Ccron10

I'll be there tomorrow and now here's something that confuses me. According to the latest webcam shot, it shows not fence blocking off the midway where it usually is. Last year it was blocked off before the restrooms building and it seems like it's open all the way down through. There is a good spot to get pics right next to the fence near the cabana building. If you see a guy wearing a dark blue Hersheypark hat and a green jacket tomorrow, that would be me. I wonder if ACE will be there like last year?

Here is some news that might put a pause on progress for a few days. My RCT3 CD blew up into many tiny pieces a few hours ago. Luckly I already have a replacement CD so all I'd need to do is copy the park, uninstall and delete all the old files, install the new game and the many scenery and custom rides and I'm good to go. Stay tuned for more!

I'm not really, I'm just saying it could be depending on how long it takes to inspect the coaster. Also the fact that Midway America opened a few years ago and it was unannounced. The park could also easily put up temporary fencing leading to the entrance and according to the webcam the construction is on the otherside of the midway. I'm just saying that it is possible, but I also would be suprised or care if it doesn't open.

I'm not going to say that it's going to happen, but it could be possible. Last week Hersheypark posted a video and a photo on their facebook page showing Fahrenheit's trains being loaded on to the tracks (see below). The park would need to test the trains and the ride and have it approved for the season and depending on how long this takes, it could open, but we would need to wait and see tomorrow. I saw on the Boardwalk webcam this morning one of the trains sitting in the transfer track in the center. Photo by Hersheypark from facebook. Posted on April 3rd

EDIT: I thought at first Freestyle was a sponsor! Maybe they might turn the park into something to compete with South of the Border! I'd like to wish that Hard Rock park could be heading in a good direction, but I think they may have blew it with the name. A good park name has to be easy to remember, has to deal with the park, and has to have a unique logo to remember it by. The Freestyle Music Park seems too long to remember, the Freestyle part has nothing to do with the park and seems like it was just added in there for fun, and I don't think the logo would be impressionable. Six Flags has the flags, Cedar Fair has the coaster background, and Kennywood has the direction sign. I'm betting I could probably make a better logo too and I'm not an expert at computer graphics!

http://www.hersheypark.com/index.php A webcam has been posted to look at construction progress for the Boardwalk SeaQuel. The button appears in place of the Events Calender button after a few seconds. The webcam is updated hourly. It looks like the Seaquel is about completed. Paths are being added along with the final layers of concrete being added to the wavepool and lazy river. The completion date for construction is I believe May 1st, then scenery, and lifeguard training will begin. I plan on being at the park Saturday and will plan on posting a construction update. You can see one of Fahrenheit's trains inside the station as well. Although it's slim, but maybe FH might open. Remember that a few years ago Midway America opened unannounced. Anything is possible.

Well, in a few minutes I will be heading to present Sandstorm to the Community Days board. I typed up a speech, and printed out pictures and I am ready. Hopefully they will like it. In the event that this doesn't get approved, I might either finish it and then take it apart or put it in something else. I will focus it on the idea of it being a learning experience for the GP on how a coaster works. Here are the photos from last weekend's build session. Wish me luck! EDIT: I just got back from the meeting and I believe I did good. Everything seems okay to display the coaster, but the only issue would be security since the display area would be outside the area to be patrolled. If approved ( and I will know if it's good to go within 24 hours) the coaster might be displayed Monday June 29 to Friday July 3 from 5 PM to 10 PM each day. Check back soon for the verdict.

Detail is Important... In the last few weeks, I was doing touch-ups in certain areas and jumping around the park. I worked on Sidewinder's area and finished it, detailed most of Comet Hollow's midway, worked on Great Bear's queue line, and finally created the first section of skyview out of custom scenery. Just add some trees and it's good to go. More Soon. It's like looking at the real thing, but using CGI.

It really seems wierd to me how they are doing a media day for one of the most manufactured coaster types out there. Hopefully the trains are a big improvement and that we may see other parks investing in them.

I don't think this is happening and it's a fake. If Danny Rogers is serious about this, he should at least give us some pictural evidence that something is happening.

My first ride for 2009 will most likely be Comet or Great Bear at Hersheypark. I'm just dreading the individual seatbelts which causes you to search around for 5 minutes to them when you sit in the seat.

