If you're going to have an accident with a roller coaster, this is about the best possible outcome: No injuries, the train *mostly* stays on the tracks, and it comes to rest in a location where it's easy to evacuate the passengers and move the train away. Yes, it's a pain in the wallet for the park, but the park can proudly point to how well the safety systems worked and take some solace in the fact that you didn't have to have people walk the entire length of a giga to evacuate...
Exactly. This is why we have multiple layers of safety features. None of them should fail, but if one *does* the others can pick up the slack so only stuff gets damaged. Stuff can be repaired.
Not only am I grateful that no one was injured, but also how quickly the ride operators responded, and the repairs/investigation being started right away. I love coasters, and accidents like this don't scare me from them. I'm hoping this comes down to human error and not an issue with the ride. Although it could be both. I guess we just have to wait and see.
@@MrPopsfreshnmyer what this guy said. With how intense el toro is. As a major malfunction on a high intensity ride, the safety system did what it was intended and almost completed the entirety of the course without any reported injuries
EVENING RUINED!! I'm telling the wife we aren't going out for dinner tonight. I simply would not be able to enjoy myself with no block-zones in this video...
I have been a mechanic for almost 25 years. Most of those I’ve worked at a large fleet where I and my team are responsible for maintaining everything from heavy equipment to semi trucks to cars and even the lawn mowers and weed eaters. I can say that if this was caused by a wheel bearing there is really no way I see that it would have passed a proper inspection that morning. I’ve seen hundreds upon hundreds of bad wheel bearings in my time come in and many of them where on the road “going bad” for thousands of miles before drivers brought them in for repair and the wheels never came off. If they find it was a wheel bearing i give you 100 to 1 odds that the report will also say it was not being properly inspected. Just my take on it.
I'm no mechanic, but that's my inkling. Stuff like this rarely "just happens." There is always a chain of events that has to take place before an accident like this occurs.
@Spike S they're not saying that. They're saying that these coasters go through rigorous Inspections and that wheel bearings are not a "time expired time to blow" object. A wheel bearing rarely just goes boom out of no where. There are Generally major signs for a while before it actually goes critical failure.
@Spike S bearings come apart every day. But not on properly maintained and inspected equipment. Defects in bearings to the point of them being “good on inspection” in the morning and a handful of hours going bad to the point of not only failing but coming apart, fortunately, happens on such a rare occasion we may as well just say it doesn’t happen anymore. Timken has done literally hundreds of studies o showing this to be the case. Also shows that well into the 90% of short bearing life complaints were due to improper installation of the bearings resulting in the short life with the number one reason being over torquing. Unfortunately I have seen my share of broken parts and it’s amazing how messed up something can be and still be rolling down the highway at 80 mph pulling 10s of thousands of pounds. Me and my crew are responsible for making sure that doesn’t happen. Thus why we have very strict inspection and maintenance procedures. All that being said, me and my crew are anxiously waiting to see what the results of the investigation on this is. A couple of them believe this was a defective bearing, of course I disagree. A friendly wager was made and of course I’m going to be right on this one lol 😂
@@thegamemaster2000 yes. Exactly correct. A wheel bearing is actually very easy to inspect. If they do in fact do a full inspection every morning a bad wheel bearing should have been evident.
@Spike S again. You seem to be agreeing with my statement that properly installed, inspected and maintained bearings just don’t really have catastrophic failures. If a bearing was installed dry and over torqued and everything was done wrong in some glorious symphony of errors there is a possibility this could have happened. But if this was the case it was not the fault of the bearing but the maintenance staff which is my point. Would also be surprised if they were using basic tapered bearings and not a sealed bearing in the wheels which is most popular all around today in most all applications except for say semis and some heavy equipment areas which I deal with daily. Either way if this was a bearing issue the chances it would have been inspected properly and was actually good that morning and had a catastrophic failure hours later is just so slight. If this was a bearing failure I have my money is on the final report saying it was due to improper maintenance and inspection. Wheel bearing is an easy culprit to go. What are the odds it’s some other freak thing like a fatigued axle or weld broke?
It's kind of ironic, he said he wasn't going to talk about them, but by saying that he want going to, he also did; so he still found a way to sneak it in ;p
@@kenworthNH On rollercoasters a block zone is a section of ride that only one train may occupy at a time. At the end of a block zone there is a method to stop the train, in case the block zone ahead is still occupied. This is the safety system that prevents rollercoaster trains from colliding with one another. Let’s look at the block sections on El Toro.
This is frightening! I always ride in the back seat of El Toro so, I would have been in that car if I were on that train. Such an amazing ride and I hope they can get it fixed. There should definitely be an inspection of the entire layout after this incident.
the state red flagged i can bet you there gonna check every inch every small spot this thing is gonna be closed most likey to next summer rumors it may even need to get trim breaks
@Spike S GK wasnt red flagged by the state the fact NJ wants to have a full report and how to fix the issue its not gonna be simple of tetsing it probally will need either a MCBR or trim reaks to slow it down plus the state wants to know why it couldnt be E stopped
I'm very happy nobody got hurt. I have a similar situation as you that got me in to roller coasters and rides in general. I was a ride op at Disneyland for 10 years and in those years I became fascinated with how all types of rides work. From being a Pen. Tester on Matterhorn to how the computer system works on a dark ride. Love your channel. Keep up the good work.
One of the wheels fell off my model K'nex coaster during testing recently so I can almost relate lol. Every time I worry about damage to the structure of El Toro, I think about the damage that Son of Beast's trains caused its structure on a daily basis, and somehow it make me feel a little better.
