Big Dipper derailed

[Darkrider]

I see it happened on that new scetion of track that was rebuilt after the last accident? Tut tut to PB for probably getting it fixed 'on the cheap'.

And I dont think this signals the end for the coaster, the Big Dipper is too iconic.

A geezer with a plank of wood and a bag of nails?
BPB have a specialist joinery department where the wood for the track is bent, shaped and laminated. There is about six layers laminated together and on top sides and underneath, steel running surfaces. Look at the track closely and you can see that it is a real craftsnans job, and beautifully made.
Obviousy the cause of yesterdays problem must be found.

I agree the Dipper is too iconic to even consider a repacement.
I wish Merlin would install a woodie. but probably they don't want to have to employ specialist joiners and engineers etc.

 

[Hixee]

^We know how woodies are made.

The point he was making was that something clearly went wrong due to a maintenance issue. Whether it was the track or the train, someone still neglected something. Things like this don't really just 'happen'.

I wish Merlin would install a woodie. but probably they don't want to have to employ specialist joiners and engineers etc

I don't think it's that Merlin don't want to employ specialist joiners or whatever, it's more a case of not wanting/needing to install a woodie. :roll:

 

[tks]

How on earth could it roll back? The train was going through that section at quite a pelt when we rode it earlier in the day..

 

[nealbie]

Also, I'd like for them to explain to me how you rollback through a straight flat piece of track?

It's almost laughable how stupid the Pleasure Beach think we all are at times :lol:

 

[marc]

^Which is why I was asking you them questions as I was not there to see it. What they are saying is it stalled and rolled back but train 2 made train threes front wheels leave the track.

But what you have said to me makes it sound like train 3 was already off and in the end it slowed the train down enough to cause the stall.

No one until then had actually said what happened which is why I was asking.

Lets see how they get out of this one.

 

[Rach]

 

[Ian]

Just to add to what I tweeted whilst at the park yesterday. Staff managed to evacuate the riders in about 30 minutes of it happening. From what I can tell, there were no injuries and no emergency services were called. None of the riders looked concerned or upset, more puzzled than anything.

I have no idea how it happened (I can't confirm this rollback malarkey), all I saw with my own eyes was a Big Dipper train stuck on a section of track near the hotel. The front wheel on the third car was raised off the track, causing the car to rest at a funny angle - a derailment.

Security prevented anybody from getting near the fenced area by the go-karts as that area had to be "kept clear", but I'm happy to suggest that they didn't want photos taken.

The Big Dipper remained closed for the rest of the day. I have no idea if they did get the derailed train back to the station or not.

Ultimately, I don't think it will affect things much. The ride will undertake any repairs and should reopen imo. One accident is unfortunate, a second one in the same section of track within 10 months is damn right shoddy. It doesn't matter how much fanboys try to sugarcoat it, a derailment on a coaster recently involved in an accident shouldn't happen. Thankfully nobody was hurt.

 

[Gavin]

^Quite. I'm far from an expert on the engineering side of roller coasters, but it's fairly obvious that a situation where wheels JUMP THE TRACK has the potential for some serious injury, which thankfully didn't happen.

The clearing of the area was pretty slick. Yes, people will say that it's a health and safety issue, and that security were making the area safe for spectators. Perhaps, but I'm sure anyone who was there at the time would agree that it seemed more about preventing people from seeing what had happened. Why else clear people away from the upstairs windows of Burger King?

I've never been one to bash a park for the sake of it, which does sometimes happen with Blackpool, but this should NEVER have happened given what occurred last year. Couple that with the fact that they are now blatantly telling lies about what happened to cover their arse, and the whole thing stinks.

 

[jjjjustin]

They should get PCT or another wooden roller coaster company to refurbish it completely new trains, track ,and any supports that need replacing

 

[Anonymous]

BPB, please tell me how you explain roll back at that point of the ride? A fluctuation in the law of gravity perhaps?? That it happened virtually in the same spot on the same turnaround as the last accident has pretty dodgy implications about the 'work' they did rennovating it. No way to gloss over this.

 

[tks]

I assume the train had been slowed unimaginably by something *cough*wheelsofftrack*cough* and then it ground to halt on the anti-rollbacks. Add a pinch of PR spin and you have a simple "rollback" with no mention of something quite major going wrong with the ride.

 

[Scott88]

The train is parked up in the station now and sat in/on the transfer track.

Dipper will be re-opening soon on a one train service.

 

[Jools]

To me it looks like the train rolled back then it derailed, don't ask why, but I suppose it would need a reason to stall in the first place.

