54 replies to this topic

[Shockwaver]

Dude, the fat people would only make it go

faster...

The more weight, the faster and more energy it has. I

wouldn't be suprised if it stopped when it was empty. But a load of fat people is

better than an empty load.

[CostaKid]

Hold on now, the weight of a train will make a train go

faster, but also lose speed faster due to increase friction between the track and

wheels. If the back half of the train was full and the front wasn't, it would

probably stall. Since that will never happen (on low days, the park runs the front half

of the train), there isn't a great chance of stalling.

[coasterguy]

Hold on

now, the weight of a train will make a train go faster, but also lose speed faster due to

increase friction between the track and wheels. If the back half of the train was full

and the front wasn't, it would probably stall. Since that will never happen (on low

days, the park runs the front half of the train), there isn't a great chance of

stalling.

i dont want this topic to

turn into the tallest coaster one with the terminal velocity stuff, but having a full train

doesnt slow it down faster. having more weight makes it less prone to stopping due to

friction because it would take more energy to stop it. of course if you had a whole lot

of weight it would go slower, but not a full train of people, or so i understand it.

[Westside7th]

More weight means more potential energy that can be

converted to kinetic energy. It doesn't matter where the weight is because I am

sure the Blue Streak is designed to work with empty and full trains. If there has ever

been a roll back or valley, the people at Guide To The Point would be talking about it

and I don't think it has ever happened. The anti-rollbacks are probably just

precaution.
Just a random fact, Blue Streak tied for #35 on Amusement

Today's Top 50 Wooden Coasters for 2003.

[CostaKid]

Im almost possitive if the back half of Blue's train

was full w/ people and the front half was not, you would be hard pressed for it to get

'round the circuit. It probably is, however, designed to accomidate an extremely

heavy train(full), or an extremely light train (empty). It will slow the train faster. It

might not be noticable to the human eye or felt by the riders of the coaster, but if you

put some censors on the train, you could probably get some results.

[GregM]

Im

almost possitive if the back half of Blue's train was full w/ people and the front

half was not, you would be hard pressed for it to get 'round the

circuit.

Oh, good, physics!

-One of my favourite subjects!

I think if that

where the case, then I would call the Blue Streak a rather poorly designed

coaster.

Another thing to consider is the total weight of 6 to 12 people

(depending on whether the Blue Streak's train is 3 or 4 3-bench cars and

whether we're talking about loading the last half of the train or just the last car)

compared with the total weight of the coaster train. I imagine the whole train, if it

were empty, would still weigh nearly a ton. I really have know idea of the exact

weight of a coaster car, so I'm guessing. I don't imagine that many people

together would weigh nearly as much as the train, so I doubt if loading up only the last

half of the trian would make very much of a differance. If the train can run

completely empty or completely full, then it should certainly be able to run when half

empty or half full (depending on whether you are an optimist or pessimist

.)

It doesn't matter where the weight is

because I am sure the Blue Streak is designed to work with empty and full

trains.

The only thing that

changes according to where you place the passengers is the train's center of

gravity. I think a really well designed ride should be able to operate with a high

tolerance for where the train's center of gravity might be. I rode

Conneaut's Blue Streak (same name, different coaster) only the last car

loaded, and we made it back to the station just fine. The ride did not feel any faster or

slower. (I rode it many times, sometimes with a full train, and several times with me

as the Lone Coaster Ranger... er Rider.)

And, just to make sure I'm

on topic... Shockwaver, your Blue Streak model is great.

[CostaKid]

Well, I am probably just stubborn, but on my rides on BS,

they loaded the whole train (more or less) and it crawled around the turnaround. If

they loaded the back half, Im not sure what would happen. It might stall or, make it

round fine. Look at it this way, if half of a train is over a hill (w/o riders) and the back

half it going up the hil (w/ riders), it will cause significant pull on the front half of the

train to go backward. Any way, I am almost positive that someone will prove me

wrong. So go ahead, make my day.

