I’ve got to say that I’m fairly disgusted by the traditional media this week, as I’ve seen countless articles and news reports that have chosen to report on the non-event E-Stoppage of the New Texas Giant last weekend as if it was a major incident, just to keep the hype high for “dangerous theme park” stories in the public eye following the true tragedy at Darien Lake the week before.
The E-Stop on the Texas Giant was not even worth reporting on. A train left the station, a ride op noticed it was sounding a little odd and DID HIS JOB and pushed the E-Stop button, bringing the blue train to a halt near the top of the lift hill. Deciding to err on the side of caution, the riders were evacuated from train and walked down the lift hill stairs to the ground. Meanwhile the media has been playing up this event like it was actually a news story… because, my god… they made these people EXERCISE by going down a staircase!! The Horror… they may be scarred for life.
In the end… the source of the noise was a worn wheel on the coaster train that was ready to be changed out. Coaster wheels do get changed out on a regular basis… though some more often than others, especially on a large and fast ride… and sometimes even more quickly than normal on a brand new ride design… like the Texas Giant. With the brand-new never-before tried track system in place on the Giant, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to hear about lower than expected wheel lifespans as they try out different wheel types and compositions to find the right blend of rolling-stock that will maximize the ride experience as well as prove itself in the durability tests.
Reporting the Texas Giant E-Stop event as a major incident could even cause some other ride operators elsewhere to think twice about pressing the E-Stop button out of fear of causing another big out-of-control news story. This is just wrong... always err on the side of caution. If something doesn't look right or sound right... stop the ride and get the maintenance crew to look it over just to be certain. It may be nothing... or you could have just prevented a true disaster from happening... like at Darien Lake.
After that we’ll head a little further south again towards San Antonio, where a stop into Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a must, and we may try to drop into SeaWorld Texas as well, time permitting, before we begin the long trek back home to North Carolina. It’s going to be a long drive for sure, but I’m hoping for some great fun and adventure along the way as well. And barring any major technical problems, you should be able to catch all your regular Screamscape news updates, as well as keep up with little notes and observations from the trip. Should be fun!