Mikey's Crazy Ride Op Stories

[TTD03]

This topic is a collection of stories that our site admin Mikey has posted. His stories are a very fun read, be sure to take the time to read all of them, the comedy that ensues is worth the read

Enjoy....

[Mikey]

If you have been a ride operator for any period of time you know that the answer to "Does this ride go upside down?" has only three correct answers "Yes.", "Maybe.", and "Sometimes.". It doesn't matter if your at Go-Karts, the Ferris Wheel, or the carousel all rides go upside down. After the hundredth time per day being asked this question you will automatically respond with one of these answers.

1. Was working Go-Karts in the days before we had the "wands of mandatory compliance" and this kid decided he was going to try and hit some of the attendants. His mom was cheering him on as he was basically bringing bumper cars to Go-Karts. So we closed both gates to try and force him into the station. He decided to just keep j-turning and looping back and forth in the available track. Since I was transitioning between OPs and Maintenance I had been assigned to GoKarts for AM and PM maintenance since that's where you start out. Anyways earlier that morning I had overhauled a double kart with a new motor but didn't put it back in service because it was missing the governor. I tightened up the belt clutch so it wouldn't disengage, started it and went after the kid.

Security arrived just in time to see me ram the double cart at full ungoverned speed straight into the back of the single cart he was driving and jam him sideways into the flex wall on a corner so hard that it broke the set pins (thing the tires attach to) sitting four inches in concrete. There is video of this somewhere, if someone has it let me know.

2. It was opening weekend in the days before we had cell phones. These two guys snuck in these pocket size water guns into the park and kept spraying us from the queue line. They kept coming back and the girl at unload was getting super pissed because she was wet and the uniform shirt was white. So I decided some revenge was in order. They made the mistake of sitting in the front row which happens to sit next to and underneath the main operator panel. Took the 10 gallon water jug, ice and all, and poured it all over the front row then dispatched the train. Needless to say they did not come back.

3. Had a guest (Think Mr. Clean on Steroids) get angry because he waited in a three hour line to find out his daughter was not tall enough to ride by an inch or so. I told him I would give him an exit pass to any ride in the park she was tall enough to ride and a few more for his troubles. (Even though we didn't do anything wrong, guest logic does not equal operator logic.) I crossed over to go get the paper work to make this happen, he decided to pick up a 50 gallon drum we used as a trash can and hurl it across the track and the dock. Needless to say we E-Stopped and fled to the safety of the lockable computer room with a re-enforced door where we called security in the safety and comfort of the air conditioning.

I could go on... these are just the ones that came up first.

[Mikey]

Coasterkidmwm wrote:

The people who duck under the height stick and think it's hilarious are the worst.

Just remember that deep down inside every guest is a rational and sane human being who simply forgot to bring their common sense and decency with them to the park today. Since we don't sell those in the gift shop, we can only do the honorable thing and try to separate them from as much money in their wallets as we can. Sure, at the end of the day there's gonna be some guest that we just want to reach out and beat to death with the height stick, but it's always best to take the high road.

Like having your crew take a a strategic water break as to allow the stacking of units in such as way as to cause the one filled with the screaming and completely disrespectful cheerleaders to short stop into that third slot on the run out. There is something to be said about the distinct noise 10,000lbs worth of rolling steel and fiberglass makes when it suddenly decelerates from 65mph to 0 in less then 50 ft. That sound and site of cat walks and ride structure vibrating from the lateral shock load, air cleaners banging against their housings on the hand rails, and the grunts and facial expressions from the guest who were just subjected to a 3.5G stop.[/quote]

[Mikey]

I could go on forever, but for now I am going to tell you why log flumes have a special place in my heart:

So at log flume we played a game called sinkers and floaters. At the top of low lift and high lift was an attendant of which both were responsible for all trough forward of their positions and insuring that no boats were taking on to much water. If they did take on to much water they were to call the next forward station with the # so we could take it out of rotation by putting it into the unused side of the loading dock using the diverter gate.

Depending on the season (leaves clogging drains etc) and how many guests of extraordinary size rode in a particular boat determined how many times a boat would get pulled out of rotation to be drained. Normally we would leave them on the air lift in the station to drain if we had enough space, otherwise if we were running max units we would manually dispatch them into the mix overriding the ADT (automatic dispatch timer, that thing with the metal gate that pops up with the wheels on it) to let them ride behind a loaded boat to be stopped on the lifts as spacing required to allow the one way drain values on the back to do their job. The later it was in the season, the harder it was to keep the boats afloat because they get banged up so much and start taking on water.