Went to Great Adventure for the first time in years this week, walking through this section of the park and hearing nothing but the TV's in the line playing ads and seeing the massive wooden structure so still was very weird. Great Adventure isn't the same without the sound of El Toro ripping through the park. Then on top of that Jersey Devil was down again and even Nitro was down half the day.
yeah, not sure whats up with jersey devil, it was closed today and i went last week and it was also closed, one of the operators said it was due to "maintenance"
As to my knowledge, coaster wheels don't use ball bearings but tapered roller bearings as they can hold more lateral loading. That said they can still fail but normally go bad more slowly and noticeably.
The lateral loading isn't that big as far as I know. It's nowhere close to lateral loading level of helical gear on car transmission, since side wheel does exist
@@NickyD eh the ride needs attention people just font care because its sooo good 🙄🤏🏽 but nobody held concerns over the safety of the ride day by day. I will not go on a wooden ride just fir this reason unless its rmc!!!!
Inside knowledge. I’m a roller coaster mechanic (at another park). The track gauge widened, and the last car popped up on the drop, causing the last car to come partially out of the track. The Train dragged the dislodged car around the track causing a lot of damage. The last car is also trashed.
I've only started getting into watching coaster channels on RUclips in the last month or so and yours in the only one where I learn things about coaster ops and tech. Keep up the great work, Ryan!
Great diagnosis. Reading online the the Six Flags report reads "A Six Flags incident report says the rear wheels of the last car on El Toro were 'out of their normal position." Your diagnosis is spot on and quite impressive.
Such an incredible and detailed look at the problem. To begin with "I don't know much more than what's already been said" and they drop this knowledge on us is ironically hilarious. NO ONE knows as much as you about this coaster and is able to explain it in such an easily digestible way. In short, you're pretty F in Awesome man! Thanks for this.
I'm not sure there's anyone anywhere who could make a better video on this topic, aside from the El Toro engineers and designers themselves. Thank you Ryan for this incredibly detailed insight and well-crafted explanation.
Thanks El Toro Ryan! That was a well-thought-out vlog. I'm impressed with your knowledge of the ride that you consider to be the origin of your roller-coaster enthusiast mindset! At the age of 17, I was a first employee to be hired (aside from the ride manager) at Great America in Illinois. I was a ride operator and announcer for the Great American Eagle. Decades later, I still remember the spiel till this very day, LOL. At the time, Great America was owned by Marriott and held many record holding rides. I still enjoy that coaster till this day. Keep up the good work bro! Thanks once again!✌🏽
Thank you sir! I have been dying for an ElToroRyan breakdown of this. I got my first rides ever on El Toro 3 DAYS before this happened...still can't believe this happened but thank god it wasn't any worse.
Thank you for this video Ryan! It taught me so much about the roaring beast and there’s so much more I want to learn more. I was just promoted to supervisor of the ride just a few days before the incident. I can definitely agree that working this ride made me fell in love with coasters and this beast itself! I can’t wait until the ride opens up again. I hope see you there when you come visit so we can meet!
Thankfully no one was hurt. I love this kid really passionate about roller coasters and gives all the science behind everything. Most of it goes over my head but it’s really cool.
Super informative. Great video! So happy to hear that no one was hurt. I remember getting on El Toro without knowing anything about it and... wow. What a ride! Even with other world class coasters in the park, that was a ride we were still talking about at the end of the day. Maybe our paths crossed that day lol
So happy people started watching you bro. You’re like a great hole in the wall bar with pool tables and nachos that are fire but no ones come across the bar yet
Hello, I’m BJ, a ride operator at Six Flags over Georgia!! I work At The Great American Scream Machine!! It’s older than El Toro. Scream Machine came out in 1973!, it’s surprising how Scream Machine didn’t have this problem.
HOLY CRAP I had no idea this happened until now! I was there that day and rode El Toro around 12:00pm with a couple of friends. Seemed okay at the time we rode it, a little rough but nothing too out of the ordinary. We had to have left the park just as this happened. I'm happy everybody was okay! Such a freak accident
that's really cool that you worked at six flags and everything. I love six flags NJ.. I've been to amusement parks all down the east coast and still nothing beats the rollercoasters at six flags nj. Very interesting video, I love rollercoasters too so I loved this :)
Ryan, you are the reason I am an enthusiast. I always liked rollercoasters growing up, and I always thought how they operated was cool, but it was your videos that really drove it home. I never saw myself traveling for rollercoasters, analyzing the forces, looking at how the ride feels in different parts of the trains, counting credits, recognizing manufactures, appreciating the history behind old achool arrows,, understanding what specifically drives this new found passion for rollercoasters, the list goes on. My dude, Thank You!
This explained so much of what I didn't understand about what happened with El Toro. Now, I actually feel like I know what happened, why it's still closed, and have a better idea of when it will reopen. You're just the best dude! I live 930 miles from SFGAdv, but I was there on 8/25/21. El Toro was closed (and I still didn't understand why), Jersey Devil was closed, and Nitro was closed. Overall, the day kinda sucked (bad timing on my part, I guess), but it's not like I won't go back. The lineup is still pretty strong. It's just better if the major attractions are open.
My husband surprised us with season passes in August right after this happened. Since then we’ve been going pretty much every weekend. I LOVE coasters and I’m dying to try out El Toro!! Every time we come I double check to see if it’s open yet. I hear it’s one of the best coasters ever. My daughters are getting into coasters too and I want them to be able to experience it with me. Praying it gets fixed soon!!
I love your engineering knowledge. As a coaster enthusiast, I'm subscribing! I was in line at TTD during the "incident" 8/15/21. I was several yards back from the victim in FL aisle. I experienced a small piece of debris ricochet off the railing a few feet behind me. It was higher velocity than something falling from the force of gravity. It seemed to have a horizontally trajectory from the brake run side. Long story short, it was horrific
Wow, I literally rode this one day before the accident and this is the first I'm hearing about it. It was my first time riding El Toro in about 5 years. The ride I had this year on June 28th was extremely rough and I was actually experiencing neck pain during the ride. I've ridden this coaster a few times over the years and have always remembered it being unusually smooth for a wooden roller coaster, so it was rather surprising to me that I had such an unpleasant experience this go around. And trust me, I love wooden roller coasters, even the rough ones, but I've never been in pain and wishing the ride was over before. Hope the ride can be repaired swiftly; it is an absolute joy when it runs correctly.
