Took a couple pics of Pantheon on my phone. I thought looked kinda nice the way it is poking out of the treetops by itself with the sunrise lighting.
Project 2022: Pantheon
- Thread starter Shane
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Just another point on wind but just for the heck I spent some time browsing through weather records and 2022 appears to be above average when you look at average recorded max wind speeds per week for March so maybe the low then expected wind tolerance is not as significant of an issue as it appears at the moment.
I'm gonna have to say that's false. They very much work.
I don't think adding LSMs work similar to trims in that LSMs being added for acceleration potentially increase forces which requires additional engineering work, various electrical additions, and potentially altering the ride programming - sure it could be done but may take awhile.
Trims, on the other hand, are to decrease forces back to calculated limits. If they're temporary, then although they'll need electrical hookups and potentially connect to the ride computer, I wouldn't expect them to require new programming... At least not nearly as much as firing an LSM would take. @ControlsEE or others familiar with ride computers could correct me on that one though...
Trims, on the other hand, are to decrease forces back to calculated limits. If they're temporary, then although they'll need electrical hookups and potentially connect to the ride computer, I wouldn't expect them to require new programming... At least not nearly as much as firing an LSM would take. @ControlsEE or others familiar with ride computers could correct me on that one though...
Some trims you don't need anything connected Electrically. If you are using magnetic brakes and the fins are fixed to the track, it is only calculating how long of a trim you need and that's it. LSM's would take way more effort as there are a lot of controls components behind the scenes that would need to be installed for another stretch of LSMs. More than likely, a drive tire would be added before more LSM stators.
I think it issue with a drive tire is wear and servicing it a hard to access place. For whatever reason they did go with lsm's on VC. any solution likely would require re tracking to add anything we are talking about, I don't see that happening unless this turns out to be a massive problem.
Exactly. I highly doubt the park will ever do anything other than shut down for wind. If they start having consistant issues with the ride while under the wind limit, they may employ these approaches. In my experience during my operator years, most wind shutdowns occurred in early-mid spring, rarely happening after april. If it is only a seasonal issue, they will be more likely to just keep everything as is and shutdown when nessisary.
The drive tire doesn't have to be in an engaged position which would drastically reduce how much maintenance is done on it but, still, it is too complicated to "just add".... OTOH it may still be less complicated to add a drive tire in the valley along with a catwalk. Even if you add LSMs you're going to need easy access to it so it can be inspected regularly so the problem remains the same with LSM or drive tire.
Realistically though, these aren't things that are going to happen unless there becomes a serious need for it. I still stand by what I said a few days ago that I think we've just been having higher than normal winds in the region since it opened and it just seems like it's sensitive when it really might not be.....
But wouldn't adding a set of these in order to boost the train speed to clear the final elements before the next control point inherently produce a lot of wear and tear in order to essentially get a multi-ton weight flung hard enough from a potential dead stop?
I honestly can't see those being added in a valley on a ride like this unless it was a fairly long run with several high powered motors and/or the valley didn't have a high crest towards the end of the ride (lowers or eliminates the chance of another valley).
Access to LSM's on VC is not an issue. I'm not sure what drive tires in the valley would do at all. I've also never really seen drive tires used in a retractable setup, if that's what you were implying.
Increasing the launch speed and adding a trim before the outward banked turn would be my guess if it were an issue, which we all agree it hasn't gotten to that point yet it seems.
Was in DC this week so we went to Williamsburg Friday night and stayed the weekend. Happily we were able to ride Pantheon that night which was great because all throughout the rest of the time we were there it seemed to be closed for wind (as has been mentioned). We didn't even really have to wait very long as the lines were pretty short, however it's always a joy when you think you're next only to have some quick queue passholes jump in the train from the other side. I can't tell you how many times I watched Anna Delvey escort another and another and another onto the ride in front of us, but I guess that's just our grain of salt. But wooowww the ride is so smoooooth! It practically floated along the rails and baby, when it crested that top hat it was like we were driving right into the stars. Which is another thing, why didn't anybody tell me the park was lighting up the coasters in those gorgeous colors after dark? Pink, purple, teal... they were so beautiful to see from the ride's queue and the ride itself! Especially when it shut down just before reentering the station and we had time to sit and think about our lives, or why the new American lady in Celtic Fire is obviously Mrs. Maisel who is she kidding? Although to be fair I'd already had a few glasses of vino by the time we caught the 8pm show. Not out of sorts, per se, but not quite at the "keeping up with the No Nay Never claps" level. That show was amazing, by the way, I always expect it to get old but oh my goodness I'm so in love with it still! They really keep that experience fresh and it's a SUPER delight every time I see it. Plus I like to flirt with the dancers (the guy with the flute? *swoon*). Anyways, Pantheon was amazing and I can't wait to ride again next year when they reopen it after the winds calm down.
I'm not suggesting from a dead stop.... just something that can boost it if the momentum isn't enough and could be placed anywhere after the top hat. Either way, you're kind of missing my entire point in that this is all an overly complicated solution for something that likely isn't needed. I wasn't really pointing to this being something they would do and kind of playing devil's advocate on both sides. Adding LSMs or adding drive tires of any type is not a trivial thing to do.
They've got to have a way of inspecting them periodically..... Maybe Universal just has equipment they can easily use to do so?
As for retractable drive tires, I've certainly seen them on coasters but I can't recall which ones. It's similar in fashion to the way pirate ships work.
This makes the most sense. My point really is that I can't see any of the drive modifications being done and that while you think one drive method might be better there are counterpoints to the other and vice versa.
The light package has been talked about bur according to a conversation with Kevin it's only temporary and will sadly have to be removed as BGW doesn't have county approval to use it after a certain point.
At least the pitch black night rides that are insanity will return… but the light package on it right now does look really nice.
Okay, I've collected my thoughts and decided to try to write them down.
I've only ridden twice (once during the day and once during the night, both Sunday). Overall, a superbly fun experience, that definitely fills a modern coaster gap in the BGW lineup. But the whole time I couldn't shake the feeling of how un-BGW-like this ride feels. Certainly BGW is allowed to have high thrill rides! They already have some of my favorites--but I simply can't get past how naked this coaster is, and both in terms of theme and landscape, it just feels like a sore thumb in the middle of a park I value a great deal for it's beauty.
In terms of a sheer thrill ride, it's a blast, and the night rides are incredible. I'm not sure it's beyond a Velocicoaster for me (again, theming may be playing into that), but there's no denying I had a blast riding it. But a lot of BGW doesn't feel like it could be anywhere else, and Pantheon does. Hopefully that improves with time.
I've only ridden twice (once during the day and once during the night, both Sunday). Overall, a superbly fun experience, that definitely fills a modern coaster gap in the BGW lineup. But the whole time I couldn't shake the feeling of how un-BGW-like this ride feels. Certainly BGW is allowed to have high thrill rides! They already have some of my favorites--but I simply can't get past how naked this coaster is, and both in terms of theme and landscape, it just feels like a sore thumb in the middle of a park I value a great deal for it's beauty.
In terms of a sheer thrill ride, it's a blast, and the night rides are incredible. I'm not sure it's beyond a Velocicoaster for me (again, theming may be playing into that), but there's no denying I had a blast riding it. But a lot of BGW doesn't feel like it could be anywhere else, and Pantheon does. Hopefully that improves with time.
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