Post by Doug MillerPost by Richard BannisterPost by Surf Dance ChrisEl Toro had another incident yesterday that apparently sent several to the hospital. It’s unclear so far whether the incident seems related or similar to this one from last year.
I think it might be time to review whether really big wood coasters are a good idea.
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www.superiorsolitaire.com
Fair enough, but the question I would ask is “Does Intamin’s record merit concern?” To your point though, I think it’s safe to say that traditional wooden coaster construction is more appropriate for smaller installations, perhaps just a little over 100 feet tall.
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Absolutely not.
I've rideen El Toro, and have ridden other woodies in its size
class. AAnd one thing that stuck out in my mind about ET is
the sheer dynamics of its program - very steep drops, and extreme
hill, and sharp rolling turns. All of these impose stress on even
a hybrid wood with steel frame, and might explain the recent history
of malfunctioning of this ride.
Such sudden changes in direction, in both the Y and X axes, stress
connecting points between track and structural members, and even
warp the gauge(width) of the track.
ET packs a lot of dynamic elements into a relatively small footprint
for a coaster of its height and size, and that is where I believe the
problems lay.