Would be hilarious to see it initially reopen with 5 cars on one train and 6 on the other so they can repair the damaged car. It seems no ride does this and it can clearly complete the circuit with only 5. That could create a whole new level of possible ride experiences on top of sitting in different spots of the train.
This situation has been and still is pretty murky but this video did clarify a few things for me especially with the reopening timeline which I had heard a million things about. Fantastic video as always.
This was absolutely my favorite roller coaster of any I've ever rode. Such a raw, visceral and wild almost violent experience. That's wild... I rode it during my annual NY visit literally 5 days before. We rode like 4 times in a row. Awesome that no one was hurt and I hope they fix it and it's the same experience
Fyi wheel bearings can either take forever to disintegrate or can do so almost immediatly with very little warning especially if it has debris gain access through the seals, by the coaster being inspected the mechanics covered himself from any liability
Certainly wonder if a bearing overheated. It was at least 95 degrees outside, during the hottest time of the day, and the fourth straight day of 90+ degree temperatures. Gut feeling tells me it’s more likely that than debris.
The thing about ball bearings is that they can operate normally, yet fail in the same day. A seal could be broken and they'll spin all the same. However when operating in these circumstances, the grease can easily escape or debris could easily enter the system. Either scenario would lead to catastrophic failure in these conditions.
I wonder how many hours those wheel bearings logged if they failed and caused the issue. If well below the MTBF, SF may go after the bearing manufacturer for damages idk.
@@jakethecake6952 from the context, probably some initialism that means the manufacturer's estimated or guaranteed service life. Basically manufacturers warranty but on a commercial level.
Wow, I had no idea about this! So glad no one got hurt. Thanks for your great coverage of the incident, man. I can't wait to experience this ride myself, probably next year.
Just realized June 29 was at least a 95 degree day. In some parts of New Jersey it got to 100. Heat related thermodynamic expansion may have played a role. The previous two days also were over 90 degrees. It was the fourth of a five day heatwave, and this accident happened during the hottest part of the afternoon. On an somewhat related note, I recall a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near Altoona, PA in June also following several days of a heatwave. That train was some 15,000 feet long. Likely it hit a heat kink. It’s very possible there could have been an issue with the physics of El Toro train A also. But trackwork could be a factor too. I realize this was a coaster derailment but railroad trains face challenges with physics and I highly doubt roller coasters are immune from similar things.
I would really like a video explaining the use of a zero car, like on alpengeist and a lot of b&m hypers and gigas, I’ve been wondering that for a while. Anyway, amazing video as always!
Great video. You really are knowledgeable! El Toro is the gold standard for wooden coasters. I’ve probably ridden it ten times over the course of 15 years. It’s THE ride at Great Adventure. Hopefully it makes a comeback in 2022
About 2-3 years ago we were getting on El Toro and some lady got off yelling at the workers that her bar went up in the middle of the ride. Hoping they take the time to repair everything needed to prevent injuries going forward.
worked at a major theme park in a different chain and I've been watching your vids fir a good while and I can't believe I didn't realize sooner thats how you decided your youtube name. Can confirm this is standard practice across the industry.
It’s crazy because I was there on that day.. went on el toro around 11:30-12 in the afternoon.. (had the worst experience and was completely bruised from the ride) this happened… but literally didn’t find out about it until the next day. No one there at six flags said anything about el toro derailing
great video. its a miracle no one was injured. it would be interesting to hear the passengers that were in the last cars account of things, not sure itd ever happen. i mostly just hope theyre doing well afterwards :(
Grizzly at KD had a buckled wheel or something when I rode it in 2019. It legit felt like the front left of my car had a square wheel. Feared for my life! 😅
Hopefully when they’re done fixing it, the ride will be smoother again. It’s been too rough for me the last few years. I miss how it was when it first opened.
Thanks Ryan for such a nuanced report - there's nothing more annoying than having people with no knowledge of the engineering, operations or type of accident (aka news media) just repeating the same 3 points that go through the Chinese whispers process & come out misrepresenting the situation. Rollercoasters are pretty amazing pieces of engineering & plenty of us appreciate learning about the behind-the-scenes parts - even if we didn't get our dose of block zone goodness this time 😎👍
Sadly, no matter how well-maintained a ride is, accidents like this can still happen. That said, I'm glad the ride's safety held up and nobody was hurt.
@@catofwisdom3837 Hi yes, please read my comment more closely. I never said that accidents can't be prevented, but they that they can still happen despite prevention measures.
@@ShiroArctic Considering no one knows the cause, no. No you cannot accurately claim whether or not accidents _like this_ can be prevented via maintenance. Design flaws cannot be prevented unless someone wise enough and with enough say spots it in time. Fatigued or broken parts can be replaced before they get too weak. ... If they're spotted in time. The facts that shit happens and Murphy's Law are real DOES NOT mean things simply cannot be prevented. That attitude breeds ineptitude.
That's scary. I rode El Toro on June 12, so right before the accident happened, and it was running very very rough that day. So I wonder if there was something else going on with the ride leading up to the accident or something
Expedition Geforce had a similar incident in April 2010 caused by a broken axlebolt. The long stationary periods for the trains due to lockdowns may also contribute to some unforseeable material weakening.
I'm a casual enthusiast who has only been on a couple of rides, but love learning about it! I hadnt heard about the derailment! This video was such a great way to break down (pun intended) for us how roller coasters work and are constructed, so thanks for the video!
