Breaking News: BTMR accident

xfkirsten

xfkirsten

New Member
Lee said:
According to some info I just got...
One train was in the station.
Another train was just arriving at the station.
The transfer track that was supposed to send the second train into the other side of the station malfunctioned and it either did not move, or did not fully get into the correct position.
The second train hit part of the transfer track and that caused one of the cars to jump the track and run into the car ahead of it.

Two trains did not hit.
At this point it looks to be a system error with the PLC, or a mechanical error with the transfer mechanism.

At least that is what I'm hearing out of Cali.......
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update! I can see that happening.

DL maintenance really needs to get back is gear. They need to hire back all those maintenance guys they fired a few years back. I hardly call this much downtime "cost efficient" and it's downright dangerous

-Kirsten
 
xfkirsten

xfkirsten

New Member
From http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5632975

California Closes Disneyland Ride After Accident
Fri Jul 9, 2004 02:55 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California safety inspectors on Friday said they have closed Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride for at least two weeks to investigate a Thursday evening accident, the roller coaster's third in less than a year.

Three passengers were injured and sent to the hospital after two trains on the Western train-style ride collided in the loading area Thursday evening, said Dean Fryer, a spokesman for the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

Walt Disney Co., which owns the Southern California theme park, said it was working with investigators.

Big Thunder partially derailed last September, killing one passenger, after a wheel which held the train on the tracks fell off in a mechanical failure.

In April, two trains without passengers slammed into each other, an accident blamed on operator error.

"What makes this one stand out more is the close proximity of the incidents. There have been three now, two involving patrons, in the course of a year's time. But our findings of the last two are totally unrelated to each other and we've yet to figure out what was the cause of the current incident," Fryer said.

"It could take several weeks, several months," to investigate, he said, adding that if the matter were resolved quickly it could still take a couple of weeks.

Disney spokesman Bob Tucker in a statement confirmed that the ride was closed. "The safety of our guests and cast members is our highest priority," he said. Disney refers to Disneyland employees as "cast members."

The accident involved "two trains bumping into each other," he said, declining to give further details.

The three injured passengers, who complained of neck and back pains, were a family of Canadians, including a 44-year-old woman, a 42-year-old man and a 10-year old boy, Anaheim Fire Department spokeswoman Maria Sabol said.

Fryer said they were released from the hospital on Thursday evening.
 
cherrynegra

cherrynegra

Well-Known Member
Well, you know the attorneys representing the family of that boy who died in the previous accident are going to have a field day with this latest accident. Really makes you wonder what's wrong with that attraction.
 
Shaman

Shaman

Well-Known Member
Some heads have to roll over this...again...Why is it that these accidents are occuring at DL's Thunder Mountain...is it the ride system over there that's flawed? If so can we expect the same incidents from WDW's and all the other versions of Big Thunder in years to come??? I mean it seems like this accident wasn't as bad as the first, but the fact that something went wrong AGAIN isn't a good sign at all...

:(
 
FigmentJedi

FigmentJedi

Well-Known Member
It's not the ride system that's causing it. It's that mantenance has gone down. The realm of Gondor... I mean Disneyland is suffering from the shadows of the dark lord Sauron... I mean Eisner and the orcs in Baradur... I mean the Team Disney building.
 
xfkirsten

xfkirsten

New Member
Tahu said:
It's not the ride system that's causing it. It's that mantenance has gone down. The realm of Gondor... I mean Disneyland is suffering from the shadows of the dark lord Sauron... I mean Eisner and the orcs in Baradur... I mean the Team Disney building.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Several years back, DL's maintenance force numbered close to 800... and that number was cut by nearly half in the name of being "cost efficient." Ever since then, attraction downtime has skyrocketed.

-Kirsten
 
cherrynegra

cherrynegra

Well-Known Member
Well over at Mousplanet, they have posted photos of BTMR that allegedly show the cars involved in the accident. What's also amusing is the photo of the rows of tables at Rancho Del Zucolo that have been cordoned off, preventing folks from viewing the scene from that location.

http://www.mouseplanet.com/btmrr_accident/index.htm

The accident scene is completely visible from outside the attraction, with a clear view from the Rancho Del Zocalo restaurant in Frontierland. For this reason, the two rows of tables nearest the wall adjacent to the ride is currently off-limits, with "reserved" signs on them, and Disneyland managers making sure that nobody tries to sit there.
 
Lee

Lee

Adventurer
Update...
I have been notified that two trains DID infact hit.
It happened as I described in my post above, when the transfer track did not direct the incoming train to the empty side of the station.

Not sure how it could be human error....
Could be the software, although it is newly installed after the last mishap...
Most likely...mechanical issue with the transfer track...but the PLC should have picked up on that...

Ah...beats me..
 
Kadee

Kadee

New Member
Am I correct in thinking that all of this is happening at DisneyLAND only? No accidents at DisneyWORLD, right? Also where was the Space Mountain derailment a few years ago? Wasn't that at DL, also? I really hate that it is happening so frequently (or at all). Disney has the means to do something about all of this.....ensure that it never happens again. At least this one had no fatalities.
 
The_CEO

The_CEO

Well-Known Member
Lee said:
Update...

It happened as I described in my post above, when the transfer track did not direct the incoming train to the empty side of the station.
Click to expand...


Alright! I guessed the right scenerio! I posted in another BTMR DL thread that I thought the only way they would of crashed was if they didnt switch the transfer.

Glad no-one was hurt this time. That is a relief. I think it would be safe if they installed some saftey software to have the transfer switch before the train can be released from the MCB.
 
xfkirsten

xfkirsten

New Member
Kadee said:
Am I correct in thinking that all of this is happening at DisneyLAND only? No accidents at DisneyWORLD, right? Also where was the Space Mountain derailment a few years ago? Wasn't that at DL, also? I really hate that it is happening so frequently (or at all). Disney has the means to do something about all of this.....ensure that it never happens again. At least this one had no fatalities.
Click to expand...

Correct, these past three accidents have been at DisneyLAND. And Space Mountain did have an accident here a couple of years ago. I don't remember the details right offhand (maybe someone can fill them in) but since Space Mountain is being completely redone, any related mechanical issues there should be taken care of.

Funny how all these constant problems started right after they cut the maintenance crew by nearly half...

-Kirsten
 
ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
With all the money Matt Ouimet is finding for projects around the Resort, I'm surprised he hasn't been able to find the money to rehire maintenance staff. I still think he's a good President for the Resort...maybe he just hasn't gotten around to it...sigh.
 
Lee

Lee

Adventurer
The_CEO said:
I think it would be safe if they installed some saftey software to have the transfer switch before the train can be released from the MCB.
Click to expand...

They sort of do have that.
That track has four brake zones, with the last brake area being in the area of Rainbow Ridge. The PLC should have stopped the second train there, in plain view of the station, if it knew that the transfer had not moved over.
Has to be a software failure with the PLC, or else the Rainbow Ridge brakes failed. But, in any event, the transfer should have moved WAY before the second train made it as far as the last brake.
Weird.
 
xfkirsten

xfkirsten

New Member
Well, when I was at the parks yesterday, another guest told me she saw them testing BTMR. She also said the CM told her it might be reopening today (7/16). This is most likely just unfounded rumor, but I thought I'd pass it along anyways. I haven't heard yet if it did indeed reopen.

-Kirsten
 

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