Ccron10

Well, I'm graduating from high school in 2010 and the mid-America trip probably wouldn't be tough to travel to. Hopefully if I store up enough money along with money for college and what not, it could work out (also lets not for get about parents). College dates play a big factor as well. I would love to meet all you guys and get some faces to go with the sceennames. It could be a graduation present for myself! When you say approximately $2000 to $2200, does that include airfare to the starting spot and to get back home? Or is this for the entire trip (admission, meals, bus transportation, etc.)? I'm putting this on my list of things to possibly think about, but college would come first.

That answers my have height question. They do seem very shore-like though.

How about this? I can be the guinea pig here! I have never been to Cedar Point, have almost no opinion about Magnum or just about any of the coasters, haven't ridden any of the coasters there, and when I possibly go in August, I can put them to the test and see which is better! I just don't get why Magnum is so popular. It's only the lowest 200+ foot coaster there. I don't think Dorney Park fanboys have this much of love for Steel Force and that coaster is kind of good.

They are leaving us hanging until next season! Just like who shot JR in Dallas. It was a good episode though.

Trailblazer Area Nearly Finished Here's my first actual new update since April and it's not much. I add the rest of the supports to Storm Runner, installed some more fences around Trailblazer and add it's entrance sign. The catering area was also built as well. More Soon. Here's a look at the finished area between Storm Runner and Trailblazer. Trailblazer Catering Area Trailblazer's entrance.

Almost completed and from the webcam image below, it seems like lifeguard training in starting to happen. I wonder how high the waves will be in the Shore? It'd be awesome if they could crank them up to do surfing on like at Typhoon Lagoon, but I doubt it. It looks like they are adding another building right next to the bridge and looking at the concept art, it shows a lighthouse-like building. I thought that they decided to not build it? Oh well. 5/11/09

After seeing the POV, it does look like one wicked ride. The only spot where I could see the track having trouble is at the very end of the ride in the final few turns. The cars swing so much that it seems like it could be compared to how high the cars swung on The Bat. It seems like that would be the only section that would need to be fixed by just banking the track more in that area.

I am aware of this, but it can't be fixed. If I tried doing this, it would ruin Fahrenheit's layout even more. It is the same way with Trailblazer; the layout is not completely like the real thing and it had to be made that way for everything to fit. I have good news. Last night I bought a new RCT3 CD and I can now get back to work on the park. I did have another CD besides the one that blew up, but somehow it turned out to be a fake. I got it from Amazon too which is strange. Apperantly I do have a new update. Since the last time I worked on the park, I just finished Great Bear's station and queue area. I also finished Trailblazer's station, added a few pieces of western scenery and the bridge for Dry Gulch Railroad.

Well, opening day is in two or three weeks, the Shore, and Intercoastal Waterway are filled and are currently being tested. So what is left for them to do? Finish up the concrete and add scenery. Two guys from the park are responsible for the finishing touches and are traveling down to Florida to pick out Boardwalk-type scenery. Here's a link to their blog which includes pictures: http://hersheyparkhitstheroad.wordpress.com/ Some of the scenery items on their "shopping list" are bouys, dock, crab fishing pots, boats, signs, fake seagulls, and more. Webcam as of 3PM 5/7/09

They seemed okay when I saw them; a bit dirty, but what do you expect having them going 72mph for the whole season? They were also cleaning each brake fin on the ride. I think it might have something to do with the station.

Strange. I did see wooden scaffolding in the station covering the tracks. I have a feeling it has to do with reworking the lines or something.

Here is some bad news about the project. It seems like my new RCT3 CD won't allow me to upload the Soaked or Wild expansion packs. The cause I believe is something on the CD. I does however seem to allow me to play the original version, so hope is not entirely lost. Because of this, Hersheypark on RCT3 is being put on hold until I am able to get Platinium to solve this problem. I do plan on making a filler project until I get the new CD.

What happened to the last lift hill? When I was there in August, they had all the lift hill mechanisms in place including the chain. From the pic above it seems like they threw out the lift system (which I highly doubt). From what I see, I don't think we'll see this ride running until late in the season if at all.

It's going right where HSTC was. Golden Nugget is going somewhere else, apparently. I heard that it's going in next to the Mining Museum in 2010 or later. It probably depends when Flying Turns is finished.

From the way it seems probably right where High Speed Thrill Coaster was becuase if they didn't, then the station roof, the entrance path, and coaster bridges would probably be long gone. It seems like those new tracked sections might actually work, but I don't understand the purpose of removing the brake run roof.

Wow! That came out nice. All that needs to be added is scenery and the area is good to go. The area is completely different from what you see on the concept sketch, so don't expect everything to be there.

The center track was added to make the track stronger and smoother. IMO it makes the coaster look cooler and it helps the lift hills.

That's true that it's not as traditional as it used to be. Some of the prices are incredible. I was standing in line for the Comet a week ago and the vending machine online sells Gatorade and bottled water for $3.50! When we were leaving, my dad and me just stopped at the water fountain at the parking lot restrooms instead of buying something. As far as traditional, I don't think the park was ever traditional since the 1960s.

