10 things ride mechanics do when visiting other amusement parks
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ค. 2024
- I still love to go to an amusement park. I spend lots of time visiting Disney land, Disney World, and various six flags parks along with some local parks sprinkled in the middle. As a former ride mechanic I view things a little differently now. I inspect almost every ride I go on. So what do I do when I'm waiting to ride? Lets watch.
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i like this unique perspective from a ride mechanic. as a park/coaster enthusiast i find it interesting and it gives me another level of appreciation for some of the people behind the scenes that makes the parks so enjoyable! thanks! keep em coming, I'll keep watching!
Thank you
That's good to hear there are crews of men and women who work hard and long hours most of them when the park is sleeping to make the next day for guests the best one they can have
Thought I'd share this before watching your video. Here's a few things I noticed as a former ride operator when I visit parks. I observe how attentive the ride operator is to the ride. I observe if they're following the posted safety rules. I listen to the ride to see if there's any weird noises. I see how long it's taking the operator to get the ride started. I will notice things such as whether or not the exit gates have airlocks. I will not complain about loose article policies because one time someone did sneak on loose article for a ride I was operating and seeing that thing fly off made me so happy that I missed somebody because that would have definitely been a hospital visit. I will notice grooming and friendliness. I will notice if they are goofing off with other people they are working with. I will notice how easy or difficult that ride could be as ride operator. (Are you in the sun, how much shade, opportunity to sit down, etc) The ride you are working really does affect the kind of day you would have at work. Each ride had things we liked and things we didn't like.
If you are listening for a regular noise coming from the anti-rollback, you must hate old Arrow coasters... clunk..clunkclunk...clunketi-clunk....clunk. They are anything but regular. But then again if you know "your" rides, you know that this is their normal sound.
I wonder why nobody ever came up with a "guess the coaster manufacturer by listening to a sound sample" game. 🤓
Your timing on showing an SLC while saying "if the company has even figured out wheel carrier alignment" is spot on. Even though, in all fairness, I think by now Vekoma have figured it out. Just took them a bit longer.😂
Worries are hardest. I can’t tell if it’s about to fall apart or just normal haha!
I had the pleasure of working one of those original Intamin freefalls, I loved it actually as you got to ride the cars from the front of the station to the unloading position as they came in. Lots of downtime, an unbelievably complex control system for its day (the panel was enormous), lots of things happening at once, lots of different sounds it made. Had to make more than one trip up the lift when it broke down with someone at the top of the tower... and the tower moved a lot once it started running again. Never had to evac anyone from anyone from a weird spot though. The mechanics at the park said one of their biggest problems were the cars themselves which were aluminum, you couldn't magnaflux them. Mechanics got a bunch of change out of them at night.
I love those things! I bet if Intamin said they were bringing it back I’m guessing pars would sign up. They would be easier to do these days with lots of new things like magnetic brakes. That curve at the bottom everyone loved! When they replace it with a newer tower version, the one thing I heard was “where’s the curve at the bottom” haha. Then the sizzle of change sliding down the grate over the station. Alway fun. Amazing there are several still running.
As a coaster enthusiast who wants to work at a theme park company someday, I find it interesting how mechanics like you can see every part, no matter big or small, and can connect it to something huge. I enjoy the content you make and look forward to listening about how it all works. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing your future videos! 🎢
Thank you for the wonderful comment!
My friend's an electrical maintenance supervisor at Cedar Point amusement park (he pushed 420ft Top Thrill Dragster over the top when it got stuck at the top a couple times). Once in a while he'll go to the park on his day off and just walk around sitting on park benches taking it all in. It reminds him why he works there in the first place.
Nice! Alway good to stop and smell the roses but as soon as those gates open it’s a war, maintenance Vs Park. Hard to stop sometimes.
@@ryantheridemechanic They're union. So I don't know if that makes a difference. A family friend had to be in a union when she worked seasonal Cedar Point landscaping. She drives the water truck now for a different dept and doesn't have to be.
@@amusement420 na union or not , it’s more how management handles the employees.
@@ryantheridemechanic yeah I've always got a sense CP really respects it's maintenance dept. My friend would have left a long time ago if they didn't. I've never heard complaints either way.
Love your content as a ride mechanic myself i totally can relate to people watch while taking a ride on my day off or just watching
It’s the little things.
The sounds of the lift are the most jarring when they arn't there. My home park is Cedar Point and on Millennium Force, it can be jarring if you dont hear that rhythemic tap tap as its going up the lift. Last year, there were a few times where the train made an egregious grinding noise as it went over the top of the lift. On Magnum XL 200, the arrow anti rollbacks are a very distinct noise, but occasionally the stop as the train gets to the top of the lift.
I fake freak out on the rides. It tricks my brain and adds uncertainty for others.
Ha! Interesting
So maintenance at Thorpe park to cross a train in the station give a timeout signal with their hands above their head, the operator has to do this back so their hands are not near the controls, once the maintenance/engineers can see that only then can they cross over the train.
You should look into visiting Thorpe park in the UK sometime, it also has the only and very large "Merlin Technical Hub" next door to it where they keep some big things/equipment which serve all their theme parks here, I do wonder if that was a factor for giving Thorpe park Hyperia recently in that its supported by the engineering technical hub next door.
I’d love to visit Thorpe one day. I’ve never seen manufacture support in the US. Email and phone is the only support I’ve seen.
#2 Had me rolling on the floor!
Thank you for your reassurance about what you do. Makes me feel batter.
Your welcome! Thank you for taking the time to comment I appreciate it!
