SDCFans - The Unofficial Fan Site For Silver Dollar City
Silver Dollar City & Celebration City Discussion => General Silver Dollar City Talk => Topic started by: HollyAnn on March 26, 2009, 02:33:12 PM
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As my Dad and I waited in possibly the longest line we have ever waited in for FITH on opening day we were joking around and singing the song. We have ridden this ride so much that we can nearly quote it word for word. Anyways we started to listen to the music that plays while you are waiting in the lines outside of the ride and we couldn't figure out what the verses are. We know the chorus (run boys run, don't be slow, baldknobbers commin, fire in the hole) but my question is does anyone know the words to the verse?
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This is from the "fire in the hole question" thread in the SDC Memories/Park History section, which has a lot of good info on FiTH. Check it out here: http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=220.0 (http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=220.0)
Fire in the Hole
© Silver Dollar City Attractions
Baldknobbers comin’, ridin’ fast, armed with rifles, wearin’ masks
Baldknobbers comin’ they’re drawin’ near, everyone’s heart is filled with fear
Run boys run; don’t be slow, Baldknobbers comin’, there’s Fire in the Hole
Run boys run; don’t be slow, Baldknobbers comin’, there’s Fire in the Hole
Grab the children and don’t be slow, Run boys run; don’t be slow, Baldknobbers comin’, there’s Fire in the Hole
Grab your clothes and leave your home, Baldknobbers comin’ and it won’t be long
Fire on the mountain, woe be woe, fire on the mountain, Fire in the Hole
Fire on the mountain, woe be woe, fire on the mountain, Fire in the Hole
Come here daughter, come here son, Baldknobbers comin’, everybody run
Grab your fiddle, forget your bow, no time now for cotton Eyed Joe
Run boys run; don’t be slow, Baldknobbers comin’, there’s Fire in the Hole
Run boys run; don’t be slow, Baldknobbers comin’, there’s Fire in the Hole
Men and horses all over town, thundrin’ hooves that jar the ground
Woman and children weepin’ and cryin’, towns on fire, people are dyin’
Fire on the mountain, woe be woe, fire on the mountain, Fire in the Hole
Fire on the mountain, woe be woe, fire on the mountain, Fire in the Hole
Flames and smoke are rollin’ high, Baldknobbers set this town on fire
It was peacful livin’, ‘twas our home town ‘til the Baldknobbers came and they burned it down
Run boys run; don’t be slow, Baldknobbers comin’, there’s Fire in the Hole
Run boys run; don’t be slow, Baldknobbers comin’, there’s Fire in the Hole
Men and horses all over town, thunderin’ hooves that jar the ground
Ain’t no need for us hangin’ round, all our homes are ashes now
Fire on the mountain, woe be woe, fire on the mountain, Fire in the Hole
Fire on the mountain, woe be woe, fire on the mountain, Fire in the Hole
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Copper, I've got some FitH questions for ya. As we rode yesterday, I wondered:
- Would the Bald Knobbers really put up a sign that says Bald Knobbers Camp Stay Out (or whatever it says)?
- More pressing question: Who exactly is Red Flanders? I suspect he does not live in that house and the Bald Knobber who stole his pants is that woman's husband. I wonder why Red would be escaping by ladder (a ladder that HE put there when sneaking up to the second floor in the first place).
- Lastly, I noticed one of the firefighters counting the number of riders (volunteers) on each vehicle and placing the count on a chalkboard. This is a subtle effect, but I liked it and found it interesting. Does he do that strictly for effect, or is he really looking to count the same number of people in the vehicle when it returns to station? Do you often lose people along the journey?
And now some random comments:
I did not miss the spider web at all (always hated that thing).
I like the addition of Gov. Marmaduke posters inside the ride - would like to own one, as well as the Nat Kinney Wanted poster, (Posters like that would be a nice addition to a souvenir shop.)
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I totally agree with the posters. Great addition. Also they would look amazing in my classroom at school. If they sold them, I am sure that they would go faster than the "Jesse James Wanted posters" have gone. Something to think about!
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Is it just me or does the picture of the BaldKnobbers with the people fleeing and the town on fire kinda remind you of Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas?! I'm just sayin'....
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That big painting would also make a nice poster.
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I wish the park would produce a book of the artwork and signs...the big mural in the Hospiality House, The FITH mural, the baldknobber portraits, flooded mine used to have some nice artwork in the loading area, the mural at the exit turnstyles, it could be really nice! I'd buy one.