Thanks for the great summation Ryan! Glad to see the over engineering really can through to keep everyone safe! Wish I lived closer so I could go there more often.
Glad nobody was hurt. Thanks for the summary. While this isn't the same scale as industrial accidents, I imagine the "swiss cheese model" (multiple failures aligning to permit an accident) probably still applies, with no single root cause, but instead a proximal cause/event and one or more contributing failures in protection levels/practices. (Yeah, government report videos on industrial accidents is a genre on RUclips and I've seen a few...)
Ryan: You've been asking for this video but idk guys I don't have much knowledge Also Ryan: Proceeds to narrate a very thorough, in depth analysis including an accident report, wooden coaster track design, hypothesis of causes...
Let me just say it's so nice to finally hear someone, who worked there during the multiple choice tests - know what each of the wheels are called. Not too often I hear of folks that worked there during my time, calling the wheels by each of their names lol
If this is due to human error, I hope it leads to improved practices to prevent a repeat. I'm very glad no one was injured and that operators responded so quickly.
I wonder how the wooden structure would react to the bolts being hit. When a train hits that bolt, would the head of the bolt shear off or would it be pressed in the wood. I would think the second case is much more likely, so I find it strange that for so many track pieces, the only thing that has to be done is replacing the bolts. But then again, I have no idea what is actually the case here. Also, I think your bearing story is pretty plausible. If a part of steel holding the wheel in its place was to brake off, they would need to take both trains of the track to check them for cracks in the chassis structure. Since they've only taken off the last car, it is probably just the bearing.
Believe it or not, I suspect that the steel bolt head will be weaker to that direction of shearing force than the surrounding treated and well preserved wood. Just the nature of the materials strengths and weaknesses. Steel is stronger overall, but may be more brittle or prone to shearing in certain axis of force. Whereas wood while not as strong as steel in it's direction of strength, is much more forgiving from unexpected directions.
If I had to guess, the bolts sheared off. The bolts were secured lengthwise by their nuts and washers, and secured sidewise (weird word, I know) by the wood that surrounded them. Because of their long length and narrow profile, bolts are strong to forces going along their length. They are much less strong to forces going along their sides. The bolts on El Toro very likely received side impacts, where they were weakest, and also to the parts not surrounded by wood. Since the bolts were probably not strong enough to handle a side impact from a moving roller coaster train, they likely couldn't have moved the wood significantly before they broke.
If you're going to have an accident with a roller coaster, this is about the best possible outcome: No injuries, the train *mostly* stays on the tracks, and it comes to rest in a location where it's easy to evacuate the passengers and move the train away. Yes, it's a pain in the wallet for the park, but the park can proudly point to how well the safety systems worked and take some solace in the fact that you didn't have to have people walk the entire length of a giga to evacuate...
Exactly. This is why we have multiple layers of safety features. None of them should fail, but if one *does* the others can pick up the slack so only stuff gets damaged. Stuff can be repaired.
@@keiyakins And NOT people's mental trauma in the WORST case scenario of a roller coaster accident!
Not only am I grateful that no one was injured, but also how quickly the ride operators responded, and the repairs/investigation being started right away. I love coasters, and accidents like this don't scare me from them.
I'm hoping this comes down to human error and not an issue with the ride. Although it could be both. I guess we just have to wait and see.
it's 15 years old in a state that has snow storms too, something to remember.
It's human error, the wheel assembly was put on improperly.
@@silversonic99 and there are coasters much older in similar conditions that have been running flawlessly for years
Might as well give the whole ride a heavy look over.
Was at least 95 degrees so possible the bearing overheated and failed. Miraculous nobody was injured.
Still blows my mind no one was hurt if it started during the first drop
Yeah, fortunately no one was hurt.
What you wanted people to get hurt?
@@-.-riley510 What kind of logic is that
@@-.-riley510 No. He's saying since it was a severe malfunction so early in the ride it's very fortunate no one was hurt. It could have been horrible.
@@MrPopsfreshnmyer what this guy said. With how intense el toro is. As a major malfunction on a high intensity ride, the safety system did what it was intended and almost completed the entirety of the course without any reported injuries
“no block zones this video.”
my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined
Yes, but you got a nice engineering/contruction talk!
Should be pinned!! Hilarious sarcasm that most wont grasp!
Ryan really let us down with this one, my friend
@@Shockzone1495 it’s a joke bro
EVENING RUINED!! I'm telling the wife we aren't going out for dinner tonight. I simply would not be able to enjoy myself with no block-zones in this video...
I have been a mechanic for almost 25 years. Most of those I’ve worked at a large fleet where I and my team are responsible for maintaining everything from heavy equipment to semi trucks to cars and even the lawn mowers and weed eaters. I can say that if this was caused by a wheel bearing there is really no way I see that it would have passed a proper inspection that morning. I’ve seen hundreds upon hundreds of bad wheel bearings in my time come in and many of them where on the road “going bad” for thousands of miles before drivers brought them in for repair and the wheels never came off. If they find it was a wheel bearing i give you 100 to 1 odds that the report will also say it was not being properly inspected. Just my take on it.
I'm no mechanic, but that's my inkling. Stuff like this rarely "just happens." There is always a chain of events that has to take place before an accident like this occurs.
@Spike S they're not saying that.
They're saying that these coasters go through rigorous Inspections and that wheel bearings are not a "time expired time to blow" object. A wheel bearing rarely just goes boom out of no where. There are Generally major signs for a while before it actually goes critical failure.
@Spike S bearings come apart every day. But not on properly maintained and inspected equipment. Defects in bearings to the point of them being “good on inspection” in the morning and a handful of hours going bad to the point of not only failing but coming apart, fortunately, happens on such a rare occasion we may as well just say it doesn’t happen anymore. Timken has done literally hundreds of studies o showing this to be the case. Also shows that well into the 90% of short bearing life complaints were due to improper installation of the bearings resulting in the short life with the number one reason being over torquing.
