[Blue Moon]

Very busy day today. Yes, it was 2 train operation yesterday. Also, we have been running 3 trains on Sundays FYI. The only Sunday this season we ran 2 was on Easter.

[RiDeWaRrIoR]

Oh, well one Sunday that I was there, only 2 were on and it wasnt on easter. Oh well. I will probaly be there tomorrow! Ill be @ intimidator around 930ish or whenever they let us in.... Hopefully nothing comes up and I get to go.

[Blue Moon]

I've worked every Sunday.

[RiDeWaRrIoR]

Awesome I think it was March 28th the day they had 2 trains running because it was rainy, I dont know. Anyway I will be at the park today for some more ridin! See yah there, probaly just dont know who you are lol!

[Jonathan]

They were really cranking out trains this morning. I don't know that I've ever seen a coaster anywhere with three trains where the crew doesn't stack, but they were getting them out before the train behind stopped on the final brakes. The line was around 10-15 minutes between 10 and 11, then when I went back to the ride at noon it was a walk on in the single rider line.

Now, I hate to be "THAT GUY", but the second trim brake is murdering the two return hills. I don't know if they went out there and intentionally cranked up the brakes, or if it is responding automatically to temperature or speed, but it is absolutely not my imagination at all. Those two hills, which may have been my favorite part of the ride on media day and opening day, are not what they were then. That part of the ride is still good, but before it was fantastic. Frustrating...

[jasonwilson88]

^ That is exactly why i305 has taken the top position in my mind. It's trim brakes are completely necessary (or the train would slam into the brake run, overshoot it, and bad things would happen), whereas Carowinds' trims are useless. At no point will that train EVER be going so fast that it would be painful/dangerous to crest the hill, the hills are all very conservative in design to begin with, B&M are apparently just wild about light negative g's.

Disabling our two trims would make Intimidator one of the best coasters in the world, as of right now, the return run and helix finale is just too slowed down to match anything like the ""WTF JUST HAPPENED" feeling that you get from a coaster like i305. On the cold mornings for opening day and the following day the train was crawling over the final hill into the MCBR so slow that people in line were questioning why it was going so slow, and the trim was barely on then!

Don't get me wrong, Intimidator is amazing and the best ride in the park (behind the flyers ;P) and by far the best crew, but the slowness of the second half and the magnetic grab on the MCBR are pointless imo when it could have been so good without the trim.

EDIT:NOTE: obviously I am not a coaster engineer / designer so my claims as to the uselessness of trims can come with a grain of salt, but I think it's fairly obvious why trim's appear when they do, except on B&M hypers. this is not intended to start an i305 vs. Timmy showdown, simply a comparative statement.

[cwgator]

A train is stopped/stuck on the lift hill right now. Can't tell if there is one in the station, but there is one outside on the brakes before. Hope everything is ok. (Note they hadn't changed the time for DST so it's an hour ahead-actualtime is 1;58pm). As of this posting the train is still on the lift hill (2:08pm).

[Blue Moon]

Everything is fine. In fact, if you check the webcam again it is operating. I was there until 2 today.

- Jonathan, we had an amazing first hour. Glad you got to witness it.

[sccoasterbear]

A train is stopped/stuck on the lift hill right now. Can't tell if there is one in the station, but there is one outside on the brakes before. Hope everything is ok. (Note they hadn't changed the time for DST so it's an hour ahead-actualtime is 1;58pm). As of this posting the train is still on the lift hill (2:08pm).

Saw maintenance out working on that trim before the turn around. Not sure what was up, but after it reopened we rode and didnt feel it catch at all.

[Jonathan]

lol I feel like they are toying with me. I should have gone back over there this afternoon I guess (although it was the one after the turnaround that really bugged me).

[jasonwilson88]

I've never even felt the pre-turnaround trim (though I've heard it while in the backseat on opening day, no feeling) so I'm not sure why they would be messing w/ that one unless it was throwing some kind of error. The 2nd one however - pure evil.

[RiDeWaRrIoR]

Yesterday was great! I was there the first hour, I was the 3rd one in the single rider line so I was on the second train out. Intimidator crew, once again, amazing job! I think the I-crew should go show the nighthawk crew how to load! I know nighthawk is a lot more detailed loading and not 3 trains and shorter, but they are SLOW. It just seems like they want to take their time and make you sit on that brake run for 10 min or somethin. Overall very nice day thought, will post more in the trip report! I did manage to ride intimidator 6 times, and I do agree with Jonathan that the trims were really hitting in the morning. I didnt see when they had it stopped, guess I was around the other side of the park or something, but it was a really quick moving line as usual. Another great day and pretty busy for a sunday...

[GriffonBoy69]

^ Thanks for the comment, I personally take offense to that! I can tell you that anytime the train is sitting on the brakes for more than 2 minutes is because of a problem with the ride, not the crew!

Secondly, intimidators crew has to push down a seat, they have 6 people checking seats, 36 seats, that means each person has to check six seats by simply pushing the seat down, pulling up and moving on to the next seat. At nighthawk, the crew has to check each seat twice, and even then, if one of the sensors says that a seat is not locked, the crew has to recheck that seat. Yes, the nighthawk crew, 4 people checking 24 seats has the same number of seats, but that doesnt mean they can do it nearly as fast as intimidator can.

Thirdly, the nighthawk crew this year has been doing better on capacity than the last 3 years, if not more previous years have been on capacity, the biggest problem for nighthawk is the loading process being slow, guests being slow, and downtimes (which the crew has no control over).

Like I said above, thanks for the comment, really feel that it is unwarranted.

[Cosmo_TAD]

The Nighthawk crew deserves some credit, it is actually a pretty hard ride to work at. The amount of things that must be done to deboard and reboard the next group is incredible and it does take a minute. But if you watch most of the time what they are waiting on is other guests to return from a trip to the storage cubbie. Its just the design of the ride that makes the crew "seem" slow, while actually they are scooting right along. I know saturday night there was only two people working the platform and they were doing everything but running from row to row.

Just to show the "math" of a load cycle intimidator has 32 lap bars to pull, Nighthawk has 24 vests and 24 hip bars that you check twice...so compare 32 to 96 and its a simple answer as to whats going to go slower

Now thats not a reason for either crew to ever work at a pace that a sloth would look comfortable in and I'm sure the team leaders at both rides would appreciate words of wisdom from time to time. I know when I'm in the park I try to move as fast as i can to encourage fellow guests to follow suit.

[GriffonBoy69]

^ thank you. What Cosmo has stated could not be any closer to the truth, In fact, often times we have the train locked by the time the other train is hitting the brakes. All that is left is to lay the train down, and send it out. so despite us possibly looking slow, we really are quite the opposite.