chickenbowl

Yep. This whole topis can be summed up with three words: Cost, Quality, and Marketability.

I think I can edit my post from February after the success I had this season. I've bold-ed the parks I was able to visit in 2015. New parks to add to my bucket list (either cause they're new or I forgot before) I will italicize! North America: -Six Flags Great America -Six Flags Over Texas -Six Flags Fiesta Texas -Silver Dollar City Six Flags Mexico Canada's Wonderland La Ronde Kennywood -Kentucky Kingdom -Holiday World -Waldameer Europe: Liseberg Europa Park Holiday Park Walibi Holland Heide Park Hansa Park Phantasialand Mirabilandia PortAventura Disneyland Paris Alton Towers Thrope Park Kolmarden Djurs Sommerland Asia: Tokyo Disneyland/Sea Fuji-Q Tobu Zoo Lotte World Everland Ocean Park Hong Kong Disneyland Knight Valley -Ferrari World -Universal Studios Japan -Nagashima Spaland -Shanghai Disneyland It's clear that I have been to nearly all of the major U.S. parks, but there's quite a few I will need to revisit soon (Lightning Rod... Valravn... Wicked Cyclone... etc.), but I definitely need to get to some of those European/Asian parks soon!

Exactly Same... Even better, an RMC launched invert... in the middle of La Ronde. That'd give the park the title of most inverts of any park anywhere (SLC, BTR clone, RMC). Check your facts bro. Dorney= 3 Inverts Talon Possesed Stinger Oh boy Kings Island: Banshee Invertigo Flying Ace Junior SLC The Bat?? It's at least a tie

The difference between Gwazi, Wildcat and this should be the level of "retrack." I think GCI retracked a few layers of Gwazi, but the whole track was damaged, so it didn't completely solve the problem. From the pictures I've seen, GhostRiders renovation looks much more extensive than either of those, so I have very high hopes that it will be top quality again! And yay for no mid course! (KBF knew exactly who was reading the PR when they wrote that! ) we may be seeing the strongest airtime on a "GCI" yet!

Definitely: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Joker) Knott's Berry Farm (GhostRider) Universal Studios Hollywood (Potter) Dollywood Carowinds Kentucky Kingdom* Holiday World* King's Island Cedar Point Hopefully: Canada's Wonderland* King's Dominion Dorney Park* Hersheypark Knoebel's Busch Gardens Williamsburg Six Flags America* Kennywood* Beech Bend* Waldameer* Possibly: Martin's Fantasy Island* Darien Lake Lakemont Park* Idlewild* Orlando Parks in Nov for 2016 IAAPA? All of the non-CA parks will hopefully be done in one large trip (basically a giant loop if all works out). The trip is focused around riding 2 RMCs (Lightning Rod, Storm Chaser), 7 huge new B&M's for me (Fury 325, Leviathan, Behemoth, Valravn, Banshee, GateKeeper, and Thunderbird), the HW woodies, RFII, Phantom's Revenge, Lightning Run, and the Rides of Steel-clones. *I starred the new parks for me, and each revisited park has a major incentive for revisit! My goal is to ride any remaining top 10 US-coasters. As of right now I've been on every major Intamin (except the Ride of Steel-clones and some random ones), 47/60 B&M's, 5/6 RMC's, and nearly all acclaimed woodies. This trip next year would decimate my US bucket list. ...And then maybe Europe in 2017?!

This layout in insane! I'm very happy that it'll have these trains! Probably best coaster in that whole continent!

Hyper - Magnum XL-200, great airtime on the return home, very fun, classic (H.M.- Desperado) Looper - Tennesse Tornado, smoothest Arrow of all time, great forces, great pacing (H.M.- Loch Ness Monster) Mine Train - Thunderation, very large, very fast, great use of terrain! (H.M.- Road Runner Express (SFFT)) Suspended - KI's Bat, swings a lot in the front row, very fast! (H.M.- Ninja) (Eagle's Fortress and BBW looked insane!) Other (Speical) - MK's Space Mountain, smooth, fun, comfortable, and even a little airtime (H.M.- Matterhorn)

If you want ejector that lasts for more than .0001 seconds then you need a taller camelback like this. If you're saying RMC has yet to deliver true sustained ejector, then here's hoping there's a first time for everything. Count me among those that are SO happy they went with this rather than an inverted stall a la Wildfire. Although there's plenty of airtime moments longer than .0001s, but it's true that there's not many sustained moments of airtime on the 5 of their coasters I've ridden. There's a handful of more sustained moments on Twisted Colossus (the blue hill under the green stall), Outlaw Run (the double-up before the twist-n-shout, parallel to the lift/drop), Golaith (the straight airtime hill in the front row), Iron Rattler (dropping off the quarry in the back seat), and a couple of spots on NTG. But I do hope that this hill can provide some sustained ejector, cause that is the one design aspect I wish RMC included more of. Also thanks for the pictures! It looks great!

