Comments on: X-Coaster http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/13/x-coaster/ Why bother seeing the world for real? Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:53:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Jel http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/13/x-coaster/#comment-147900 Jel Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:22:23 +0000 http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/13/x-coaster/#comment-147900 We had a case a few years back in the Brussel's Walibi park where the brakes came in catching the entire unit perfectly balanced in mid-loop for several hours. We had a case a few years back in the Brussel’s Walibi park where the brakes came in catching the entire unit perfectly balanced in mid-loop for several hours.

]]> By: Chris W http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/13/x-coaster/#comment-146635 Chris W Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:14:58 +0000 http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/13/x-coaster/#comment-146635 That's a pretty dumb design for a roller coaster. For most coasters, a simple power cut would not be able to cause a train to stop upside down. The trains only stop on the lift (which drags the train up the hill) or where there are brakes on the track. The brakes are normally only on straight, flat pieces of track, which are always in somewhat accessible parts of the track so that the passengers can be evacuated if necessary. If you hit the emergency stop or the power is cut then the lift will stop and all the brakes will close. The trains will then all stop on the lift or when they reach the next brake, so evacuating passengers is not too difficult. Based on the photos on <a href="http://www.anorak.co.uk/news/strange-but-true/174146.html" rel="nofollow">this web-site</a> it appears that the lift on the X-coaster is designed to pull people straight upwards and then flips them over backwards before releasing them from the lift. The power cut happened when the train was at the very top of the lift, so some people were upside down. Having people stranded like this seems like an inevitable consequence, therefore this is a stupid design. That’s a pretty dumb design for a roller coaster. For most coasters, a simple power cut would not be able to cause a train to stop upside down. The trains only stop on the lift (which drags the train up the hill) or where there are brakes on the track. The brakes are normally only on straight, flat pieces of track, which are always in somewhat accessible parts of the track so that the passengers can be evacuated if necessary.

If you hit the emergency stop or the power is cut then the lift will stop and all the brakes will close. The trains will then all stop on the lift or when they reach the next brake, so evacuating passengers is not too difficult.

Based on the photos on this web-site it appears that the lift on the X-coaster is designed to pull people straight upwards and then flips them over backwards before releasing them from the lift. The power cut happened when the train was at the very top of the lift, so some people were upside down. Having people stranded like this seems like an inevitable consequence, therefore this is a stupid design.

]]> By: Alex http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/13/x-coaster/#comment-146594 Alex Wed, 13 Jun 2007 18:54:44 +0000 http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/13/x-coaster/#comment-146594 Thanks Matthijs, post updated. Thanks Matthijs, post updated.

]]> By: Matthijs http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/13/x-coaster/#comment-146576 Matthijs Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:19:58 +0000 http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/13/x-coaster/#comment-146576 That isn't the X Coaster, it's <a href="http://rcdb.com/ig2421.htm" rel="nofollow">Gauntlet</a>. That isn’t the X Coaster, it’s Gauntlet.

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