Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

[Teebin]

Wow, wow, wow. I was lucky enough to hear today of all the details with which this ride was fraught last spring and summer. Sure, we heard there were "sensor" problems, but it is the why of the many different sensors that tells the whole story. Back in July of 2014, I wrote on this site:

Gringotts is turning into a brilliantly conceived disaster. The engineers and programmers should be so embarrassed and ashamed by the whole thing after having months to play with it.

To put it in a timely context, Universal built its own "Enigma", a puzzle so complex that even they couldn't comprehend how it would work once each and every little component was introduced to work as one. And many times, it was these components that kept causing it to fail. As it turns out, the sensors worked just fine thank goodness, and it was the many, very unique components that were either reporting wrongs, telling tales or not saying anything at all, to which the sensors responded STOP. Making matters worse, each of these things compounded the other producing confusing results that could not be easily discerned.

The only incorrect statement in my July post was that they had months to work on it; three months. Turns out, they probably needed 6 months of running and testing to pull it all off on time.

So, to give you a small hint of component issues: loss of contact with the busbar, weight of riders miscalc and bouncing non-locking tracks, fog condensation, fog destroying sets and screens, fog danger levels and more and more.

Then there is the HE and its disappearing steam between the cars. Apparently, someone in Rakfisk, Flanderlander decided that pvc was the best way to deliver the steam. Sadly, while PVC can handle boiling temperatures, it cannot handle the super-heated (far higher than boiling), high-pressure temperatures of vaporized steam. The pvc began to warp and sag causing all manner of concern. Thus, it was turned off permanently.

There was far more to the details that I heard today, but, as there were so few solving each of the problems, I have backed of on the minutiae.

I hope one or two of you appreciated reading this. I love this s**t.

 

[Clive]

So, to give you a small hint of component issues: loss of contact with the busbar, weight of riders miscalc and bouncing non-locking tracks, fog condensation, fog destroying sets and screens, fog danger levels and more and more.

Then there is the HE and its disappearing steam between the cars. Apparently, someone in Rakfisk, Flanderlander decided that pvc was the best way to deliver the steam. Sadly, while PVC can handle boiling temperatures, it cannot handle the super-heated (far higher than boiling), high-pressure temperatures of vaporized steam. The pvc began to warp and sag causing all manner of concern. Thus, it was turned off permanently.

There was far more to the details that I heard today, but, as there were so few solving each of the problems, I have backed of on the minutiae.

I hope one or two of you appreciated reading this. I love this s**t.

That sounds like a minor "derail" to me.

Remember when people were claiming OI was full of s**t? Doesn't seem that way now...

 

[martymcflyy85]

but all that stuff is fixed now right?

 

[Teebin]

That sounds like a minor "derail" to me.

Remember when people were claiming OI was full of s**t? Doesn't seem that way now...

No no no... this was a reporting issue due to the ride shifting... contacts with the busbar were insufficient and so, stops were called. Perhaps this was on the tilts, but this detail was not conveyed to me. I only know that there is more than two contacts (and less than 15) that must be maintained with the bar... and more than one being off is a stop.

 

[Talking Head]

Nice to finally hear why there's no steam between the HE cars. It's too bad -- it added a lot to the atmosphere of the station platform. It'd be nice if someday they fix it so that it works as intended.

On the upside, last weekend all the effects in Gringotts were working including the fog effects. (The large Weasley figure at Wizarding Wheezes was also lifting his hat, too, which in my experience had been a spotty effect last summer/fall.)

 

[sjago13]

Thanks for the info. I love the tech behind the ride just as much if not more than the ride itself.

 

[Clive]

No no no... this was a reporting issue due to the ride shifting... contacts with the busbar were insufficient and so, stops were called. Perhaps this was on the tilts, but this detail was not conveyed to me. I only know that there is more than two contacts (and less than 15) that must be maintained with the bar... and more than one being off is a stop.

Sent you a PM. Thanks for the clarification, there was a few additional problems you may not be aware of.

 

[UNIrd]

They did not have enough time to cycle and work out all the kinks. I know someone claimed it had been cycling 6 months prior but I called BS on it back then.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Teebs post meshes with what I heard, with some differences due to the telephone game. Issues were in line with what Test Track had back in 1997/98 to simplify it.

The pvc and steam info is new.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I definitely agree about the seat point, I rode in the front and middle rows and when nagini pops out at you, the front row gets to see her up close and personal unlike the second row. The second row made you feel like the trolls were staring directly at you witch was awesome too. I feel like we all overhyped this attraction to a ridiculously unfair level witch is why I was a bit disappointed. Maybe I was missing a couple effects that would've made my experience better I don't know, I'll return to it definitely for more chances. By the way what was with the pitch black coaster rooms? Atleast put blacklight mummy posters in there jeez

I really really really hate those pitchblack parts in this ride... what a waste. not to be a hater but they could have done something, anything in those parts. even if they just did the walls to look like a cave would have been good enough, those bothered me when i did the ride. i know it sounds like nitpicking and the screens have amazing video but to me these black areas make the ride feel incomplete, like it was never finished.

You appreciated the technical complexity of this attraction. Doesn't excuse the reasons for the failures but still helps understand. Completing new feats to entertain this generation of thrill seekers along with maintaining a >15 year redundancy factor for the machines along with keeping the USA's high standard for safety is HARD!! lol it takes a miracle to combine different systems to a seamless experience time after time. Its a learning step. They made the jump with new techniques. Made mistake. Now the next time (or next clone) wont have those kind of issues. Its just the price you pay for being a pioneer.

i dont mind the lack of thrills, I would be completely okay with the lack of thrills if this ride had some more going on, maybe a couple of more screens in the pitch black parts i was talking about, feels like they relied too much on the screens but didn't make it as creative as transformers or spider-man.

to me it feels like they could have just made the ride be like the star wars ride in a sense since there isn't anything besides the screens going on.
the queue is much more amazing, i would have loved to have seen some of those real goblins at the beginning of the ride or something. to be honest i was much more amazed by the dragon and the goblins than by the ride... the next time ill go back im more excited to see the queue than the actual ride
too much hype definitely

 

[Cwoolboy]

I still say HE is a better ride and more satisfying experience than Gringotts...maybe that's just me though.

 

[JungleSkip]

I still say HE is a better ride and more satisfying experience than Gringotts...maybe that's just me though.

Everything is personal opinion.

You're out of your mind, but it's well within your rights to believe whatever you chose.

 

[OLSinFLA]

Whats wuith the ride being down 2 days now?

 

[Teebin]

Whats wuith the ride being down 2 days now?

It has been down for 48 full hours?

 

[JungleSkip]

It has been down for 48 full hours?

Looking on twitter I don't see anything about yesterday, but it does look like it was down all day today

 

[Teebin]

Looking on twitter I don't see anything about yesterday, but it does look like it was down all day today

How timely... I hope I didn't jinx it. That was not my intention. And just when the last of the UC staff are set to depart for other projects...

 

[JungleSkip]

Being told they chose to close it today for maintenance, FWIW

 

[OLSinFLA]

Of course it was the day I took a friend specifically so he could ride it. Someone told me it had been down most of the day yesterday too

 

[Miketheboss]

This thing better be open on Saturday and Sunday if not my group is going to be very upset.

People are coming from all around the world to experience this attraction and they close it without warning. The Universal Calander online only shows that fevils playground is going to be closed.


Now I'm gonna be stressed out for the next 2 days.

 

[Miketheboss]

Why is their no one talking about this? It hasn't even been open for a year, and it's been closed for what, 3 days.