The inverted coaster equivalent is a foot chopper. Headchoppers are most common on wooden roller coasters but are also found on many steel roller coasters. All headchoppers are designed so that even the tallest rider, with both hands up, would be unable to touch the structure although if a rider exceeding the maximum height does board the coaster it could be potentially dangerous. Headchopper A headchopper at the bottom of the first drop on El ToroĪ headchopper is any point on a roller coaster where the support structure of the ride or the track itself appears to come very close to the passengers' heads. One disadvantage of vertical drive tires is that rainy weather can greatly reduce friction between the tire and the train, possibly causing the train to slightly overshoot its intended position and cause an emergency stop. This underside area is a flat area which often has a grated metal surface to increase friction between the car and the tire. When oriented vertically, they contact the underside of the train as it crosses a particular section of track. In this case, it is usually the brake fin that is used to propel or slow the train with the tires. When oriented horizontally, drive tires are often put in pairs so as to "squeeze" a portion of the train as it crosses that section of track. The Olympia Looping traveling roller coaster at Barth, Alpina Bahn and Mindbender at Galaxyland at the West Edmonton Mall also feature a drive tire instead of a chain on their lift hill.ĭrive tires are often used in one of two ways on roller coasters. Some roller coasters, most noticeably Vekoma Roller Skaters (Vekoma's version of a junior coaster) and Zierer Tivoli/Force (also junior coasters) also use drive tires instead of a chain on lift hills.ĭrive tires are also used to power other types of amusement rides, such as ferris wheels, Pirate Ships, and other spinning rides. The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure is notable for using drive tires to launch the train up an incline. However, they are generally used to propel the train at speeds between 5-8 mph. Although they are most often used in station areas and brake runs, they can also be used to launch trains at greater speeds. The traditional " pirate ship" style thrill ride often utilizes this type of restraint, as does the Troika.Ī drive tire, or squeeze tire depending on its usage, is essentially a motorized tire used to propel a roller coaster train along a piece of track. It can be argued that single-position buzz bars afford riders more air time on roller coasters, as ratcheting lap bars tend to lock further during the ride in many installations. Ironically some of the earlier ratcheting lap bar conversions use a solenoid release and can also produce a buzzing sound. Most parks have switched to individual ratcheting lap bars, similar to the lap bars found on steel coasters. There are other train types, such as NAD and even some PTC trains, that feature a single-position lap bar that has a mechanical release and therefore does not produce a buzzing sound. The term can be misleading as the buzzing sound only occurs on Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) trains when the solenoid that releases the bar is out of alignment. Single-position lap bars on wooden roller coasters are sometimes referred to as "buzz bars," a slang term named for the buzzing sound that some bars make as they lock or release. These are either engaged at the control panel or operated by pulling or pushing large levers in the station. Some older coasters have manually operated friction or skid brakes, some with a pneumatic assist. On most roller coasters, the brakes are controlled by a computer system. One notable exception is the scenic railway roller coaster, which relies on an operator to manually control the speed of the train. The vast majority of roller coasters do not have any form of braking on the train but rather forms of braking that exist on track sections. Brake runs may be located anywhere or hidden along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed. A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train.
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