Older coasters, friction wheels (or lack thereof), & storage

So I know that most Arrow coasters and a certain amount of older Vekoma coasters (especially MK-1200s and similar) don't use transports in the station and most brake runs, but instead rely on gravity.

(FWIW, I realize that a good deal of coasters don't use any sort of transport on most of their brake runs not adjacent to the station, but I'm asking about those two manufacturers more so here.)

Can someone explain how this tends to work with storage tracks and transporting? I mean I assume that there are transport devices where they are needed, but I just want to make sure I totally get where those would tend to be-- if anywhere-- on an applicable coaster.

Station and brakes are slanted and rely on gravity, transfer sections have friction wheels though. At least that's how it is on Demon.

I sent you a PM zac.

^^^ I assume that "Storm Chaser" has got a pretty great speed control without relying on brakes! One great example of what you guys are talking about right here! Impressive!

Dech I got your message from the 8th but nothing recently!


(Sorry I've been poky about leaving a rate for Diamond Valley, I've been without web access until recently.)

Depends on the ride, some arrows I've seen friction wheels, some are just flat and trains are just pushed by hand, or some like Iron dragon have a winch.

Generally, all brake areas on Arrow's rides are at a slight slope so gravity can propel the trains. Occasionally, however, brake sections may be completely flat and use kicker tires to move the train. Generally, this is more common on transfer tracks than in the station, but sometimes Arrow does use kickers in the station.

As far as transfer and storage tracks go, I've seen three typical setups on Arrows:

1. The transfer and storage area is completely level or very, very slightly sloped. Brakes are installed on the transfer section but storage tracks just feature a latch to secure the train. Employees push the trains by hand to move them around. This setup seems most common on their older coasters, particularly mine trains, as the trains are not as heavy on these rides due to limited mechanical equipment.

2. The transfer track is flat or sloped and connects to a storage track that is either flat, sloped, or drops to a flat storage area below the station. These rides either have kicker tires on the storage track (and possibly the transfer track) or use a winch to pull trains backwards onto the transfer track. This is probably the most common setup for Arrows.

3. On Arrows with only two trains, the transfer table contains two parallel tracks that are sloped. When a train is removed, it is parked on the storage track, then the table is switched so that the other train can cycle using the regular track. To add a train, the table is simply slid over and the train is released (usually either into the station or onto the lift). Most Arrows with only two trains use this setup unless they were one of the earliest installations.

As for Vekoma, most of these use a track switch to connect to a storage track. On newer models, drive tires are present for the purpose of parking a train, but older ones just used a winch.

^ Well said, that's exactly what I had to say in my mind but, I had the slightest idea on how to word it to where it'd actually make sense lol

[mkingy]

Interesting stuff, I did wonder if it was physically possible to push some coasters along the flat sections!