Zippin Pippin Roller Coaster Construction Blog: March 2011

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Construction Update 3/18/2011

This is the final construction update for the Bay Beach Zippin Pippin Roller Coaster. Construction is pretty much complete, the crews from Miron will be finished and off site early next week. The difference in activity level is dramatic, two of the three construction trailers are packed up and ready to leave the site and nearly all of the construction materials have been consumed. With any luck the next post will be a testing update, followed shortly by a grand opening update.

With all of the track work complete last week this week was all about the finishing touches. Hand rails have now been added to the stairs going up to the loading platform and the exit ramp.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

The final pieces of siding were being added to the north side of the transfer station.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

There are notches in the second lane of the transfer table to allow train cars to be added and removed from the track. These notches allow the cars upstop wheels to pass through the track and be slid back into place.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

There are also notches going through the track structure on the second lane, these notches allow the inside and lower wheels to be lubricated when trains are in this lane.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

A cylinder and pin arrangement has also been added to the transfer table to securely lock it in place when in the operating position.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

A cable carrier has been added under the transfer table to allow the handle the control wiring when the table is moved.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Down the brake run junction boxes and conduit were being added to run the control wires for the sensors along the brake run.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Air lines were also being installed to provide power to the brakes.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Under the loading platform electricians continue to pull wire through the conduit and completing the hook up of the controls.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

If all continues to go according to plan in less than 50 days you'll be able to enter here and ride the new Zippin Pippin!

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

All of Green Bay's snow cover melted this week just leaving some dirty snow piles from plowing left behind. Overall the site is a muddy mess. Here are some final images of the Zippin Pippin at this point. This picture shows the turn around from the north side of the coaster looking west.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

And finally a panorama from the parking lot looking north.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Construction Update 3/11/2011

The on-line album has topped 1,000 photos forcing me to start a second album. Luckily construction on the Bay Beach Zippin Pippin Roller Coaster is nearly complete. Steel is now on the entire track and finishing touches are being put on the mechanicals and loading platform. This coaster is just about ready to begin testing. The day these pictures were taken spring was definitely in the air, with temperatures in the 40's and a nice sunny noon hour the snow that fell earlier in the week was quickly melting. The new photos for this week are below.

Most of the action this week was taking place around the loading platform. Walking up what will be the entrance the first obvious change was the stairway that has been built to carry anxious riders up to the loading platform.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Rounding the corner to climb the stairs the hand railings are staged on some sawhorses.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

With the stairs in place we can now climb up to the loading platform and enjoy the view riders will have prior to loading the trains, one of the cool elements of this coaster design is the way the coaster is all around you while you are waiting to board.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Lights have been installed along the exit ramp.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Just off the loading platform work is wrapping up on the transfer table. Steel is now on the track and the alignment and locking system is being installed and set up.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Under the transfer table the motor the will shuttle the transfer table in and out is now bolted into place.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

While I was inside the oval I attempted a panorama of the inside of turn 2.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Electricians have been busy at the site wiring up all of the motors, lights, etc.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

The compressor that will provide air to the brakes and automatic gates has been moved to it's final position and anchored to the concrete floor beneath the loading platform.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

There is also what appears to be a back up generator just behind the lift house.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

I then walked the out and back part of the coaster to check out all of the steel that was added since last week. I crawled under some of the new areas to get some shots of the upstop steel that has been added.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

While I was on the backside of the coaster I took a panorama shot of the completed out and back looking south.

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Back on the front side of the coaster I finished my visit with this picture showing three different layers of track...

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

...and a panorama shot looking north...

From Zippin Pippin Construction Album #2

Next week should wrap up the construction work and then we wait a couple of weeks before testing begins.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Construction Update 3/4/2011

Work on the track has just about wrapped up on the Bay Beach Zippin Pippin Roller Coaster here in Green Bay. Activity will wind down now for a few weeks until the trains arrive and testing begins in early April. The latest pictures are below.

We'll start this week at the transfer table. The wood track has been built up on the first lane and it has been rolled under the loading platform, the wood on the second lane is also complete.

From Zippin Pippin Construction

Under the transfer table the shafts, sprockets, and chains the will move the table between it's two operating positions are being fitted into place.

From Zippin Pippin Construction

Back on the top side of the transfer table if you look down the final brake run you can see how close the steel track is to being complete. The steel you see below is not attached yet but is being laid in place.

From Zippin Pippin Construction

Following this track into the out and back you can see the steel is just about complete everywhere except for the final brake run.

From Zippin Pippin Construction

Back at the lift hill I haven't been able to get into the lift house to take a picture of the chain attached to the drive and tension sprockets for the last couple of weeks since the door has been locked. This week the lift house was open since the electrical contractor was on site doing the final hook ups.

From Zippin Pippin Construction

Under the loading platform a large electrical control box was being put into place.

From Zippin Pippin Construction

I noticed the large crane that helped put most of the bents in place is now gone, this crane is now the largest one on site and doesn't appear to have been used in the last couple of weeks.

From Zippin Pippin Construction

Before leaving the site I took another North Facing Panorama.

From Zippin Pippin Construction

It sounds like there will be enough activity to warrant another visit next week, then there may be a week or two off since the main contractor, Miron, will likely be wrapping up work in another week or so.