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Hey guys....what about replicas of many of the different signs around SDC. They could make small metal signs that are replicas of the ones around the city and sell those on a cart or in some shops!
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Good grief.....I think I just had a marketing brainstorm! Quick! Nobody steal my ideas! LOL!
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I believe you just stole mine!
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If you sit and think long enough, ideas will come with a flurry!
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Now if the "city" would just do as we suggest...wow!
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I'm glad you like the improvements. When I first read the "Baldknobber Camp Stay Out" sign it was sitting in a back room and I pondered it for a while. It did sound strange to me too. Like they would really label their hide out, but it does further the story line. I think it works. Red Flanders is staying at the Hotel, that is the building he is trying to escape. Sadie Jenkins is the woman yelling. They say her name on the outside of the building. Her last name is not Flanders, so I would assume she runs the hotel. As for the ladder, maybe the Baldknobber put it up to break in, you will have to come up with an answer for that one on your own, if you don't like mine. lol
The chalk board is to help keep track of how many people are on the ride at a time. If the ride goes down and people have to be evacuated, we want to make sure were not leaving people behind. Just a precautionary thing.
The hanging scene is not complete. There is going to be sound effects added to it and the noose is supposed to move. There is still work to be done this winter.
I think the poster idea is great, but it is hard sometimes to get merchandise to do anything.
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I think the poster idea is great, but it is hard sometimes to get merchandise to do anything.
Amen to that, specially anything original that doesn't include plastic.
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I like the new improvments to FITH. The baldkobber hanging to a tree with Red Flanders'es pants was pretty smart! :D I guess the only thing that dissapointed me was that they took out the scene with baldknobbers robbing the mail truck and replaced it with a scene of Marmaros villagers hanging a baldknobber. Wasen't this a scene that got taken out years ago because it was so grim for little kids?
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Hey Cooper, since you have inside knowledge, do they have the room to lengthen the ride?
I would think that is they did this they could add another car to the cycle.
Also, of all the dark spots in the ride are there any areas that are large enough for show scenes that could be added?
Could they add more " content"?
Last question, how can I get a backstage tour of the ride like the coaster club did?
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Could they lengthen the ride? I personally would like to concentrate on fixing up the scenes we have. I think the improvements are great, but there is so much more we can do with the scenes we have. There are a few things that our maintenance guys are currently working on that we could see materialize this season. Also, the burning bridge needs fixed and the shooting Baldknobber on Main Street needs to move again, these are high budget items that will take some time and I would like to see come to fruition. Sure they can add more content and I think that will happen throughout the current ride. I really don’t see SDC dropping the millions it would take to add to the ride. We will have to be satisfied with the current length of the ride.
Do we need another car? No, we currently run three trains most days and four on busy days. Four trains get a lot of people through the ride. We can run five trains, but we don’t have a lot of time to load and sometimes I feel like we shove people on and push people out the door when we run four. I want the guests to have a good experience all around, yes I don’t want them to wait forever to ride, but I also don’t want them too feel rushed out the door.
If we do a Coaster Christmas this year you should join in, they get to ride through with the lights on and you get to see the old building lit up.
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We rode FITH today and two things stand out that both seem like a pretty cheap fix. First I'd like to see the ride go a little slower so you could actually see the scenes before they whiz by. The other major problem is light leaks. Any little crack the let's sunlight in destroys the illusion of being outdoors at night. Oh, and one other change I would make. There has to be a way to make the oncoming train more realistic without spending a whole lot of money. The old rotating light fixture just doesn't do it for me.
By the way, this doesn't concern FITH but I thought I should mention it. While riding on the outside seat of WF today I had my hands in the air and the outside hand was brushed by one of the bushes along the track. I figured they probably keep them pretty closely trimmed so was kind of shocked by that!
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^You should probably mention that on park if you go back.
A fog machine at the train light should make up for the effect there - pretty easy fix.
A little wait adds to anticipation. I never complain about a reasonable wait time, and FitH always provides just the right amount of time for me to review the ride for my six-year-old who is still scared every time.
I would still like to get a Fans ride on FitH - both in the light and in total darkness.
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I agree wholeheartedly about the light leaking cheapens it.
I think a little ducktape might work.
What do the citizens of FITH say about this issue?
