1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Text Time, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,760 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio 4 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:22,280 Speaker 1: and I love all things tech. And those of you 5 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 1: who know a little bit about me know that I'm 6 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: a big fan of Disney theme parks and theme parks 7 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: in general. I'm a roller coaster fiend for example. Now, 8 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,479 Speaker 1: don't get me wrong, I am not claiming to be 9 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:41,160 Speaker 1: the biggest fan of Disney theme parks on our network 10 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:45,159 Speaker 1: because I sometimes think that Holly Fry actually lives at 11 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: a Disney theme park. I mean I once went to 12 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: Epcot down at Walt Disney World and I ran into Holly. 13 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: And I didn't even know she was in Florida at 14 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: the time. I mean I was there completely independently and 15 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: just ran into her in the World Showcase. So while 16 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: I won't take first prize for the biggest theme park 17 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: fan over at I Heeart Radio, I think I can 18 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: at least hold my own anyway. My wife and I 19 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 1: had plans to visit the Disney parks this year, but 20 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: we've decided to hold off due to COVID nineteen. Now 21 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: the parks have reopened, as I'm sure some of you know, 22 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,039 Speaker 1: and there are a lot of measures in place that 23 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: are intended to keep visitors and cast safe. Cast, by 24 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: the way, is the word that Disney uses for employees, 25 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: as the company treats the theme parks like they are stages, 26 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 1: and every employee is in part a performer on that stage. Now, 27 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: all that being said, personally, I worry about opening something 28 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: as big as a theme park during a pandemic, even 29 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: with limits on how many people can come into a 30 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: park per day and mask man dates and temperature checks 31 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: and everything else. I particular really feel a lot of 32 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: compassion for the cast, who run a higher risk of 33 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: catching something because they could potentially encounter thousands of people 34 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: every day that they are at work. So my wife 35 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: and I have put our Disney plans on hold for 36 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: the time being, but I figured I could take the 37 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: opportunity to talk a bit about how some of the 38 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: ride systems work. So my wife and I have put 39 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: our Disney plans on hold, but I figured I could 40 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: take the opportunity to talk a bit about how some 41 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: of the ride systems work. Now, you guys might know 42 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: that I've done a few episodes kind of in this vein. 43 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: In a classic episode of Tech Stuff, Chris Pallette and 44 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: I broke down a special effect called Pepper's Ghost and 45 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 1: explained how Disney used that in the Haunted Mansion. So 46 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: there will be some overlap here, and I'll talk about 47 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: Pepper's Ghost again just briefly, but mostly I want to 48 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: talk about some interesting ride systems associated with Disney, though 49 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: some of them originated elsewhere. Now, when Disneyland opened on 50 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: July seven teenth, nineteen fifty five, the list of attractions 51 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: available to ride was rather modest. You had snow White 52 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: Scary Adventures. You had Peter Pan's Flight, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, 53 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:19,799 Speaker 1: Storybook Land, Canal Boats, the Jungle Cruise, the Mad Tea Party, Autopia, 54 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: and the King Arthur Carousel. Plus you had the river 55 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 1: Boat and the Railroad. A little later in n the 56 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: park would also introduce the Casey Junior Circus Train and 57 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,519 Speaker 1: Dumbo the Flying Elephant. To kind of set the stage, 58 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: let's talk about Peter Pan's Flight. It's a type of 59 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: dark ride, and a dark ride takes place indoors. Passengers 60 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: board a vehicle that moves through a series of scenes 61 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: or tableau. Typically, these tell us story or follow a 62 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: narrative arc. That's not always the case. Sometimes it's just 63 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: a series of thematically related scenes. Like there are a 64 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: lot of horror house seamed rides that you'll find at 65 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: carnivals and amusement parks that don't really tell a story. 66 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: They just have seen after scene of stuff jumping out 67 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: at you. Lighting and sound effects create a certain experience, 68 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: and they grew out of stuff that were called mill rides. 69 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: Old mill rides. Now, this is a ride in which 70 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: boats would travel down a guide way through an indoor space, 71 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 1: typically one that is pretty darn dark. And uh, they 72 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: didn't necessarily have any kind of operator on the boat. 73 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 1: They didn't need one because the pathway was set in 74 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: a single direction. There wasn't really any way to get 75 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: off track. This is where we got the old Tunnel 76 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 1: of Love rides famous in cartoons, and I don't think 77 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: I've ever actually seen one, But in these rides, amorous 78 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: couples would get on a self guided boat in the dark, 79 00:04:57,120 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: and it was so that they could commence to necking, 80 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,600 Speaker 1: you know, or whatever. I never got to ride on 81 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: one with somebody else, and I assume there's a very 82 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: special kind of pity in the eyes of a ride 83 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: operator who would see me getting on a Tunnel of 84 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 1: Love ride by myself. But the idea was that these 85 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: rides created a socially acceptable reason for couples to be 86 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: close and affectionate with one another, because the general perspective 87 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: on affection was that should never ever be done in 88 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: public back when these rides became popular. But the genius 89 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:34,840 Speaker 1: is credited for taking that concept and then evolving it 90 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: into the dark ride format were the owners of an 91 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: amusement park in New Jersey. The park was called the 92 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:47,720 Speaker 1: Tumbling Damn Park d A M. Not that Tumbling Damn Park, 93 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: and the owners were Marvin Ripfer and Leon Cassidy in 94 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: n They wanted to build an old mill style ride, 95 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: but they found that if they were to construct didn't 96 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 1: maintain it, it would be prohibitively expensive. And that makes sense. 97 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: I mean, if your ride involves hundreds of thousands of 98 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 1: gallons of water, keeping everything ship shape as it were, 99 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: is going to really cost you, not just to make 100 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: sure it's all watertight, but you know, to maintain the 101 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:18,600 Speaker 1: ride and the boats and make sure that you're not 102 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: getting mold or wrought and all that kind of stuff. 