Unfortunately I have seen my share of broken parts and it’s amazing how messed up something can be and still be rolling down the highway at 80 mph pulling 10s of thousands of pounds. Me and my crew are responsible for making sure that doesn’t happen. Thus why we have very strict inspection and maintenance procedures.
All that being said, me and my crew are anxiously waiting to see what the results of the investigation on this is. A couple of them believe this was a defective bearing, of course I disagree. A friendly wager was made and of course I’m going to be right on this one lol 😂
@@thegamemaster2000 yes. Exactly correct. A wheel bearing is actually very easy to inspect. If they do in fact do a full inspection every morning a bad wheel bearing should have been evident.
@Spike S again. You seem to be agreeing with my statement that properly installed, inspected and maintained bearings just don’t really have catastrophic failures.
If a bearing was installed dry and over torqued and everything was done wrong in some glorious symphony of errors there is a possibility this could have happened. But if this was the case it was not the fault of the bearing but the maintenance staff which is my point.
Would also be surprised if they were using basic tapered bearings and not a sealed bearing in the wheels which is most popular all around today in most all applications except for say semis and some heavy equipment areas which I deal with daily. Either way if this was a bearing issue the chances it would have been inspected properly and was actually good that morning and had a catastrophic failure hours later is just so slight. If this was a bearing failure I have my money is on the final report saying it was due to improper maintenance and inspection.
Wheel bearing is an easy culprit to go. What are the odds it’s some other freak thing like a fatigued axle or weld broke?
ElToroRyan: "I won't be talking about block zones in this video"
Everyone: 💔😭
lol we love block zones (except me, I skip that part of the videos because i'm gp)
Wait....
What's a block zone???
😏
It's kind of ironic, he said he wasn't going to talk about them, but by saying that he want going to, he also did; so he still found a way to sneak it in ;p
@@kenworthNH On rollercoasters a block zone is a section of ride that only one train may occupy at a time. At the end of a block zone there is a method to stop the train, in case the block zone ahead is still occupied. This is the safety system that prevents rollercoaster trains from colliding with one another. Let’s look at the block sections on El Toro.
@@misterkunzite328 nerd
This is frightening! I always ride in the back seat of El Toro so, I would have been in that car if I were on that train. Such an amazing ride and I hope they can get it fixed. There should definitely be an inspection of the entire layout after this incident.
the state red flagged i can bet you there gonna check every inch every small spot this thing is gonna be closed most likey to next summer rumors it may even need to get trim breaks
@Spike S GK wasnt red flagged by the state the fact NJ wants to have a full report and how to fix the issue its not gonna be simple of tetsing it probally will need either a MCBR or trim reaks to slow it down plus the state wants to know why it couldnt be E stopped
I was there on June 3rd went on the back of El Toro 3 times… crazy
I'm very happy nobody got hurt. I have a similar situation as you that got me in to roller coasters and rides in general. I was a ride op at Disneyland for 10 years and in those years I became fascinated with how all types of rides work. From being a Pen. Tester on Matterhorn to how the computer system works on a dark ride. Love your channel. Keep up the good work.
One of the wheels fell off my model K'nex coaster during testing recently so I can almost relate lol. Every time I worry about damage to the structure of El Toro, I think about the damage that Son of Beast's trains caused its structure on a daily basis, and somehow it make me feel a little better.
Went to Great Adventure for the first time in years this week, walking through this section of the park and hearing nothing but the TV's in the line playing ads and seeing the massive wooden structure so still was very weird. Great Adventure isn't the same without the sound of El Toro ripping through the park.
Then on top of that Jersey Devil was down again and even Nitro was down half the day.
A Six Flags type day
yeah, not sure whats up with jersey devil, it was closed today and i went last week and it was also closed, one of the operators said it was due to "maintenance"
@@goonboyx Jersey Devil is closed on RMC request because there was another accident on Stunt Pilot.
@@goonboyx stunt pilot had a wheel fly off during a cycle, so all the 2nd generation single-rail RMCs are closed now
Should I go to Hersey or six flags?
I just wanted to say thank you for your detailed explanations. These types of videos are super helpful for the coaster newbies like myself.
As to my knowledge, coaster wheels don't use ball bearings but tapered roller bearings as they can hold more lateral loading. That said they can still fail but normally go bad more slowly and noticeably.
The lateral loading isn't that big as far as I know. It's nowhere close to lateral loading level of helical gear on car transmission, since side wheel does exist
This makes it seem more and more like a human error issue then
This happened on the fourth day of an extreme heatwave during peak temperatures.
@@ecoRfan 104 that day
@@NickyD eh the ride needs attention people just font care because its sooo good 🙄🤏🏽 but nobody held concerns over the safety of the ride day by day. I will not go on a wooden ride just fir this reason unless its rmc!!!!
Inside knowledge. I’m a roller coaster mechanic (at another park). The track gauge widened, and the last car popped up on the drop, causing the last car to come partially out of the track. The Train dragged the dislodged car around the track causing a lot of damage. The last car is also trashed.
I've only started getting into watching coaster channels on RUclips in the last month or so and yours in the only one where I learn things about coaster ops and tech. Keep up the great work, Ryan!
Great diagnosis. Reading online the the Six Flags report reads "A Six Flags incident report says the rear wheels of the last car on El Toro were 'out of their normal position." Your diagnosis is spot on and quite impressive.
and SF lied and said it didnt derail when it clealry did
I really didn’t even know el toro derailed, your the only rollercoaster RUclipsr I watch. Thanks for covering this
Such an incredible and detailed look at the problem. To begin with "I don't know much more than what's already been said" and they drop this knowledge on us is ironically hilarious. NO ONE knows as much as you about this coaster and is able to explain it in such an easily digestible way. In short, you're pretty F in Awesome man! Thanks for this.
