coasteraddict10
Mega Poster
Can somebody explain to me why it has a zero car but the other b&m inverts don't please?
Alpengeist zero car?
- Thread starter coasteraddict10
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The Undead Creature
Mega Poster
It adds a literal **** tonn of mass to the train, without it there isn't enough inertia to get round the course.
That and it also moves the centre of mass towards the front which helps pull it through those rediculously huge inversions.
That and it also moves the centre of mass towards the front which helps pull it through those rediculously huge inversions.
roomraider
Best Topic Starter
“Very deep in the Alps lies a terrifying force”
Those are the words you will hear while waiting in the queue at Alpengeist. The video playing overhead tells the story of the legendary snow beast rumored to terrorize the Swiss mountains. Alpeng…
buschgardensva.wordpress.com
Direct from the horse's mouth. That zero car is really very heavy.
Great article, thank you @roomraider - now it mentions a second coaster has a zero coaster, I’m now intrigued to know what this coaster is?
coasteraddict10
Mega Poster
Thanks for the answers.
CanobieFan
Strata Poster
I mean, *all* the B&M sitdowns have them, and their stand ups.
At least 2 RMC? Pretty sure all the Gravity Group timberliners do as well.
The Undead Creature
Mega Poster
Strictly speaking, every coaster that has articulated trains instead of draw bars has a zero "car".
Each manufacturer refers to it in their own way but they all do essentially the same job and that is to provide a rigid support for the trains floppy end.
B&M got creative with their inverted, floorless and dive coaster trains by giving the job of the zero car to the actual first car, this is why the first 2 rows only ever move in the roll axis relative to each other.
I'm also curious as to what the second coaster is that they are referring to because as far as I am aware, Alpengeist is the only coaster full stop with a deliberately weighted support axle?
I believe that the 8-car Batman models, when reversed, have a zero car taking the place of Car 8.
The Undead Creature
Mega Poster
Reversed? Now I'm curious....
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
Says it in the comments when he responds to this very question… He’s referring to Manta.
Which does also then apply to Acrobat, but none of the other flyers except Flying Dinosaur. Be curious to the logic of that.Says it in the comments when he responds to this very question… He’s referring to Manta.
cookie
Giga Poster
Flying Dinosaur has three tall elements (the zero-G, the fly to lie, and the pretzel loop) one after the other, so perhaps it's a speed thing there as well?
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Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
I’m guessing that it’s because the zero car is a solid block of something very very heavy… Not practical to attach seats to, with their fixings and workings.
Yeah, it seems to be a more complicated filter than just "if speed is greater than x" or "if height is greater than y" - I think you might be onto something with the sustained big elements - albeit I can't believe that Manta/Acrobat are much different to the Supermans. That would be a great question for B&M one day.
I'd also wager that it gives you all the mass you need without adding all of the air resistance that a full row of seats would create. After all, that's probably one of the biggest challenges in terms of sustaining momentum.
Wouldn't the air resistance theoretically be the same? The cross-section of the train remains the same, and the geometry of the front row of seats wouldn't be any different if it were affixed to the zero car than if it were affixed to the first car I'd expect!
In short, not really. Yes the 'front' effect is the same, but the 'side' effect would be different. The air being sucked in behind each row (and then being pushed out of the way of the next row) is a considerable contributor to air resistance, so less of that is better.
cookie
Giga Poster
This is me hazarding a guess, but Manta and Acrobat have MCBRs whereas the Superman clones and most other versions don’t (Tatsu technically has one but it’s one turn away from the final brakes). Perhaps the zero car is there to make sure the train is still able to complete the remainder of the circuit were it to come to a full stop mid-course?
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roomraider
Best Topic Starter
Just a note that the quoted blog post about 1 other coaster with a zero car was written in 2010 so after Manta opened but 5 years before acrobat so I guess was correct at the time.