Be quiet, science shows that magnets never "turn off", so be quiet.

Thats not true either. Look at magnetic pole reversal. If you don't know, look it up, but its once permenant in thousands of years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth's_m...field_reversals

The day you can turn off a earth magnet and back on or pole reversal in it will be the day you become very rich.

Good luck

Field Reversals can be done, but not with earth magnets.

I hate how The Beast is now I honestly hate the brakes on the hill(s) it just isnt as fun as it used to be.

Its just a more sudden stoppage. There is no decrease in speed versus the old brakes and the new brakes. Just quicker.

Magnetic brakes can fail. They reverse the magenetic pull so the brakes work. The reverse process must have failed. Magnets never just stopworking but when the pull is reversed for the brakes, promblems can occure.

If no decrease in speed why is it that you have to slow down the lift to wait for the train ahead of you to pass the block before the helix? It wasn't the way before the new brakes.

Thats not a brake issue. Thats a BLOCK issue.

The Beast was origonally set up for 8 blocks. This could technically run up to 6 trains, however due to loading procedures, they could only run 3 trains. Therefor, when the new brakes were put in, the blocks were restructured to run 4 blocks, allowing for a "buffer block" in between trains.

This whole reason is why Intamin has gone back to permanent earth magnets on their coasters. Take the roll back brakes on Dragster. They take air to lower to allow the train to launch. After the train passes, the air evacuates and springs or something of the like shoots the fins up. In the event of a power failure, and air pressure loss, the brake fins will shoot upwards on their own.

Now I hear even this sytem can fail - but I don't know if it is true. Rumor is - this last really bad breakdown Kingda Ka had - it launched and something happened during the launch. The brake fins did not raise, but thankfully the train made it over. Like I said I don't know if this is true, and I like to err on the side of skepticism - but it is just what I heard.

And even earth magnets can fail. There are a few natural phenomena that can cause this - such as the north and south magnetic poles flipping.

Edit: Dur! I didn't see page 3!

However, the fact that it takes air to lower the fins is a safety measure. If the coaster loses power or pressure, the fins will raise. Thus stopping the train.

Okay, let's shy away from science nerd talk for a bit. . .

I'd like to address what was said about CF not maintaining their wooden coasters. Have you been to Cedar Point recently? The Blue Streak is still a great family coaster that runs good. The Gemini has some of the best airtime on its hills. And although the Mean Streak IS rough, it still gives a good fast ride and doesn't deliver near the headache that SOB gives.

CF is only going to improve PKIs coaster maintenance. . ..

Thats why some of the CP wooden coaster dept have been recieving tips from our guys.....

Gemini is a Steel Coaster, just look at the track. It just has a wooden frame.

Remember, The Beast was originally built with the brake shed. It was always intended to be slowed at that point. I would attribute the "out of control" feeling that people always talk about to the fact that you used to be much less restrained in your seat. The bar was nowhere near your lap, and there were no seat dividers, so you would slide side to side very rapidly. The lateral G forces on the ride are pretty high even today, you just can't be thrown around like the old days.

HelixSpiral; You make a great point about being less restrained a few years back, and I can remember trying not to squish the person sitting on the outside side of car while it was going through the Helix area. You did get that out of control feeling like man I better hold on or I could fall out! And I think that might be why guests would hold their hands-up more back then was because it felt like more of a risk to do so then, as compared to today's coasters were they strap you in push down with a redesigned tight lap bars. It doesn’t give you that same feeling as before.

...not to mention the rock-hard "padding" that all the Ohio wood coasters now have but none but Mean Streak had back when they were first built. . .

Am I the only one that found Mean Streak terrible this year. I only rode it once and decided not to again for the rest of the year. My friends got off proclaiming it was the worst ride they'd ever been on and they've all been on Villian and SOB. Now I wouldn't say Mean Streak is as bad as Villian but it goes to show that this ride is not well maintained as some have been claiming this year.

