Batman Backwards?

[Iron Wolf 90-11]

From Screamscape's Six Flags St. Louis Page "(7/27/12) And white we’re on the subject of Six Flags St. Louis… and talking about things that are shocking, it seems the coaster maintenance crew has been messing around with a little pet project for the last several weeks. Following the trend of Superman: The Escape and Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast, the park is testing out the idea of offering a backwards ride experience on Batman: The Ride. From what I was told a car on one of the Batman trains was modified to turn the two middle seats around to face backwards. Thursday morning it was time to take their monster creation out for some trial runs on the local guinea pigs (aka: employees). So far I haven’t heard just how good or bad the experience was, but I’ll give a nod to Six Flags for at least attempting to try something new.
Now remember… this was just A TEST!! This does not mean it will ever be something offered to the general public… it just means it was an idea someone wanted to test out only. Maybe we’ll see it happen… maybe we wont"
So will Batman actually run backwards for the public and will we see this on other Batman's? I guess only time will tell. What are your thoughts on Batman: The Ride running backwards?

[Coaster Justin]

Sounds like a "rumor" awhile ago that they were gonna run Raging Bull backwards for Fright Fest.

[Ilovthevu']

My opinion is that people would puke left and right. I see the most pukings on Batman and Superman, so I think it will be too much for them to ride Batman backwards. If you look at other backwards steel coasters like Mr. Freeze, Deja Vu, and V2 for those; there isn't a whole lot of turns or even inversions. By this I mean, Deja Vu had 2 real inversions (Some say the cobra roll is really 2, but it's like the same element), and it went somewhat straight except for the cobra roll. For Mr. Freeze, it goes upside one time, and it's not really that forceful. And sure it turns, but it's a more graceful turn than a circular one. Even Tidal Wave with a loop went in a straight line. You start turning the track, and having so many inversions, and people can't take that.

American Eagle is different because it doesn't have harnesses, and it doesn't go upside down at all. I think it's a bad idea, and the thing I don't like about it is that if it's painful to me (with the harnesses especially), than it will ruin to me a great ride until they change it back. American Eagle at least you have the option of going on blue backwards or red forwards.

Also, with Mr. Freeze they used to have harnesses, and it was too painful for people so they changed it to lapbars. For Deja Vu which had the cobra roll, you could hit your head on the harness during the cobra roll inversion(s) - It probably had to do more with because it's not in a straight line inversion.

That's kind of dumb too that SFStl has a backwards coaster with Mr. Freeze, than a rumor is that they would get Flashback, and now they are thinking about running Batman backwards? How about instead of playing around with that, they fix the Batman line so it's not so long for people to just walk to get on the ride, or how about they paint at least the rails of the ride? How doesn't any head up at SFStL say well we should eliminate most of those lines in the Gotham City park because they are not needed? I bet you people ride that once, and than after they ride it, they are like I'm not walking that much just to ride that ride again.

[CoasterNick3157]

Run Viper Backwards

[Ilovthevu']

After it hurt American Eagle's blue track last year, I doubt they would do that again with Viper though as a ride experience that makes much more sense than Batman.

[mikedoyleblogger]

After it hurt American Eagle's blue track last year, I doubt they would do that again with Viper though as a ride experience that makes much more sense than Batman.

Viper backwards wouldn't be as intense as it is forwards. When I was a teenager in New York, one year they ran the Coney Island Cylone backwards. It was a pretty wimpy ride compared to forwards. Given that Viper is a mirror-image clone of the Coney Island Cyclone, I would imagine Viper backwards would be a similar experience.

[tp41190]

It's not good to run those 6 seater cars backward. From what I heard, there is a steering axel in the back of the cars. When that goes forward it bounces all over messing up the track.

I could see an Arrow like Demon, or in SFStls case Ninja, but other then that it's kind of a hairy idea.

Also, if you look at the trains for Batman you can see how it would be impossible to just "flip" the seats around...let alone have people ride it after doing so.