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I saw no fog last month at the last drop in FITH
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I myself, have never seen sunlight shine thru on FITH, but I have saw cracks with what looked like maybe a maintenance area light shining thru. Maybe that's what were talking about here. Back when FITH first opened up, the train light did have a lot better effect. Steam would come up from both sides of the train light like a real locomotive letting off steam, sound and all. Not sure when they dropped this effect but it was a long time ago.
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I myself, have never seen sunlight shine thru on FITH, but I have saw cracks with what looked like maybe a maintenance area light shining thru. Maybe that's what were talking about here. Back when FITH first opened up, the train light did have a lot better effect. Steam would come up from both sides of the train light like a real locomotive letting off steam, sound and all. Not sure when they dropped this effect but it was a long time ago.
It is definitely sunlight leaking in through the roof in a few places. I noticed it on the last trip a few weeks ago, and thought to myself, "I'd climb up there with some 'fix it' spray foam".
Also a question for Copper. Why is moving the scenes around so expensive? I always thought it would be a matter of grabbing a stuffed dummy and placing it somewhere else after closing time. My son and I rode a few weeks back and the old ride looked great by the way.
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Moving scenes isn’t necessarily expensive, but fixing the moving parts of the ride can be expensive and time consuming. When we are in seven day a week operation it’s hard to get in and work. Each day trains have to be fixed, cleaned and inspected. Our maintenance guys get caught up doing these “must do” jobs and fixing scenes is no longer a priority, they have to keep the ride operating. It’s not as easy as someone going in and fixing and moving things around either. Where are these new things going to come from? And whose budget is the money coming from? I would love to be given a check book and told to have fun! But it’s a business and things are not that black and white.
I think the train having steam is a great idea, if it did have steam at one time it must have been some time ago. There is absolutely no evidence left behind that there was a steam machine of sorts.
The light you see shining through is back of the house lights. It used to be worse; these are things that are slowly getting fixed.
Also, the trains can't go any slower. This would kill our capacity and that is why you ride it again and again, so you can see new things each time you ride.
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Hey Copper... Has the barrel been fixed?
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It's fixed!
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OK, am I just missing something? When a cannon is lit, some soldier shouts, "Fire in the Hole!" to warn the others of the impending explosion. Is that last drop supposed to be an explosion? If so or if not, where did the ride get its name? Or is it a firefighting term, as well?
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Hmm..I thought fire in the hole was a term used in mining when dynamite was dropped into a blast hole and lit. History Buff or Rube Dugans...can ya do some research for us?
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It is a term that in history class, we use for several purposes.
Most notably is the call to ignite a charge for detonation. This is both a command to the igniter/detonator and a warning to those around.
When discharging a firearm such as a cannon or an early "fire"arm, a torchman would light the wick or ignite the small hole packed with gunpowder that led to the main powder charge. This caused the main charge to explode, propelling the projectile to the enemy, Hence the term/ warning call went out to beware of the fire in the hole (a charge is about to explode) . Over time when firearms became more technologically advanced, the phrase was shortened to "Fire".
I know nothing about the terminology as it is used for Arson purposes. Does this help?
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I was thinking explosions were used, in rare cases, for suffocating fires. I just wondered if that is the intention in the ride. I just seemed like a strange name for the ride. I wonder what alternatives were discussed at the inception of the ride.
Any ideas for what the alternative names might have been? Blazing Fury perhaps.
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One alternative name I heard was The Devil"s Den.
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That would theme it to the cave, but not the town; I can see why that would have been shot down.
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I am writing from Pigeon Forge at the Days Inn. I just left Dollywood and I will tell you that Blazing Fury gives FITH some great competition. I think that they have up kept the ride better at Dollywood, its very very similar. I say they have more of a light leak problem than SDC and its worth noting the lack of the theme song is really evedent. I wonder why they didn't carry it over. Its empty without that.
This is my first trip to Dollywood and its interesting, they have alot going for them although its obvious that it is the same company.
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So, who sets the fires at BF? What takes the place of Bald Knobbers?
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Catfish Carson has a shack where he keeps his dynamite for blasting in the mines. One firefighter warns another that they need to head on over there and check it out (outdoor recording). You end up running into the dynamite storage shack, which is the explosion (noise and strobe light). You end up putting the fire out with WATER!
Last year I was able to look at the original blueprints and it did in fact say The Devil’s Den. The large waterfall in front of the burning bridge was labeled volcano and an area that is no longer part of the ride was labeled geysers. Hmmm… a little weird, but I guess there used to be volcanoes in south east Missouri.
