Basic Coaster Facts
Blocking Zones
There are some very basic coaster facts that you need to know when learning about any new coaster. Every coaster has something called a blocking zone, which is an area along the track containing breaks where the train can stop, and only one train may occupy it at a time. This prevents trains from crashing into each other.
Wheel Assembly
Every train has something called the wheel assembly. The wheel assembly typically holds three types of wheels: Road wheels, guide wheels, and upstop wheels.
Road wheels ride on the top of the track and hold the weight of the train.
Guide wheels sit on the side of the track. They help the train go through the twists and turns of the track.
Upstop wheels are on the bottom of the track. Upstop wheels prevent the train from coming up off the track during airtime or inversions.
Restraint System
Typically every restraint system use ratchets to lock the restraints. A ratchet is a toothed track or gear that allows movement in one direction only. When you pull down on a restraint it “clicks” into place and cannot reopen unless unlocked by an operator. When a train is stationary the restraints will always remain in the locked position until they’re unlocked. Typically a restraint unlocks by something in the station pushing into a release button. The second type of restraint is a hydraulic locking restraint. As the restraint moves, it compresses hydraulic fluid in a closed chamber. That fluid pressure pushes against a locking valve, keeping the piston from moving back freezing the restraint in that position. The restraint stays firmly locked because hydraulic fluid is incompressible and sealed.
Lift Hill
There are several parts of a coasters lift that’s important to the coasters operations. The lift is the area on the track containing the lift chain to bring the train to the top of a hill. The coaster is able to attach to this lift with something called a chain dog. A chain dog is located on the bottom of a train and is designed to be pushed in as is attaches to the lift and push back out once the train has been fully engaged. Next is the anti-rollback system. On the train there is a component called an anti-rollback dog and on the track there are anti-rollback ratchets. Anti-rollback dogs are similar to chain dogs, but they don’t help the train engage, rather prevent the train from rolling back on the lift if the lift chain has stopped. They sit on the anti-rollback ratchets on the track to stop the train from rolling backwards.
Check out this Instagram post detailing the process of a lift hill: