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Stats Model Statistics
Completed 2012
Coaster Type Wooden Coaster
Height 3' 9"
# of Vehicles 1

Photos Photos
Yeti
Video

Description Yeti is my 12th Knex roller coaster. It's a GCI-inspired woodie. I constructed it for the 2012 Cedar Point Knex contest. Here is my written description that I entered for the contest:"[Yeti] is a wooden-style Knex model roller coaster. It is 3 feet and 9 inches tall, 7 feet wide, and over 16 feet long. It was built with thousands of Knex pieces from various building sets, including at least ten Screamin? Serpents. The design was originally inspired by real-life wooden coasters, especially those produced by Great Coasters International. Most Knex roller coasters use a box-style structure to support the track above the ground, but this one is unique in that it implements a full wooden-style structure. This requires many more pieces to build, but it is also stronger and more resistant to swaying than a normal construction. Another factor that played into the choice to use this support method was aesthetics. Using filled-in supports, especially with wood-colored pieces, completes the remarkable realism that is unique to this model.Deciding on the coaster?s layout also required a considerable amount of thought as well. It was built specifically for this contest, so it was designed with structural soundness and reliability in mind. Each element is slightly shorter than necessary, allowing the train to crest each hill with ample speed. In case the train happens to run more slowly once it?s on display, there will still be enough momentum to carry it through the layout. With this prerequisite in mind, I looked to real wooden roller coasters for inspiration in creating an exciting layout. The main drop, curving right and then banking hard to the left, is a replica of the one on Renegade at the Valleyfair theme park in Minnesota. The rest of the layout includes elements from various other wooden roller coasters around the world, combining to form an unforgettable ride experience.The mechanical energy acting on the roller coaster train is evident as it makes its course around the layout. The gray motor at the base of the lift transfers energy from the batteries inside it into potential energy in the coaster train. At the peak of the 3 foot 9 in. lift hill, the train has the most potential energy it will have during the layout. The force of gravity then pulls the train to the bottom of the drop, converting nearly all of that potential energy into kinetic energy. As the train rises up each consecutive hill, that kinetic energy is transferred into potential energy, and back into kinetic again when it descends. However, the energy is not preserved entirely. Friction between the wheels and the track, as well as air friction from the moving train, convert the kinetic energy into other forms of energy, mainly thermal. Energy is also ?lost? when the track sways under the train?s weight, which is why it?s essential to properly support the track.The train begins in the station, a large building with an orange roof that houses the queue platform. It then follows a 180 degree turn into the lift hill. The main lift hill has a slope of 2/3, and from this the angle of elevation is calculated at 33.7 degrees. The gray Terrain Trekker motor hauls the train up the lift hill, and releases it down the curvaceous drop. Next comes a large camelback hill, and then a rising high-speed turn to the left. The train then encounters a series of quick dips and banking transitions, launching it straight toward the lift hill. As the train is about to collide with the looming structure, it instead dips down inside the dense labyrinth of supports. The final element is an inclined helix before the final brake run. At last, the train is carried back into the station before beginning again."

 Comments 4 Comments
Photo
Snake
Wow, its's amazing how you got so much distance from a unweighted train.
  • Apr 04 2012 09:18 PM
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ikbenik31
Wow, This is great. Is that a break short before the station
  • Apr 05 2012 10:01 AM
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IOAgeek
Nice coaster overall. I love your break-run and station.
  • Apr 05 2012 07:06 PM
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?Mystery?
The looper would be better :( But this is cool still
  • Apr 07 2012 05:55 AM

Builder Built by ~stεεlspectrum~



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