As for Blazing Furry they play the outdoor recording, but you can’t here it too well. They have mountain bandits that are looting and burning the town down.
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There isn't much of any story that is explained. There are a cpl of additional scenes such as a man chasing a woman and also a firefighter that shoots water over your car with his hose ( it lands across the tracks in a trough.) in the woods scene in the beginning there are a cpl basic anamatronic animals as well.
Blazing fury climbs much quicker than FITH and it platues out and starts to go downhill slightly before the drops, not sure why this happens. There is a waterfall falling from under the bridge and the bridge colapses.
The train scene is done better as is the final drop, it has lighting effects in the tunnel with a water cannon that you get a good effect from.
It is smoother than FITH as well.
As i said no song makes for a less appealing ride.
If we get a mystery mine I do hope they smooth the thing out, it hurts your neck, even the 12 year old ride loving kids said this.
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I'll be honest, I've never been to Dollywood. But I have seen plenty of videos and pictures of The Blazing Fury and it doesn't really resemble FiTH that much. The BF does have some of the same scenes (minus the baldknobbers) but have you ever noticed how BF looks more like some early 1900's deal goin whereas FiTH looks more 1800's old timeish?
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Well you really have to see the ride in person as I had seen the vids and such as well.
You are right the setting is a cpl year off but that really doesn't apply to anything in the ride with the exception of the RR crossing sign that has blinking red lights.
Its almost the same thing, the town scene is a copy.
I think what I was pointing to is the fact that they have used a little more TLC keeping up
BF. I love FITH, but I now see what could be done to plus and improve the ride without rocking the " theme". BF was built a few eyes later so some tweaking could occur but honestly there is some plussing that could be done. I wouldn't have realized it without this trip.
Don't think for a min I am tearing down FITH, farthest from the truth.
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I completely understand and I'm not saying that I think anyone is trying to tear down FiTH. I even agree that it need's a little TLC. I just (if youv'e ever seen any of my posts you'll know) don't want to see FiTH, or SDC for that matter, loose the little things that make it unique. SDC doesn't need to look to much like Dollywood because SDC is it's own place and that shouldn't change.
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I agree 100%
I have opened my eyes to things that could be done to refresh SDC not rebuilt or revise it.
My trips to SDC started in 78, I have seen many little things disappear for no good reason
many of those things were touches that gave SDC the edge you re referring to. They were never replaced, I see a lot of upkeep at Dollywood. I hate to think that SDC is seeing some lack of tlc.
Dollywood is set 30 years later than SDC, there isn't that much difference in infrastructure.
Its a nice place, I hate to admit larger and has more rides but I think that the shops in SDC and the shows are more frequent.
You should check it out if you get the chance.
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Anybody know the history of the big bell atop FitH's facade?
Are there items inside the ride that came from other places that might be interesting?
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I think the bell came from a Taco Bell near Waco, TX! (Ha! just joking. ;D)
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Man! I thought you were giving a serious answer.
I think the bell should ring every 50 minutes in commemoration of the anniversary. I hadn't ever really noticed the bell until our last visit. It is huge and kind of looks like a Liberty Bell.
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Is the bell in working order?
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A couple of years ago I was talking to a Giant Swing worker that was operating the Hi-Lo Silos and asked him if lightning struck the big weather vane on top of the Giant Swing barn very much. He said he knew of it being struck a couple of times but the bell at Fire in the Hole had been struck by lightning so much they started keeping count and the count was up to 47 times.
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I have never been in the park when a big storm hit I'll bet it get ugly in a hurry. I would not want to be at the top of the hill when lighting was striking.
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I may have read this somewhere, but I've forgotten: Why was the sudden turn (making you think you were about to drop over the edge of a chasm) taken out - safety? That was a favorite feature. At that point you were at a higher level looking down on one of the scenes, too, so the ride must have had to take you down to finish - meaning the ride was longer. True or no?
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Yes, the ride was longer! And if I understand correctly the main reason they shortened the ride was to allow for a larger ride capacity.
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I do think that the loss of that feature took away more than a scene.
The perception was that we were going down a much larger hill because we had just been presented with a view over a " cliff". This instinctively made you think you were high up and were really going to drop far this time.
Excitement from teh middle drop was lost.
Removing that was a huge mistake, I wonder how the capacity of the ride did increase by removing that section of track. 10 people per hour?
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Anyone know why FITH has been closed so much lately? It was down when we were there in late July and I've read on other boards about it being down on other days recently.
