These brakes are placed part way through a ride to allow additional trains on the track at the same time. Ultra Coaster only has one train, so these brakes really don't need to be there unless you want them there to appear more realistic, to recreate a real coaster, or if a contest requires them. There are certain rules that need to be followed to earn the full points if you do build a Block brake.Like all brakes these should be perfectly flat and straight. In real life trains would sometimes have to stop on these brakes in an emergency. When everything returns to normal the brakes can be released to finish the ride. The only way the train can do this though is if the brakes are inclined slightly downward, and the rest of the track is built so that if the train is stopped at the Midcourse Brake it can finish the layout. When I judge coasters that have a midcourse brake, I will go back and stop the train on the midcourse brake to check for these things:
- If stopped, does the train begin to roll again?
- If so, does it roll forward?
- If so, can the train finish the layout after being stopped?
These are things to keep in mind when building a Midcourse Brake.
Compare the track line to the horizon (where the mountains meet the grass). Notice that the brake run is perfectly flat and straight, and inclined slightly downward. This is the correct way to do it.