103 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 1: It's expensive, so instead they commissioned an indoor ride with 104 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 1: cars kind of like bumper cars, and they would travel 105 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: down a track. The riders would not have control of 106 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: the cars, so you wouldn't be able to steer it. 107 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 1: The track itself was electrified, kind of like the electric 108 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 1: rail on a subway. The cars had contacts that touched 109 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: this electrified rail, and that way the track could provide 110 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: power to the cars, which had electric motors on them 111 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: to power the wheels. It was all pretty simple stuff, 112 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: but it was innovative. Legend has it that one rider 113 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: said after being on this attraction that the ride was 114 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: really herky jerky, and he felt like a pretzel afterward, 115 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: and so the ride became known as the Pretzel Ride. 116 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: To spice things up, the owners added some effects in 117 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: the ride, so when the car would hit specific points 118 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: along the track, it would trip a switch that would 119 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: provide power to whatever the effect was, which could be 120 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 1: a light going off or you know, powering an actuator 121 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: so that some sort of critter pops up from behind 122 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 1: a barrier, typically a skeleton that was kind of like 123 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: the go to And thus the basics of the dark 124 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 1: Ride were born. Now over the next couple of decades, 125 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,679 Speaker 1: dark rides popped up in amusement parks all around the world, 126 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: mostly in the United States, most of them following that 127 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: sort of spooky horror theme and having very little coherent 128 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: story to them. But Disney would change that dramatically, and 129 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: that brings us back to the dark rides of Disneyland. 130 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: There were several of those that I mentioned. Snow White 131 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: was one Mr Toad Peter Pan, and if you've ever 132 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: been on Peter Pan's Flight at while disney World in Orlando, 133 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: you know that ride is on a system that is 134 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: in continuous motion, and I'll be covering that kind of 135 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:17,360 Speaker 1: system later on this episode. But the Disneyland version was 136 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 1: the type of ride that actually comes to a complete 137 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: stop at the end of a ride cycle, and that 138 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: allows the people who are writing it to get off 139 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 1: and new passengers to get onto the ride. Right. Operators 140 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 1: would actually control this. They would you know, hit a 141 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: button to send a vehicle on its way, and otherwise 142 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:40,720 Speaker 1: they would hold it until people were safely, you know, 143 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 1: secured inside the vehicle. One of the cool things about 144 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: the Peter Pan ride was that, unlike the others on 145 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: this list, it's actually a suspended track ride, so the 146 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:54,720 Speaker 1: track is suspended above the passengers. The vehicle isn't sitting 147 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: on a track, it's being it's hanging from a track. 148 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: So the rider's cars, those are pirates shipped themed in 149 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 1: the Peter Pan ride, are hanging beneath this suspended track, 150 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: and that allowed the rides designers or imagineers as Disney 151 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:16,319 Speaker 1: calls them, imaginative engineers to create sections where the car 152 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: appears to soar over scenes like the City of London 153 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 1: or never never Land. The original Disneyland attraction had nine 154 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:29,319 Speaker 1: of these ships on the track during a day, and 155 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: I had a tenth one in reserve in case something 156 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:35,319 Speaker 1: went wrong. Each of those ships was made of fiberglass 157 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: and weighed about two fifty pounds or around a d 158 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: and they were able to carry you know, two or 159 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 1: maybe three people if the people were kind of smallish, 160 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: and a tenth vehicle, like I said, would stand by 161 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 1: in case one needed to be removed from the ride 162 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 1: at any given point. There was a company called Cleveland 163 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 1: tram Rail that actually built the track and the drive 164 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: devices for the ride vehicles. And it's interesting because this 165 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:04,959 Speaker 1: was a company that wasn't known for making amusement park rides. 166 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:10,000 Speaker 1: They built out systems for overhead cranes, cranes that would 167 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: transport heavy materials above industrial sites, and these cranes would 168 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: go on trolleys along tracks, and they were using a 169 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: similar system for these these rides on Peter Pan's Flight. 170 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: So the motorized trolley would sit on a girder rail, 171 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,560 Speaker 1: and the trolley had an electric motor that had one 172 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: whole horsepower to it. The wheels on the trolley would 173 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: pinch the rail on either side, and thus you had 174 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: what was called a friction drive. The wheels would have 175 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: enough pressure on that rail and would provide the gripping 176 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: power necessary for things like the vehicle to to go 177 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: up an incline so they could climb an altitude, or 178 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: to break so that it wouldn't just slide down a 179 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: downward slope out of control. That would be disastrous. The 180 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: ships hung from the trolley by a pair of masts, 181 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: and the connecting points on the trolley itself were hinged, 182 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 1: so the ships could maintain a level position as it 183 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:18,679 Speaker 1: moved around the track relative to the ground, instead of 184 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:22,679 Speaker 1: swinging like out at a weird angle. But that swinging 185 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 1: bit became something of a problem. You know that that 186 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:29,080 Speaker 1: pivot meant that you could swing the ships left and right, 187 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 1: and kids found that out and with a little wriggling 188 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 1: started to cause them to swing all sorts of ways, 189 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: and that could sometimes cause the ride to stop. For example, 190 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,560 Speaker 1: in one case, someone was making one of these rides 191 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: swing so hard that it swung out and hit the 192 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:48,960 Speaker 1: interior wall of the attraction, and a component on the 193 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:53,559 Speaker 1: ride got embedded in the dry wall of the interior wall, 194 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: and so the whole thing got stuck and they had 195 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: to stop the ride. The track segments are electrical blocks, 196 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:06,120 Speaker 1: so you can think of the the entire ride being 197 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: a series of electrical blocks, and each of those blocks 198 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 1: have their own electrical circuit that supports one vehicle at 199 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 1: a time. So as a ship moves from block one 200 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: to block two, another ship can move into block one, 201 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 1: and the ship that wasn't block two has moved into 202 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,320 Speaker 1: block three, and if you time it just right, that 203 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 1: allows for an uninterrupted trip from London to Neverland. The 204 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 1: original Peter Pan ride at Disneyland was missing one important 205 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: character among all those tableau that it moved through, and 206 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:42,200 Speaker 1: that character was Peter Pan himself. The reason for the 207 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 1: emission was actually on purpose. The original imagineers thought of 208 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: the ride as taking place from the perspective of Peter Pan, 209 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: so the passengers were effectively taking on the role of Pan. 210 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 1: The problem was passengers didn't really get that, and so 211 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 1: a lot of them walked away one or why Peter 212 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: Pan was absent on his own ride. It would take 213 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 1: nearly thirty years, but Disneyland's ride would eventually add Peter 214 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: Pan into the experience in nineteen eighty three. The other 215 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: versions of the ride, like the one at while Disney World, 216 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:19,480 Speaker 1: would sidestep that problem entirely. They built Peter Pan into 217 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 1: the ride from the very beginning. They would also install 218 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: a different drive system to achieve the same sort of 219 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:30,200 Speaker 1: effects that were at the Disneyland ride, but without having 220 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 1: to contend with the numerous maintenance problems that the tram 221 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 1: rail system had in the original Disneyland version. And it 222 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 1: was also a very loud system. Imagineer said that the 223 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: original drive system on the Disneyland ride was was distractingly loud. 224 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: Another ride system that would find its way into a 225 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,839 Speaker 1: couple of different Disney attractions came from the Matter Horn, 226 00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:00,920 Speaker 1: which was the first steel to roller coaster it opened 227 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:05,520 Speaker 1: back in nineteen fifty nine, or steel tubular coaster if 228 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 1: you prefer so. It's housed in a replica of the 229 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 1: matter Horn the Mountain in Switzerland, but it's at one 230 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: one scale. And this actually would end up being another first. 