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I do think that the loss of that feature took away more than a scene.
The perception was that we were going down a much larger hill because we had just been presented with a view over a " cliff". This instinctively made you think you were high up and were really going to drop far this time.
Excitement from teh middle drop was lost.
Removing that was a huge mistake, I wonder how the capacity of the ride did increase by removing that section of track. 10 people per hour?
Yes, that was a terrible loss to the ride. I don't know if it really increased throughput or not. If there was anywhere else to be shortened, they should have chosen one of the static scenes if possible.
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I would have loved to have seen the missing areas in their former glory, the cliff sounds fun. You have to understand that when they took those areas out there was no Thunderation, Wildfire and Powderkeg. In fact FITH was the only “thrill” ride the park had at the time. I guess they felt they had to do something about the extremely long wait times. I really don’t ever see them spending the money to recreate those scenes, so we will only be able to reminisce.
I have scene the original blueprints and after the bridge collapse hill you turned right into the Baldknobber Cave. There were several Baldknobbers barricaded behind crates and wagons and they would shoot at you as you moved past them. Then you went through a dark tunnel with a Baldknobber dumping a barrel on you, sound familiar? Then you traveled to the cliff scene where you could look down upon the burning cabin that you passed earlier.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53826242@N00/3280246521/
This is the scene that made it appear you were going to fall off the cliff,
http://www.facebook.com/Silverdollarcity?v=photos#!/photo.php?pid=5127419&id=7656242602&ref=fbx_album (http://www.facebook.com/Silverdollarcity?v=photos#!/photo.php?pid=5127419&id=7656242602&ref=fbx_album)
but a quick right turn saved you, but then you were approaching the train collision.
FITH hasn’t been down much this season, less than last season. We have been down more due to guest backing the ride up, in fact more than I ever experienced.
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What is the Bald Knobber dumping on me anyway? I've forgotten what he says as we roll under him too.
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Not sure what he is dumping (presume its not water since their burning the town down). What he says is " here's a barrel of laughs".
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He's dumping a barrel of laughs! :D
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We have been down more due to guest backing the ride up, in fact more than I ever experienced.
Hey Copper! When you say backing the ride up, does this mean the lines are so long for the ride they have to shut down? If so, I never knew they did this.
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No, if you have more than three trains on at one time you have a limited amount of time to load and dispatch the trains. When you are not able to send the train on time all the brakes in the ride raise to keep trains from colliding. This ends up shutting the system down, the ride closes and people are evacuated out of the ride. This happened the other day when a girl took forever putting her loose articles in the storage boxes. This doesn’t happen often, but sometimes you can’t help it, especially when disabled people load the ride. You just do your best to get people on and move the train. This is why you might see FITH, Lost River and Powder Keg send empty trains and boats. It’s to keep the ride system from shutting down.
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Thanks for the clarification Copper. I was riding back in the 1970's when I was a teenager and this happened. The ride just stopped and the in house lights came on. Then a man came out of nowhere, raised the bar on our car and we followed him to the nearest exit. It was kind of a neat experience considering it had never happened before. At the time we were scared we were going to be hit with another car coming up from behind us. We had no idea the whole ride was shut down.
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This happened the other day when a girl took forever putting her loose articles in the storage boxes.
I hope she felt like a real dumb A##, cause people like that are. I would have loved to be there when she realized that her messing around had screwwed up the entire operation. That stuff really aggravates me. I detest dealing with selfish people that cant get it together.........
Large signs all over the tram area PLEASE CLOSE STROLLERS BEFORE BOARDING THE TRAM.
Get it together people..................
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I am sensing that some of you all need to be a little more tolerant. It takes every kind of person to make the would go round.
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I am sensing that some of you all need to be a little more tolerant
I know I need to learn, I try to be very aware of how my actions effect others. THere are so many people out there who do not.
Its a real pet peeve of mine.
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Being that I deal with the public in my job, and a lot of them don't listen, I can understand the frustration. However, we all just need to chill a little (myself at the top of the list) and realize that sometimes people just don't pay attention
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We had to deal with that all the time when I worked at Buzz Saw. And, everytime it happened, somebody had to walk to the top of that giant hill right before the drop (it's the opposite direction now that it's PK) to let the folks know that everything's OK and then to send the car down (we didn't evac unless there was an actual emergency. If it was just that we took too long, we just sent the train down as soon as it was clear to do so). And, since I was the fastest at climbing the stairs, guess who got to do it the most?! ::)
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Does anyone know why the "bang bang bang" off the ride? I think that was this season, right? I seem to remember that there, even as recently as early this season. Is that right? Does anyone know why they took that out?
