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IAAPA 2013

Lofty said:
_koppen said:
KumbaK haven't really built any great wheel assembly replacements. All of their trains I have tried have been more or less the same in terms of rough ness, as the old trains.

Really?! Did you ride Stampida pre Kumbak? It definitely deteriorated with the changeover.

I for one can't stand Kumbak or their products so I'm really not too fussed about these new trains at all.


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I haven't been on Stampida. I have only ridden KumbaK trains on steel coasters, and on these I have never noticed any improvements on how they track, which IMO ruins the whole point of upgrading to a new train.

On the new Vekoma trains on Python and Jaguar you can actually notice that the train tracks track better, as well as eliminates the head banging with the new restraints. This I think makes the investment worth while.
 
^The KumbaK trains on Python was really comfy though! I liked them a lot :)

The new Vekoma trains are on the other hand a pretty vile creation >< They're very constraining and I actually thought they hurt a bit. Much prefer the old SLC restraints to the new vest design!
 
^ I'm only 175cm, so that's probably why I find them so comfy. Would love for someone to develop an lap bar SLC train, it seems like it would be possible.
 
_koppen said:
On the new Vekoma trains on Python and Jaguar you can actually notice that the train tracks track better, as well as eliminates the head banging with the new restraints. This I think makes the investment worth while.

Jaguar?

Also, the Kumbak trains on Stampida were replaced because the PTC trains were literally ripping themselves to shreds on a daily basis. Where the Kumbak trains have been fine. So from a mechanical point of view, they're doing a good job.
 
_koppen said:
^ I'm only 175cm, so that's probably why I find them so comfy. Would love for someone to develop an lap bar SLC train, it seems like it would be possible.
Yes, that's whats the problem. I'm 1.87m which isn't extremely tall but the restraints are still way to small for me! Which I find strange since the original SLC restraints are one of the more spacious designs in the industry, as is the GIB restraints.

I agree with the lapbar idea. It seems really half-arsed by the manufacturers to add a vest instead of removing the otsr completely (and replaces them with a lapbar). It's obviously possible since lot's of manufacturers are already doing it. But to see companies like Vekoma and B&M just exchange the horse collars for vest which are equally restraining and painful for tall riders like me makes me mad!

It might be that there already is a lapbar-only train available for SLCs? At least Schäfer Amusement Technologies produce a lapbar-only design for boomerangs:
pict1905.jpg
 
^ Those restraints are fantastic; they really turn a mediocre coaster into something actually quite decent. Being dragged back up the lift hill with just the lap bar is actually terrifying.

I could've sworn Vekoma had a lap bar only train design for their SLCs. Why am I thinking of Great Nor 'Easter?
 
gavin said:
I could've sworn Vekoma had a lap bar only train design for their SLCs. Why am I thinking of Great Nor 'Easter?
Those are the ones I posted on the last page:

ah204u000og2kbhi4q53n0.jpg


They're a lap bar and flexible harness, similar to flyers and wing coasters. They're a lot better than the stock SLC trains, but aren't a pure lap bar.
 
MouseAT said:
gavin said:
I could've sworn Vekoma had a lap bar only train design for their SLCs. Why am I thinking of Great Nor 'Easter?
Those are the ones I posted on the last page:

ah204u000og2kbhi4q53n0.jpg


They're a lap bar and flexible harness, similar to flyers and wing coasters. They're a lot better than the stock SLC trains, but aren't a pure lap bar.

Just a general Query do them vest type restraints tighten up like the B&M ones do? Just a thought, but yeah they do look more comfy then the normal ones.
 
they tighten up but they have a bit of give... Honestly, having ridden Nor'Easter with both the original trains and the current trains....... I don't think it helped. The ride is still rough and unenjoyable and because of the "give" at the end of the ride when you slam to a stop my whole body would pull forward and then slam back into the seat back / headrest with one painful head slam. (You can also touch the rail while locked in the seat with the vest trains!)
 
Kumbak are hit and miss when it comes to train designs.. Their wooden replacements are awful, but their family steel replacements are great. Lets see what happens with these more complicated designs.
 
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