231 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: It was the first coaster housed inside an enclosed structure. 232 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:25,120 Speaker 1: Most roller coasters are outdoors. And you might wonder why 233 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: Disney would build a matter Horn themed attraction in the 234 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:30,880 Speaker 1: first place. Because I'm a Disney fan, or at least 235 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 1: I think of myself as such, and I wondered why 236 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: there was a matter Horn ride. But at the time, 237 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty nine, Disney's movie studio was getting ready 238 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: to release a live action film called Third Man on 239 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 1: the Mountains set on and around the matter Horn. Now 240 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 1: I had not heard of this film, so I guess 241 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 1: it didn't quite reach the level of instant classic. I'm 242 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: sure there are many Disney fanatics out there who are 243 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 1: very familiar with the movie. This one was a new 244 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 1: one on me. Uh. Though. To be fair, when it 245 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: comes to the live action films, particularly of the nineteen 246 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: fifties and sixties, I lost track Man because that studio 247 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: made a ton of them. However, the matter Horn Ride 248 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: is still at the park today, even if people don't 249 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: remember the movie that inspired it. The coaster cars on 250 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 1: the matter Horn are little bob sleds that whizz around 251 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: the track actually tracks, because there are two intertwined tracks 252 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 1: on the matter Horn Ride. The tubular track allows for 253 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: a much smoother experience than traditional wooden rail based coasters. 254 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: The Bob sleds wheels could be made from a hard 255 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 1: plastic material like you know, nylon, rather than metal, and 256 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: the wheels would fit against the track, on top of 257 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: the track, underneath the track, and on the sides of 258 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: the track, on the tubes as it were, and that 259 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: would anchor the coaster car to the track, allowing it 260 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,280 Speaker 1: to take really steep turns without any fears of the 261 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: coaster flying off because it was really there. With those 262 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: wheels and those various orientations, the original Bob sleds could 263 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: hold up to four people each. Now Bob Ger, an 264 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: imagineer who really was sort of a car guy before 265 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: he came to work with Disney, helped install the system 266 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 1: for the matter Horn Bob sleds that would allow for 267 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: more than one sled on the track at a time. 268 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: The ride had track mounted wheels that can make contact 269 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 1: with the bob sleds as they moved along the track. 270 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: So these wheels are built into the track itself, and 271 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 1: the wheels can either slow down a bob sled or 272 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 1: it can give them a boost. You know, if the 273 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 1: wheel is turning really quickly and the bob sled rolls 274 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: up to it, then the bob sled gets a push 275 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: from these wheels, or if the wheels are moving very slowly, 276 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 1: they can break b R a k E the bob 277 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 1: sled and so Gert calls them booster breaks. With the 278 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: booster breakes, the bob sled speeds could be controlled a 279 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 1: bit better, and it was safe to have more than 280 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 1: one bob sled on the same track at the same time. 281 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:08,600 Speaker 1: That was another first. A lot of the roller coasters 282 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:11,199 Speaker 1: before that you only could allow one car to go 283 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 1: on the track because otherwise you could be inviting disaster. 284 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,120 Speaker 1: But with the system, even if a car were stopped 285 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: on part of the track, you could use the booster 286 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 1: brakes to stop other bob sleds so that there aren't 287 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:26,159 Speaker 1: any collisions. The company that actually developed this technology was 288 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: Ero Development. That was a company that partnered with Disney 289 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:34,040 Speaker 1: on many of Disney's early rides. Walt Disney himself would 290 00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: inform ger Bob ger in nineteen sixty one that he 291 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:41,199 Speaker 1: was going to build out a much larger version of 292 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 1: this an attraction for the World's Fair that was going 293 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 1: to happen in a few years in nineteen sixty four. 294 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: That particular event would also feature attractions like It's a 295 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 1: Small World and the Carousel of Progress. And this attraction 296 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 1: was the Ford Magic Skyway, in which passengers would climb 297 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 1: into what look like a forward car and ride along 298 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,639 Speaker 1: a track, and along that way they would see stuff 299 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:10,399 Speaker 1: like animatronic dinosaurs and the futuristic City on either end 300 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,639 Speaker 1: of the journey. It was essentially a time travel narrative. 301 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: Some of those set pieces would later find their way 302 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: into other attractions at Disney Parks. Now, the forward cars 303 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,280 Speaker 1: of this ride weren't really cars. There were no motors 304 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 1: in them. The engineers had stripped them down to be 305 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:31,239 Speaker 1: as lightweight as possible. They installed a flat plate on 306 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:34,959 Speaker 1: the underside of the chassis of these vehicles, and the 307 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 1: track that the car would travel down had these booster brakes. 308 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: These wheels set up in the track every three feet 309 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,919 Speaker 1: or so, so the car frame would roll up to 310 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: one of these sets of wheels, and those sets of 311 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:50,160 Speaker 1: wheels would give the car frame the push it needed 312 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: to roll further down the track, or it would slow 313 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 1: down the vehicle in order to make it come to 314 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,080 Speaker 1: a stop and let people off, depending on whatever was needed. 315 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:06,440 Speaker 1: The car models that were simulated included Lincoln's, Mercury's Falcons, Comets, 316 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:11,400 Speaker 1: and a brand new sports car called the Mustang. This 317 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:14,800 Speaker 1: same propulsion system would later be used for the People Mover, 318 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,879 Speaker 1: an attraction in tomorrow Land at Disneyland and the Magic 319 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:22,080 Speaker 1: Kingdom in Orlando, and that lets people get a view 320 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,679 Speaker 1: of other stuff that's going on in Tomorrowland. Now, the 321 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:29,359 Speaker 1: Disneyland version of that attraction closed back in to make 322 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,160 Speaker 1: way for an ill fated ride called Rocket Rods. I'm 323 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:36,520 Speaker 1: sure there are people in California wincing as I mentioned that, 324 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,200 Speaker 1: But the Walt Disney World version of the People Mover 325 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:42,159 Speaker 1: is still going strong, or at least it was the 326 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,360 Speaker 1: last time I was there, which was not long ago. Now, 327 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: when we come back, will jump on a Doom Buggy 328 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 1: and we'll talk about how those work in the Haunted Mansion. 