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Vekoma building ZigZag test-construction @ Vlodrop

If I'm understanding what they're going for here, it seems a bit... dull and pointless? Unless it's specifically for a park with space shortages or a theming element/scene in mind?
 
Ethan said:
If I'm understanding what they're going for here, it seems a bit... dull and pointless? Unless it's specifically for a park with space shortages or a theming element/scene in mind?
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Its never done before by any manufacturer.

U can place this change of direction in a darkride portion of the ride.
 
I guess this is being developed to help Vekoma compete in the 'dark ride coaster' market further. Especially with Intamin pushing their multidimensional coasters more.

But yeah, this idea seems a bit...over the top. Surely it is significantly easier to stop the train at the top of the hill, and initiate a switch track half way down the hill, thus changing direction? Gives more or less the same outcome in a similar amount of space, and less complicated than moving an entire train.
 
JoshC. said:
But yeah, this idea seems a bit...over the top. Surely it is significantly easier to stop the train at the top of the hill, and initiate a switch track half way down the hill, thus changing direction? Gives more or less the same outcome in a similar amount of space, and less complicated than moving an entire train.
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I thought this too! Just seems a very complex way to do something that will probably be very boring to ride haha
 
The advantage of this setup is you can use the potential energy of the train to get it up to speed when it leaves the turntable without using booster wheels or LSMs. Thereby I assume making the whole thing cheaper to run.

The turntable also has the ability to switch to multiple different exit tracks. You can put an exit track either side of the entrance track without much issue and potentially many more opening up some interesting layout options.
 
roomraider said:
The turntable also has the ability to switch to multiple different exit tracks. You can put an exit track either side of the entrance track
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Yeah, but as stated above, how would this be better / more efficient than what we've already seen on rides like Everest or even better, Grizzly Mountain? And with the rotating track you can still have it go off in multiple directions, we just haven't seen that implemented (just a bigger gauge drum with three directional pieces rather than the two we've seen so far....or better yet, just a slide track)
Honestly the only way I see this being remotely interesting or 'exciting' were to be if you enter the element in reverse and then had the whole 'broken track' / no track, in front of you facing downward as it slides over.
 
It's important to keep in mind the target audience here. This is being utilized on a family coaster. The people this feature is aimed at are likely to get off the ride with their minds blown by the crazy switch track. It doesn't even have to be part of an elaborate scene. You can often put something right in front of people and it just doesn't click. I've ridden dive coasters with people who were completely oblivious to the nature of the first drop or the fact that there is a holding brake.

Ultimately, it's something different and marketable and the general public will likely think it's a really wild feature.
 
I think this is a clever twist on the conventional switch track. It gives the GP something to see, and say ¨Wow, look at that huge thing moving all those cars¨. it might mean very little to us goons, but to the GP it is much more noticeable and cooler looking than a standard Intamin switch track.
 
CanobieFan said:
Honestly the only way I see this being remotely interesting or 'exciting' were to be if you enter the element in reverse and then had the whole 'broken track' / no track, in front of you facing downward as it slides over.
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Interesting you mention that. There's only one exit here but perhaps not on the final model. The train needs to turn around again after all.
 
During my weekly visit @ Vekoma, they where testing long time while train was on the Inclined turntable.
Youtube video will be added shortly (at least this evening)
 
That's been modified a fair bit since I last saw it but general ideas the same. Just a longer final section round the water ride.

Anyway for those wondering, after the ride starts it runs through the switch and turns right out of the station onto the the turn table, which then swings and drops it backwards down the bottom track.
The backwards section runs around the back of the turntable and the train eventually runs back past the station switch into the center of the turn table again which then turns and drops the train forwards around the sprawling bit past the water ride back to the station

(It's also possible the turntable doesn't swing to start and just drops the train backwards into the smaller section without swinging but that would kind of defeat the point of a turntable)
 
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