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What is a switchback?

Dave

CF Legend
I'm sure its when a ride changes direction.

For instance Expedition Everest changes direction at various locations inside the mountain using a series of switchbacks. In Everest's case its a rotating piece of track.
 

WelcomeToOblivion

Giga Poster
Thank you both! I understand now, you definitely answered it :)
Wow, that sounds quite a bit of fun, should be good to see how they incorporate that into the ride.
 

Ollie

CF Legend
The switchbacks on Altons coaster works differently. The first one is when you enter on the top floor and the track drops down to the ground floor and connect to the track down there where the train gets push backwards into the helix.
When transferring to forwards again the train is held on a section of track while a rotating section of track switches the curved track to a straight section so the train can move forward again.
I probably didn't explain it too well but you can see in some of the construction photos what I mean.
Also there's some good videos on the net showing the switch track on Expedition Everest.
 

Ingested Banjo

Mega Poster
You also get them on log flumes - see Stormforce, Drayton, the track turns and the boat exits backwards in a sort of Z shape.

And, although it's slightly different because it's a vertical change, the vekoma tilting coaster uses a mechanism so that the train pivots from horizontal to vertical, and then drops into the next bit of track.

What I don't get is the world's first. There's loads of directional changes. Is it going to be the first intamin family coaster to have a directional change? that would be a sucky record.
 

WelcomeToOblivion

Giga Poster
Ingested Banjo said:
You also get them on log flumes - see Stormforce, Drayton, the track turns and the boat exits backwards in a sort of Z shape.

And, although it's slightly different because it's a vertical change, the vekoma tilting coaster uses a mechanism so that the train pivots from horizontal to vertical, and then drops into the next bit of track.

What I don't get is the world's first. There's loads of directional changes. Is it going to be the first intamin family coaster to have a directional change? that would be a sucky record.
Oh I didn't think of Stormface!
Yeah I don't get the "world's first" either to be honest.
I'm contemplating entering the competition to be one of the first to ride, but I don't think I could hack spending even one second with Alex Reid lol.
 

Ollie

CF Legend
Dave said:
That needs a spoiler tag.
Not really as it's a topic talking about the swtich backs on the ride and how they worked. I told him how they worked, thus answering his question. If you didn't want to know then you shouldn't be reading this topic in the first place.
 

Nemesis Inferno

Strata Poster
^Erm Ollie, you were talking about the 'secret' world's first section on Thirteen, not a current existing one...

Hence, through giving away the main draw of the ride, you could easily ruin the 'suprise' we would've had without your post...

In short, it's that second sentence that should be in spoilers...
 

Ollie

CF Legend
Yes but no-one still knows for certain. It may drop, lower, tilt. And plus if you haven't seen any pictures of the track inside then you've either been dead for months. I was simply telling him how the first switchback on 13 worked and there's no way to say how without saying the train goes from the top floor to the bottom.
 

Nemesis Inferno

Strata Poster
^So wait... No-one knows for certain how it works, yet you told him how it worked?

And what about those who are only on this site because of discovering Thirteen? Maybe they've just come across, you seriously cannot generalise that everyone knows all the little details about it...
 

WelcomeToOblivion

Giga Poster
To be honest I don't see how telling someone how a ride works ruins a ride or secret bit of a ride, because everyone interprets what they've read differently and surely the actual ride is completely different to a description.
It's like watching a PoV of Rita, you see how the track works, but it doesn't ruin how the ride makes you feel.
I dunno maybe that's just me.

ps. If you're talking about explaining to me how it works, I'm a girl :p
 

Ollie

CF Legend
Nemesis Inferno said:
^So wait... No-one knows for certain how it works, yet you told him how it worked?
Why are you wining about something so off topic? I said noone knows HOW it gets from the top to bottom. It may drop fast/slow, it may lower, it may bounce etc.
All I was trying to explain that in order for the train to exit the building backwards it had to get from the upper floor to the lower. Before you came along and started winging about ****.

Grow up.
 

Nemesis Inferno

Strata Poster
Oh Neal, that is not good times at all...

And Ollie, please spell whinging correctly if you're gonna use it... Besides, I stand by my original point that Dave was indeed correct that you should've had spoilers in regards to the whole thing...
 

Ingested Banjo

Mega Poster
WelcomeToOblivion said:
To be honest I don't see how telling someone how a ride works ruins a ride or secret bit of a ride, because everyone interprets what they've read differently and surely the actual ride is completely different to a description.
ps. If you're talking about explaining to me how it works, I'm a girl :p[/quote]

I've watched a PoV of pretty much every big ride I've been on before riding it, just because when I get excited, I decide I can't wait, although it used to be because I was scared and needed confirmation that it didn't do anything unexpectedly uber scary. On most rides, this helps me feel excited about it, but I wish I'd not read about the ******** **** on the first drop on saw, because then I was expecting it, and it wasn't such a shock, so I'm going to try and steer clear of too much explicit detail of 13.

ps. If you're talking about explaining to me how it works, I'm a girl :p

New friend. :p

ollie said:
It may drop fast/slow, it may lower, it may bounce etc.

I get what you mean. It's just speculation from plans that don't give much away, still, some people might've avoided the plans if they're trying to keep 13 a secret til it opens. But then they should just close their eyes at any mention of the ride, seeing as this whole forum site is dedicated to speculation and opinions of rollercoasters.

And I really want a bouncing coaster now.
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Yeah, he told me Saw was good and had amazing theming before I rode it too - ruined the ride for me - just couldn't live up to expectations ;)

Okay, have we answered the switchtrack question?

Feel free to embelish, but discussing Ollies ability to post minor spoilers which upset a minority of people who don't care is well established - so it can stop now :p
 

WelcomeToOblivion

Giga Poster
Ingested Banjo said:
WelcomeToOblivion said:
To be honest I don't see how telling someone how a ride works ruins a ride or secret bit of a ride, because everyone interprets what they've read differently and surely the actual ride is completely different to a description.


I've watched a PoV of pretty much every big ride I've been on before riding it, just because when I get excited, I decide I can't wait, although it used to be because I was scared and needed confirmation that it didn't do anything unexpectedly uber scary. On most rides, this helps me feel excited about it, but I wish I'd not read about the ******** **** on the first drop on saw, because then I was expecting it, and it wasn't such a shock, so I'm going to try and steer clear of too much explicit detail of 13.
Aye, I see what you mean. But I don't think for me telling me how the switchback works will ruin the ride, unless as you said, I am told where it is. Even then I could never imagine the feeling haha.

IngestedBanjo said:
ps. If you're talking about explaining to me how it works, I'm a girl :p
New friend. :p
Yay! :p
 
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