329 00:19:50,880 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 1: But first, let's take a quick break. The next innovation 330 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,560 Speaker 1: I really want to talk about is called the omni mover, 331 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 1: which is sort of the foundation for a ride system 332 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 1: and found in rides like the Haunted Mansion. It was 333 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:14,600 Speaker 1: named by Bob Gurn, although he was not the only 334 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 1: person to work on it. It was actually a group 335 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:20,880 Speaker 1: effort by numerous brilliant imagineers, and it was an approach 336 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:24,639 Speaker 1: to solving a crowd management problem, particularly for dark rides. 337 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:28,399 Speaker 1: So dark rides have a limited capacity. I mean every 338 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:31,480 Speaker 1: ride does right. You only can fit so many people 339 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: on a ride within a given amount of time. And 340 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,199 Speaker 1: traditional dark rides had vehicles that had to come to 341 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 1: a stop for unloading and loading, and there had to 342 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:45,359 Speaker 1: be a great deal of space between vehicles to avoid collisions. 343 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 1: And each vehicle can only carry a certain number of people, 344 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 1: which is all dependent upon the specific ride, of course. 345 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:53,199 Speaker 1: And if you look at how long it takes on 346 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:56,960 Speaker 1: average to unload and load a vehicle, you can factor 347 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: in the number of guests who can ride a vehicle 348 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,200 Speaker 1: at any given time, count the total number of vehicles 349 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:06,439 Speaker 1: that are active on the ride, and how long the 350 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:09,480 Speaker 1: ride takes from start to finish, and you do a 351 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:11,679 Speaker 1: little math, you can come up with how many people 352 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:15,160 Speaker 1: can ride a specific attraction within a certain amount of time, 353 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:18,120 Speaker 1: such as an hour, and you can call this the 354 00:21:18,119 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: theoretical hourly ride capacity. Now, you know, in reality the 355 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:24,720 Speaker 1: number is going to be a little bit lower than 356 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 1: the theoretical capacity because you know, stuff works in the 357 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: real world, and then sometimes stuff doesn't work, so you're 358 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:36,040 Speaker 1: never gonna really hit that ideal number. On most days, 359 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:39,119 Speaker 1: you'll just get, you know, somewhere in the range. But 360 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: the dark rides at Disneyland, the stuff like Peter Pan 361 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: and Mr. Toad and snow White, had capacities of around 362 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 1: five hundred two maybe upwards of one thousand people per hour. 363 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 1: That really depends upon which source you're looking at, but 364 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: most sources actually put Peter Pan closer to around seven 365 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:01,880 Speaker 1: hundred fifty riders per hour. So if you have more 366 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 1: than people in line ahead of you, you're gonna be 367 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: waiting more than an hour to get on that ride. 368 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 1: And Peter Pan is one of those rides that tends 369 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,919 Speaker 1: to get super long lines, partly because it's also a 370 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:16,119 Speaker 1: ride that thematically doesn't have any scary parts in it, 371 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:18,440 Speaker 1: whereas a lot of dark rides did have scary parts, 372 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:21,400 Speaker 1: so it's very popular with kids. Plus the soaring thing 373 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 1: is kind of fun anyway. What if you could design 374 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 1: a ride so that, you know, barring certain circumstances, the 375 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,880 Speaker 1: vehicles would remain in motion and never come to a stop. 376 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 1: What if each vehicle on the ride was actually part 377 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:37,440 Speaker 1: of a larger moving system, so you can actually pack 378 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,280 Speaker 1: in tons of vehicles on this ride and you never 379 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: have to worry about collisions because they're all moving or 380 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: stopping all at the same time. They're they're not independent 381 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:49,919 Speaker 1: of one another. What if you paired that system with 382 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,480 Speaker 1: a moving sidewalk so that guests could step on the 383 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,199 Speaker 1: sidewalk when they were getting ready to get on or 384 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,040 Speaker 1: get off the ride, and the sidewalks moving at the 385 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 1: same speed as the ride vehicles are moving, so from 386 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:05,720 Speaker 1: the perspective of the ride vehicle, the sidewalk appears to 387 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 1: be stationary, or if you want to reverse that, from 388 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,480 Speaker 1: the perspective of the sidewalk, the vehicles appeared to be stationary, 389 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: makes it easier to get on and off. All of 390 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 1: this would be a brilliant approach to expediting guests getting 391 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 1: to experience a ride. Bob Ger would work with another 392 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 1: imagineer named John Hench to design the Omni Mover system, 393 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:30,119 Speaker 1: and technically they designed it for a different ride. It 394 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:32,960 Speaker 1: would only get used for the Haunted Mansion a little 395 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:36,040 Speaker 1: later on. In fact, originally the Haunted Mansion was going 396 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:39,680 Speaker 1: to be a walk through attraction, but that has its 397 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,440 Speaker 1: own problems because people walk at different speeds, you can't 398 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: really predict what the capacity of such an attraction is 399 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:48,760 Speaker 1: going to be. This ended up being a nice solution 400 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:51,040 Speaker 1: to that. So they had developed the Omni mover for 401 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,880 Speaker 1: a different ride, but famously, the Haunted Mansion would really 402 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,680 Speaker 1: make it well known. Generally speaking, think of the omni 403 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:03,199 Speaker 1: move as a chain that makes a complete loop. So 404 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,680 Speaker 1: it's a loop of chain, and the links in this 405 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,600 Speaker 1: case are the vehicles, the cars, the doom buggies in 406 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: the case of the Haunted Mansion. The whole chain moves 407 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: as a unit around the course of a ride, and 408 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 1: the cars will pass through each segment in turn. And 409 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:22,200 Speaker 1: because all the cars are linked together, they are all 410 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:25,760 Speaker 1: either moving or they are all stopped. And it'll be 411 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 1: a lot easier for me if I just use the 412 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,680 Speaker 1: Haunted Mansion as the specific example, because then I can 413 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 1: refer to the ride vehicles as Doom Buggies, and let's 414 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,119 Speaker 1: face it, that's just playing cool. The Doom Buggy is 415 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:40,960 Speaker 1: a fiberglass ride vehicle that has a sort of clamshell 416 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 1: like structure. So there's a seat. Passenger sit in the seat, 417 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,760 Speaker 1: and it curves up behind you and over you, so 418 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 1: it's like you're kind of cupped in this buggy. And 419 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:56,080 Speaker 1: there's a front panel with a safety bar and that 420 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 1: rises up as if by magic. According to the narrator 421 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:03,199 Speaker 1: of the ride, the ghost Host, he is lowering the 422 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:07,719 Speaker 1: bar into place for you. Spoiler alert, he's not. But 423 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 1: I'll explain how this works a little bit later. So 424 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:14,159 Speaker 1: when you walk up to the loading area for the 425 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 1: actual Doom Buggies and the Haunted Mansion, you see a 426 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,359 Speaker 1: moving sidewalk that's traveling at the same speed as the 427 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:22,920 Speaker 1: Doom Buggies. The Doom Buggies are pretty close to each other, 428 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,919 Speaker 1: and under the Buggies is a track consisting of a 429 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:32,000 Speaker 1: frame and rails. The track itself is three dimensional rather 430 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 1: than a traditional two dimensional track. And it's gonna be 431 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:37,240 Speaker 1: a little challenging to talk about this without visual aids, 432 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 1: but I will try to do my best. Okay, So 433 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:43,879 Speaker 1: let's say you've got a length of track from the 434 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: Haunted Mansion ride in front of you, and you're looking 435 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 1: at it head on, like a cross section, so it's 436 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 1: just from one end of the track you're looking down 437 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:55,159 Speaker 1: the length of it. If you were to look at this, 438 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: you would look like a metal rectangle, but the longer 439 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:01,639 Speaker 1: sides would on the top and the bottom and the 440 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 1: shorter sides are the actual size of the rectangle. And 441 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 1: on the top side you would see that it's not 442 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: a complete line. There's actually a gap in the middle. 