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Are you talking about the gun shots before the train collision. If so, they changed the scene to a hanging. They took the gun shots out because no one was shooting a gun in the scene, so M&C put an escaping Baldknobber in the scene with someone shooting at him, however, they never put the shots back in. Hope they do this winter!
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That's what it was! I knew there was something missing during my ride on Fire in the Hole, and I knew the giant spider web from years ago wasn't it. :P
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I have another FITH question for you SDC buffs out there, what is with the tracks that come out of the building? As you enter the wilson's farm area you can see tracks that come out of the FITH building. I always thought it was for show and nothing more. However, if you look at it closely it would appear to be for maintenance. Additionally, if you look up above you and to the right at the vary beginning of the ride (as soon as you leave the loading dock) you can see tracks above you and light coming in from the outside matching the opening you see in the 3rd picture.
Please let me know what this is use for, it has been bugging me for years ;D
The track coming out of FITH:
http://flic.kr/p/9NhNgm (http://flic.kr/p/9NhNgm)
The wooden door:
http://flic.kr/p/9NhNjN (http://flic.kr/p/9NhNjN)
The opening on the door where the track comes out:
http://flic.kr/p/9Nf3p4 (http://flic.kr/p/9Nf3p4)
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That is quite the mystery!
My first guess would be that those are in fact emergency exit doors in case of a real fire! However, that does not explain the “tracks” as they are referred to.
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That is a service access, the " track" is actually a gangway. The large metal beam is there to assist in lifting
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That's correct, mh. It's not used anymore because the majority of maintenance on the cars is done right there at the FITH nowadays. But there was a time when the cars were lifted out of the building, lowered to waiting vehicles, and hauled to the welding or machine shops at M&C for maintenance.
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Very interesting. Thanks everyone!
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I have wondered about that one many times!
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interesting info..
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Hello,
First time poster, but I've been going to SDC for a while now. My family just went memorial weekend and rode FITH with my two little boys. It scared the pants off of them! :)
Anyways, I came across this article from another website. According to them, this is why part of the coaster was shutdown.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zaMKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p0wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3536,5476647&dq=killed+on+fire+in+the+hole
Natalie
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Hello,
First time poster, but I've been going to SDC for a while now. My family just went memorial weekend and rode FITH with my two little boys. It scared the pants off of them! :)
Anyways, I came across this article from another website. According to them, this is why part of the coaster was shutdown.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zaMKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p0wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3536,5476647&dq=killed+on+fire+in+the+hole
Natalie
Your link doesn't say anything about part of the coaster being shutdown.
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graysunday,
That accident was tragic, but did not factor into the reasoning for the changes at FITH. The changes were not made until several years after, and involved some sections of the track being cut out of the ride, thus shortening it. This was done so they could run more people through it.
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zephon. i think you are correct, seems like i ave heard those details before, ride was too long?
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zephon. i think you are correct, seems like i ave heard those details before, ride was too long?
The ride wasn't too long, the lines to get on it were.
This is when FITH, the train, and the Flooded Mine were the only rides at SDC. In the late '70s, I can remember Six Flags-like lines to ride FITH, with 2 hour waits.
Now that there are more, and newer, rides, the nostalgic among us would love to see the ride restored to its original route.
IIRC, the main change made to FITH after the fatal accident, was to raise the roof of the service tunnel, so that even if a train did get shunted aside with passengers, nobody's head was in danger.
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OH! my bad! thanks KB, that does make more sense. And raising the "doorway/entryway would have been an automatic repair to eliminate that terrible accident from happening again.
thanks again
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and involved some sections of the track being cut out of the ride,
The only part of the ride I remember being shorter is the section between the bridge and the train. Was there more removed that I dont remember?
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I'm not familiar enough with the guts of the ride to be able to say which part was taken out, or how exactly the track was re-routed, but I do know that the area that was removed is now used as a maintenance and storage area. I believe the length of ride time was shortened by more than a minute.
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I believe the length of ride time was shortened by more than a minute.
If my memory serves me right, which it usually doesn't. I would say shortened by more than a minute is too long. It seems to me it was maybe 20-25 seconds. I would not bet my life on it but I have a little bit of money I might put down :).
