Expedition Everest track

[Six Flags]

I know a good bit about 'coasters.

But EE perplexes me a bit, as I've only seen videos (haven't been to Disney since they put that up)

The portion where the track stops on the breaks just before the "destroyed track" gag, does it lower down or do some sort of switch. Such a thing isn't visible from the videos I've seen. But It does look like a different track to the one you arrive up to it on when you go backwards.

Also, there seems to be a switch-track just before the front car on the scene where the yeti's shadow is projected, which moves the straight bit into place for the 80 ft drop.

BTW, can anyone point me to more "behind the scenes" info on this ride? WDWmagic's main site has changed so much since I last was here really. They used to have a better system in place for this kind of info... either that or I've missed something entirely there lol. :ROFLOL:

 

[Monty]

Both track changes are a rotational "flip" that goes back and forth between straight and curved track. On the ride it's fairly easy to see either if you're near the back for the first or at the front for the second.

 

[Six Flags]

cool. Dang, they always take the easy route LMAO.

Nice to know they still use the old tricks. (I mean, switch tracks have been around for a while now.)

(I was thinking maybe the whole structure moved so you wouldn't notice, much like those magician's tricks where they make the statue of liberty disappear... or maybe something similar to the tilt coaster. It's always:shrug: so much simpler lol).:hammer:

Never having been on a ride with switch tracks, those things ever not line up just so and have a every so slight "bump" to them when you go over em? (I mean I have been on S:UF at SFoG, but you go so slowly over those cause there right after the last break run)

 

[Rob562]

Vekoma developed a fast-moving switch for Everest. Disney's requirement was that it complete its move reliably within 7 seconds, and that the track could be taken at-speed.

Vekoma based the rotating track switch off of the switch they use on their SLC's to move trains on and off the storage track. I believe this is the first use of it on a non-inverted coaster, and for something other than transfer to storage.


-Rob

 

[SyracuseOrange]

Both track changes are a rotational "flip" that goes back and forth between straight and curved track. On the ride it's fairly easy to see either if you're near the back for the first or at the front for the second.

Yup. I try to always sit either in the front car or in the back, and I always see this flip. Pretty cool.

 

[Theosus]

Yup. I try to always sit either in the front car or in the back, and I always see this flip. Pretty cool.

I've seen the change from the front. I saw a tv show about everest and Disney. The switch has one track on one side and the other on the opposite side. Each switch rotates around the longitudinal axis and weighs a few tons from what i remember. If you're in the front, instead of watching the yeti tear up the track cartoon, look down in front of you. You can see it flip over.

 

[A1st]

(Sorry for the bump!)



Skip to 27:30

 

[Absimilliard]

Vekoma developed a fast-moving switch for Everest. Disney's requirement was that it complete its move reliably within 7 seconds, and that the track could be taken at-speed.

Vekoma based the rotating track switch off of the switch they use on their SLC's to move trains on and off the storage track. I believe this is the first use of it on a non-inverted coaster, and for something other than transfer to storage.


-Rob

Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris also use track switches. There are 4 of them on the ride and they all turn fast. It was also made by Vekoma.

Why do all of them have to turn fast? Because unlike nearly every non disney coaster out there, Space Mountain was designed so that a train could be pulled in or out from the transfer track to a station in a small 30-40 seconds gap so it is seamless and does not cause the ride to be closed for the transfer. The transfer tracks on Space Mountain are behind each station and each have room for 2 trains.

 

[Bairstow]

Old thread, I know, but this is really cool.

 

[pumpkin7]

That's really neat!

 

[SDisney90]

Watching the track flip over was actually pretty cool, didn't know that's what happened!

 

[raven]

Disney has been using this type of track switch for years actually. Journey Into Imagination uses this same system to move the vehicles in and out of the maintenance area. You can't see it but it's right before you get off the ride in the face-in-the-moon scene.

 

[Rob562]

Disney has been using this type of track switch for years actually. Journey Into Imagination uses this same system to move the vehicles in and out of the maintenance area. You can't see it but it's right before you get off the ride in the face-in-the-moon scene.

I always thought that their track switch was either a sliding or rotating switch, rather than a flipping switch...

-Rob

 

[Bairstow]

I always thought that their track switch was either a sliding or rotating switch, rather than a flipping switch...

-Rob

Yeah, the big pneumatic flipping track section would be overkill for a dark ride.
Plus, I didn't think Vekoma had anything to do with Imagination, in any of its incarnations.

 

[Nick Wilde]

Disney has been using this type of track switch for years actually. Journey Into Imagination uses this same system to move the vehicles in and out of the maintenance area. You can't see it but it's right before you get off the ride in the face-in-the-moon scene.

Bump Bump! This thread was resolved over a year ago. But if we want to talk Roller Coasters, I'm in!

 

[Billq]

Vekoma developed a fast-moving switch for Everest. Disney's requirement was that it complete its move reliably within 7 seconds, and that the track could be taken at-speed.

Vekoma based the rotating track switch off of the switch they use on their SLC's to move trains on and off the storage track. I believe this is the first use of it on a non-inverted coaster, and for something other than transfer to storage.


-Rob

I have a question about EE, once you are going backwards, do you invert at some point ? when I was on it earlier this month it really felt like we turned upside down

 

[Rob562]

I have a question about EE, once you are going backwards, do you invert at some point ? when I was on it earlier this month it really felt like we turned upside down

No, you don't. At most you go through what has been termed an "overbanked turn", which is a tight up-hill curve where the track banks at greater than 90 degrees so that your head is pointing slightly below horizontal but you're not actually upside down. Because of the tight bank and the ramp up and down to it, it can feel like an inversion especially because you have no visual reference in the dark.

Here's an example pic:

-Rob

 

[raven]

I always thought that their track switch was either a sliding or rotating switch, rather than a flipping switch...

-Rob

Yeah, the big pneumatic flipping track section would be overkill for a dark ride.
Plus, I didn't think Vekoma had anything to do with Imagination, in any of its incarnations.

Vekoma didn't do Imagination but it still utilizes a small flip-track.