443 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: That's the slot through which the Doom Buggies base travels. 444 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:18,400 Speaker 1: It's where the doom Buggie connects down to the chassis 445 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: that goes down this track. A little more than halfway 446 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:26,480 Speaker 1: down the sides of this metal rectangle, you would see 447 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:30,200 Speaker 1: the pair of guide rails, one on either side, one 448 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: on the left, one on the right. These are the 449 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 1: rails that hold up the buggies. If you were thinking 450 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:38,520 Speaker 1: of the buggies like a railroad train, these would be 451 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: the railroad tracks. Now, each buggy is mounted on an 452 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: H shaped chassis and that fits onto the track, so 453 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: you can kind of think of the buggies as being 454 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:53,040 Speaker 1: sort of like office chairs that are on casters, except 455 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:55,320 Speaker 1: in this case, instead of being on casters where you 456 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:58,440 Speaker 1: can roll in any direction, you're mounted onto a track. 457 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 1: You can only travel along that track. The wheels on 458 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:06,679 Speaker 1: the buggy chassis can roll over these guide rails. If 459 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:08,919 Speaker 1: you were to pull the chassis out of the track, 460 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,600 Speaker 1: you would see that the chassis also has two other 461 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: pairs of wheels in addition to those guide wheels, and 462 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,479 Speaker 1: those two pairs of wheels are on the top of 463 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:21,240 Speaker 1: the chassis, not not below it. So what are those 464 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:25,720 Speaker 1: four Well, one pair of those wheels are pitch orienting wheels. 465 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:28,680 Speaker 1: If you go back to the description of the track, 466 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:31,679 Speaker 1: along that top section of the rectangle where the slot 467 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:35,359 Speaker 1: is on either side of the slot, you would see 468 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:40,120 Speaker 1: a T shaped rail on either side. One of those 469 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,760 Speaker 1: T shaped rails is the pitch orienting rail, and the 470 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:47,320 Speaker 1: wheels along the top of the chassis grip either side 471 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,760 Speaker 1: of that rail, and these wheels are connected to an 472 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:55,400 Speaker 1: arm that ultimately determines the pitch orientation of the buggy itself. 473 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:59,840 Speaker 1: So as these wheels move along this rail, and as 474 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:05,320 Speaker 1: rail changes shape, it causes the buggy to change its 475 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:09,959 Speaker 1: pitch again. I could walk through a deeper explanation of 476 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:13,920 Speaker 1: how this actually works. But without visual aids, it's really 477 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: hard to convey that information properly. I guess the simplest 478 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,720 Speaker 1: way to put it is just imagine that there are 479 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: some pivots and levers connected to these wheels, so that 480 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 1: a small change at the wheels results in a large change, 481 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: that being the pitch of the buggy itself. Now, these 482 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,720 Speaker 1: rails are designed in such a way so that when 483 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 1: the buggies are either going up or going down a hill, 484 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: the buggy itself maintains a more or less level orientation 485 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:48,240 Speaker 1: relative to the passengers and the ground below. With some exceptions. 486 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:51,760 Speaker 1: There is a steep hill in the Hot and mansioned 487 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 1: ride where the buggies have to turn around so that 488 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: you're kind of in a reclined seating position as you 489 00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: go down this hill. It's just too steep to be 490 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 1: able to uh to compensate for that with the pitch 491 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 1: orientation rail. Now, the other T shaped rail, because remember 492 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: there are two of them. One of them is the 493 00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 1: pitch orienting rail, the other one is the swivel orientation rail. 494 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: And so the chassis has a pair of wheels that 495 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 1: grip this rail as well, and these wheels connect to 496 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:27,200 Speaker 1: a gear assembly that controls the direction the buggy faces. 497 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,960 Speaker 1: It can swivel the buggy in a specific direction, so 498 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,440 Speaker 1: as the wheels move along this rail, changes in that 499 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 1: rail caused the buggy to swivel in specific directions, and 500 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:40,040 Speaker 1: by shaping that rail precisely, the ride designers could make 501 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,320 Speaker 1: sure that the passengers are facing the proper direction for 502 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: any specific parts of the ride. So to recap the 503 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 1: guide rails and the guide wheels are what allowed the 504 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: buggies to travel along the pathway of this ride. The 505 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:58,480 Speaker 1: pitch orienting rail and wheels maintain the buggies level to 506 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:02,520 Speaker 1: a degree, and the swivel rail and wheels determine which 507 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:05,120 Speaker 1: direction the buggy is facing at any given moment. These 508 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 1: are all purely mechanical systems. There are no electronics here, 509 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:14,880 Speaker 1: so there's no circuitry. It's just physics based upon the 510 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:19,440 Speaker 1: shape of these rails and the wheels against those rails. 511 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 1: It's pretty cool now. The chassiss are linked together and 512 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:26,160 Speaker 1: there are one hundred thirty one of them at the 513 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: Disneyland attraction, so Buggy number one is linked behind Buggy 514 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 1: one and in front of buggy number two and so 515 00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 1: on all the way around, making a full chain all 516 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:41,920 Speaker 1: the way through the ride, and they all move together, 517 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: but they can swivel and pivot independently depending on where 518 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 1: they are along the track. So that's safety bar I mentioned. 519 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:53,520 Speaker 1: How does that move into place, Well, it's not ghostly magic. 520 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 1: This part of the clamshell design of the buggy is 521 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: mounted on a pivot arm, so it can move up 522 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: or it can move down, and the arm has tensions 523 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,480 Speaker 1: springs on it, and those springs the way the tension 524 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:10,960 Speaker 1: is it normally holds the safety bar in the lowered 525 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 1: or closed buggy position, So when there is no other 526 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:21,280 Speaker 1: force acting on this buggy, it's naturally closed because those 527 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:24,720 Speaker 1: springs are holding it closed. But mounted on the end 528 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: of this pivot arm are stabilizing wheels, which through most 529 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:30,760 Speaker 1: of the ride aren't making contact with anything. They are 530 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,760 Speaker 1: these tiny wheels that are on the back of the 531 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:37,920 Speaker 1: doom buggies and they're usually just up in the air, 532 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 1: not touching anything, so that bar stays in place because 533 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:44,280 Speaker 1: the springs are holding it because of the tension. But 534 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:48,920 Speaker 1: in the loading and unloading zones there's a special stabilizing rail, 535 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,400 Speaker 1: a guide rail mounted at a level that will engage 536 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 1: those wheels. Uh. This guide rails actually higher up than 537 00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 1: the track that the chassis is traveling along because that 538 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:04,280 Speaker 1: actually extends down beneath the floor level quite a bit. 539 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 1: The buggy moves along the track, and when the wheels 540 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,520 Speaker 1: make contact with this stabilization rail, it forces the pivot 541 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:17,920 Speaker 1: arm to you know, pivot. It strains against the springs, 542 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 1: and the springs expand as the wheels are pressed up 543 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:26,000 Speaker 1: by this immovable rail, and thus the bar rises up, 544 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:30,960 Speaker 1: meaning the buggy actually opens. The clamshell opens up. As 545 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:34,040 Speaker 1: long as those wheels are pressed against a rail like that, 546 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:38,080 Speaker 1: the door remains open. But as it starts to leave 547 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:42,800 Speaker 1: the loading area, that rail starts to slope away, and 548 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:46,160 Speaker 1: when it slopes away, the wheels gradually lose contact with 549 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:49,880 Speaker 1: the rail and the spring is able to contract and 550 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:54,960 Speaker 1: it forces the bar back into the lowered or closed position. Again. 