Technically he also doesn't know what happened, just is more qualified to speculate than most :)
Thanks for the explanation. Hoping El Toro re-opens soon, and I'm just glad no one got hurt in the accident.
I'm not sure there's anyone anywhere who could make a better video on this topic, aside from the El Toro engineers and designers themselves. Thank you Ryan for this incredibly detailed insight and well-crafted explanation.
Thanks El Toro Ryan! That was a well-thought-out vlog. I'm impressed with your knowledge of the ride that you consider to be the origin of your roller-coaster enthusiast mindset! At the age of 17, I was a first employee to be hired (aside from the ride manager) at Great America in Illinois. I was a ride operator and announcer for the Great American Eagle. Decades later, I still remember the spiel till this very day, LOL. At the time, Great America was owned by Marriott and held many record holding rides. I still enjoy that coaster till this day. Keep up the good work bro! Thanks once again!✌🏽
Thank you for the detailed explanation using your knowledge of the ride. El Toro is on my bucket list and I hope to ride it some day.
Thank you sir! I have been dying for an ElToroRyan breakdown of this. I got my first rides ever on El Toro 3 DAYS before this happened...still can't believe this happened but thank god it wasn't any worse.
Thank you for this video Ryan! It taught me so much about the roaring beast and there’s so much more I want to learn more. I was just promoted to supervisor of the ride just a few days before the incident. I can definitely agree that working this ride made me fell in love with coasters and this beast itself! I can’t wait until the ride opens up again. I hope see you there when you come visit so we can meet!
Thankfully no one was hurt. I love this kid really passionate about roller coasters and gives all the science behind everything. Most of it goes over my head but it’s really cool.
Super informative. Great video! So happy to hear that no one was hurt. I remember getting on El Toro without knowing anything about it and... wow. What a ride! Even with other world class coasters in the park, that was a ride we were still talking about at the end of the day. Maybe our paths crossed that day lol
So happy people started watching you bro. You’re like a great hole in the wall bar with pool tables and nachos that are fire but no ones come across the bar yet
Hello, I’m BJ, a ride operator at Six Flags over Georgia!! I work At The Great American Scream Machine!! It’s older than El Toro. Scream Machine came out in 1973!, it’s surprising how Scream Machine didn’t have this problem.
HOLY CRAP I had no idea this happened until now! I was there that day and rode El Toro around 12:00pm with a couple of friends. Seemed okay at the time we rode it, a little rough but nothing too out of the ordinary. We had to have left the park just as this happened. I'm happy everybody was okay! Such a freak accident
you put out such good enthusiast content and have inspired my interest in engineering over the past couple of years… keep it up!
Top notch reporting as usual. The best coaster channel on RUclips and it ain't close!
that's really cool that you worked at six flags and everything. I love six flags NJ.. I've been to amusement parks all down the east coast and still nothing beats the rollercoasters at six flags nj. Very interesting video, I love rollercoasters too so I loved this :)
Ryan, you are the reason I am an enthusiast. I always liked rollercoasters growing up, and I always thought how they operated was cool, but it was your videos that really drove it home. I never saw myself traveling for rollercoasters, analyzing the forces, looking at how the ride feels in different parts of the trains, counting credits, recognizing manufactures, appreciating the history behind old achool arrows,, understanding what specifically drives this new found passion for rollercoasters, the list goes on.
My dude, Thank You!
I love that you really get into the engineering, and not in a condescending way. Great video!
This explained so much of what I didn't understand about what happened with El Toro. Now, I actually feel like I know what happened, why it's still closed, and have a better idea of when it will reopen. You're just the best dude!
I live 930 miles from SFGAdv, but I was there on 8/25/21. El Toro was closed (and I still didn't understand why), Jersey Devil was closed, and Nitro was closed. Overall, the day kinda sucked (bad timing on my part, I guess), but it's not like I won't go back. The lineup is still pretty strong. It's just better if the major attractions are open.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, a bolt block zone is a repeating pattern that prevents two bolts from occupying the same space...
My husband surprised us with season passes in August right after this happened. Since then we’ve been going pretty much every weekend. I LOVE coasters and I’m dying to try out El Toro!! Every time we come I double check to see if it’s open yet. I hear it’s one of the best coasters ever. My daughters are getting into coasters too and I want them to be able to experience it with me. Praying it gets fixed soon!!
This is the first ive heard of this! Holy crap, im glad no one was injured.
I havent been to great adventure since 2004.
The part when you explained where your name comes from hit me right in the feels.
I love your engineering knowledge. As a coaster enthusiast, I'm subscribing! I was in line at TTD during the "incident" 8/15/21. I was several yards back from the victim in FL aisle. I experienced a small piece of debris ricochet off the railing a few feet behind me. It was higher velocity than something falling from the force of gravity. It seemed to have a horizontally trajectory from the brake run side. Long story short, it was horrific
Wow, I literally rode this one day before the accident and this is the first I'm hearing about it. It was my first time riding El Toro in about 5 years. The ride I had this year on June 28th was extremely rough and I was actually experiencing neck pain during the ride. I've ridden this coaster a few times over the years and have always remembered it being unusually smooth for a wooden roller coaster, so it was rather surprising to me that I had such an unpleasant experience this go around. And trust me, I love wooden roller coasters, even the rough ones, but I've never been in pain and wishing the ride was over before. Hope the ride can be repaired swiftly; it is an absolute joy when it runs correctly.
