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Oblivion: General Discussion

Rick said:
Almost certain that the removal of audio and the change on the hold time occured at different times.

This view of G5 on RCDB is a handy view of the Oblivion layout.
Click to expand...

Different times yeah. But quite possibly later on they realised that removing the audio did nothing to stop people screaming. So they may have looked at ways to minimise people being at the top. It doesn't help that the drop is in the general direction of what was the Ropers house.
 
I’m not sure it necessarily has anything to do with the Ropers.

I wouldn’t mind betting that the age of the holding brake might also play a role. The ride is 25 years old now; maybe the holding brake’s ability to hold shuttles for a full 4 seconds isn’t what it once was?

This could also explain why the hold length seems to vary between cycles; sometimes, it feels like it merely staggers rather than actually holds at all, whereas other times, it feels like the ride still holds for a good couple of seconds. Maybe it has something to do with the holding brake being unable to hold heavier shuttles or something?
 
Matt N said:
I’m not sure it necessarily has anything to do with the Ropers.

I wouldn’t mind betting that the age of the holding brake might also play a role. The ride is 25 years old now; maybe the holding brake’s ability to hold shuttles for a full 4 seconds isn’t what it once was?

This could also explain why the hold length seems to vary between cycles; sometimes, it feels like it merely staggers rather than actually holds at all, whereas other times, it feels like the ride still holds for a good couple of seconds. Maybe it has something to do with the holding brake being unable to hold heavier shuttles or something?
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It's not a brake so to speak. It's essentially a lift hill in reverse. The only difference being, the drop dog (the bit the chain connects to on the train) has a clutch, where as it does not on a normal lift hill. This is what releases the train from the chain and allows it to drop. The drop mechanism still works just as good as it did before, the chain still stops some trains, which shows it works. The clutchs on the train are just releasing earlier.

The clutchs on the trains are also the reason why the drop time varys. Slightly different timings on the clutches from train to train mean the trains sit on the chain for different times. They are quite finnicy to get right when not used for the proper intended timings. Plus I bet some of the clutches are more worn than others, meaning they give easier on the drop.
 
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DistortAMG said:
It's not a brake so to speak. It's essentially a lift hill in reverse. The only difference being, the drop dog (the bit the chain connects to on the train) has a clutch, where as it does not on a normal lift hill. This is what releases the train from the chain and allows it to drop. The drop mechanism still works just as good as it did before, the chain still stops some trains, which shows it works. The clutchs on the train are just releasing earlier.

The clutchs on the trains are also the reason why the drop time varys. Slightly different timings on the clutches from train to train mean the trains sit on the chain for different times. They are quite finnicy to get right when not used for the proper intended timings. Plus I bet some of the clutches are more worn than others, meaning they give easier on the drop.
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I have completely misunderstood how this thing works for 25 years. I assumed that it literally worked like a lift hill in reverse, whereby everything was reversed, the position of the dogs, the direction of travel and the direction of the chain.

I thought that there was one clutch mechanism on the sprocket that allowed the chain to stop / start, without putting excess stress on the 'lift' motor. I didn't realise that there was anything on the train bar the special dogs for this purpose.

I thought the train dropped on the basis the chain restarted courtesy of the clutch mechanism, it got to the lower sprocket, detached and went into free fall.
 
Rick said:
I have completely misunderstood how this thing works for 25 years. I assumed that it literally worked like a lift hill in reverse, whereby everything was reversed, the position of the dogs, the direction of travel and the direction of the chain.

I thought that there was one clutch mechanism on the sprocket that allowed the chain to stop / start, without putting excess stress on the 'lift' motor. I didn't realise that there was anything on the train bar the special dogs for this purpose.
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Yeah the dogs are clutched.

Basically if you got a lift hill, turned it around, but kept the train the same way. You have the dive machine drop brake.

A normal lift hill, the train can roll forwards but not backwards on the chain, it hooks onto the chain, which then lifts you.(ignoring the anti roll backs).

Dive machine drop break won't let you roll forwards but will let you roll back. If that makes sense. Then when the thing is ready, the clutch on the train releases the train.
 
@DistortAMG I think I follow, my assumption was that it 'rolled off' rather than having something on board the shuttle that released it. Does the chain speed up again on the basis that the shuttle has released ? It all seems to happen in sync.

Feels more complicated than it needs to be ... But I'm not an engineer !
 
I'm doubting myself now wondering if I am getting confused and the clutch is actually on the chain. I see that many mechanical things, I get confused.

"Goes through paperwork".

The clutch is actually on the motor. As the train arrives, the train places tension onto the chain which activates the clutch and slows the chain. It then releases and rolls off like you say.

As the clutch is tension activated, that explains why it varies with different weights, specifically because the clutch must be worn out now.....the girlfriend must have been driving.

That makes more sense. A solution to the same problem but using just as effective but much simpler engineering, sounds like B&M.
 
Was sat next to two teenage girls on this on Sunday (my friend didn't want to come on so I went on on my own) and when we were on the brake run, the one I'm next to is going "I almost died on that, I'm not strapped in properly. This ride is unsafe I've got to tell them that". Bear in mind Oblivion was running 6 shuttles and 2 stations, we weren't sat on there for long at all, but it was long enough for me to get annoyed :sweatsmile:

On another note, i actually also had a loose restraint, and therefore it was riding pretty great. Shame the mist is off in the tunnel though.
 
It’s funny seeing people freak out when they’re not completely pinned in by their restraint. I’ve seen it on nemesis loads where ride hosts are having to explain to people that you don’t need to have the restraint pinned against you for you to be safely restrained.
 
Do we think Oblivion will get the nemesis treatment?

It's getting on a bit. Must be some force go through the track as well at the bottom of the drop. And the station needs a rebuild?

I'm not saying now, or to the scale of Nemesis, but I would say within 5 years some major works will be needed.
 
Jb85 said:
Do we think Oblivion will get the nemesis treatment?

It's getting on a bit. Must be some force go through the track as well at the bottom of the drop. And the station needs a rebuild?

I'm not saying now, or to the scale of Nemesis, but I would say within 5 years some major works will be needed.
Click to expand...
It wouldn't need as extensive work as nemesis, it's only a small piece of track that gets much force applied, so I imagine it's an awkward job but something they'd probably do over a closed season. Probably just replacing one or two bits of track, or perhaps even the running rails.
 
Oblivion won't need anywhere near the kind of retrack Nemesis needs I would not have thought. Not for a long time. I think the biggest stress parts at the bottom of the tunnel are much better supported than your average track too, laying down on a concrete tunnel base, helping it.

The time will come when it needs work however.
 
I think X-Sector as a whole could do with a complete refresh. Oblivion is looking very tired, and The Smiler has been a state since it first opened. I doubt Oblivion is going to need any track work in the near future, the stresses on the track will be so much less than on Nemesis.

Maybe if we get some new permanent flats in the coming years, investment in to X-Sector as a whole might be done at the same time.
 
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