I found this: http://parkvault.net/2014/12/05/part-two-of-the-wooden-coaster-train-history/ So there you have it. Sounds like it was simply a matter of Dennis Starkey (Stand Company) working on the designs of both projects, but the actual rides built by different people. Not sure why RCDB doesn't list this information, but then again, I've found that RCDB is not the be-all end-all source for roller coaster info as much as some people may think it is. Thanks for looking that up, it definitely answered some questions! RCDB should list Stand Company (or at least Starkey) as the designer then. It is interesting to see this company crossover here between Stand Company, Intamin, and Vekoma. I wonder what Starkey is doing nowadays... I guess the niche of making primarily weak wooden coasters died after the 90's?

Thanks Robb! That makes sense, I'm just still trying to figure out the connection between Viper and Aska then. Their layouts are perfect mirrors of each other, but why?

Goliath on the 10th two Saturday's ago. It was great! Very crowded at the park though, only two rides on Goliath, the line was upwards of 3 hours, as was Raging Bulls!

Viper at Six Flags Great America has an undocumented history, and I want to clear it up. RCDB doesn't have a manufacturer listed for Viper, but it does have Stand Company listed as a designer. Looking at the other coasters Stand Company has worked with, you will find some Vekoma woodies (Robin Hood, Loop Garou) and an Intamin woodie (White Cyclone). This leads me to believe that there are more parties involved with Viper than listed. I then watched a POV of the defunct Intamin, Aska, which has a cyclone-layout just like many other wooden coasters including Viper. Judging by the two POVs of each coaster, they look remarkably similar, maybe even identical except for the fact that they're mirrored. Judge for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_uETHRzIRk Aska was built 3 years after Viper, and if Intamin designed or built that coaster, I believe that had to have done the same with Viper. What do you guys think? We also see the same issue with a different Japanese wood coaster, Regina at Tobu Zoo. RCDB says Stand Company built it, but has no other company listed. This coaster also looks remarkably Intamin-designed. Do you guys think these two woodies are affiliated with Intamin? Or am I making a false assumption?

Tennessee Tornado and Magnum for different reasons, but both are really good!

It wasn't that bad before, in no way did the ride make me want to kill myself. Before when? 2004? Yeah, it wasn't that bad before then. After that, though, it was terrible. So far from these photos I'm seeing that the ride just looks like it's getting a re-tracking. I really hope that does actually help it out, although I'm worried for "how long" will it stay good for? I'm worried as well. But if the rumor of new trains is true, we may have hope yet!

I love Intamin/RMC ejector airtime AND B&M Hyper airtime!! Although I definitely prefer coasters with crazy intensity/ejector airtime (Skyrush, Outlaw Run, I305, El Toro) over most B&M hypers, saying that "B&M airtime is mediocre" is a bit of an exaggerated, IMO. There's clearly pro's and con's with the floater vs. ejector debate, and it comes down to personal preference. I'm just excited to ride all of these top tier coasters! (After I visit SFGAm tomorrow, I will have only one operating B&M Hyper (Fury 325) and one operating RMC (Wicked Cyclone) left to ride in the U.S., of course I will have more to add for 2016 (Mako, LR, etc.)!)

I agree! This has such a complete layout! There are so many different elements and they flow very well together. I honestly think that Lightning Rod and Wildfire will compete for "best wooden coaster on earth" once they both open. I plan on riding both of these immediately!

It looks like Skyrush and Intimidator 305 have a new baby brother! I suppose I have to visit Dubai now...

No; it became a disfigured oval of track. Two identical (very close to, in reality) sides you must bear through twice I'd love to hear your opinion AFTER you ride the Fricken coaster!! Hahaha

If you read the statement from the first post in this thread, you'd see that it is officially called TRex track.

New trains are essential IMO. I cannot wait for this now! If they keep the same profiling (or steeper...) we can see the strongest airtime on a GCI coaster ever (Is it GCI now? haha). I am so happy to experience the coaster in it's original glory!

It's the rails, not the spine, that causes the roar on B&Ms. It's only the rails that are filled.

Yeah I'm sure that's a major reason, but it also added the need for a whole new train to accommodate the different track style. I'm sure there's more positive reasons we don't know yet! ps - SolidWorks is fun!

Nobody's mentioned that the TRex track houses the wheel assemblies on the outside of the track (not the inside like IBox, Topper, Arrow coasters, and all other wood coasters). This new system is similar to the way B&M and Intamin make their coasters. Does anyone know what benefits that system has compared to the other?

Lightning Rod's trains will have the same headrests if you look at the rendering.

Okay, well if they are still doing this, I HIGHLY doubt it be will where the track is connected to the ledgers, as Midgetman82 posted. In fact, in his pictures I can see where the steel feet like I said. After looking at these current construction pictures, I have a feeling that the only place where wood will be used is the catwalks and possible hand rails.