Hopefully by tomorrow I can get beack on my original computer (no, the CD drive is not back from the shop, but hopefully the computer would work without it) and create the platform design and layout for my display on Sketch-Up. If I didn't say above, I plan on using the coaster to demonstrate how real roller coasters and amusement park rides work to the general public. Thanks to what I learned on my job shadowing experience, this should be detailed. I'm not expecting the park to help me with this, but if they're willing, then the more info the marrier. Since Sandstorm's layout is U-shaped, spectators will view the coaster around the outside and the inside will show details on the design and building of coasters and rides. Around the outside, there will be specific areas explaining how each mechanism works and what it looks like on a real coaster. As for what Snadstorm will be compared to, the coaster can be described as "taking notable elements from several coasters and combining them into one (Fahrenheit, Millenium Force, maverick, etc.). I don't want people coming to see this and expect something 15 feet tall. I'll keep you guys posted!

I said it would be slim for it to be open for Springtime in the Park this year. Fahrenheit will be open during the summer and possibly Fall.

I know this was written 2 years ago, but since this topic was brought back up I thought I would just comment this. You can clearly see in this picture that the trains on Nitro doesnt rest on its wheels when its not being used. I havent seen the transfer tracks on other B&M's, but I would imagine its similar. http://rcdb.com/ig1106.htm?picture=3 As for magnetic brakes, Im not a huge fan of them. I cant say they bother me that much, but they can make me slightly nasious(sp?) on a hot day if Im a bit dehydrated. Yes i do believe most of them are similar. Great Bear at hersheypark does have it's trains sit "trackless", but technically they are still sitting on track. Each car frame has 4 casters and when it is stored in the service center, the trains ride on a second (track) that is on the catwalk next to it. In some cases depending on the coaster, there can be removable pieces of track so that during the operating season the cars don't have to constantly be removed. Here's an example: Without the track. With the track. As for the polyeurthane wheels, they have to be one of the smoothest things I have ever touched. They feel kind of like rubber and plastic put together (they probably are). I have never ridden a B&M coaster with magnetic brakes, but on Intamins they really slow the cars down smoothly in some cases.

Unlike the 2008 season which only included 2 parks and 2 new credits, the 2009 season for me will be big. - 2 New parks - 4 Parks in All -Nearly 30 new credits in all. To kick off this epic season, the first stop was to my home park, Hersheypark. A few months before, I got to see how these rides work, now it's time to ride them and with Midway America opening unannounced, it turned out to be a half decent way to get it started. Luckly the rain stopped when my dad and me got there. The park was packed and because of this Midway opened. To start the season was Lightning Racer. It still has to be the smoothest wooden coaster at the park. The achitecture of the station has to be one of the most detail ride stations in the park. Before I forget, here are the latest photos from the Boardwalk Seaquel construction site. Back in February I was told that part of the line for Tidal Force would be taken out for more locker space. As you can see, the railings are gone. Much of the Shore building facade is finished. Looks like it turned out great. Most of the paths have been added. The final layer of concrete is being added to the pool, the railings have been added and the deadline seems to be coming near. Although not a lot will be added on this pathway as first planned, it seems like it will be a nice pieceful area. All that needs to be added are some plants and it will be a nice finishing touch. This went up fast. The main entrance has been finished. Intercoastal Waterway still needs a little work, but it's getting there. The fake wooden boards add a nice touch to the lazy river. Going back to my Trip Report. My next stop was the Ferris Wheel. Really? I thought if you rode this that you'd float to the ground! I love the zoom on this camera. Next was Wild Mouse. This ride was hardly trimmed. Fahrenheit's trains have returned from Europe and are ready for the season. We'll come back to that a little later. Next was a break and a snack at the recently named Pioneer Frontier Catering Area. Then it was over to Great Bear. The entire queue was almost filled and the wait was only 30 minutes or a little less it seemed. I never noticed this, but one of Great Bear's supports acually touches Sooperdooperlooper's lift hill. Next up was Sooperdooperlooper where the entire line was nearly filled. The wait was around 20 minutes. Kissing Tower, Flying Falcon, and then Skyview were next. ZooAmerica added a new entrance. Artsy. Hello BeemerBoy. Storytime. After Skyview I hopped on Comet and here's what happened. For all to know, on one side of Comet, there is the creek and the other is Founder's Circle. We got to the far turnaround near Rhineland and on the way back we nearly got Fabio-ed by a goose who looked like he was heading toward the on-coming train and was going to take flight right into us. It was kind of hilarious, but then again I was in the second row and could've easily still have gotten hit. Since it was getting dark, I decided to test out my camera at nighttime so I headed back to Dry Gulch Railroad and then to Midway America. After one last ride on the Whip I started heading out. Here are some Fahrenheit photos. Love my nightvision. I hope to visit the park again sometime the summer to experience the Boardwalk sometime. That's it. Comment.

The coaster is good to go for displaying. In the last week I have been putting the coaster through it's early stages of testing. Sandstorm would need a minimium of 2 people to operate ( for the two main lifts and to move it around a few spots where it pauses which is before the station and lift hills) . I am in the process of designing a wooden platform to elevate it and keep it off of the ground. The station is finished as well as the lift system running through the station. I now need to just get the drive system to work ( they aren't moving the cars for some reason). I'll keep you guys updated on the platform.

The CD drive is still in the shop but once it comes back I plan on limiting my time on the recreation. Don't expect to download this park until sometime in the summer.