This story caught my eye, because it has happened before! Not the billions, but the train not fitting thing. Back in my amusement industry days, one of our projects was a monorail that got its doors ripped off on its first trip into the station! And then there were the canal boats that were too heavy for their shallow stream, and just sat on the bottom. These things happen. Usually, people get fired, and companies go out of business, unfortunately.
[Excerpt]
France Spent $20 Billion on Trains That Can't Fit in the Station
French officials admitted this week that they may not have taken the most thorough measurements before writing a $20 billion check.
France's national train operator, SNCF, admitted this week that it ordered the fleet of new trains without double-checking the measurements. Now, officials say, the new trains are just too big to fit through many of France's regional train stations. . .
I really like the idea of being a mole at FOX "News." I was once a safety auditor for amusement rides, and would pose as a rider while evaluating the operators. But I had no secret desire to take down Knott's Berry Farm, y'know? FOX "News" though? Yeah, baby, that would be fun! Too bad he got busted.
[Excerpt]
Gawker’s Fox News mole is outed and ousted
America knows Fox News as the country’s highest-rated cable news network. It regularly trounces not-really-rivals CNN and MSNBC in the ratings. But Fox News employees know Fox News as a clampdown operation. Defined as a “severe or concerted attempt to suppress something,” “clampdown” describes just how Fox treats the sharing of information about its operations with the outside world. . .
I originally moved to Las Vegas because I was in the amusement industry, and amusement rides were at the time very big here. It was Vegas' misguided push to become "family friendly." Since then, the slogan has become the very adult, "What happens here stays here," of course. And my amusement industry career came to an unceremonious end almost 15 years ago. But I was in the industry for about eight years, and got to work at and for several parks and fairs, across the country.
By far the most interesting was Michael Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch. See, one of the guys I worked with--and shared an apartment with--back in Ohio had been inspecting the rides at Jackson's spread for years, and was eventually hired away. For one of the many events the ranch held, Big Al Scanlan (everyone calls him Big Al) invited me and a few other former co-workers and friends to come to the ranch as ride operators. I got to run the (awesome) bumper car ride, and my friends ran the swinging ship and carousel for the event. Many months later, there was an "employee appreciation" event held, and we were invited to that as well! On that trip, we got to take a tour of the grounds, and even of Jackson's house. Both visits were extraordinary experiences.
Big Al on the Neverland Valley Steam Train
If you've only heard of Jackson's park, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was a ridiculously lavish and ostentatious extravagance of a pampered star's ego. Maybe it was, a bit. But it was also one of the coolest places I've ever been. If I lived or worked there, I'd never want to leave. Now, for one more day, Neverland will come back to life at Disneyland. And Big Al will be there.
[Excerpt]
‘Neverland’ Comes to Life For One More Day
. . .“The Amusement Park, along with the rest of Neverland, was built to bring a magical day; a joy filled memory into the lives of all those sick and less fortunate kids who visited Neverland,” Scanlan said. “The impact that a day at Neverland had on the inner city children and the children who were dealing with life threatening illness was beyond belief. To represent Mr. Jackson and to help make his dream come true for those children, to be part of that magical day and the memory those children will hang onto was a blessing. . .”
In the summer of 1989, as part of a training program in the amusement industry, I worked at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. I was a little long in the tooth at the ripe old age of 23 to have a summer job there, but I was 21 Jump Street material until I was about 30, so it didn't matter.
It was mostly a lot of fun, kind of like going to camp, since you have to live on the peninsula to work there. I was assigned to "The Mill Race" flume ride, which was a classic (read: old) ride that had once been called "The Nestea Plunge." I also worked that summer in the kiddie land, the Midway Carousel and sometimes at the water park, Soak City. But by far the best part of the experience was getting to ride any ride we wanted for free. And this was the year they opened Magnum XL-200, which was the tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world at the time. Rough estimate, I rode every roller coaster at least 25 times. Here are a couple of first-person experiences for you to enjoy.
Magnum XL-200
The Mean Streak
The Raptor
Thanks to my sister for sending me a clip of The Gemini coaster, which is fun, but not the most exciting experience on video. Still, I've probably ridden Gemini more than any of the rest.
This story is horrific for many reasons. It's terrible for the victim, for the family of the victim, for the people that were on the ride, for the ride operators, and for everyone involved in the amusement park--even the amusement industry.
So it is unfortunate that the screaming headlines for this story, in virtually every instance (including the excerpt from FOX "News" below), made it sound like the Batman Ride at Six Flags over Georgia went berserk or something. This isn't the case of an amusement ride gone awry. . .it was a case of a person being in a place he should not have been. It's a bit unfair to Six Flags to make it seem otherwise.
It's a bit like having a kid run onto the highway in front of a food delivery truck, and having the headline read, "Child flattened by Grocery Mart semi." A bit different than "Kid wanders onto freeway, killed," isn't it? I'm sorry for the kid, but I'm irritated by the press.
[Excerpt]
Teen Decapitated by Batman Ride at Georgia Six Flags
A teenager was decapitated by a roller coaster after he hopped a pair of fences and entered a restricted area Saturday at Six Flags Over Georgia, authorities said. . .
I've been out of the amusement industry for 11 years, and my heart still jumped a little on this one. This was my previous vocation, an area I was immersed in for 8 years. I worked as a ride operator, maintenance and operations manual writer, safety consultant, project manager--even a safety inspector "spy." It's still in my blood.
So there is a big "oh no" moment every time something like this happens. It is important for me to relay that the amusement industry is--by relative standards--extremely safe. I'm not in it anymore, but it isn't the kind of attitude that regresses. . .these types of rules and standards get stronger over time. And at the time I was in the industry, amusement rides were statistically safer than air travel. Think of it: millions upon millions of visitors attend amusement parks all over the country every season--not to mention the number that go to fairs and carnivals. Now think of how often you see a story like this. . .couple of times a year?
So while I sympathize and empathize with the people who were injured, it is important to keep it in perspective.
[Excerpt]
Carnival Ride Collapses, Injuring Dozens
State accident investigators were trying to determine what caused a Calaveras County Fair carnival ride to collapse and injure all 24 people on board.
The ride, called the Yo-Yo, collapsed shortly after 6 p.m. Friday at the fair, which features the famous Jumping Frog Jubilee. The event is held just outside the Gold Rush-era town of Angels Camp in the Sierra Nevada foothills. . .