@glenn bryant So it's not just me! I think you might be right, seems like a larger issue than just this incident
Would be hilarious to see it initially reopen with 5 cars on one train and 6 on the other so they can repair the damaged car. It seems no ride does this and it can clearly complete the circuit with only 5. That could create a whole new level of possible ride experiences on top of sitting in different spots of the train.
state wouldnt allow it to reopen that way forget it
This situation has been and still is pretty murky but this video did clarify a few things for me especially with the reopening timeline which I had heard a million things about.
Fantastic video as always.
Interesting fact: Ravine Flyer 2 only has side friction wheel plating on some of it’s track to save costs
Such an informative video, thank you. I'm so relieved no one was injured, it must have been horrifying to be in that last car.
Wow! So glad noone was hurt! Your videos are so informative! I wish they exhisted back in the early 2000s!
This was absolutely my favorite roller coaster of any I've ever rode. Such a raw, visceral and wild almost violent experience. That's wild... I rode it during my annual NY visit literally 5 days before. We rode like 4 times in a row. Awesome that no one was hurt and I hope they fix it and it's the same experience
Wow !! Glad they’re all okay. Would love to hear their story
Fyi wheel bearings can either take forever to disintegrate or can do so almost immediatly with very little warning especially if it has debris gain access through the seals, by the coaster being inspected the mechanics covered himself from any liability
Certainly wonder if a bearing overheated. It was at least 95 degrees outside, during the hottest time of the day, and the fourth straight day of 90+ degree temperatures. Gut feeling tells me it’s more likely that than debris.
@@ecoRfan it was 104 that day i was there that heat was extreme
@Spike S it was 104 that day extremely hot many rides kept having issues because of the weather
@@NickyD would have been high temperature 95, heat index probably about 104.
You’re awesome Ryan!! Thanks for this!
The thing about ball bearings is that they can operate normally, yet fail in the same day. A seal could be broken and they'll spin all the same. However when operating in these circumstances, the grease can easily escape or debris could easily enter the system. Either scenario would lead to catastrophic failure in these conditions.
@Spike S oh i told operators when i rode the hour efore and they just looked at me like i was dumb and didnt even care they just srugged it off
I wonder how many hours those wheel bearings logged if they failed and caused the issue. If well below the MTBF, SF may go after the bearing manufacturer for damages idk.
what is mtbf
@@jakethecake6952 from the context, probably some initialism that means the manufacturer's estimated or guaranteed service life. Basically manufacturers warranty but on a commercial level.
I went on el toro around 12 in the afternoon that same day all this happened 😳pretty scary
@@jakethecake6952 Mean Time Between Failure
@@WhozEmzy i was on it around 1 and it was running like shit and slow i knew something was up even said something and operators didnt care
Wow, I had no idea about this! So glad no one got hurt. Thanks for your great coverage of the incident, man.
I can't wait to experience this ride myself, probably next year.
Just realized June 29 was at least a 95 degree day. In some parts of New Jersey it got to 100. Heat related thermodynamic expansion may have played a role. The previous two days also were over 90 degrees. It was the fourth of a five day heatwave, and this accident happened during the hottest part of the afternoon.
On an somewhat related note, I recall a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near Altoona, PA in June also following several days of a heatwave. That train was some 15,000 feet long. Likely it hit a heat kink. It’s very possible there could have been an issue with the physics of El Toro train A also. But trackwork could be a factor too.
I realize this was a coaster derailment but railroad trains face challenges with physics and I highly doubt roller coasters are immune from similar things.
Hopefully this opens soon this is one of my favorites in the park.
One of the best coasters I’ve experienced in the whole world!
I would really like a video explaining the use of a zero car, like on alpengeist and a lot of b&m hypers and gigas, I’ve been wondering that for a while. Anyway, amazing video as always!
Glad no one was hurt- this is such a great ride- hopefully they can fix the problem.
I rode this so many times. I was there a few days ago & was told it'll reopen next year after repairs & renovations.
Great video. You really are knowledgeable! El Toro is the gold standard for wooden coasters. I’ve probably ridden it ten times over the course of 15 years. It’s THE ride at Great Adventure. Hopefully it makes a comeback in 2022
Great Video! As always very informative and interesting! Hope to see tgis coaster back up soon!
im so sad. i hope the ride makes it thorugh. i still havent been to great adventure. one of the legends in the coaster game
About 2-3 years ago we were getting on El Toro and some lady got off yelling at the workers that her bar went up in the middle of the ride. Hoping they take the time to repair everything needed to prevent injuries going forward.
Saw them taking the 6th car into the maintenance bay the day after the incident and the track looked absolutely fucked. Super glad no one was hurt
worked at a major theme park in a different chain and I've been watching your vids fir a good while and I can't believe I didn't realize sooner thats how you decided your youtube name. Can confirm this is standard practice across the industry.
thanks for this vid!! bought your merch, hopefully i’ll see you sometime next season :))
It’s crazy because I was there on that day.. went on el toro around 11:30-12 in the afternoon.. (had the worst experience and was completely bruised from the ride) this happened… but literally didn’t find out about it until the next day. No one there at six flags said anything about el toro derailing
great video. its a miracle no one was injured. it would be interesting to hear the passengers that were in the last cars account of things, not sure itd ever happen. i mostly just hope theyre doing well afterwards :(
Thanks for the video! I found it very informative and appreciate how you explained everything. Keep up the good work man.
Almost exactly 1 year later it suffers another accident. I really hope we aren’t spelling the end of El Toro.
Grizzly at KD had a buckled wheel or something when I rode it in 2019. It legit felt like the front left of my car had a square wheel. Feared for my life! 😅
I’m glad I got the chance to ride El Toro with you right before it closed
Hopefully when they’re done fixing it, the ride will be smoother again. It’s been too rough for me the last few years. I miss how it was when it first opened.
This was awesome! Thanks for taking the time to put it together.
Your, roller coaster info video are so solid. Yeah, definitely a different style than your normal videos but damn they are so informative.