[CoasterNick3157]

Batman is already intense backwards would be too much to handle.

[Necropolis]

I can feel my stomach churning at the thought of this....

[coasterkidd100]

I feel like if they put Batman backwards it would just be to intense for most riders. It just seems like there would be to much g force. I would for sure get sick.

[BURTONxBLUNT]

most likely i would be able to handle this but i could see alot of people trying it backwards and throwing up....this ride already has tons of people getting sicl running it backwards it would most likely double how much people throw up

[DejaVu2001]

This will never happen in a million years. You'll notice Screamscape has no pictures or any concrete evidence of this rumored test. That is because it didn't happen. You can't just turn B&M inverted cars around for the hell of it. There would be a lot of work involved, if it is even possible. Even then, good luck getting B&M to sign off on that.

[MForce4ever]

I don't have any evidence to back this up but I'm pretty sure that B&M's can't run backwards, roller coasters aren't, in general, designed to just run no matter what. Modifying a roller coaster to run differently costs a lot of money, and considering there's not even a chain dog on the back of the train (facing the right direction) I'm fairly sure it's impossible. However if someone can disprove this I'd be very curious to see the result.

[Ace]

When I think about it, Batmans trains arent that difficult to modify tobe able to do this. Keep your eyes open on this one...

[FParker185]

You didn't think hard enough, it's basically impossible to turn the train backwards. All the mechanical stuff is built into the chassis of the train, not just bolt on like most wood coaster trains. You can't just turn stuff around on batman.

[Coaster Justin]

You didn't think hard enough, it's basically impossible to turn the train backwards. All the mechanical stuff is built into the chassis of the train, not just bolt on like most wood coaster trains. You can't just turn stuff around on batman.

They did it with Mr. Freeze.

[aesthyrian]

You didn't think hard enough, it's basically impossible to turn the train backwards. All the mechanical stuff is built into the chassis of the train, not just bolt on like most wood coaster trains. You can't just turn stuff around on batman.

They did it with Mr. Freeze.

And your point is?

Remember we are talking about Batman here, not a LIM coaster made by Premier Rides. There might be more than a few differences...

[monsterfan99]

You didn't think hard enough, it's basically impossible to turn the train backwards. All the mechanical stuff is built into the chassis of the train, not just bolt on like most wood coaster trains. You can't just turn stuff around on batman.

They did it with Mr. Freeze.

Because Mr. Freeze never ran backwards at any point before the change....oh wait.

[Coaster Justin]

Fine. What about Indiana Jones in Paris? It's Ran forwards til' 99 and then ran backwards.

http://www.rcdb.com/957.htm

[FParker185]

All I have to say is B&M's are built very uniquely. With the current trains other than 2-3 cars that have no hardware built into them, it is 99.999% impossible to turn the entire train around.

[CstrFan512]

I think you guys are forgetting that they turned the middle two SEATS around and not the whole train. I would like to see this happen but SFGAm may need to hire some people under the title, "Head Puke Cleaner: BTR Division"

[Ace]

I still think its happening. Its too random a rumor to have no basis to it at all...

[tp41190]

I think you guys are forgetting that they turned the middle two SEATS around and not the whole train. I would like to see this happen but SFGAm may need to hire some people under the title, "Head Puke Cleaner: BTR Division"

Still that is 100% impossible. It would be more likely for them to turn the whole train around.

[FreezonEdgez]

I think you guys are forgetting that they turned the middle two SEATS around and not the whole train. I would like to see this happen but SFGAm may need to hire some people under the title, "Head Puke Cleaner: BTR Division"

Now that is impossible. Did you ever notice that the big black thing the seats are attached to is the chassis?
What are you expecting them to do, cut the bottom of the chassis off and re-attach it?

[DejaVu2001]

^ The part the seats are attached to is bolted on, so in theory, just the seats could be reversed, but I don't know if there would be issues with the hardware for the restraints. And since the park is closed until Fright Fest, I can't get a look at the trains.