Frisco Train Ride

[runner1960]

Surely then aren't getting rid of the train.  It's a real people eater and crowd pleaser for all ages (especially the children and older crowd).

I agree about sending in complaints.....how dare they rob us with only one robber....thats not realistic?  Don't you need two people to setup most of the jokes?  Do they not duel anymore? 

Maybe they could pull someone off the train to interact with?

The act does need freshened up.....most of the puns I enjoy ("this is a stick up") just doesn't seem to crack a smile on the younger generation:(

If it is a budget thing then maybe a reworked updated script would help. I agree with the puns. I quit laughing at them years ago so maybe a rework of the entire ride might be in order. As for the stop for the robbery. It was originally put in so the engines could build a new head of steam for pulling the grade to the station. Not sure if that is needed anymore though.

[Dewayne]

A. They cant get rid of the robbery. Without the robbery, we would be sitting there for 10 minutes with nothing to do or hear. Remember: these are steam engines made in 1935. They used to be switcher engines and werent made to go 2 1/2 miles in 10 minutes. Even with a full tank of oil and water, it needs to stop and make more steam to get up the hill near FL. Might as well watch a show in the process.

B. Every time I have trouble hearing the speakers. (Not loud enough, not working, or buzzing) I always tell the conductor as they walk by. I cant stand people talking while the show goes on. I really wish they could find a way to Bluetooth their mics to the train car speakers and make it work somehow.

C. The show wasnt made to only have 1 person, but they hate skipping lunch. I wish they would get 3 robbers ready each morning to switch off, since they cant change clothes in the middle of the day.

D. They have more than enough money, lots of employees, and 3 engines. 2 are hooked up to the cars. 1 this year is the new engine they have been rebuilding over the last 3 years. It was the long engine with the coal tender that used to sit next to the station, before they built Riverblast. Then it was torn into many pieces and sent to many different places around the USA. I dont know why they dont just hire more employees if they need more. They only run both trains that are hooked up, when it is the Holiday Season, Memorial Day, and Labor Day because those are the bussiest times of the year. If it is not 1 of those times, and it is busy, they probably still wont run both trains, but they will try to speed the 1 train up to 15 or 20 minutes between departures so they can send more people that day. I dont like it when they try to speed it up because they shorten the show, the ride, and everything seems like everything is going faster than it should. I like it slow and the way it normally runs. When they run both, they have to stop at TGS, wave their flashlights to signal they are both there, and everything is normal, since they dont have Red/Green light signals.

[cowboy]

I remember several times in the past there were rides I had when they only had a single robber. So maybe this is a temporary thing that has been done before?

Jay

[sdcfan88]

I highly doubt significant changes and removal of certain elements to the train ride that have been speculated about here will happen. Its another SDC staple. And yes there have been several instances with the show only having one robber. The staff at the train station did admit to me once that the robbery show is indeed a distraction while the train engine sits to build up power for the trip back. I also remember back in the 90's that there was only one train robber for a very long time. However, I do agree they should change it up a bit with the performances and dialogue or even possibly randomizing the location of the robbery act to make things more interesting. With the newly renovated train engine this could be made possible.

[Swoosh]

I remember several times in the past there were rides I had when they only had a single robber. So maybe this is a temporary thing that has been done before?

Jay

The info coming from attractions/entertainment is that this looking to be a permanent cost saving move

[Duelist]

There were 2 robbers both times we rode the train on Saturday and Sunday this last weekend.  They were really into it and did a great job!

[shavethewhales]

^Good to hear. Hopefully it was just a short staffing fluke. Either way I hope the feedback was helpful.

[Dewayne]

Im on the train now. There are 2 new robbers. I saw Cathy earlier today dressed as a robber at the station, but both these robbers are men. So it looks like they have 3 robbers who are now switching places when its break time. Rick and Steve are the conductors. They also have 1 new lady working at the station and not dressed in any conductor or robber outfit. Shes just doing stuff like making people squeeze in and moving around the wheelchair ramp. They are doing the old show from 2015 and earlier.

[historybowler]

I know when I went on the train in April, there was two robbers including a female one (Cathy? I am not super in the SDC lore just yet  ). But the conductor forgot what day it was (He thought it was a Friday, when it was a Saturday) which halted the flow of the skit. In fact, one of the train robbery YouTube shows the same conductor doing the same mistake in that video. For those of you who say that is part of the script, the female robber said something to the effect of "take 2".

[pintrader]

This is just part of the script and done every time!

[historybowler]

Well, I guess I have been fooled! My bad.

[Dewayne]

Cathy Wright has short, grey hair. She is married to FredDie Wright (yes you read that right. He wants to be called FredDie instead of Freddie) who is a janitor for the park. You can search them on facebook.

[pintrader]

Don't feel too bad....they do a really good job of making you believe it's not part of the act.  Especially if you have seen it only once.

[historybowler]

I am hoping to see it again this week, so I hope to not be fooled again. Thanks for not making me look too bad.

[sirwillow]

^^Huh? They almost always have two trains running on busy days. One is loading while the other gets robbed and they usually have to stop by TGS to let the other get into the next block. People get really cranky when they don't have two running on even mildly busy days.

That's just sad that they're letting the train robbery slip. Probably just another thing they are letting deteriorate so they can justify getting rid of it entirely at some point.

Sorry, but you're mistaken on one point.  They NEVER have 2 trains running at any time except during Christmas.  Ever. They will shorten the length of the robbery show so they can send out a train every 20 minutes instead of 30, but they simply do not run 2 trains and haven't in many years.

As for letting the show slip to possibly get rid of it- that's something that some that work on the train have wondered about for a few years now.

I'd like to see them work on the sound system.  It's ear shattering!

Something that has been asked and pleaded about for several years.  At Christmas they actually bring out a whole entirely different sound system, different mics, speakers, etc.  Can't figure out why they won't allow that system to stay out there for the rest of the year.  It would be a big improvement.

There are other issues as well why it doesn't get improved on, and the mixers adjusted.  But yes, the people on the train would agree with you.

On the other hand, perhaps they are just short-staffed. Hard to say these days.

They are absolutely short staffed right now.  Not just at the train, but all over the park.  They did not have a good hiring year, for various reasons, and that's contributed.
But what they are doing right now is forcing a lunch rotation on the train.  Often what it means is that one of the robbers has to ride up to the depot and give the conductors a lunch break, meaning he misses two shows while at the depot, maybe 3, plus possible the shows while riding up and back (depends on the robber).  Then they rotate the robbers for a couple of shows as well to give them a lunch break. So the only times you're seeing both robbers is early or later in the day.  But in the middle that's when they are doing lunch breaks.  It's a horrible system and one we fought for years- either convincing them to let us bring in a third conductor or someone else at the depot, or often times finding other ways to work around making sure there were 2 robbers.  But that began to change a couple of seasons ago.

As for the show, what it is, and why it is... that's a long story.