Thanks Ryan for such a nuanced report - there's nothing more annoying than having people with no knowledge of the engineering, operations or type of accident (aka news media) just repeating the same 3 points that go through the Chinese whispers process & come out misrepresenting the situation. Rollercoasters are pretty amazing pieces of engineering & plenty of us appreciate learning about the behind-the-scenes parts - even if we didn't get our dose of block zone goodness this time 😎👍
Sadly, no matter how well-maintained a ride is, accidents like this can still happen. That said, I'm glad the ride's safety held up and nobody was hurt.
yes, it can be prevented. Maintenance can prevent stuff like this
@@catofwisdom3837 Hi yes, please read my comment more closely. I never said that accidents can't be prevented, but they that they can still happen despite prevention measures.
@@ShiroArctic Considering no one knows the cause, no. No you cannot accurately claim whether or not accidents _like this_ can be prevented via maintenance.
Design flaws cannot be prevented unless someone wise enough and with enough say spots it in time. Fatigued or broken parts can be replaced before they get too weak. ... If they're spotted in time.
The facts that shit happens and Murphy's Law are real DOES NOT mean things simply cannot be prevented. That attitude breeds ineptitude.
@@ashkebora7262 I'm pretty sure this is just a more convoluted version of what I said in my original comment...
Thanks for making this video, it's great to hear about it from you!
Thanks for making a video, I haven't heard of the incident until now!
An excellent analysis!! Very interesting and informative. I'm glad nobody got hurt, and that we can learn from this accident.
Im glad you made this vid ryan i was hoping to hear your thoughts given your history with it
Awesome job Ryan!! Great video as always! It is amazing that no one was injured!
I’m sad too since this is my Homepark as well but I am very thankful nobody got hurt
Incredible. So lucky that everyone got off safely. What a sick story to tell people I hope everyone is okay (mentally)
It amazes me that Six Flags fails to invest in maintenance. It was ROUGH this year. I’m so happy no one was hurt… I hope they can repair Toro soon.
That's scary. I rode El Toro on June 12, so right before the accident happened, and it was running very very rough that day. So I wonder if there was something else going on with the ride leading up to the accident or something
Expedition Geforce had a similar incident in April 2010 caused by a broken axlebolt. The long stationary periods for the trains due to lockdowns may also contribute to some unforseeable material weakening.
I learned so much about coasters that I never knew from this video! Very scary stuff though and Iam glad no one was hurt.
I'm a casual enthusiast who has only been on a couple of rides, but love learning about it! I hadnt heard about the derailment! This video was such a great way to break down (pun intended) for us how roller coasters work and are constructed, so thanks for the video!
Thanks for the great summation Ryan! Glad to see the over engineering really can through to keep everyone safe!
Wish I lived closer so I could go there more often.
Your videos have taught me a lot my dude and make me wanna learn more. Thanks Mang!
It's so easy to follow your videos man! Great job!
Glad nobody was hurt. Thanks for the summary. While this isn't the same scale as industrial accidents, I imagine the "swiss cheese model" (multiple failures aligning to permit an accident) probably still applies, with no single root cause, but instead a proximal cause/event and one or more contributing failures in protection levels/practices. (Yeah, government report videos on industrial accidents is a genre on RUclips and I've seen a few...)
A gentleman, and a scholar. Nice work, pal
Ryan: You've been asking for this video but idk guys I don't have much knowledge
Also Ryan: Proceeds to narrate a very thorough, in depth analysis including an accident report, wooden coaster track design, hypothesis of causes...
These sagments off track from the pré-fab track comes in very handy right now!
Let me just say it's so nice to finally hear someone, who worked there during the multiple choice tests - know what each of the wheels are called. Not too often I hear of folks that worked there during my time, calling the wheels by each of their names lol
If this is due to human error, I hope it leads to improved practices to prevent a repeat. I'm very glad no one was injured and that operators responded so quickly.
most likey poor maintence and extreme heat
As usual Ryan, great and informative video. Each video I feel like I am learning more and more. Thanks for the GREAT work.RM
I wonder how the wooden structure would react to the bolts being hit. When a train hits that bolt, would the head of the bolt shear off or would it be pressed in the wood. I would think the second case is much more likely, so I find it strange that for so many track pieces, the only thing that has to be done is replacing the bolts. But then again, I have no idea what is actually the case here.
Also, I think your bearing story is pretty plausible. If a part of steel holding the wheel in its place was to brake off, they would need to take both trains of the track to check them for cracks in the chassis structure. Since they've only taken off the last car, it is probably just the bearing.
oth trains are covered near the station wouldnt shock me if both trains are totallh replaced the state is up the park ass over this
Believe it or not, I suspect that the steel bolt head will be weaker to that direction of shearing force than the surrounding treated and well preserved wood. Just the nature of the materials strengths and weaknesses. Steel is stronger overall, but may be more brittle or prone to shearing in certain axis of force. Whereas wood while not as strong as steel in it's direction of strength, is much more forgiving from unexpected directions.
If I had to guess, the bolts sheared off.
The bolts were secured lengthwise by their nuts and washers, and secured sidewise (weird word, I know) by the wood that surrounded them. Because of their long length and narrow profile, bolts are strong to forces going along their length. They are much less strong to forces going along their sides. The bolts on El Toro very likely received side impacts, where they were weakest, and also to the parts not surrounded by wood. Since the bolts were probably not strong enough to handle a side impact from a moving roller coaster train, they likely couldn't have moved the wood significantly before they broke.
@@andrewtaylor940 the bolts will break. you can break they with a hammer and the forces of the derailed train are way stronger.
I wait for your videos every single day so fun to watch
It's fair to say that a lot of parks dealing with labor shortages haven't up kept their rides as well this summer.