We would use the ring back phone to silently communicate when we thought a boat was going to be a sinker, or when we thought we would see the record splash for the day, or when that hot chick took her shirt off half way through the ride. The normal splash wave would come off the corner leading into the station and splash up onto the dock when loaded with four people. It would also slightly knock the boats forward on the air lifts in the station. Maintenance had a few test boats that were weighted with concrete under the floor to maximum load. They were used to calibrate the run out each season because it was constantly sinking due to its age, to test rollers and anti-roll backs, and for the general amusement of the guys in the fiber glass shop.

No one ever told us these boats existed, nor did they tell us that one summer day they were left in rotation and unmarked. That morning I did the safety check and I noticed that one of the boats when coming off the lift made a noticeable thunk followed by a much larger splash profile. I didn't think anything of it but I pulled it out of the rotation so I could look at it later before decided to flag it or later. So the day goes by and I totally forget about the issues with it. I am finally forced to put it in rotation when someone through up in a boat.

These group of four show up, and there is not a single one that is under 250lbs. They all get comfy when I notice the sound of rushing air and the boat starting to drop below the dock. I open the air valve and let it go. The boat kinda sits in the current for a bit with out moving before its pushed very slowly down stream into the ADT. Boat hits the ADT gate and just keeps going with out a care in the world even though it's in the up position. Anyways the boat is getting further away now but I know that it isn't floating but is infact driving down the trough on the running wheels.

I tend to the next boat when I hear in the distance that annoying wet rubber belt slipping on fiberglass boat bottom noise. Yep, it didn't make it up onto the belt all the way. Dock phone to Low lift confirms its not on the belt but that the front wheels are on the belt. No problem I say let the boat behind it bump and it will go up. Sure enough the boat goes up after two boats bump into it. They clear low lift which has a 8ft drop into a corner on the other side.

In my head I was telling myself that this is going to be interesting problem because the angle to high lift is 3 degrees steeper then low lift. Sure enough boat can't make it onto the belt with out the two boats behind it. Only this time the belt is slipping with the boat fully on the lift. It slowly makes it to the top and over the crest. Now at this point everyone working the ride is watching because this is going to end up being a guaranteed sinker.

Boat clears the top of the lift, flys down the hill, slips into the water and the biggest splash I have ever seen on a log flume. I would guess 25ft high by 40ft wide. The boat reaches the end of the run out but is still going at a pretty good clip. At the end of the run out is a deep trough pan where the two rails the boat rides in are submerged to have the boats splash plate be 3-4 inches under the water level. (The rails gradually enter the water from the base of the drop to the end of the run out so that the boat slows over time versus ejecting the riders.) However it is expected that they will float over this box so there are no rails just a gradual incline back to the corner and into the station. For the first time in 20 years we managed to send the first boat to touch the bottom of the box. When it did so the front of the boat was fully submerged by at least 5-6 inches of water.

When it cleared the box, and I should say it only did so because it was traveling at a good speed, it sent a wave of water 2 feet tall around the splash wall and up onto the dock in the station. All the boats we unloaded and left on the air lifts were lifted off them and push up onto the dock. We ended up having to unload the boat just short of the unload air lift because between the weight of the concrete we didn't know about, the guest of extra ordinary size, and the new installed swimming pool in the setting compartment it was not possible for the water to push the boat back up onto the air lift.

After we unloaded the guests from the diamond just after the diverter gate, we found the boat filled with 18 inches of water. The water inside the boat, was equal to the water outside the boat, so the one way drain valves could not function. Before we could shutdown the pumps the ride shut itself down because we managed to pump all the water out of the bottom reservoir and out into the grass around the ride via a 16 inch inch gashes in the bottom and sides of the trough in the corner after low lift. Further inspection found bent rollers, both belts needed to be re-aligned and the bindings replaced because they had been stretched out under friction from heat and the carry load. The chassis of the concrete boat was bowed and eventually written off.

The fiberglass shop was ecstatic to have some mid-season over time, but were immediately disappointed that they were being charged for the 8 days it took to repair. (Weekly bonus pay was calculated based on department performance.) In the end I learned some valuable career lessons: Departments with safety responsibilities should be drug tested regularly. The only log flume boat in the world to ever have half a ton of concrete in the bottom of it was destroyed carrying it's first paying passengers. It takes 13 minutes and $23 in electricity for two circulating pumps to drain 105,000 gallons of water out of the reservoir, but 5 days and $25,000 to refill it with a 2 inch wash down hose from the city supply. The game of sinkers and floats will never be the same.