551 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:59,240 Speaker 1: It's a simple, elegant system, purely mechanical, and it means 552 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:02,880 Speaker 1: the body of the buggy itself doesn't need any electronic 553 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:06,320 Speaker 1: parts except for the speaker system. The sound system that's 554 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:10,000 Speaker 1: built into the buggies is electronic, but all the parts 555 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:13,880 Speaker 1: that are about moving are purely mechanical as for how 556 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:16,880 Speaker 1: the cars move. Again, that's built into the track. It's 557 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 1: not part of the doom buggies. It's in the track. 558 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: On the underside of the chassis is a grip plate. 559 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:27,959 Speaker 1: This is a vertically aligned metal plate, so it's like 560 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 1: a shark fin, except it sticking out the bottom of 561 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:34,240 Speaker 1: the chassis, not the top, and the grip plate comes 562 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 1: into contact with rubber belts mounted on drive motors on 563 00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:41,480 Speaker 1: the bottom of the track. So think of two wheels 564 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 1: with rubber belts on them. They're essentially pressing against each 565 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:49,280 Speaker 1: other and they're spinning really fast, and as the plate 566 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 1: comes in between them, the belts grip the plate and 567 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:58,160 Speaker 1: push it through. That's exactly how this drive motor is working. 568 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:02,600 Speaker 1: So it can make the entire ride move, or it 569 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 1: can bring things to a stop. These drive motors are 570 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:11,879 Speaker 1: only found on straight segments of track because when the 571 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 1: vehicles are going around a curve, they wouldn't align that 572 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:18,000 Speaker 1: the grip plate would not come into alignment with those 573 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:20,880 Speaker 1: rubber belts. So if you're ever in a part of 574 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:24,240 Speaker 1: the ride that's curving, you are not in a section 575 00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:27,440 Speaker 1: that is being powered at that moment. So when you're 576 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:31,160 Speaker 1: going around Madame Leota, for example, during the seance sequence, 577 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:34,120 Speaker 1: you know that it's other sections of the ride that 578 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:37,600 Speaker 1: are actually getting the power to move everything at that point. Now, 579 00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:41,280 Speaker 1: as I mentioned, there are speakers in the doom buggies. 580 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:44,799 Speaker 1: These are electronic obviously, and they play the audio for 581 00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:48,560 Speaker 1: the ride, and those audio cues are are lined up 582 00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:52,360 Speaker 1: with whatever area you're going through in the Haunted Mansions, 583 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,880 Speaker 1: So according to the relative position of your buggy, you 584 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:59,080 Speaker 1: hear a certain audio track. If you've ever been on 585 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:01,359 Speaker 1: the ride when it has come to a stop, as 586 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,400 Speaker 1: sometimes can happen, especially like let's say someone with mobility 587 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 1: issues needs to get on or off the ride, they 588 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:10,160 Speaker 1: may have to stop it temporarily um or if there's 589 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:13,239 Speaker 1: a malfunction in the ride, it might stop temporarily. But 590 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 1: that means you'll be stuck in a stationary position and 591 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:18,840 Speaker 1: you'll hear the same audio loop for a while. I 592 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:21,439 Speaker 1: always seem to get stuck on that hill leading down 593 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 1: to the graveyard scene when you're in that reclined position, 594 00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:27,640 Speaker 1: So I hear a lot of grim grinning ghosts whenever 595 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,359 Speaker 1: I ride this ride. The fact that there are more 596 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:34,320 Speaker 1: than one thirty doom buggies compared to the nine pirate 597 00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:37,880 Speaker 1: ships on peter Pan's flight, and that these buggies never, 598 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:41,000 Speaker 1: for the most part, stop moving. A lot more people 599 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:44,640 Speaker 1: can experience the Haunted Mansion in an hour than peter 600 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:48,360 Speaker 1: Pan's flight. Even though the Haunted Mansion is a longer ride, 601 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:51,600 Speaker 1: it's more than twice as long as peter Pan's flight. 602 00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:54,760 Speaker 1: Peter Pan's plays less than three minutes long. Haunted Mansion 603 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:58,520 Speaker 1: is more than seven minutes long. So the theoretical hourly 604 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:02,280 Speaker 1: capacity for the Haunted Mansion is more than three thousand 605 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:06,759 Speaker 1: guests an hour, and Peter Pan is closer to eight hundred. Now, 606 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:09,920 Speaker 1: I mentioned Pepper's Ghost at the top of this episode, 607 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:12,520 Speaker 1: so before I move on to other ride systems, I 608 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:15,359 Speaker 1: thought I would explain what that is really quickly. This 609 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:18,680 Speaker 1: is an old illusion and it pre dates Disney by 610 00:36:18,719 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 1: a long stretch. In fact, there's an early historical account 611 00:36:21,719 --> 00:36:24,640 Speaker 1: of this that dates all the way back to four 612 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:28,200 Speaker 1: and it's all based off of light and reflection. It's 613 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:31,399 Speaker 1: used primarily uh And in the Haunted Mansion in the 614 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:36,320 Speaker 1: ballroom party sequence, where a bunch of ghosts are gathered 615 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:39,600 Speaker 1: for a swinging good wake. So let's say that you've 616 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:43,120 Speaker 1: got a background upon which you want ghostly images to 617 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:46,160 Speaker 1: appear like a physical background. People are actually gonna be 618 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:48,880 Speaker 1: able to look at this thing. Well. With the haunted mansion, 619 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:52,440 Speaker 1: this would be the large banquet hall. And in front 620 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:57,000 Speaker 1: of this background you have a transparent pain of glass 621 00:36:57,239 --> 00:36:59,800 Speaker 1: or plastic, and it's at a forty five degree angle 622 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:04,040 Speaker 1: with respect to the audience's point of view, and out 623 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:08,239 Speaker 1: of sight of the audience, off to some side or 624 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:11,040 Speaker 1: the other, you have a subject, in this case, an 625 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:15,280 Speaker 1: animatronic figure that is very well lit, but the audience 626 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:19,040 Speaker 1: can't see it directly. However, they can see the reflection 627 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:23,480 Speaker 1: of these well lit figures on that transparent pane of glass, 628 00:37:24,120 --> 00:37:27,560 Speaker 1: And because the glass is transparent, the audience can actually 629 00:37:27,600 --> 00:37:31,799 Speaker 1: see through the figures themselves. They are ghosts. You get 630 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:34,880 Speaker 1: yourself some ghosts in that sequence. It's pretty darn cool. 631 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:38,680 Speaker 1: So in that ballroom scene, you've got figures that are 632 00:37:38,719 --> 00:37:42,720 Speaker 1: in a plane above and below the doom buggies because 633 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:46,920 Speaker 1: the actual figures themselves are above and below the track. 