Top Thrill seekers get stuck

Saturday, 25 June 2005

Train stalls at top of tower for about 15 minutes with 18 aboard.

By BRANDI BARHITE
brandibarhite@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - The Top Thrill Dragster lived up to its name on Friday evening when riders got stuck on top of the 42-story-high coaster.

For 10-15 minutes, the coaster train sat "perfectly balanced" on the track until a Cedar Point maintenance worker took the elevator to the top and pushed the train forward over the hill, park spokesman Robin Innes said.

This is the fifth time the hydraulically propelled coaster has stopped at the top of the hill since opening in 2003, and the second time it happened when riders were in the coaster, he said.

No one was injured during Friday's incident, which happened around 6:20 p.m., and six of the estimated 18 riders on the coaster asked for -- and received -- another ride after returning to the ground, Innes said. The ride is typically less than 30 seconds long.

Although Cedar Point warns riders of the possibility of a rollback, which is when the train fails to clear the hill and returns to the station, a train slowing down enough to balance itself on the hill is not as common.

"It is all momentum," Innes said Friday. "Different conditions can affect momentum."

The more wind resistance there is, the less the momentum there will be, and the more likely there will be a rollback, he said. Top Thrill Dragster shoots riders up the hill at speeds of 120 mph in four seconds.

The Top Thrill Dragster continued to give rides after getting unstuck on Friday, Innes said.

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com

Copyright 2005 the Sandusky Register. All rights reserved.

All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of the Sandusky Register or FunCoast.com. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.