes to the ride control programming and braking system and finally, the reason for the removal. This was based on info I had from the local papers and media at the time . . . . . .
Can you confirm or deny my understanding of the situation?

Hmmmm . . . here's one of those touchy subjects that are bound to come up.
Let's just say my knowledge of the circumstances may or may not be accurate, so at the risk of getting my butt in a sling, I'll have to keep my yap shut in a public forum such as this.

It seems you've got the 'official' word on the accident, but I can't confirm it . . .

PPG

tillenterprises · Post by **tillenterprises** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:04 am

I loved the Edge- ironically, the first time I rode it was after the accident. I didn't have a chance to ride it before the accident, or perhaps I was too scared... Yes, it did open again, but, predictably, the lines were always short after that happened. I actually felt safer riding it after the accident happened, as I knew that they would have fixed the problem that caused the accident in the first place, and made sure nothing like that would happen again. I really miss this ride, and hope that at least some parks will continue to offer this first generation freefall.

GreatAmericaFan17 · Post by **GreatAmericaFan17** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 4:41 pm

I've Always Wondered..Does Anyone Have any Pictures on the day the Accident Happened?

RandyV · Post by **RandyV** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:18 pm

No pictures, but I have VHS tape of many of the local news casts from the day. Ironically, my grade school principal was one of the people the CBS affiliate interviewed.

It was definitely grey and rainy that day.

gasc1990s · Post by **gasc1990s** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:16 pm

The Edge's last season at SC was 1995. Drop Zone took it's place in 1996. I was real lucky to get on the Edge once during it's last season due to my uncle getting me & my cousin to go on it. I have to thank him because after that ride on the Edge now I go on any drop ride.