634 00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:51,800 Speaker 1: Now you don't see a reflection of yourself in that sequence, 635 00:37:52,160 --> 00:37:56,280 Speaker 1: because the doom buggies are not brightly lit. Whereas the 636 00:37:56,320 --> 00:38:00,480 Speaker 1: animatronic figures above and below you are lit very very well, 637 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,400 Speaker 1: and just by dimming the lights around those animatronics, you 638 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:06,960 Speaker 1: can create the effect of ghosts disappearing as their reflections fade. 639 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,640 Speaker 1: So the effect is that you're seeing ghosts flying near 640 00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:12,840 Speaker 1: the ceiling or around the banquet table, when in reality 641 00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:16,720 Speaker 1: they are animatronic figures that are actually above and below 642 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 1: your doom Buggy spooky. And this sort of effect was 643 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:24,040 Speaker 1: possible because the ride designers could determine which way the 644 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:27,239 Speaker 1: audience would be facing. Alright, I got a little bit 645 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:29,799 Speaker 1: more to say about ride systems before we wrap this up, 646 00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:39,839 Speaker 1: but first let's take another quick break. The omni mover 647 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 1: system has been used in several rides at Disney, though 648 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:46,759 Speaker 1: according to Bob Gurr, not all the rides that are 649 00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:51,760 Speaker 1: in constant motion are technically omni mover rides. For example, 650 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:55,759 Speaker 1: Girl says that the ride system of Spaceship Earth is 651 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:59,000 Speaker 1: not an omni mover, despite the fact that on casual 652 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:01,400 Speaker 1: glance it certainly looks like one, and in fact, a 653 00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:04,880 Speaker 1: lot of sources referred to it as an omni mover ride. 654 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:07,760 Speaker 1: It's the type of ride that is in constant motion 655 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:09,799 Speaker 1: there's a moving sidewalk for you to get on and 656 00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:13,400 Speaker 1: get off of the ride. I don't know what it 657 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:17,560 Speaker 1: is specifically that sets it apart, but Girr has said, 658 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:21,560 Speaker 1: quote it was a one of a kind conveyor, totally 659 00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:25,400 Speaker 1: unlike and sharing no parts with an omni mover end quote. 660 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:29,000 Speaker 1: And he also said he opposed the ride system so 661 00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:32,480 Speaker 1: much during the development cycle the supervisors moved him to 662 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:34,880 Speaker 1: another ride rather than have to deal with him anymore. 663 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:41,080 Speaker 1: But I don't know what the actual differences are. Anyway, 664 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:44,480 Speaker 1: rather than try and suss out how and why Spaceship 665 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,839 Speaker 1: Earth is different, I figure I would talk about a 666 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:52,439 Speaker 1: totally separate ride system that was pioneered over at Disneyland. 667 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:56,000 Speaker 1: That is the Enhanced Motion Vehicle or e m V. 668 00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:59,960 Speaker 1: This system is the one that powers rides like India 669 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:04,359 Speaker 1: Jones Adventure, the Temple of the Forbidden Eye in Disneyland. Uh, 670 00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:09,000 Speaker 1: There's Dinosaur in Disney's Animal Kingdom, and there's the Crystal 671 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:14,520 Speaker 1: Skull ride at Tokyo Disneyland. These rides at passengers get 672 00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:17,120 Speaker 1: aboard a vehicle that looks a lot like a jeep, 673 00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:20,120 Speaker 1: although it's a jeep that can see twelve people in 674 00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:24,040 Speaker 1: three rows. I understand that if you were to ride 675 00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:27,520 Speaker 1: with James Williams of Fun House Fame, you'd best allow 676 00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:29,960 Speaker 1: him to be in the driver's seat, because he takes 677 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:34,799 Speaker 1: that extremely seriously. Passengers experience a wild ride as if 678 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:38,720 Speaker 1: the vehicle is moving along rugged terrain, taking real sharp 679 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:42,759 Speaker 1: turns and pitching and rumbling and dipping like crazy, all 680 00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:47,160 Speaker 1: the while the actual ride vehicle is traveling along a nice, flat, 681 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: simple surface. Now the secret here is that you can 682 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:54,120 Speaker 1: think of the ride vehicle as having three distinct parts. 683 00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:57,799 Speaker 1: The part that you're sitting in, the passenger part is 684 00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:00,799 Speaker 1: called the motion base, and is the bit that gets 685 00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:03,919 Speaker 1: pitched around during the ride, and it simulates a much 686 00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:07,399 Speaker 1: more dramatic scenario than what is actually happening. Then you've 687 00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:11,800 Speaker 1: got the ride vehicle itself, which consists of the hydraulics 688 00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:15,880 Speaker 1: and the pump, and the computer control systems, the motor, 689 00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:19,040 Speaker 1: the wheels, essentially all the stuff to make the actual 690 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 1: motions and to propel the vehicle. The third part is 691 00:41:22,719 --> 00:41:27,000 Speaker 1: out of sight. It's beneath the floor of the attraction. 692 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:30,560 Speaker 1: There's again a slot in the floor that part of 693 00:41:30,560 --> 00:41:34,120 Speaker 1: the ride extends down into. And this third part are 694 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:37,839 Speaker 1: they're well, they're called the bogies. Uh. Sometimes people would 695 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:39,919 Speaker 1: call them trucks. It really depends on where you're from. 696 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:44,040 Speaker 1: Bogeis tends to be British North America. People often use 697 00:41:44,239 --> 00:41:48,400 Speaker 1: the word truck to describe this, but it's to describe 698 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:52,000 Speaker 1: a structure that typically has wheels and axles attached through 699 00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:56,239 Speaker 1: bearings and intended for use on rail systems. So the 700 00:41:56,239 --> 00:41:59,480 Speaker 1: base of a railroad car the wheels that that whole 701 00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:03,000 Speaker 1: structure holds the wheel and axle. That's a bogeye. Now, 702 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,040 Speaker 1: in the case of the rides that I mentioned, the 703 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:09,160 Speaker 1: tracks and bogies are again below the surface of the floor, 704 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:11,120 Speaker 1: so you can't see them as you ride the ride. 705 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:15,000 Speaker 1: The ride vehicle connects to the bogies via posts that 706 00:42:15,040 --> 00:42:17,719 Speaker 1: extend up through that slot on the floor. It's not 707 00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:21,040 Speaker 1: too different from how the omnimover connects, although the actual 708 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:24,960 Speaker 1: propulsion system is very different from the Omni mover. In fact, 709 00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:27,719 Speaker 1: you could argue in a way it's sort of the 710 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:31,600 Speaker 1: opposite of the Omni mover, as each vehicle on this 711 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:34,960 Speaker 1: system is independent of all the others, as opposed to 712 00:42:35,480 --> 00:42:39,080 Speaker 1: moving in concert with them. So each vehicle has two bogies. 713 00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:41,360 Speaker 1: One is in the front and one is in the rear, 714 00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:44,960 Speaker 1: and power flows through the track through the bogies, providing 715 00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:48,399 Speaker 1: electrical power to the vehicles. That four volts and two 716 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:53,040 Speaker 1: hundred amps. That's impressive. The bogies are also in charge 717 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:56,240 Speaker 1: of steering the front wheels. They manipulate the front wheels 718 00:42:56,239 --> 00:43:00,120 Speaker 1: of the vehicle mechanically. Um It does this by following 719 00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:04,280 Speaker 1: a tubular guide rail under the floor. The rear wheels 720 00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:08,440 Speaker 1: are also steerable, but those are controlled by actuators aboard 721 00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:12,839 Speaker 1: the actual ride vehicle itself, not the mechanical system that's 722 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:15,480 Speaker 1: being used by the front wheels and the bogies. The 723 00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:18,040 Speaker 1: top half of the vehicle is really a doozy. It's 724 00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:21,799 Speaker 1: mounted on actuators that can change the pitch, roll, and 725 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:25,640 Speaker 1: yaw of that section, just as a motion simulator would. 726 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:28,399 Speaker 1: So you can think of it as like taking a 727 00:43:28,440 --> 00:43:32,600 Speaker 1: motion simulator off of its stationary pedestal and then mounting 728 00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:35,640 Speaker 1: it to the chassis of an electric car. That's what 729 00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:39,319 Speaker 1: one of these things actually is. The effect is that 730 00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:42,439 Speaker 1: the passengers are feeling like they're on board and out 731 00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:45,600 Speaker 1: of control vehicle, but in reality it's it's very much 732 00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:49,240 Speaker 1: controlled and you can simulate all sorts of stuff. For example, 733 00:43:49,320 --> 00:43:54,720 Speaker 1: to simulate rapid acceleration, the actuators can elevate the front 734 00:43:55,320 --> 00:44:00,480 Speaker 1: of the passenger compartment, so the car starts to move forward. 735 00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:05,719 Speaker 1: The actuators increase the incline of the passenger compartment and 736 00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:08,040 Speaker 1: that presses you back in your seat, kind of the 737 00:44:08,080 --> 00:44:10,960 Speaker 1: same way as if you accelerated really quickly. It's all 738 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:15,440 Speaker 1: just the basic simulator tricks, but added to a moving platform. 