ISA members get behind-the-scenes look at Canada’s Wonderland

On Sept. 15, members of ISA Toronto and their families had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at Canada’s Wonderland and see how their favourite attractions worked.

The first half of the tour took a look at the workings of Wonderland’s newest attraction, Leviathan. This new roller coaster features an initial 300-foot drop at just more than 80 degrees, which propels riders to over 140km/h (>85mph) along its mile long track.  

One of the interesting parts of the tour was a look at the control system that has about 5000 I/O points, or as ISA Toronto member Jim Dykes put it, “about a third of what you would find at a small pulp mill.”

The second half showed off Splash Works, which was closed for the season, and allowed for full and unimpeded access. The tour started off by taking a look at the water quality control system, and then moved over to the wave control system for the pool, where thanks to three 100hp compressors, the park can generate up to 80 different combinations of waves.

The tour was a great opportunity to look behind the scenes, and an eye opener for many members.  ISA Toronto member and Centennial College student Adam Conner put it best when he mentioned that, “I was expecting to see more specialized equipment for the rides, but much of what I see here isn’t any different from what we work with in class.”

Ryan Kershaw is currently serving as president of the ISA Toronto Section, and has been involved in the process instrumentation and automation field for over a decade. ISA Toronto was formed in 1948, and has been in continuous operation ever since.  ISA Toronto offers monthly members meetings along with special events and training sessions. Learn more about ISA Toronto at www.isatoronto.org, follow us on Twitter @ISATORONTO.