FeelTheFORCE

So which way does Kennywood's Racer turn?

Where's the person who made all those random graphs in that one thread?

I wasn't going to say it, but that's pretty much the one I had in mind.

Those are some great pics! Speaking of pics, there was a photo on Twitter from Winter Chill Out mentioning some track was being replaced on Iron Dragon. Not really anything of note, as it was a very small section and probably nothing out of the ordinary for a CP offseason (compared to the "retracking" Mean Streak got every winter, yikes). However it does make me wonder how much more borrowed time their five older Arrows are still on with the growing maintenance costs, scarcity of parts, and just a general change in times. For some the end is probably sooner, for the more iconic ones they can probably squeeze out more life. Kennywood sought fit to bring Morgan back in 2009(?) to complete the retrack on Phantom's Revenge's first drop, due to what I would guess were increasing maintenance costs on the old Arrow sections that still remained. So out of Iron Dragon, Corkscrew, CCMR, Gemini, and Magnum, it wouldn't surprise me if one or two are removed within the next decade. Not likely the last two, but I wouldn't rule them out.

I'm also excited to see what's in store for CP over the next several years. In addition to everything else, I think they've done an incredible job recently of improving their coaster collection to get rid of some of the outdated, stale taste for a more modern feel to their lineup. Even then, there are still so many possible directions they can go. Just don't touch Wicked Twister, please.

^ We didn't because at the time we thought it was more of a kid's place like it's predecessors. I now see that's not the case.

The amusement park world is not in need of more crappy places serving chicken, that place that replaced Chick-Fil-A was horrible. Slow service and horrible food. I actually thought the opposite. Our service at that place was fine last year, and it seemed as if the quality didn't take much of a hit because they were using most of the same kitchen equipment. Either way, my first 2018 visit will be on a Sunday, so I'm looking forward to one of the new places!

I hope WT isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but my speculation is that area will involve an ongoing boardwalk expansion, culminating in a smaller wooden coaster on or very close to the beach. Possibly even a modern wild mouse or spinner coaster, and/or dark ride as well.

I'm glad that Chick-fil-A is back, but at the same time I usually go to the park on Sundays.

You probably shouldn't research how bad the wait times were for MF and TTD in their early years then. Even 15 years later, crazy souls will line up at a closed TTD fence for hours if it shows signs of activity.

I'm planning on going the second weekend they're open on Mother's Day, and I'm fully expecting at least 2 hours then. Valraven had a solid 2-2.5 hr line all day on that same Sunday in 2016. 4-5 hours on opening day wouldn't surprise me.

The car enthusiast in me likes that rat rod look.

Given the amount of subsidies he has needed, the odds that he will find countless billions to take lots of people's land and build this are likely very low. I'd be happy with reliable Amtrak service that was hourly instead of daily. Sandusky is on the existing line but not a useful stop for going to Cedar Point (arriving in the middle of the night). A ride system that would go hundreds of kilometers per hour could not follow the existing routes of the interstate highways or freight rail, the curves would need to be much larger. The amount of homes and other properties that would have to be demolished would be large. DOA is my guess. It's good for boosting share values but not a serious proposal.

If anyone can pull it off, Elon Musk can.

The conversions didn't turn them into world-class rides, but it did make them more enjoyable and worth a reride or two. I'm all for converting more standups.

Probably not. Kennywood isn't a park that's known to implement over the top safety measures.

I find it dizzying, but not nauseating. Everyone has their own tolerances, however.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but my money says it will never happen. Six Flags has already kicked the idea around and from what I understand it's not in consideration, anymore. Removing the helix just supports the argument that SF is going to try to make this ride work in its current form as opposed to spending a ton of money to go full flown iron horse. SFSTL management has commented that it would cost too much to RMC The Boss, unless a very significant portion were removed, due to its length. Maybe, maybe not. We've seen crazier from Six Flags. Time will tell.

I'm not on board with taking suggestions for sitting in XX seat in XX row, monitoring the temperature prior to riding, taking your own seat cushion, etc. But, when someone suggests something very simple like tightening your seat belt to avoid thigh bruising lap bars or or leaning forward on a shaky wooden coaster to avoid being uncomfortably jostled, I take their advice. Some of Bert's suggestions might seem a little particular for me I guess (no offense, sir). That said, a lot of what he wrote and most of the tips I've ever read from others seem relatively simple, straight forward, and effective. No one is suggesting going full blown reverse cowgirl. It's the off season, it's only February, it's around the time when those of us who only live near seasonal parks start to go a bit crazy. It was only a joke, no need to get ruffled feathers. You do you.

I just sit down, buckle in, and let the ride do its thing while enjoying it as much as possible. All these instructions like, you need to tilt your head 15° to the right, make sure the humidity is between 48%-60%, clap 6 times to tune yourself to the lift chain frequency, and sit in the seat EXACTLY 62 min. after eating Flaming Hot Cheetos, just aren't for me.

The Boss is unique in that it's so bad and out of control, that it's actually kind of fun. They could easily call in RMC and create something world-class (and it will probably happen eventually), but with this one I'm glad they're trying to preserve that experience for now.

I don't doubt they can make this a solid addition for the kiddies, but I just hope this license lasts a decent amount of years so we don't see another retheme to something generic in 5 or so years, a la Whistlestop Park. At least this'll counter some of the local negative offseason publicity they've been getting for Log Jammer. A lot of locals were not happy.

I'm sure I, along with many others, will still be calling it Mean Streak for a while anyway.

That lot only opens if it's needed due to volume.

You do you, but I'm not a fan of either and didn't feel much difference.