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In the old days of the sixties and seventies when attendance at the park was much lower, officials could afford to have longer tracks at FITH, and the old float trip took about 7 minutes to get around, too. When they put in the plunge, the route was cut in half...we were beginning the 80s at this point. Then, lost river was put in, and it is a short route too. Does not surprise me that they took a section of track out at FITH. Riverblast has a very short route, too. They have double the park attendance they did in the old days, so they gotta move twice as many people through those rides. That's showbiz!
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thats right junior. "line em up" and " move em out" !!
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It is not about the length of the ride, but the ride quality that counts! ;)
Speaking of shortening Fire in the Hole, I came across a behind the scenes picture taken by tinmann620 which shows a control panel of sorts with what looks to be the old tracks, or route painted out.
Any ideas, or confirmations?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30708145@N02/4350780193/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30708145@N02/4350780193/)
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Looks like they removed "A LOT" of the ride. :'( I can't tell what the original route looked like.
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OOH cool behind the scenes picture!! However, I can't really tell what was taken out as I wasn't around back then....
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I took these photos of FITH a little while back... Also, wikipedia has a good article about FITH.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001086931355#!/media/set/?set=a.411873057602.203291.7656242602 (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001086931355#!/media/set/?set=a.411873057602.203291.7656242602)
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Wow! I've always wanted to see a "floor plan" of fire-in-the-hole; very interesting.
Is the darker grey section the removed track? I seem to be able to figure out the layout, but wasn't sure what the grey part meant.
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Here is my guess at the locations
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I believe the ride entrance is further up the track. What you have looks like the splash down area
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I believe the ride entrance is further up the track. What you have looks like the splash down area
agree
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I was doing some digging, and I found this picture of BLAZING FURY's track! It seems like the exact tract that FITH follows. It also seems like the "missing track" from FITH was never in place for Blazing Fury.
http://www.lonestarthrills.com/gallery/index.php/Dollywood/Blazing-Fury/dw-blazingfury006 (http://www.lonestarthrills.com/gallery/index.php/Dollywood/Blazing-Fury/dw-blazingfury006)
If someone could figure out how to place the two photo's side-by-side, that would be great. I tried to, but couldn't get it to work.
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Easy, I'll post that for you later tonight. Unless someone beats me to it ;)
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The flat portion of track to the right is the station. The trains leave the station by going up that map and make a left turn into Area One or the Waterfall. Area Two comes next or the Saloon after that the train turns left into area Three or the Water Tower and then turns left again into Area Four or the Hotel. After that the train travels a bit and turns right into a large open area with stars and a cabin also known as area Five or the Burning Cabin. After that the train turns right into Area Six or the cave and then enters Area Seven under the Kinney Bridge Sign. Then the train turns right and travels down the first dip into Area Eight or the Hanging Scene. ### Then the train travels left into Area Eleven the Train Tunnel and down that hill into area twelve the final drop or FITH! And then the train travels through the lake back to the station.
### Area Nine and Ten… At one time after the first dip the train traveled right into the Baldknobber Cave. This area was said to be “cave like” with several Baldknobbers barricaded behind crates and wagons shooting at you as you pass by. Then you went into a dark area and reemerged above the burning cabin and under the moon and stars. This section had mangled tracks ahead and gave you the illusion that you would fall off the cliff, but then you jolted to the right and connected to the train tunnel.
According to that map there is a train coming back to the station and a train in front of the burning cabin. Two lights lit indicate two trains on the tracks.
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I remember (and miss) that "jolt to the right" section.
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I remember (and miss) that "jolt to the right" section.
I also miss that part of the ride which was arguably one of the best parts. It was kind of spooky looking with the track mangled and sticking in the air with smoke coming from it like it had just been blown up. It was an effect you had to be sitting in the front seat to get the full effect.
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Best I can figur (insert Alfie Bolin voice here) this is the version of the ride control panel that is currently used at this time.
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You’d figur’ correct. As far as I know, it is the exact same control panel they have been using since they built the ride. No reason to change it, just grab a paint brush, and a small dab of paint.
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This is the new control panel if u play the ride back in your mind it's easy to figure out
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Here is a side-by-side view of the two control panels. Enjoy!
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The angle is a little tighter on FITH where they took out the track but otherwise they are identical. THat's awesome
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Thank you Polley for posted the two tracks side-by-side! I was so happy when I found Blazing Fury's track, and so wanted to show everyone the two tracks next to each other. It's funny how excited we all get over pictures over control panels!