In the next episode I will tell you why it's a bad idea to have a power outage on a boomerang with relay logic controls.

[Mikey]

Coasterkidmwm wrote:

Meh I'll share a long story. To give this proper context is was a Saturday and in the upper 90's with humidity in the 90%'s as well. One of those "refill the water cooler 5 times" days where we call 911 a dozen times with the same "some fat dumbass didn't drink water and passed out in line" message.

So I'm working the middle of the train loading side (rows 3-5) on Mantis and some juggalo-Eminem looking thing gets on. After the seats lock I see juggalo-eminem is practically sitting, so I unlock his row, ask him to stand, and then when he doesn't I yank his seat up hard, give the lock signal, and the clear my three rows. This is standard procedure unless you're a fatty because I'm not strong and can only persuade people with so much strength. Motha-fudgers do not ride sitting in my rows. Train leaves and completes the circuit without incident. When the train comes back and juggalo-eminem is mad and starts kicking over water bottles and stuff on the load side of the train instead of the unload. Then juggalo-eminem decided he wanted to jump into the lagoon. For those not familiar with the Mantis/Iron Dragon lagoon, it's about 3.5ft deep max and is loaded with carp and snakes, and the waders you use to enter it usually have a spider or two in them. juggalo-eminem wanted to jump in via the transfer track platform, which would probably kill him. After a fellow employee distracted juggalo-eminem enough to forget about the lagoon, we call security and wait on them to arrive while killing time adjusting random seats that don't need to be adjusted and the like so that it's not obvious we're stalling.

Security arrives, and at the same time security arrives an international worker who is new and doesn't quite "get it" overclears everyone while working dispatch (dispatch is the person besides the one in controls that pushes a button allowing the train to move). So while security is talking to juggalo-eminem and leaning on the train, the "all clear" is given. Simultaneously another employee was standing on the back of row one waving his hands in the air trying to get the attention of controls. So the train moved a good three feet before the person in controls noticed a whole bunch of bad things and everyone gave the E-stop signal.

Everyone failed pretty hard that day. Lets recap:
1. Dispatched a train for a few feet with an employee standing on it. Could have been killed. Those metal grates do not offer the most traction and I wouldn't recommend jumping or running on them.
2. Dispatched a train with a cop leaning on it (remember the trains are all and on standups you cannot see behind like row 3 on the other side). If he fell in the middle of the rows he would have probably died in a very unpleasant way.
3. Dispatched a train with an employee standing out of his safe zone (me in the middle of tattling out the guy to police, probably the least bad)
4. Dispatched a train with a guest not behind a gate in the queue.
5. Heavily drugged up semi-retarded guest

10/10 performance. We found out later that day the guy was on meth and few other drugs. He was arrested and got the book thrown at him. That was an interesting day.

You probably would have been doing the world a favor if you let him swan dive off transfer. I would not have stopped him because there is not strict liability for it and we are ride operators not life guards. MOP Keys to standby/disable, wait for security, if he jumps call for medical. We only press the E-Stop if he is gong to hurt the ride or the people on it. Don't want to be charged for downtime for an operator fault... once hes in the water resume normal operation.

[Mikey]

The Vekoma Boomerang. The my first coaster starter kit. The most popular six inversion catalog coaster of all time. With over 50 installations world wide since 1984 you need not travel far to enjoy a ride that simulates what its like to ride inside a washing machine loaded full of bricks. Being a massively produced ride you would think that over the last 30 years that they perfected the design. Hey, One can dream right?

It's a hot summers eve just before sundown, evening thunderstorms are on the way. In my second season as an area supervisor. Our modern marvel of an attraction, sponsored by Advil, is operated by two of the dumbest human beings the earth has ever seen. At the MOP is a blonde chick who we will simply call Shelby, and at Load is a stoner who we will simply call Eusless. Shelby got trained on this ride because they felt she was two stupid to safely operate a kids ride, and Eusless landed the gig because the start of season lottery.

Now it's important to note that this attraction is not one under my purview. In fact, it's on the complete opposite side of the park from my responsibilities. Which is good, because I am afraid that stupidity might be a contagious epidemic in theme park employees. I am sitting in the employee cafeteria, radio on, eating dinner with some good friends in maintenance. Sharing our greatly exaggerated stories of the days events with many vibrant expletives tossed in there for good measure. I overhear on the radio that the spotters are reporting lightning in the distance and that we would start securing rides as it got closer. I think, just what we need, another night of violent thunderstorms so we can all go home early to come in early to push water around.