[Westside7th]

Originally posted by CostaKid@Jan 2 2004, 04:06

PM
Look at it this way, if half of

a train is over a hill (w/o riders) and the back half it going up the hil (w/ riders), it will

cause significant pull on the front half of the train to go backward. Any way, I am

almost positive that someone will prove me wrong. So go ahead, make my day.

It won't cause any pull because

the train has kinetic energy and inertia pulling it forward. Inertia is a great thing!


You said when

you ride it it goes slow, that could be due to wind, cold weather, humidity or a number

of other things.

[FunkMaestro]

^ Cold weather?!?!?

Anyway.. suuure...
EDIT: I was thinking of indoor coasters...

[DR.HooK-PSF]

i think it sounds cool

[gforce]

Originally posted by CostaKid@Jan 2 2004, 04:06

PM
Well, I am probably just

stubborn, but on my rides on BS, they loaded the whole train (more or less) and it

crawled around the turnaround. If they loaded the back half, Im not sure what would

happen. It might stall or, make it round fine. Look at it this way, if half of a train is

over a hill (w/o riders) and the back half it going up the hil (w/ riders), it will cause

significant pull on the front half of the train to go backward. Any way, I am almost

positive that someone will prove me wrong. So go ahead, make my day.

Think on the SS, if you tape a feather

on the train, is it going to do much a differance? No, its like the people in a really

rollercoaster train. The people don't do much. Westside is right, cold weather

does effect how fast a coaster goes because in the cold things get smaller and when it

warmer things expand, thus changing the speed of the coaster car. This is because of

how the contact with the wheels and the track is.

I rode MF last year

before opening day and it was under 40F and the train felt like it was just barely

getting over the bunny hills. CostaKid, This might have been why it felt like BS was

going so slow. When I've rode BS in warm weather it feels like the laterals are

strong on the turnaround, I've never felt it go slow anywhere on the ride, besides

its normal speed. Or perhaps the reason it felt so slow was because you had been

riding bigger coasters earlier in the day and it made BS seem slow which is often the

case.

Also a lot of rollercoaster's have seperate wheel assemblies

for warm/cold weather and I'm pretty sure MF is one of them. I think

MF's cold weather ones have yellow on them, I forget.

[CostaKid]

All three days I went it was warm and very humid. I

know about how cold weather contracts and such. I now realize that I am wrong. My

bad. I am just very stubborn. Even if I know somthing is wrong, I don't like to

admit I'm wrong. Thanks everyone for helping me realize my faults.

[GregM]

I'm curious. Did the train squeal when it

rounded the turn? It might have needed to be lubed. I rode Psyclone at Magic

Mountain and that thing screeched like fingernails on a chalk board going around every

turn (and on most of the straight-a-ways too.) It was also very sluggish over every

hill. I thought for sure we would valley.

Think

on the SS, if you tape a feather on the train, is it going to do much a

differance?

Actually, I think it

would make a differance on the SS train, but not because of its weight. I think the

feather would cause a significant amount of wind drag which, when combined with the

high friction level of the train, would cause it to stall quickly.

[gforce]

Originally posted by GregM@Jan 3 2004, 02:31

AM

Think on the SS, if you tape a feather on the

train, is it going to do much a

differance?

Actually, I think it

would make a differance on the SS train, but not because of its weight. I think the

feather would cause a significant amount of wind drag which, when combined with the

high friction level of the train, would cause it to stall quickly.

If you taped it to the bottom, or taped

it tight enough it wouldn't make wind drag. I dont think it would make much

differance.

[Big Builder]

[QUOTE]QUOTE (Big Builder @ Jan 1 2004, 05:34

PM)
If to many overweight americans sit in the back and it doesent clear the hill

than no problem.


That was rude Are you a little

bias?[QUOTE]

Sorry if i offended anybody i didnt mean to make anybody

mad. Sorry