Space Spiral in winter
Does anyone know why the cabin is parked about halfway up for the winter? I would of thought that it would stay at the base.
I love when topics come up about my favorite ride!!! I think I've heard a while back that the point where they "park" the cabin is at a point where the cabin will actually "stabilize" the tower during high winds. If it were higher, the tower would tend to sway more. If it were at the base, then there would be too much stress on the tower.
Jeff, or RideMan, care to chime in on this to confirm or clarify?
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Neil
By popular vote, the official start of the
millennium has been moved to
May 13, 2000
Jeff, or RideMan, care to chime in on this to confirm or clarify?
-------------
Neil
By popular vote, the official start of the
millennium has been moved to
May 13, 2000
whenever the spiral is not in use (at CP and other parks) it is common practice to park the car a little under halfway up so no one can mess with it.
Also, I'm guessing that it seems to have the same characteristics of an elevator- whether they stopped it at the top, middle or bottom, the weight distribution on the brakes is the same (via the counterweight).
Of course, I could be wrong.
Also, I'm guessing that it seems to have the same characteristics of an elevator- whether they stopped it at the top, middle or bottom, the weight distribution on the brakes is the same (via the counterweight).
Of course, I could be wrong.
I think it puts the center of gravity a little higher so it doesn't flap in the breeze like a car antenna. I remember standing in the Raptor queue on a windy day looking up through two support columns. The Spiral sways in either direction a good ten feet. Very crazy thing to see!
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
"And he says 'I'm goin' crazy up there at the lake...'"
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
"And he says 'I'm goin' crazy up there at the lake...'"
Jeff, are you sure it was the Spiral swaying and not the Raptor? :)
I suspect that more than anything it has to do with putting the cabin and the counterweight at the same level in the tower, as someone else mentioned already. If you wander over to the Disaster Transport side of the tower, there is a little round access port at the bottom covered with an expanded-metal cover. If you take a peek through the expanded metal, you can see the counterweight appear as the cabin reaches the top of the tower.
In any case, if we assume that the counterweight is about the same mass as the empty cabin, then the two masses would hang in equilibrium at the middle of the tower. That's the theory, anyway... :)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
I suspect that more than anything it has to do with putting the cabin and the counterweight at the same level in the tower, as someone else mentioned already. If you wander over to the Disaster Transport side of the tower, there is a little round access port at the bottom covered with an expanded-metal cover. If you take a peek through the expanded metal, you can see the counterweight appear as the cabin reaches the top of the tower.
In any case, if we assume that the counterweight is about the same mass as the empty cabin, then the two masses would hang in equilibrium at the middle of the tower. That's the theory, anyway... :)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Maybe it wasn't swaying at all... could be the $5 beers he had at Fridays! ;)
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Neil
By popular vote, the official start of the
millennium has been moved to
May 13, 2000
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Neil
By popular vote, the official start of the
millennium has been moved to
May 13, 2000
If they park it half way up, how does the operator get down or get out? The reason I ask this because I know Space Spiral control are in the cabin.
Well there are obviously controls on the ground as well.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
"And he says 'I'm goin' crazy up there at the lake...'"
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
"And he says 'I'm goin' crazy up there at the lake...'"
Actually, I've seen this little rope ladder...
heh heh!
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Now that is Restaurant-Quality Lemonade!
heh heh!
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Now that is Restaurant-Quality Lemonade!
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