Oh I feel attacked… used to work at DCA east as a sound mechanic and SFOG as an electrician and my friends either love going with me or hate it…
Yea, I Annoy my family by pointing out everything I notice out of place and they look at me like a cow looking at an oncoming train…. They have “……and?…..” I quiet down sometimes. Sometimes.
people either black out or grey out on Millennium Force all the time on the first turn because the G forces are so intense. of course, if a person isn't properly hydrated or hasn't eaten in a long time will factor into things
People do not drink enough water when they visit a park that’s for sure!
Hello Ryan! Just found your channel the other night, good stuff! I too can’t help but constantly assess every ride I am around or go on. I am particularly captivated watching and listening to the lift hill motor, gearbox and chain. I like seeing the tension sprocket move as load is applied and let go. Cheers!
I notice this habit from people who work on or around machinery. They know the noises tell a story.
Hello Ryan, I literally just found this channel 15min ago and I am glad I did. Interesting insight into the trade from someone who works there. My question for you: Have you ever not gone on a ride because your "spidey senses" went off?
Only at traveling fairs. There has been some nope moments, my kids were upset about that. Also I’ve never had to shut down another parks ride so I’m also happy about that!
Have you ever had a situation in which after seeing the condition of a ride you decided to give that one a pass and peace out?
At a fair, yes. Not at a permanent park though.
i remember working at a six flags park, and i often did test rides as a ride operator, and i had ridden it enough times that i knew every bump and turn of the track layout that i would not hold on to anything, and just put my hands in my lap, if we had to do ride tests with guests aboard, they would always look at me like i was nuts, got many laughs when i told them, just doing a test ride and knew the ride like the back of my hand. wonder what would happen if i rode it again would i still be able to do that, one day i will test that, but only once did something grab my attention that i had to hold on to something, during a test ride, i think i was in the front row unload side, and about midway through, my shoulder harness popped completely open. And that was right before a loop. Now i had known the ride i was on, was originally designed with just lap bars, so i knew i was safe, but the area the loop was in was guest facing and knew that if guests saw that, the park would take a massive hit and get investigated for really no reason. so i reached up and pulled the harness down and held it down, through out the rest of the ride, once i got back to the station, i told main panel not to load the train and send it empty, and proceeded to call out for maintenance and managers, once maintenance got there told them what happened and where, and talked about it with managers and i wanted the train pulled off track for an emergency inspection to find out why that happened, managers wanted to keep the train on track for capacity, and we came to the agreement of closing off that car and not loading it. I really wanted to push hard for pulling the train off the track, and having maintenance figure out why the harness popped open where it did. i understood the capacity argument that the manager used, but my crew was fast enough and safe enough to handle the lines we had that day with just 2 trains, (we had three on track), looking back at it, i should have fought harder for pulling that train off track.
Wow. Never had a restrain open on me. Heard complaints about it. Took restraints apart and investigated and they were always in perfect condition. Hmm interesting.
I just say “wee” In the highest voice I can whenever a ride isn’t scary enough to a make me scream 💀
Great video as always! Out of curiosity, since it seems you have ridden many coasters, what are your top 3?
Hard to say. But I’ll try. 1- x2 magic mountain, 2- joker discovery kingdom, 3- storm runner Hershey park. Keep in mind I don’t go out to a ton of parks but hope to in the future.
@@ryantheridemechanic Cool! I'd be interested to see you make a vlog from inside a park at some point!
When i go to parks i ride in the front row of coaches on coasters to check hitches.
have you ever been at a park and whilst queueing for the ride seen something that's made you go "nope" and not got on it?
Almost. But not yet
Could you do a video on Hitches? I feel like I know very little about them because nobody every really talks about them but they seem like a big part of the ride
Yes. Such a fascinating component for sure.
U have my dream job I would love to work on rides all day
You say that now lol
@@richardweltin1047 can’t be as bad as the job I work now
@@yungbaz99 no it's not a bad job I love what I do as a ride mechanic at a park it's just you give up so much time and sacrifice weekends and holidays so others can enjoy your hard work.. but it is a good feeling too.. but a very thankless job the general public never sees that side of the park
Love your channel!
Thank you
What do you think about Diamondback at Kings Island
I have no experience first hand with this. Looks fun. Judging by the trim breaks they can sub 1/2 the trains speed wheels for urethan and cut down on the rattle and noise.
@@ryantheridemechanic recently discovered your channel, love it
@@BansheeEst thank you!
Your videos are great! I'm thinking becoming a mechanic at a local amusementpark, would you say it's worth the longer hours and slightly lower pay?
Personally I would say yes, but it’s your life. This two things take their tole on you though. If you already like the industry your better fitted to the job than most. I always had the “want” to learn more. I could never breed that want into people I hired off the street. You could stay longer if you get promoted up with better pay. Even for a yet or two, you would probably have some awesome stories
I'm a 40 year old auto mechanic by trade. Thinking of maybe making a switch to park maintenance. Been a coaster enthusiast since forever ago. Is this a horrible idea?
Well not horrible at all. You will loose your nights and weekends and holidays that’s a big down. Not sure about pay but probably expect in the range of 60-70k to start but there no standard there. And you can negotiate
Have you been to Camden park in West Virginia?
No I honestly don’t get out much to smaller parks. Family vacation like to go to the big majors and I don’t have the budget to stray. Is this a nice park? High on your list? I’ll never put down a park that’s for sure.
Does "enjoy the ride" not come onto your list? If not, what's the point? 🤦♂
Ha! That’s the reason I went in the first place. Unless it’s super rough I do enjoy most all rides.