739 00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:19,600 Speaker 1: If you were to remove the actuators and the motion platform, 740 00:44:19,640 --> 00:44:24,240 Speaker 1: you would see these simple electric cars following a curvy path, 741 00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:28,040 Speaker 1: and they might stop or slow down occasionally, but otherwise 742 00:44:28,640 --> 00:44:31,640 Speaker 1: they would be pretty boring to watch. It's all those 743 00:44:31,640 --> 00:44:35,360 Speaker 1: simulator tricks that make this an exciting ride. The motion 744 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:39,960 Speaker 1: platform is mounted on three actuators powered by the hydraulic 745 00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:44,080 Speaker 1: pump in the North American rides. In Japan, it's actually 746 00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:47,880 Speaker 1: an electro magnetic system. Two of those actuators are in 747 00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:49,839 Speaker 1: the front of the vehicle, one is on the left 748 00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:52,439 Speaker 1: side and one is on the right side. The third 749 00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:56,120 Speaker 1: actuator is in the rear center of the vehicle. Individually, 750 00:44:56,400 --> 00:45:00,440 Speaker 1: each actuator can change pitch or roll, but collectively they 751 00:45:00,440 --> 00:45:03,960 Speaker 1: can move along all three thrust planes X, Y, and 752 00:45:04,040 --> 00:45:07,600 Speaker 1: Z and all three rotational axes, so pitch, roll, and 753 00:45:07,760 --> 00:45:10,800 Speaker 1: y'all you get six degrees of motion. The North American 754 00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:14,800 Speaker 1: ride vehicles have a hydraulic pump driven by a fifty 755 00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:18,719 Speaker 1: horsepower electric motor, which means that the electric motor for 756 00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:22,080 Speaker 1: one of these vehicles is fifty times more powerful than 757 00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:26,160 Speaker 1: the electric motor on one of the Peter Pan's flight ships. 758 00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 1: I just thought that was kind of fun. It requires 759 00:45:29,120 --> 00:45:32,640 Speaker 1: about thirty five gallons of hydraulic fluid per vehicle, which 760 00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:35,560 Speaker 1: means that when a hydraulic fluid line breaks, and it 761 00:45:35,640 --> 00:45:40,200 Speaker 1: does happen, it causes a huge mess. That is the 762 00:45:40,239 --> 00:45:44,520 Speaker 1: reason why the Japanese rides don't use hydraulic systems. They 763 00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:48,680 Speaker 1: have very strict environmental laws in Japan, and that's why 764 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:51,680 Speaker 1: they had to go with an electromagnetic system rather than 765 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:55,840 Speaker 1: a hydraulic system for those actuators. Uh. Now, there's a 766 00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:59,120 Speaker 1: lot of interesting things about hydraulic systems, but this episode 767 00:45:59,160 --> 00:46:02,359 Speaker 1: is running long already, so I'm just gonna skip that 768 00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:06,400 Speaker 1: and go straight to talking about the computer system that 769 00:46:06,480 --> 00:46:10,200 Speaker 1: controls these actuators. It makes the motion platform move in 770 00:46:10,280 --> 00:46:13,480 Speaker 1: specific ways that fit the narrative of the story, Like 771 00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:16,200 Speaker 1: it wouldn't make sense for the ride to simulate slowing 772 00:46:16,239 --> 00:46:18,360 Speaker 1: down when it's supposed to be speeding up. So the 773 00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:22,359 Speaker 1: computer system has that all coordinated, but it also has 774 00:46:22,400 --> 00:46:26,120 Speaker 1: some quirks built into it. So according to imagineers, they 775 00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:29,560 Speaker 1: programmed each vehicle to have its own kind of personality. 776 00:46:29,960 --> 00:46:33,560 Speaker 1: So one vehicle might be quote unquote afraid of loud noises. 777 00:46:33,920 --> 00:46:35,680 Speaker 1: So if the vehicle gets to a part of the 778 00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:39,560 Speaker 1: ride that triggers a loud noise, the vehicle might suddenly, 779 00:46:39,560 --> 00:46:42,320 Speaker 1: you know, stop as if it were scared. Other vehicles 780 00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:46,319 Speaker 1: might be scared of bugs or an Indiana would really 781 00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:49,400 Speaker 1: relate to this or snakes, And that means that the 782 00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:53,160 Speaker 1: ride experience changes from ride to ride. You can write 783 00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:55,879 Speaker 1: it multiple times and actually get very different experiences, which 784 00:46:55,880 --> 00:46:59,439 Speaker 1: is pretty cool. The computer system allows for variation, something 785 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:01,719 Speaker 1: that would be in possible with a purely mechanical ride 786 00:47:01,760 --> 00:47:05,520 Speaker 1: like an omnimover ride. There's one effect in the Disneyland 787 00:47:05,560 --> 00:47:09,120 Speaker 1: Indiana Jones ride that is truly bunkers because it's going 788 00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:12,480 Speaker 1: to an extreme in order to simulate something that otherwise 789 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:16,680 Speaker 1: it's very simple. So at one point in the ride, 790 00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:21,200 Speaker 1: you are on this ride vehicle and you come up 791 00:47:21,200 --> 00:47:24,560 Speaker 1: to Indiana Jones. He's dangling from a vine and the 792 00:47:24,600 --> 00:47:27,840 Speaker 1: boulder from raiders. The lost arics starts to roll down 793 00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:31,560 Speaker 1: towards you. The vehicle tries to back up, but then 794 00:47:31,600 --> 00:47:34,760 Speaker 1: it has to stop because the way back is trapped, 795 00:47:35,160 --> 00:47:38,600 Speaker 1: and so it lunges into motion to move forward and 796 00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:41,720 Speaker 1: move under the boulder before I can crush you. Only 797 00:47:41,920 --> 00:47:46,040 Speaker 1: here's the thing. Those vehicles can't back up. I mean 798 00:47:46,080 --> 00:47:51,440 Speaker 1: they physically cannot go into reverse. So the ride designers 799 00:47:51,480 --> 00:47:55,320 Speaker 1: had to simulate the ride going into reverse, which meant 800 00:47:55,880 --> 00:48:00,960 Speaker 1: they mounted the entire scene, everything that's surrounding you on 801 00:48:01,239 --> 00:48:05,520 Speaker 1: a movable platform. So it looks like you're going in 802 00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:08,440 Speaker 1: reverse because stuff is moving away from you, but the 803 00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:13,239 Speaker 1: vehicle itself is staying still. The motion platform, uh, the 804 00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:17,440 Speaker 1: actual thing on the hydraulics or the actuators, It tilts 805 00:48:17,560 --> 00:48:20,640 Speaker 1: a bit to simulate motion, to simulate that you're actually 806 00:48:20,840 --> 00:48:25,560 Speaker 1: moving backward, but the wheels on the car are not turning. Instead, 807 00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:28,920 Speaker 1: the scene around you is moving away as if the 808 00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:31,680 Speaker 1: car is backing up, which is just plain bunkers. I mean, 809 00:48:31,760 --> 00:48:34,360 Speaker 1: there's an entire section of this ride that has to 810 00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:37,480 Speaker 1: move around the vehicle just to make it seem like 811 00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:40,600 Speaker 1: that car is in reverse. As I mentioned earlier, every 812 00:48:40,680 --> 00:48:44,800 Speaker 1: vehicle on this ride operates independently of all the other vehicles, 813 00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:49,600 Speaker 1: So part of this system is a communications network that 814 00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:53,359 Speaker 1: keeps the overall ride control tower informed of what each 815 00:48:53,480 --> 00:48:56,600 Speaker 1: vehicle is doing and where it is along the ride, 816 00:48:57,160 --> 00:49:00,520 Speaker 1: And every vehicle knows where every other vehicle is because 817 00:49:00,560 --> 00:49:03,319 Speaker 1: of that ride control tower. It sends out information via 818 00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:07,359 Speaker 1: radio signal, and that keeps these vehicles from smashing into 819 00:49:07,400 --> 00:49:09,200 Speaker 1: each other, which I think we can all agree is 820 00:49:09,239 --> 00:49:11,880 Speaker 1: a good thing. The whole path of the ride is 821 00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:14,680 Speaker 1: divided up into blocks. Just as I was talking about 822 00:49:14,719 --> 00:49:17,680 Speaker 1: Peter Pan's flight, same thing is true for this Indiana 823 00:49:17,760 --> 00:49:21,879 Speaker 1: Jones ride. There are segments of the ride that constitute 824 00:49:21,920 --> 00:49:25,840 Speaker 1: a block, and each block has essentially a one vehicle 825 00:49:26,000 --> 00:49:30,880 Speaker 1: limit to it, So the system won't allow another ride 826 00:49:31,120 --> 00:49:33,920 Speaker 1: to go into a block if there is a vehicle 827 00:49:33,960 --> 00:49:37,520 Speaker 1: they're already. It will slow things down and control it 828 00:49:37,640 --> 00:49:41,000 Speaker 1: so that a vehicle can clear a block before a 829 00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:44,840 Speaker 1: second vehicle can enter it, and the vehicles also trigger 830 00:49:44,920 --> 00:49:47,280 Speaker 1: ride elements as the cars go through the ride. System 831 00:49:47,480 --> 00:49:50,720 Speaker 1: so that specific sound effects and special effects and vehicle 832 00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:54,080 Speaker 1: motions are all aligned properly. And to do all of this, 833 00:49:54,280 --> 00:49:59,400 Speaker 1: every single car has sixteen gigabytes of programmable memory. Technically 834 00:49:59,440 --> 00:50:02,120 Speaker 1: it's redo the memory, but it's read only memory that 835 00:50:02,160 --> 00:50:07,000 Speaker 1: you can erase and reprogram, which sounds counterintuitive if you 836 00:50:07,040 --> 00:50:10,880 Speaker 1: know anything about read only memory. And of course there 837 00:50:10,880 --> 00:50:13,600 Speaker 1: are tons of other ride systems we can talk about, 838 00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:16,160 Speaker 1: and I maybe I'll do a second episode to kind 839 00:50:16,160 --> 00:50:18,120 Speaker 1: of cover some of those, like some of the boat 840 00:50:18,200 --> 00:50:22,880 Speaker 1: based systems, or the submersible ride, or some of the 841 00:50:22,920 --> 00:50:25,799 Speaker 1: others like Sarin, and talk about how those work. But 842 00:50:25,920 --> 00:50:28,960 Speaker 1: for now, this has been more than enough. I've been 843 00:50:28,960 --> 00:50:32,640 Speaker 1: going on for about Disney for way too long, so 844 00:50:32,800 --> 00:50:35,239 Speaker 1: I'm going to conclude this. If you guys have suggestions 845 00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:37,359 Speaker 1: for future topics I should cover and tech stuff, whether 846 00:50:37,360 --> 00:50:41,560 Speaker 1: it's a technology, a company, maybe it's a theme and 847 00:50:41,680 --> 00:50:44,520 Speaker 1: tech anything like that, let me know. Send me a 848 00:50:44,560 --> 00:50:46,799 Speaker 1: message on Twitter. The handle for the show is tech 849 00:50:46,840 --> 00:50:51,160 Speaker 1: Stuff hs W, and I'll talk to you again really soon. 850 00:50:56,280 --> 00:50:59,319 Speaker 1: Text Stuff is an I Heart Radio production. For more 851 00:50:59,360 --> 00:51:02,760 Speaker 1: podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, 852 00:51:02,880 --> 00:51:06,040 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 853 00:51:10,560 --> 00:51:10,600 Speaker 1: H