Home > Pavilion > Ride/Show Technology > Driving Vehicles (REPO) As we mentioned in Travling Theater, if anything goes wrong that the system can't compensate for--whether it's a vehicle that has strayed from the guidewire, a mechanical malfunction, or one of many other conditions--the Wayside orders the entire ride to shut down. This "failsafe" works remarkably well, but it has a very unfortunate side-effect. Unlike many rides, Universe of Energy can't quickly recover from an E-Stop, even when the system is not compromised by mechanical or other failures. Universe of Energy requires a full restart, just as though it was just starting for the day, after being shut down properly the night before. The problem is, an E-Stop leaves all ride elements (vehicles, turntables, curtains, doors, screens) in whatever position they were last in. The Energy Maintenance team comes in and works with Operations Cast Members to get all elements back into "startup positions". Though a bit time-consuming, and requiring considerable caution, it's easy enough to raise or lower screens and curtains, raise the doors, and rotate the turntables under manual control. The original DCM allowed manual control through its touch-screen; under the new system a panel door is opened revealing an array of manual pushbuttons). The Repo Man Preparing the vehicles for a re-start is both more complicated and much more interesting. The Wayside won't even recognize the vehicles, and won't consider a start-up, if the vehicles aren't in their "home" positions (on the turntables, properly aligned with their benchmarks). Just as with the turntables, doors, curtains, and screens, everything has to be positioned just as though the ride was starting fresh for the day. You may be wondering now, just how do you get a 9-ton vehicle back to its "home" position, when the Wayside won't have anything to do with it? You can't quite call AAA for a tow! The simple answer is, you drive them back into place. Lifting a hatch near a vehicle's wheelchair well, reveals a panel with controls for (among other things) manual operation. Known as "REPO" (for "REPOsition"), these controls--including direction (forward/backward), throttle (speed control), brakes and E-Stop--allow the vehicles to be manually driven. Typically a Cast Member will straddle the wheelchair door (or sit on the back of the vehicle, which is a bit more awkward, as the controls are upside-down from that perspective) to REPO (drive) the vehicle. If the vehicle is still aligned with the guidewire, it can be made to continue "seeking" the wire, so driving consists mostly of managing the direction and speed, and keeping a sharp eye on the surroundings. Though it seems pretty simple, it requires a bit of finesse, especially for properly aligning to the benchmark. It also requires a great deal of caution, as there are no safety features in manual mode. You can quite easily collide with another vehicle (though while following the guidewire, you're safe from running into show scenery). If the vehicle is not aligned with the guidewire, it's much more complicated. It must first be driven back in line with the guidewire, using manual steering controls. Meters on the control panel are used to determine signal strength to "seek" the wire manually. Driving Miss Daisy Because the restart procedure is so time-consuming (and may present safety risks to guests), the ride is always evacuated completely before the restart can proceed. In an ideal situation, the ride stopped with the vehicles already in their "home" positions in the Theaters, making for a simpler evacuation. If they are in other positions, however--particularly in the Diorama--it's generally considered easier and safer to REPO the vehicles back to the Theaters, with the guests aboard. Universe of Energy's ride system has gotten considerably more reliable over the years, so this procedure is far less common than it was at one time. But over the years, easily many thousands of guests have had a chance to experience a "REPO" first-hand. To the Bat Cave, Robin! As we mentioned in the Traveling Theater page, there are 13 Traveling Theater vehicles total--12 operational, and a spare. So where is the spare stored and how is it brought into service? In the Diorama, the wall of rock opposite the Elasmosaurus (the dinosaur in the tidal pool, which presently torements an Animatronic Ellen) is actually a "secret" door. This wall of "rock" opens up, almost like something out of the 1960's Batman series. If you look closely at the photo below, you'll see a jagged vertical line where two slabs of rock meet. The one on the right slightly overlaps the other, to hide the seam. These two slabs of rock open outward. Behind the rock doors, an industrial-type rollaway door provides additional light- and sound-proofing between the Diorama and the Maintenance Bay beyond. In REPO mode, the Traveling Theater vehicles can be driven right into or out of the Maintenance Bay, through the "bat cave." Related Pages Traveling Theater Learn more about the Traveling Theater and how its "trackless" guidewire system works.