 

[furie]

My take, just posted on Scott's forum


the upstops here have clearly failed for some reason. There's no way the side wheel should be above the track section, it should always (even in moments of extreme airtime) remain below the level of the upper track. The point of the side wheel is to keep the train within the confines of the tracks, much as the upstops keep it on the track. If the side wheels go above the track, then the train will lurch too far to one side and stall as the bogey (or chassis, or whatever, I'm not THAT clear on coaster train construction :lol: ) will hit the track.

The train was apparently travelling at speed the rest of the day over that section, so there's no reason to think it would roll back. If it DID roll back,. it's because of a fault.

I'd suspect (pure conjecture) that the upstop wheel has failed somehow on that wheel cluster. It's then either caused the train to stall, roll back and hit the anti-rollbacks (this has then finally finished off the upstop and the force of the roll back has lifted the carriage and derailed it) or, the upstop has failed somehow and the train has lifted, the side wheel has hit the top, the wheel assembly has ground against the track and the train has stalled and rolled back.

Either way, it has derailed at some point...

If they're talking about reopening with one train very soon, then it can't be a track fault - it's a simple mechanical issue on the wheel assembly. They're not new trains, so it's a simple fault much like the RMT accident at Alton Towers - metal sheering off unexpectedly.

H&S will examine the wheel assembly and make sure that it's been well maintained and checked and that it's just "one of those things".

It's unfortunate it's at the same place as last year, but nothing so far suggests it's the track at fault or even it's down to poor maintenance.

It's simply (I believe) bad luck and I doubt it will have any effect on the future of the ride. If somebody had been killed maybe, but not for a relatively minor incident like this.

Good news? The fact another train didn't crash into them shows that the new system they put in works. So they didn't waste all that money over the closed season

 

[Martyn B]

Quick question, (last year) what caused train one to stop on that section, for train two to then hit it?

Did it de-rail?

For me its a bit too coinsidnetal that this incident happened in the exact same spot as last year.

And if you think about it, if the ride ops were despatching the trains how they used to, we would have had the exact same accident as last year....

 

[furie]

Last year the track split and broke causing the train to hit the broken bit and come to a very sudden halt.

People were hurt by the initial stop in August, not just the second collision.

This suggests that this isn't a track issue (plus, as that section was retracked, I'd find it VERY hard to believe the new track has broken in the same place...). It looks more like there was a wheel problem and the train has slowed because of it (either before or after the derailment). It's like it simply ground to a halt rather than a sudden jarring incident.

I do indeed think it's just coincidence it happened at the same spot.

And yes, it's a good job they added the new system or there would have been a repeat of last year. It shows that the work they did does indeed prevent repeat accidents - this is a good thing

I think it's an unlucky, simple failure (it may have been down to maintenance, but if there was a fault inside a wheel axle or something, you'd not know anyway, as long as it was replaced within the correct maintenance schedule it's alright) which doesn't massively reflect badly on the park. If there hadn't been an accident in August, it would have been brushed off much like the EGF derailment last months.

The accident just makes people more critical. Then again, so does the Pleasure Beaches quite heavy approach to clamping down on people knowing about what's happening. They can't be too open though as it can lead to future problems, but they DO have a major PR issue at the park.

That aside, there's no need to panic about the ride collapsing or being taken down - I think it's just a simple issue - which will be proven if the ride reopens in the next couple of weeks on one train operation.

 

[Darkrider]

A wheel problem sounds a likely cause, possibly the stub axel is still under the track stopping it from lifting further.
Wheel failure can't be that uncommon - a ride at Alton Towers lost a wheel February 2010, and was evacuated.

Hopefully Dipper is open this weekend, but probably on 1 train.

 

[Brookes]

Can't believe it has had another accident. I was only on it last week and I'm glad I got to ride it just in case it doesn't re-open so I had experienced it, although many seem to think it will open yet again. This has got to show neglect by PBB though, I quite like the park and I am not one to bash parks for no reason, but you can only be unlucky so many times.

EDIT: Just remembered I have it as my avatar and signature. :roll:

 

[Scott88]

And if you think about it, if the ride ops were despatching the trains how they used to, we would have had the exact same accident as last year....

The dispatch times have been changed slightly and the lift hill has been made to run alot slower so they have got plenty of time to stop the train if we have a similar incident to last year/last weekend.

It wont crash again, its got a system in place which will stop any train leaving the lift if the other one hasnt returned to the station in time, a system they didnt have in place last year and also they had to put this in place in order for H&S to allow them to run two trains again.

 

[Karen]

When we rode earlier in the day I commented to Phil that Big Dipper was usually my favourite ride in the park but that ride was awful! Really rough, bumpy, bangy, clunky. I "believe" we were in the train that derailed near to the section that came off the track!

Coincident maybe.

Also as one of the CFer's to witness the situation, I noted how we hadn't heard anything untoward like squealing, passengers or ride. Also all passengers seemed very calm.