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What the hell is that thing on Zippin Pippin?

MestnyiGeroi

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
There is something on Zippin Pippin that I have never encountered on any coaster before, and both times it happened (I rode the coaster twice), I wasn’t sure what I had just witnessed, even though I was waiting for it the second time. Just after you crest the final hill there is ... a bump? a drop? These words are inadequate. Basically, in a split second it looks to me as if the car in front of me hits a violent drop track at full speed. Actually, it looks to me exactly as if the train is derailing and falling. And then before I can register what I’ve just seen, the car I’m in (I rode in the back) drops violently, too.

Yeah, it’s an old woodie and such coasters have jarring moments (Lord knows I’ve been on a lot of those), but what got me here is that it literally seemed to me to have defied physics, and I just got off scratching my head.

Anyone else here have a similar experience of being astounded on this ride, or did it seem like normal stuff to you?
 
I thought Zippin Pippin was built in 2011 by The Gravity Group, but inspired by an old wooden coaster of the same name? Or did I imagine that?

Anyway, my personal guess is that the descent out of this hill might be steeper than the ascent into it, therefore taking you by surprise, but I'm probably way off.
 
The track is probably a ****show. Saw the same thing happen on Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park however as Pippin is newer, it doesn't have the same excuse as BS. I'd want to take a look at the track to see that portion.
 
Snoo said:
The track is probably a :emoji_poop:show. Saw the same thing happen on Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park however as Pippin is newer, it doesn't have the same excuse as BS. I'd want to take a look at the track to see that portion.
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It’s similar to Blue Streak, which is a far crazier ride in terms of the overall state of the tracks, but it’s far more of a violent, weird drop. I’m not exaggerating when I say to my eyes it seemed as if the ride were defying physics. Just couldn’t figure out what was happening.

And Zippin Pippin has a long, complicated history of being reworked, partially collapsing, being relocated, and being reassembled, but I believe that it’s like The Comet at Great Escape: much of the remaining coaster is very old. That’s my understanding, but I’ll defer to someone who knows better.
 
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TLARides said:
Do you have like a photo of the spot where it happens?

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No, and a photo wouldn’t show it (but it’s just as you start the descent on the last hill). However, a video would. I’m on a plane about to fly home, but later I can seek out POVs to see if one captures what I’m taking about. It is not just something you feel on the ride; it’s visually stunning, so unless it’s a totally new development I’ll see if I can find a good video.
 
Maybe it's a pre-drop before the drop (kinda a stupid thought but still an idea)?
MestnyiGeroi said:
No, and a photo wouldn’t show it (but it’s just as you start the descent on the last hill). However, a video would. I’m on a plane about to fly home, but later I can seek out POVs to see if one captures what I’m taking about. It is not just something you feel on the ride; it’s visually stunning, so unless it’s a totally new development I’ll see if I can find a good video.
Click to expand...

Sent from my LG-TP260 using Tapatalk
 
I've been on it, and know exactly what you're talking about. It's essentially the same as one of those janky triangular Magnum hills. It was part of the original ride, and Gravity Group decided to include it.

Too bad that's the only good part of the ride.
 
At 1:24 in this video by CF you can at least see there’s some kind of jolt, but in no way does that get across the weird violence of the moment:

 
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