Time the Refurb Test Track?

hardcard

hardcard

New Member
Original Poster
I've been to Epcot twice this week, and both times Test Track has been down for several hours in the evening... Is TT getting a little rusty, or was it just bad timing on my part?


Just curious...... By the way, Soarin had a 10 minute wait tonight.. Epcot was REALLY empty.....
 
RSoxNo1

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
Test Track is down very often. Rain shuts it down every day in the summer, and additionally the sensors on the ride detect any and every problem. When it's running at full capacity, the cars go around the exterior loop at very close intervals making these sensors and fail safes very necessary.

I'm not sure how Journey to the Center of the Earth or the upcoming Radiator Springs Racers handle this (or will handle this). I know RSR will have dual tracks to increase capacity, but I don't know how the constant breakdowns are addressed on these other two rides that share (or will share) the same ride system.
 
goodtimes5286

goodtimes5286

New Member
hardcard said:
I've been to Epcot twice this week, and both times Test Track has been down for several hours in the evening... Is TT getting a little rusty, or was it just bad timing on my part?
Click to expand...


i always thought they had problems with that ride, i remember riding it before it was open (being like a test dummy **art art**), and on our outside loop i member after we hit 65 our cart jerked to a really fast stop, n then we had to get out and walk the track. What they said happened was if the two computers dont agree on the speed the ride shuts down (?) problem 1

problem 2, like when the ride ACTUALLY opened, ive only seen the screens work 1ce, after that the screen that the main people are on (From the control tower) and they list what your doin, are always out.

problem 3 where there once was a cone that went down when you lose control of the car because you dont hav ABS, because you were supposed to steer around the cones (not sure why the track goes stright but whatever), they no longer is on.

problem 4, the hot room should be after the cold room, ok freeze me, but then dont leave me hanging! i need some warmth!

....just my two pennies....
 
imamouse

imamouse

Well-Known Member
TT was down several times during my Dec trip. We were in the load stocks when it went down once. We waited 20 min then hit the exit and picked up return anytime FP from CMs waiting around the corner (out of sight). I never got to use my return FP 'cos TT was down every time I tried. This was more downtime that I've experienced before.
 
hardcard

hardcard

New Member
Original Poster
I know of TT's long and vaulted history.. I was just curious as to whether this was a newer development of outages or just more of the same :)
 
hpyhnt 1000

hpyhnt 1000

Well-Known Member
goodtimes5286 said:
i always thought they had problems with that ride, i remember riding it before it was open (being like a test dummy **art art**), and on our outside loop i member after we hit 65 our cart jerked to a really fast stop, n then we had to get out and walk the track. What they said happened was if the two computers dont agree on the speed the ride shuts down (?) problem 1

problem 2, like when the ride ACTUALLY opened, ive only seen the screens work 1ce, after that the screen that the main people are on (From the control tower) and they list what your doin, are always out.

problem 3 where there once was a cone that went down when you lose control of the car because you dont hav ABS, because you were supposed to steer around the cones (not sure why the track goes stright but whatever), they no longer is on.

problem 4, the hot room should be after the cold room, ok freeze me, but then dont leave me hanging! i need some warmth!

....just my two pennies....
Click to expand...

Problem 2 - happens sporadically with the vehicles (early onboard computer systems, yeah they can be somewhat unreliable). In TTs defense, that's happen to me maybe twice in the 30+ times I've ridden. Its not a huge pandemic problem IMHO. :shrug:

Problem 3 - those cones are a bit tempermental, and there was a point a while back where they seldom worked, but they've been working fairly well my past couple times. The screens after the brake tests (where they show you the difference between the two) have similar problems and don't work like they should all the time. :brick:

Problem 4 - the sequence of the temp rooms is just for that reason; the impact of the cold is more intense after yu've been warmed up. ;)
 
wvdisneyfamily

wvdisneyfamily

Well-Known Member
It's often down in June and July when we're there. However, that's because of rain. Oddly, TT isn't the ride that comes to mind when I think of attractions being down for now reason. Aerosmith seems to have more than its fair share of down time.
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
goodtimes5286 said:
What they said happened was if the two computers dont agree on the speed the ride shuts down (?) problem 1.
Click to expand...


Thats a fail safe redundant system. You have two idependent systems chacking the speed of the vehicles. If one says its going 50 and the other says 30, the systems says "whoa, something is not right here" and it shuts down the entire ride. A much better scenario than haveing only one computer monitoring speed, and it thinks you are going 50 when in fact you are going 0, and nobody notices until you are rear ended by the vechicle comming behind you at 50.

However yes, TT can use some TLC. There are some ride elements that are sporadic and the queue is showing wear and tear (from people touching things). But then queue wear and tear is something that cant be avoided. Heck TSMM was showing wear on some of the stuff 3 weeks after it opened.

-dave
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
wvdisneyfamily said:
It's often down in June and July when we're there. However, that's because of rain. Oddly, TT isn't the ride that comes to mind when I think of attractions being down for now reason. Aerosmith seems to have more than its fair share of down time.
Click to expand...


Yeah, they were down for most of the late 80's :)

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

-dave
 
danpam1024

danpam1024

Well-Known Member
I'm sure it's heading for a major rehab when GM tanks:rolleyes:( couldn't help it). Maybe a new corporate sponsor like Honda or Nissan would help, it would also tie it in to the WS side!!!:lol:
 
Clark Griswold

Clark Griswold

Member
Every time I get in line to ride the Test Track I pray that some random malfunction doesn't shutdown the operations or a classic Florida pop-up rainstorm doesn't form over Epcot, at least until I'm off the Test Track! It seemed like the last time I was at Epcot and in line to ride the Track that most of the effects in the queue area were not working as well.
 
Rob562

Rob562

Well-Known Member
Clark Griswold said:
Every time I get in line to ride the Test Track I pray that some random malfunction doesn't shutdown the operations or a classic Florida pop-up rainstorm doesn't form over Epcot, at least until I'm off the Test Track! It seemed like the last time I was at Epcot and in line to ride the Track that most of the effects in the queue area were not working as well.
Click to expand...

There's a few in the queue that I haven't seen operate in a long time. Most notably the big weight that rises up and drops down onto the windshield (at least I think it's a windshield, I'm not 100% sure). My guess is that it was deemed either too unsafe to be near Guests (either physically unsafe or too high of a decibel level), the loud crash was scaring Guests and their kids who were nearby but weren't paying attention, or it just broke and they never fixed it.

I also can't recall the last time I saw all three crash test dummy bashers working at the same time. Heck, those are one of the simplest mechanisms in the queue!

-Rob
 

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