I was in welding heaven....

admin

... Tuesday and Wednesday the family was at cedar point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. What a blast !!    Anyway I enjoyed checking out all the welds on the coaster tracks, and miles of aluminum guard rail welds.     The stick welds on the tracks really looked to be high quality - I'm guessing these are probably x-ray quality welds?Top thrill dragster highly recommended - 0 to 120 in 3.8 seconds, then a vertical 400+ foot ride. Great stuff, my 11 year old is hooked.- John
Reply:I was one of the first to ride the Magnum.  We waited in line a few extra hours while watching a welder working on the track.  I don't know if he was repairing or finishing a weld, but we rode it anyways! At the time is was the tallest coaster in the U.S.
Reply:Originally Posted by TSORI was one of the first to ride the Magnum.  We waited in line a few extra hours while watching a welder working on the track.  I don't know if he was repairing or finishing a weld, but we rode it anyways! At the time is was the tallest coaster in the U.S.
Reply:There is a place in Daytona in back of Hooters across the street from the speedway called "Nitro Park"...Go carts..Arcade..Super comp dragsters on rails that you drive..Yep 0-130 or so real fast..Mrs zap kiked my *** in R/T .... Lost the first 2 races..But I "short shifted" in the last one and went flying by at the finish..Sailed so far down the track I was almost in the weeds... Guy running the ride asked me if I short shifted.."Yup" was my answer.."Gotta catch her somehow".. ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterThere is a place in Daytona in back of Hooters across the street from the speedway called "Nitro Park"...Go carts..Arcade..Super comp dragsters on rails that you drive..Yep 0-130 or so real fast..Mrs zap kiked my *** in R/T .... Lost the first 2 races..But I "short shifted" in the last one and went flying by at the finish..Sailed so far down the track I was almost in the weeds... Guy running the ride asked me if I short shifted.."Yup" was my answer.."Gotta catch her somehow".. ...zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by SupeI did just the same for Millennium Force  Family, friends, whoever I'm with think I'm nuts.  They say "look at how tall that thing is!"  I say "look at how sweet that weave is!"
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterThere is a place in Daytona in back of Hooters across the street from the speedway called "Nitro Park"...Go carts..Arcade..Super comp dragsters on rails that you drive..Yep 0-130 or so real fast..Mrs zap kiked my *** in R/T .... Lost the first 2 races..But I "short shifted" in the last one and went flying by at the finish..Sailed so far down the track I was almost in the weeds... Guy running the ride asked me if I short shifted.."Yup" was my answer.."Gotta catch her somehow".. ...zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by FordBuilderFLNext time you come down this way let me know, thats in my backyard over here
Reply:Check this one out guys:"Unveiled for the 2005 season at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Kingda Ka, the king of coasters, will break all existing world records for both speed and height.Kingda Ka shoots riders from the station at 128 mph in only 3.5 seconds. Park goers are then propelled into the air at a 90 degree angle on a massive vertical tower. At its top height, Kingda Ka will reach 456 feet (over 45 stories). Once riders reach the 456 foot peak, they will descend 418 feet into a 270 degree spiral, then soar over a 129 foot hill and return back to the station.The roller coaster, designed by Intamin, is operated by a hydraulic launch motor. The first coaster to use this kind of motor was the Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm, located in California, in 2002.Top Thrill Dragster, the previous record-holder for highest and fastest, was the second hydraulic launch coaster built. It is located in Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio. Kingda Ka is 36 feet taller, eight miles faster, and a half second quicker than the Top Thrill Dragster.After riding in the front seat of Top Thrill Dragster, Eric Gieszl, the editor of UltimateRollerCoaster.com said, "I remember feeling my skin pull back from my face. I haven't felt that since I went sky diving, and certainly never before on a roller coaster."Kingda Ka is similar to Top Thrill Dragster, a coaster that "rivals skyscrapers in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles," Gieszl said. Gieszl, a 32-year-old from Los Angeles, California, has ridden over 230 roller coasters. "
Reply:yep, just slightly higher/faster than the one I went on. Wicked fun rides !- John
Reply:And as an aside,the coaster is propelled by (if I recall correctly) 32 hydraulic motors developing 10,000 horsepower. The motors connect to a ring gear that ultimately turns a drum that winds up a cable that is connected to the coaster. Neat stuff.The hydraulic fluid is pumped against a piston, with the other end of the piston connected to pressurized nitrogen bottles. The nitrogen is pressing against the piston at something like 4300 psi... when a valve is opened, that hydraulic fluid is routed to the hydraulic motors. Being a mechanical weenie I'd love to get a tour of the 'works' of this ride.- John