Guess what happens when there's no power at Cedar Point?

[Rock'n Robin]

Our local Toledo station just had a boy call in from Sandusky. He is staying at the campgrounds at Cedar Point. He said when the power went out he was on the Gemini halfway up the big hill and they had to be walked down.
He also saw people being walked down Magnum Force and Millenium Force.
Even if you like coasters like I do, I don't think I'd want to WALK down one of those hills!!
I sure hope no one was on Top Thrill Dragster!
Robin M.

 

[Shutterbug]

wowzers!
Fortunately theres no actual lift parts on the hill of the TTD. The only way it gets stuck at the top is if the coaster train doesnt get a strong enough push at the bottom.
I wonder if anyone was on the Demon Drop, can you imagine riding it...your car is pushed out ready to drop then the power goes out and you are left dangling there....

 

[dianeschlicht]

The thought of having to walk down all those open stairs from that high up might just cure me of riding coasters!

 

[helenabear]

Oh wow! That is one of my worst nightmares!!! I hate heights so I would absolutely die if I had to climb down one of those! I bet though, with the track record of TTD, that it wouldn't have gotten stuck

 

[stormi65]

Hopefully the power to the Sandusky area is back on or will be soon.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

One of my first thoughts when I saws the news and the areas hit by the outages was, "I wonder in CP is ****down?". I heard they closed the park early and no one was hurt on any of the rides that were stopped.

 

[#1 Disney Fan]

I wondered about all the theme parks as well! For instance Canada's Wonderland near Toronto also. I don't know think it would be too likely, but the thought of people being stuck upside down crossed my mind! Yikes... walking down from the top of a coaster! No wonder I don't ride them!!! And I thought walking the "rail" at Disneyland's People Mover got my adreneline going! Yikes!

 

[movingtoorlando]

heres some food for thought, what if this problem hit central flordia and blocked out power to this area, and the same sit happened

 

[browneyes]

I love thrill rides, but there's no way I could walk down a bunch of stairs without freaking out. As long as I'm not standing, thrill rides don't bother me (to the contrary ). The minute my knees see that I'm at a great height though (even if it's only 30 feet or so), my knees start shaking and I have problems getting my feet to move. Someone would have to knock me out and drag me down the steps to get me down off of a big coaster ride like Dragster.

 

[katerkat]

Ugh - I got so mad at Fox News this morning - they were reporting that people got stuck upside in the roller coaster loops! Physically impossible, dumb news lady!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I refuse to watch FoxNews because of the sensationalism and repeated false information they pass along. I turn the local Fox station on at 10 for local news (even though most of it happens an hour or more from here) and switch the station after less than 10 minutes.

 

[Evil Princess]

I hate watching the news when it comes to roller coasters. They blow everything out of proportion and just make stuff up.

BTW, it is possible for a coaster to get stuck in a loop, though theres a SLIM chance. It happened once before, I forget the coaster, and it was because a part of it broke off and the coaster got jammed, or thats what I remember. A few years ago, they got a cherry picker and removed everyone row by row.

But other than that, coasters rarely get stuck in the loop. Hardly EVER. The news makes up stuff when it comes to coasters, it gets me furious.

 

[DixieDreamer]

I love those coasters... but the ride to the top of the first hill on millenium makes me a bit woosy anyway... the thought of hiking down it by open (STEEP) stairs... I would probably faint and fall off the edge!

 

[Kitty 34]

Originally posted by DixieDreamer
I love those coasters... but the ride to the top of the first hill on millenium makes me a bit woosy anyway... the thought of hiking down it by open (STEEP) stairs... I would probably faint and fall off the edge!

My thoughts exactly!!!

Maybe if they brought up blindflolds for everyone so we couldn't "see" how high up we were......

 

[JAP]

DH and I were watching the local news last night and they reported on CP and showed the people walking down. I said to DH "that is my worst nightmare"! At those heights being stuck, whew!

 

[chesirechik]

When Kennywood in Pittsburgh used to have the laser loop (a really lame ride that was just a loop) the darn thing used to get stuck in the loop all the time - though I don't ever remember being right at the top.

 

[Towncrier]

CP didn't officially close until 7PM.

FYI - If the Top Thrill Dragster got "stuck" at the top, all the people in the cars would have to do is start rocking back and forth. Eventually the train would either roll forward or backward back to "low" ground.

 

[December99]

Now getting stuck on Demon Drop would be MUCH better than getting stuck going up a hill on Millenium Force!!!!! At least you are sitting in an upright position on Demon Drop and can just dangle for a while.....but on a coaster you are basically sitting slanted - ouch for the backs not to mention the freakyness!!!!!

 

[Paull117]

Just a thought but don't most rides have an emergency system, like if the power fails a breaking system would turn on. I know that some highend machinery like farm equipment does.

Paul

 

[Towncrier]

The Top Thrill Dragster has an automatic braking system that would automatically deploy in the event of a loss of power. That's why it's not a big deal if the coaster doesn't make it over the top of the 420 foot high hill. The brakes on TTD make use of an interesting interaction between magnets and metal plates. If you try to run a ferous metal plate between the poles of a permanent magnet, there is a force that opposes the motion and acts as a dynamic brake.

As far as the other coasters, if they were already over the lift hill, they would simply continue on until they got back to the station. I will add my vote to the "I would hate to be stuck on a lift hill" category. I think that they would have to pry me out of the seat (after dosing me up with valium). Yikes.