After lunch I was taken on a trip over to the golf course building right across from Chocolate World. Here's I met with Mr. Bachman who is one of the lead engineers. He showed me how they planned and built the Storm Runner coaster. The process on how they did this depends on many of factors and not on whatever the park feels like putting in. I was next shown Fahrenheit's blueprints. There was nearly 1,000 pages worth showing line graphs, drawings of individual parts, the trains, the 97 degree drop which was originally going to be 96 degrees. It was really interesting. They also kept most of the blueprints all the way back to 1971. We next went up to Hotel Hershey to show me the construction that's going on up there (summer cottages). From the way it looks, the cottages and other features that they added will probably open this summer. Going back to the park, I was then taken on a tour of the Boardwalk SeaQuel construction site. The Shore is starting to take shape. To rent a cabana, you would need to visit this building first. Intercoastal Waterway was 3/4th of the way finished. The layout should be done by now. This was taken exactly at where Canyon River Rapids's entrance used to be. This will be path leading over to the Shore. Right at ground-level of the lazy river. This is going to be either the entrance or exit for Intercoastal Waterway. Riders would either have the option of going around again or exit through one of the side paths. The Shore wave building will house restrooms, and offices. You will be able to walk across this path area in front of the pool. This is just about looking from the path on the wave pool building. Inside the Intercoastal Waterway before the river is finished. This will look nice once it's finished. The Shore Line Grill is nearly finished. Before I left for the day, I had the chance of walking through the maintenance shop one last time. The car framework for Wildcat. The lead car for one of the trains (Note: the car name). The Wild Mouse cars look finished. Going back to the Sidewinder cars, here's something new. The park is going to try out a new wheel frame on the cars this year. Will this reduce the rattle? Find out in a few weeks! One of the Howler cars. They were doing a little touch-up with the front cover for one of the Fahrenheit trains. The last stop of the day was the wood shop where they were working on 2 Carrousel horses. Kudos to the person who painted this one! The overall experience and lessons I learned from that day has changed my overall view on how theme parks are run and the amount of effert that is put through in trying to get the park open for the season. The employees who work there really love their job. For my graduation project I typed up a 10-page report and plan on presenting it in school really soon. Thanks for reading.

new video update has been posted. The wave pool building is starting to take it's shape and it seems like they now just need to add some of the paths, finish the buildings, do some finishing touches to the pools, add scenery and it's done. To note, the park laid mulch down on the Boardwalk midway as a way to protect the path surface as the construction vehicles were tearing it up. As Mrs. Burrows said, they needed to bring in a drill to take out some of the ride's concrete and also massive rocks that were found in the area where the Roedo was located. It also seems like they may have moved the Boardwalk entrance sign back and they are modifying the path layout there by having you enter the Shore by going under it's entrance sign.

So instead of comparing it to the Kingda Ka coaster because of height I should compare it to something else and put it into a class all it's own?

The track layout work is finished, but unfortunately I forgot to take pictures. Moving on to the next section of construction, I finally got a lift system worked out for the coaster. The system eliminates the use of motors which makes it fast-moving, but I'm still testing to make it more reliable. I am also trying to get the drive systems working as well. I just need to attach a long strip of sandpaper to the wheels and some to the cars to make them grip better. Last night I talked to one of the chairpeople who plan the July carnival and told him about the coaster. I have to go to a meeting in two weeks to present the coaster and get approval to display this. The carnival likely will be June 29 through July 4th. Since I know the coaster works, I have been thinking ahead and deciding what to do. Last year, the Kingda' Ka coaster got a lot of press coverage from Reading down to Philadelphia and New Jersey. Doing the same thing for this coaster would be not necessary. If I do contact any newspaper or news media, it would be local and limited to one paper and one news program. The purpose of this project was to accomplish something that was missing last year and give the people what they missed last year. I am really happy to have the opportunity to do this because I always dreamed of doing something like this. I'd like to thank everyones support, criticism, and encouragement. This project is for all you guys. From here on, I will work on the lift system, run some more test runs, finish the station structure, tweak a few things and modify a few sections to make them more appealing.

The chances of me going are now greater and its going to be interesting after my February trip. If anyone is going on the Saturday and is interested in meeting up, feel free to let me know. I plan on meeting a few friends there as well. Even SR and FH won't be open, Great Bear will be .

