Hey everyone,
I've just been reading a topic at coasterbuzz about the now departed Shockwave. My condolences to all of the faithful fans that the blue and white beast left behind. Anyhow, by now anyone who was interested in SW has probably heard about the incident at the end of the 2002 season that likely solidified the end for this coaster. I am, of course, referring to the malfunction with the blue train that closed the ride down for the rest of the season. I'm sorry I can't provide more detail but what exactly happened has always been a bit of a mystery. With that in mind, I have 2 questions regarding the incident:
1) Considering the fact that this was said to happen on a day when a large number of enthusiasts were present (not sure if it was a sponsored event or what) was anyone from this board actually on this train at the time or in a position to see exactly what happened?
2) How bad could a malfunction of this sort really have been? I mean, was SFGA within inches of facing a derailment and/or a situation that could've caused severe injuries or possible fatalities? Those of you who are more technically knowledgeable will likely know the answer to that one.
Sorry if bringing up SW again seems pointless to some people, but this incident has almost become like an urban legend and I think it would be interesting to find out if some of you can shed some light on what really happened and what could've happened so that the correct info gets out there. I look forward to hearing what some of you have to say.
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How bad could this have been?
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I'm gonna twist ya, and I'm gonna flip ya. Every time you squeal, I'm just gonna go faster and harder.
This is what I have heard so take it with a grain of salt.
The blue train entered the MCBR(turn of death) after the 3rd loop. Somewhere near the front of the train, an axle punctured through the floorboard of one of the cars. Luckily no-one was sitting in the seats where this happened so no injuries occured. Of course the train E-stopped when this happened stranding passengers. Basically, the park got lucky with no-one in those seats but that sealed the deal to remove Shockwave over Whizzer. Others can add to my story or correct it if it is wrong. I finally retired the Sarah Palin signature because she is now 100% irrelevant.
From what I saw, what you described happened after the first loop in that turn. It was actually pretty scary and there was sparks coming from the train with a weird and loud sound. Luckily the ops were quick to e-stop the ride.
From other stories, I heard previosuly before that, the train began to spark and then possibly punctured at the MCBR. Who knows anymore?
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