Lap Bars

[Greg]

As a kid I grew up riding the Screamin' Eagle and the old cars had one lap bar that would cover both riders. As far as I know these were PTC trains. We were stupid kids and small enough that we could straighten our legs and keep our bottoms off the seat for the entire ride. While this may seem really dangerous, we rode this way dozens of times without incident. This is probably why individual lap bars as well as seat belts are now the rule. Do any coasters still have a common lap bar, or do all PTC trains now have individual bars for every rider.

ps: My first steel coaster, The Jet Scream, left SFSTL in 1988 and moved to Astro World where it was renamed, The Viper. Any news on what has happened to this super Schwarzkopf?

[Paul Drabek]

You can still find coasters with the old lap bars that would go across both riders. The Raven used to have them before 2000 but coasters with them that first come to mind are the Phoenix at Knoebels and the Cannonball at Lake Winnie.

About SFAW's wonderful Viper it is sadly now all scrap. The bidding was only $8,000 which was well below its reserve. So instead of moving it to one of SF's smaller parks (I'd have killed for it at SFKK) where it would have brought riders, especially if themed well SF decided to throw it away.

So with the loss of SFAW the world has lost not one but two Schwarzkopf masterpieces with the other being the original Greezed Lightnin'.

Have Fun

Paul

xcerate was scrapped too. supposedly greezy and myan are saved, even though they didn't get thier reserve, my source www.sixflagshouston.com. As for jet scream/viper, they first actually cut the tunnel in half, Only thing left last time I checked at sfhouston.com demo updates was thier sky coaster and the texas cyclone was still standing but it's support cables had been cut. Grezzy was still on site, but be loaded onto trailors.

My first woodie was the Floridia Hurricane at Circus World (defunct) in Haines city FL. It also had the single bar that secured the rider. I have read that it was moved to Magic Springs & Crystal Falls in Hot Springs AK after the parks demise. I wonder how this ride performs now?

Ghost Town in the Sky's Red Devil also had a similar restraint system (see my Ghost Town post under Memories), that was peculiar, as the coaster featured an inversion.

Hey guys! This is my first post here.

I don't remember any coasters I have ridden with a lap bar like that but, You can do what you and your friend did with the orange lap bars put on most woodie trains now. I think they are the new PTC trains. I did that on Mean Streak because my friend wanted me to sit in the back. It was very rough back there so I kept my butt off the seat at all the fast parts.

[Paul Drabek]

Hey guys! This is my first post here.

I don't remember any coasters I have ridden with a lap bar like that but, You can do what you and your friend did with the orange lap bars put on most woodie trains now. I think they are the new PTC trains. I did that on Mean Streak because my friend wanted me to sit in the back. It was very rough back there so I kept my butt off the seat at all the fast parts.

Welcome Rollerdude. For an example of a coaster with the old style restraints head on over to Geauga Lake and take The Big Dipper for a spin.

Everyone I do suggest keeping your rear on the seat as wooden coasters are designed for the rider to be seating and are unsafe anyway else. Besides I like sitting back with my body loose and relaxed so I can feel the negative g forces as you can't if your body is rigid.

Have Fun

Paul

[Greg]

Paul, I know what you mean about keeping relaxed and moving with the ride. This is one reason why I like out and back designs so much. There are few turns where I need to brace myself. Instead I am able to keep my body inline with the coasters forward movement and enjoy both floater and ejector airtime all the more.

ps: When I rode with my rear off the seat I was between the ages of 10 and 14. I'm too tall and too smart to do that sort of thing anymore.

Thanks for the tip on Phoenix and it's lap bars. Knoebels and Kennywood are near the top of my list and I plan to visit them summer of 07.

Tornado at Strickers Grove.

[Paul Drabek]

I've been trying to get to Strickers but things keep coming up especially since they are only open to the public 2 days a year. Maybe I'll be able to get there this year.

Have Fun

Paul

Brian - you've never ridden Tornado...

I on the other hand have...

It is OK - it has some good air. But then the crazy moment is this drop toward the end. You go real slow over this M shaped hill, then WHAM! It just like drops out from under neath you.

Its like maybe a 15 to 20 foot drop - but the negative G is crazy. It definately ejects you - I mean it is actually painful. It is like youre at 1G then instantly -1G then back to 1G in about 2 seconds. Probably like being hit by a big sledgehammer. It hurts! It is hilarious someone would design a coaster so demented...

If you go - ride it toward the front. That airtime in the back isn't even fun.

The Flyer Comet at Whalom Park in Lunenburg, MA had a single position lap bar (well, okay, it had two positions -- up and down.) The park had informal Last Ride of the Year ERT for ACErs in 1999 and 2000. Both years we rode the last ride on the Comet as if it was the last ever ride (and in 2000 we were right.)

But in 99, the last ride came into the station and we all cheered, the op buzzed the lap bars up, and then we started chanting "one more time!" So what does the op do? Says "Okay" and sends us back out... without locking the lap bars down again.

Most of us discovered this on the lift hill, silently lifting the bars and then looking at each other in surprise. Thankfully the Flyer Comet wasn't exactly an ejector seat ride so we all were safe, but let's just say nobody was riding with their hands up on that one.

That's highly questionable...

The entire park's operation was questionable, but the aging Comet was a special beast. It was pretty clear the ride had been grandfathered through some safety regulation changes. The PTC train was old and had weights bolted to the floor in some spots. Braking was done by two Big Ol' Brake Levers (one particular op used to show off by wedging himself in between the levers and stre-e-e-e-tching) and the lap bars were the aforementioned single-position buzz bars.

No computers, no fin brakes, no sensors, no nothing to keep an unlocked train from going out on the course, except basic safety procedures which were overlooked. If any members of the general public had been on that train, I'm sure a stink would've been raised and perhaps a lawsuit. Wouldn't have changed anything, tho; the park closed for good after the 2000 season.

I have seen photos of Flyer Coment - on Canobiefan.com - it looks like a really great and classic woodie. I would have liked to have ridden it - but recent pictures show that the coaster is totally in shambles... It is a shame...

I fear the same thing has happened to Screechin Eagle up at Lesourdsville Lake. But nobody truly knows its status. I heard from the Dippin Dots Guy that the control console was "rusted out" though. Not a good sign.

Brian - you've never ridden Tornado...

I suggested it from your POV