Midway America will not be open. I think more of the reason why SR and FH won't be open is because it won't be ready by then. Some of the SR cars still haven't been inspected when I went up to shadow last month. Also FH's trains are over at Intamin being worked on. I'm not upset that they won't open, in fact I'm happy becuase it will give some of the other coasters like Sidewinder, Trailblazer, and SDL some of the ridership thay haven't had in a long time. There's a good chance I might be going.

I didn't recieve your message. ^^ The Kiss logo didn't appear on the train until either 2007 or 2008 because I remember seeing it last year. Part II Back to business. After visiting Roller Soaker's service center, I was allowed to check out the pump and filteration system for the Boardwalk which was interesting. Then it was over to Tidal Force and the mechanics there were looking for a gear box and bracket for the drive system. Lift motor. The station and the drive system. To find the information of the parts, we had to go over to Canyon River Rapids's Control Room to get the documents. Old wiring to the Canyon River Rapids's old control system. The control room also houses the music system for the Boardwalk area, and features a nice sign on the wall. lol Back in the ride's service center, I was shown the evidence of what chlorine and one to two years of use can do on some of the parts. Those parts looked much older than they are and need to be replaced often. Since Hopkins went out of business, it is up to the park to get new parts. This means a few things: Make the part themselves or research. Next we went over to Dry Gulch Railroad where I interviewed the mechanics who work on the trains. Taken right next to the engine house. The upper part of the SeaQuel and Fahrenheit. The main wavepool area and Tidal Force. I couldn't tell which train was which since the funnels were off. The wheels were taken off and were up on blocks. After taking a few laps back to Tidal Force and DGRR delivering parts and getting information, we then had freetime, so we went over to Minetown to Great Bear. It was strange going in the station during the off-season; the platform was lowered, the bagdrop was being used as a nut and bolt holder, the seat frames were sitting there and the gates were open with no guests. In the service center I met a pair of guys who take great pride in their coaster and say it's really adaptible with parts. The train they were working on was halfway done with it's inspection. One of the wheel assemblies. There was a second floor to work on the tops of the trains. The trains are actually sitting on the platform since there is no track, but it will be added when they are done. This holds the wheels. The side wheels move in and out for easy steering. The car connector is where the brake pads are and the chain dog. In the second storage bay is the second train which is almost finished; they just need to add the seats and restraints. The restraints, seats and Kissing Tower Christmas tree. The chain dog on the finished train. Ready for the season. The wheel covers have been painted with a color changing paint scheme which was 10K. Looking good. The station. B&M likes to keep thier control panels very simple. The coaster also got a new lift hill motor. That's all for now. Seaquel photos and more shop pictures soon.

A few weeks ago as part of a school job shadowing project, Hersheypark allowed me to see what it's like to work in the maintenance department. On that day, I met a lot of interesting people, made a couple of friends, and learned a lot of things about the amusement industry that I didn't know before. I was allowed to tour some of the ride service centers and meet the engineers, mechanics, and workers who are given the responsibility of caring for the park's 11 coasters and 60 rides. On to the photos and the facts I learned. Sidewinder looks ready for the 2009 season. Each car is taken apart down to the frame, cleaned, tested, and reassembled. The brakes are even removed and inspected. The restraints. The front of one of the cars. The lead car. Hmm. What frame does this coaster belong to? Must be for Trailblazer. Looks like the car is almost all one piece, but it isn't. Looper's front car is completely different without the fiberglass body. The wheel covers stacked nicely. A little farther in the shop, Storm Runner's cars were being worked on. Fahrenheit was just about nowhere to be seen because it was over in Europe being worked on. These cars judging by the dirt have yet to be inspected. The park uses a system by painting the nuts and bolts and can tell when it is time to replace them. This must be the last car according to the seat numbers. The cars are articulated and don't have all the fiberglass panels on it. I saw these wheel frames sitting around and decided to snap a picture. After doing a little research, these belong to Fahrenheit. Here's another Storm Runner car. It is amazing how the cars are so easy to move even though they weigh close to one to two thousand pounds. Here's part of one of the Skyview cars. Also in the shop are the just about the whole Tilt-A-Whirl ride. The platform was inside along with the cars. Inside the fiberglass shop are the Coal Cracker boats. Looks like these Skyview cars are ready to go. Around the park, there are "mini" service centers for specific rides. This is Roller Soaker's. A closer view of the wheel assemblies. I'll have more tomorrow. I'd like to thank Hersheypark for giving me the oppertunity to job shadow many great people who love what they do and make me see if mechanical engineering is the career for me.[/img]

Mid Year #1 Update Today I visited the park and nothing seems different since opening day. Hurricane was down for a few hours, but reopened later. I did come across a sign that's near the clearing on Catfish lake (see photo below). It doesn't really mean something, but it does confirm that the new ride or attraction will be built in this area. Maybe there's a hint on it?? More soon. Megaworld Construction Site.bmp .....