These same friends rode Blue Streak four times in a row and loved it. So they aren't just haters of wooden coasters. To me it seems like CF has trouble maintaining larger woodies. Rides like Blue Streak and Big Dipper ride wonderfully, but they are also fairly small. Large rides like Villian, Mean Streak, and from what I hear Shivering Timbers, and Ghost Rider don't ride nearly as well as they did before CF or in the case of Mean Streak that well after the first couple years. This is why I'm sad but not holding much hope for SOB or Beast.

Rumor is - this last really bad breakdown Kingda Ka had - it launched and something happened during the launch. The brake fins did not raise, but thankfully the train made it over.

What happened on Kingda Ka was that the catch car that pulls the train did not stop, which caused a considerable amount of damage.

The accident really did not have anything to do with the magnetic brake fins that slow the car down in the event of a roll back.

...not to mention the rock-hard "padding" that all the Ohio wood coasters now have but none but Mean Streak had back when they were first built. . .

That padding destroyed my cell phone! The Beast claimed its second Klockster cell phone! I think The Beast owes me 100 bucks. It costs me 50 every time I have the thing replaced - and that is with the handset insurance!

I still think it is a really fun ride. I have been on better - much better - like the Voyage. But something about The Beast still gets me back in the line. I typically wont ride something if it has more than a 5 minute line - but I'll wait for Beast up to an hour.

Yes, The Beast was better before. With the old friction brakes, when they got wet, you had an excellent ride. One time, we made it almost all the way up the 2nd lift hill. That will not happen now. The new Mag brakes(trim) out on the track are fixed, water does not affect them. Because they are fixed, they eliminated a whole bunch of control functions, easier maintenance. But ride The Beast with 4 people, and the ride sucks. More people, better ride. It is still #1 with me.

Rick

I still think it is a really fun ride. I have been on better - much better - like the Voyage. But something about The Beast still gets me back in the line. I typically wont ride something if it has more than a 5 minute line - but I'll wait for Beast up to an hour.

Thats cause certain people work there and they put on a show as they work, its more entertaining than a live show at any CF park!

Still the Best Coaster Hands Down from Coast to Coast!

Oh what a ride through the woods.

The Beast they will maintain for years to come:

Actually they ADDED control features.

Even if you ride The Beast with only four people, the computer controlling the brakes will always put the train at the same speed, no matter the weight in the car.

Actually that has absolutely nothing to do with the computer. It is the nature of linear magnetic brakes. They slow the train down proportional to its momentum. The faster it is moving, or the heavier it is - the harder the braking force is. It is all done with no control - and with no power or moving parts.

Actually they ADDED control features.

Even if you ride The Beast with only four people, the computer controlling the brakes will always put the train at the same speed, no matter the weight in the car.

I know for a fact, having read the screen many times every day for 2 years that the speeds are not always the same and that weight does play a factor! The magnetic breaks do not keep it at the same speed everytime, they keep it within a certain range, but not the same exact speed everytime. After the trim in the break shed as you head for the quick dip you will go faster with 36 people int eh train as opposed to four. Now if we had some whack a mole machines out there...

By varying the amount of electricity is sent to each brake, you control how much pull you have on the train.

What I meant is speed range. Sorry for the mistake.

Linear Magnetic Brakes use permanent rare earth magnets. There is no electricity involved. When the fins pass over the magnets, eddies are created in the fins, and the magnets try to grip onto them. The amount of grippage depends on the momentum of the train. There is no computer control.

Now I don't know whether or not Beast uses electromagnets - but it would be pretty stupid when earth magnets self adjust to train loads.

^My mistake as well, I miss read what you said.

Ok, believe what you want. I dont know anything about how the electrical lines run to the brakes. Just ignore the guy in maintenance.

Ok, believe what you want. I dont know anything about how the electrical lines run to the brakes. Just ignore the guy in maintenance.

Who? Did somebody say Whack-A-Mole?

Paging Mr. Focke? Where are you now that you are so badly needed?