Railer Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 Well, now we know why it's been closed a few days now. GASource is reporting this (at least they are reporting something) It will be closed while they wait for replacement part's. With Kingda Ka right next to it you would think El Toro would be kind of "safe" and the fact that it's made mostly of wood. *R* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsDevs4Lyf Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 Whoa that is insane. And you are right I would have expected KK before Toro, though KK may be designed to absorb a strike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 El Toro has been struck by lightning before. The first time was on 6/24/06. I was up in Batman during a storm and all the alphas and bravos (major rides/coasters) were closed and it was reported over the radio that Toro was struck by lightning. From my understanding, lightning struck a lift sencor and it screwed with the lift system, but it should be up soon. -Dainan "Hi, I'm back" Rafferty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Adventurer Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 Noooooooo come back! We're going to miss you while you're down Toro! But Danian (Welcome back) has reassured me that all will be well once more. And one really has to wonder why it got struck instead of something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkridedan Posted August 2, 2008 Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 (edited) That area of the state sure gets its fair share of storms. RT is also a common conductor even with the Parachutes close by. I was working at the park during the storm pictured in this album http://www.greatadventurehistory.com/Forum...m&album=354 when something near the Western Fort was struct by lightning. The next lightning strike simultaneously hit RT and Viper. RT's lift motor was hit and the ride was closed for the remainder of that Saturday evening and the following day. The park was closed during the week and both RT and Viper opened that weekend for Coaster Celebration! Edited August 2, 2008 by darkridedan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted August 2, 2008 Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 It was struck by lightning which has caused the closure. With Kingda Ka right next to it you would think El Toro would be kind of "safe" and the fact that it's made mostly of wood. You would think that, but it's not always the case that lightning hits the tallest object. The classic example was always Joust-A-Bout. It got hit by lightning several times during it's life, with the Parachute being untouched. That was one of the reasons for its removal was the systems had been fried too many times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted August 2, 2008 Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 Does GAdv have lightning rods installed on anything? If not then they should install some, down in WDW Disney has them installed all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Railer Posted August 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 According to Screamscape, El Toro is supposed to re-open today, as the repairs from the lightning have been completed. I'm sure someone from this site has gone to the park today and will let us know later. *R* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted August 2, 2008 Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 SF should invest is some lightning rods for El Toro to help prevent future strikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted August 2, 2008 Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 I believe it (like all rides) has a certain degree of lightning protection (it would be foolish to build a multi-million dollar ride without it), but even with lightning rods, sometimes a direct hit can screw things up...especially with computer and electric systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upallnite Posted August 3, 2008 Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 ElToro Was running today. Musta been a quick fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted August 3, 2008 Report Share Posted August 3, 2008 That's good that it's back up and running! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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