Living in a town in the middle of nowhere (well except for the Interstate running through) can be quite lonely. But that was until this place was built... I used to have to travel a few hours to reach the nearest amusement park, but now that Megaworld was built, I don't have that problem anymore. The park just opened last month and today was my first trip and boy, was it an experience! For $20 I was able to ride the park's 4 coasters and countless number of family rides and take in the atmosphere. Unlike a park I heard of called Hard Rock Park which focused too much on entertainment and eventually closed, Megaworld has no shows except for a Circus Show and is doing well in the troubled economy. The park has 3 themed areas; State Fair (a country fair), Catfish Cove (a southern, lakeside town), and the Backwoods (an area hidden in a forest). The 4 coasters are high-class. Megaworld State Fair Catfish Cove The Backwoods -Flying Eagle is a classic wooden coaster which circles the State Fair area. This coaster is smooth as glass and was built by Custom Coasters Int. The park owners said they wanted a classic coaster that produces a lot of airtime. -It took 2 years of research and construction, but they brought back the classic Virginia Reel-type coaster. It was real intense with it's spinning and when I got off, I was close to throwing up! Still a good ride though. -Across the park in Catfish Cove, Hurricane is the main attraction for Megaworld. This Intamin sit-down coaster launches the riders up a 100 foot lift, down a 95 degree drop, into a steeply banked turn and through a corkscrew and tight turns while trying to dodge numerous trees in the Backwoods area. This has to be the coaster at the top of my top 10 list. While not a coaster, the Timberlake Log Flume is the best way to beat the heat at Megaworld. Riders float through a tunnel, up a 45 foot lift and into a pond filled with mist. Although I didn't get a chance to ride it, I will do it next time. Also in Catfish Cove is the first coaster you see when you enter the park. Cottonmouth is a hybrid coaster built by Schwartzkopf, but was modified by the park to include a splashdown. It may rattle a bit, but Cottonmouth has to be the most eyecatching coaster I have ever seen. This has to be my favorite area. This is an earlier construction picture. Even though this was my first trip to the park, I can wait to see what is added next year. By the way, while I was there I saw a sign near the cleared area at the foot of Catfish Lake. So far the enthusiest community is thinking a new ride since the park just opened. More soon...

^Ok, will do. Here the teaser video for Sandstorm. http://s533.photobucket.com/albums/ee340/knexfahrenheit/?action=view&current=KnexSandstormTeaserMovie.flv Feedback please.

It's been awhile since my last update and the reason why was to do a massive overhaul on the coaster's ending. If you remember, it end with a straight section of track that went by the station, went up, dived sharply down to the right, rise and turn right again. This whole section including the station have been removed. I have added a 3rd lift hill and made it go vertically, and then dorp at an angle between 95-100 degrees. I rises into a low 90 degree banked turn to the left, rises and runs semi-parallel to the new station where it does one or two bunny hops before slowing down. Next week, track work will hopefully officially finished (except for retracking everything and small fixes) and I will start on getting my lift system to work (hopefully) and adding my drive systems. From there it's testing and if I have enough pieces, add mini catwalks and make it look like an actual coaster. Steep. (^^,) More soon. The rabbit hops and trains which will be painted (let me know what paint scheme you think would be cool on it!). The helix. It needs a tad bit of more track to it. The train will rocket around this section. The final rabbit hills. They had to be somewhat-arched shaped. More lights! The 3rd and final lift hill. It will be eye-catching.

Knowing from how Knoebels likes to open their new attractions, I wouldn't expect this new coaster to open until July to as late as 2010. It all depends if anything is being built at this point.

He did dance, but only for a few seconds towards the end. I actually find it interesting that Mr. Six now speaks. It's kind of exactly what I kind of imagined he'd sound like. It's great to see the old guy back.