As soon as I am about to leave the cafeteria the lights go out. Only emergency lights are on. Sh*t. When the power goes out we also loose radios, but we don't loose phones. So I run to the kitchen and grab the park phone and frantically start calling all 20 of my attractions. Do you have units stranded or unreachable? Do you need assistance unloading? Can you clear all guest? I got lucky, nothing stranded and everything was basically in a home position. So I do the honorable thing and call dispatch, advise them we are clear, and how can I help. They tell me that Josh hasn't checked in, and to start calling his rides. Uh... sure. Now lets be honest, if you put a name tag on a guest with special needs you would get Josh.

So I start calling his rides, and I get to the last one which isn't answering. After about 5 minutes of ringing I just decided to walk the 4 minutes across the park to go punch someone in the face. Sure enough as I get close I see a bunch of guest looking up out our modern marvel which hasn't a single external light on. The pointing, the joking, the deer in the headlights expression on their faces. Yes folks that is a unit half way stranded on lift two. No I don't know when it will be fixed. Up to the station I go, to the MOP to see whats on the board.

Now in bold print in the SOP is a line that says if the power goes out, you press the big red button and don't think twice about doing it. The reason for this varies from ride to ride, but generally adding and removing power to the controls system can cause them to do funny things. In the case of legacy relay logic systems, it deenergizes all the relays so they reset to a safe position. Otherwise they would get stuck in a position that when power is restored is out of sequence. Before I can get to the MOP to press the E-Stop the power comes back on. I reach the MOP just in time to watch the train climb 10 feet more up the lift then roll backwards through the loop and park itself in the saddle in between the cobra roll.

You see in relay logic you have a series of relays which in turn interlock with other relays to enact a specific sequence of events. Unlike PLCs, they are designed to only be operated in that specific sequence and cannot be readily put back in sequence or reset with out powering down. As I would later learn from the electricians when the power went out, Shelby saw that the unit was stranded and decided hitting the lift stop button was a good idea. When nothing happened, she saw the button that said "Lift Two Release" and pushed that. Since the hydraulics were operated by a valve that required power, they held until power was restored. Since those relays were de-energized by canceling the sequence with the buttons, the hydraulics cut off releasing the track pan, and the lift cut out as soon as the contactor opened up. As part of the lift two release sequence, the brakes at the bottom of the hill are energized and opened up.

"Oh, that's neat. Why don't you just unload it using the handy dandy cat walk?" - Because that catwalk hadn't been invented yet. In fact it wouldn't be invented for two more years until another incident where a boomer stranded a unit in a similar manner that I believe resulted in some litigation. So what does a young supervisor do when a situation like this happens? Well, first he calls the maintenance supervisor, to give him a 2 minute head start on sourcing ladders and people. Then he calls operations to tell them we are going to need to call the fire department because nothing we have on hand can undo this predicament. Then he calls security to see if they can dispatch some people to start clearing the way to get the fire truck in. After that he starts yelling to the people that it's going to be alright and to not mind the big flashes of light looming in the distance and the rush of cold air that means rain is on the way.

After about 15 minutes the fire department shows up, takes one look at the situation, and posses the question. "So what do you want us to do?" Now up until this time no one thought it would be a good idea to keep the fire department in the loop on how to handle these situations. So the book was being written as we were going along. Step 1, cut down the fence surrounding the ride so the fire department can get the ladder truck in. Step 2, go press that fing E-Stop. Step 3, disconnect the power. Step 4. Excessively tie the train down to the track because maintenance has no idea how much a unit weights. Step 5. Unload back to front. Step 6. Apologize to the guest by handing out coupons for free ice cream, drinks, and multiple year season pass books.

In the end it took 4 hours to unload the ride and 3 days before it went back into service. The train had to be craned off and reassembled at the base of lift two. Maintenance did accept my recommendation to install a gate wide enough to accommodate a fire truck, it was promptly made useless after two seasons when another attraction was installed. Good thing too, because the second time someone stranded a unit it was between the loop at the cobra roll exit. It never did rain, but the weather did distract the media enough to keep them far away from our park. Shelby was relocated to park services and later fired, turns out operating a broom and dust pan was also too complicated for her. Eusless disappeared shortly after the fire department arrived. He never showed up to work again and got terminated for no call no show.

Edit: Just so we are clear, ride elements are: Lift 1 (Backwards), Station, Cobra Roll, Loop, Lift 2 (Forwards).

These are fascinating stories mikey! The revenge on rude guests reminds me of the old ''faulty harness' trick.

[Paradox]

Still don't understand the relevance of this thread.

If Mikey gets one then so does Matt IMO