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It's funny how excited we all get over pictures over control panels!
Hey now, it's only because those panels are a piece of the puzzle that helps put the magic of the rides into action. :D
I'm curious though, does the yellow represent the "powered" portion of track, and the blue represents the momentum portion of track, or is it the opposite, or do the yellow, and blue segments have some other meaning?
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My interpretation is that there can be a train in the yello sections other wise the ride might shut down if there are two trains in the same section. Then it could just be a way to dEfine track sections easier with the alternating colors.
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I stumbled across this video of FITH behind the scenes and wondered of any of you had seen it yet. It's kinda herky-jerky at times but you get the flavor of some of the maintenance area. There are links to a lot of other SDC rides there as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEZCPuU9NHA&NR=1
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I stumbled across this video of FITH behind the scenes and wondered of any of you had seen it yet. It's kinda herky-jerky at times but you get the flavor of some of the maintenance area. There are links to a lot of other SDC rides there as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEZCPuU9NHA&NR=1
I hope I don't offend anyone here who may have been involved in the making of the video, but... wow. That was terrible!
The behind-the-scenes crew were incredibly patient. Kudos to them for putting up with fan events like this.
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This is not as much a question as something I had to share. My son who is 3 has gone on fire in the hole each time we are at the park which probably puts it at 4-5 times. Well yesterday we were on the way home from preschool and out of no where started to recite the Red Flanders dialogue. I have to admit as a father and person who has been going to the city since I was little was a very proud.
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^ too cute! :D
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That was a pretty awesome father-son moment!
It’s times like those when you know everything is going be okay. Fire in the Hole has been creating memories for so many generations. :)
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KB-
Every night after bath I tell the kids to put their pants on and at least one of them if not both tells me that "they aint got no pants", then I ask why and "the baldknobbers got em".
I love it.
It make me realize that every tank of gas we burn is creating memories of our family being together and having fun. Memories that I hope they will keep for a long time.
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your'e all right!! the city makes memories. I agree with all of you when your littles ones do cute things like that..
You know if you tried to "teach" them that.. no way that would work!
But for them to pick it up on there own.........
Priceless................
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OK, am I just missing something? When a cannon is lit, some soldier shouts, "Fire in the Hole!" to warn the others of the impending explosion. Is that last drop supposed to be an explosion? If so or if not, where did the ride get its name? Or is it a firefighting term, as well?
I was thinking, maybe when they yell "Fire in the Hole!!", you are ducking, so going down the hill really fast is like you are dropping to the ground to avoid getting hurt by the explosion.
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That sounds like a good explanation. I never thought of it like that.
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Welcome to the board, Tiffanylynnt! As someone said on here before "You have a great website ahead of you!"
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Look who my sister's bf's gym coach is!! :o
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Ok for you FIRE IN THE HOLE experts what is the entire conversation between Red Flanders and Sadie
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Ok for you FIRE IN THE HOLE experts what is the entire conversation between Red Flanders and Sadie
Sadie: "Red Flanders! You get back in here and put on your pants!"
Red: "Well, Sadie! I ain't got no pants no more. The dang Baldknobbers stole 'em!"
Sadie: "What the sam hill would they want with your pants!"
Red: "Maybe it's the gold in my pocket!"
(please correct me if I'm wrong)
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you are ducking, so going down the hill really fast is like you are dropping to the ground to avoid getting hurt by the explosion.
Simply and Well Put!
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Ok for you FIRE IN THE HOLE experts what is the entire conversation between Red Flanders and Sadie
Sadie: "Red Flanders! You get back in here and put on your pants!"
Red: "Well, Sadie! I ain't got no pants no more. The dang Baldknobbers stole 'em!"
Sadie: "What the sam hill would they want with your pants!"
Red: "Maybe it's the gold in my pocket!"
(please correct me if I'm wrong)
Thank you very much
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That's funny! She needs to be concerned if he teaches classes in horseback riding and torch lighting...
Look who my sister's bf's gym coach is!! :o
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Ok for you FIRE IN THE HOLE experts what is the entire conversation between Red Flanders and Sadie
Download th FITH ringtone for the first part of the conversation:
http://50.silverdollarcity.com/contests-extras/music.aspx
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I already have that, everytime I have gone on the ride lately I am toward the front and I could not hear the rest of the conversation. I wanted to make sure I had it correct.