willh51

That looks amazing. Steel ballet.

^Lightning Racer is not, that’s a fantastic ride. Wildcat is a little wilder.

For 2020 let’s focus on a nitro repaint and station makeover.

The Web cam is not completely clear due to the sun in Charlotte but I'm enjoying watching Copperhead Strike while working. Three train operation, great dispatch times. It just stopped on the second launch but within 5 minutes it was launching back home and a new train full of guests dispatched.

It won’t be a flyer. Unless the new regime goes against what Dick Kinzel once said, they won’t install a flyer. I can’t find the article but it was something about a flyer being too gimmicky. He also said they wouldn’t install an Intamin woodie. But, times and management have changed. I think a huge CGI is most likely. Possibly a launched Infinity if Hangtime proves reliable and popular, which it appears to be. Or a Mack, after Copperhead Strike proves a good investment.

Since I started playing RCT again after a decade thanks to the iPad, I would probably mirror my creations there: Coasters: 1. Classic B&M inverted coaster with terrain-diving elements, think Raptor/Alpengeist/Montu. I'd want a large cobra roll that straddles a path and seating area. 2. Intamin Hypercoaster with the best features of Millennium Force, Expedition GF, Hyperion, etc. 3. Intamin Blitz coaster with ejector air time, multiple launches and several inversions. Soft restraints and a dual loading station. 4. New school Vekoma sit-down launched coaster with inversions, air time etc. 5. CGI wooden coaster with sprawling layout and terrain interaction. 6. Well maintained giant classic Arrow looping coaster like Viper with updates like new trains with soft restraints, magnetic brakes, etc. Flat rides: 1. Huss giant top spin 2. Chance Chaos 3. Intamin sky jump drop tower 4. Ferris wheel with rolling cars like the one at Disney's California Adventure 5. Giant Frisbee 6. Skyflyer 7. Huss booster 8. Elaborate dark ride chronicling a mythical beast with coaster elements, 3D, effects, shooting, etc.

Holy crap. This looks awesome. I’m getting a little bit of a Drachen Fire vibe from that first drop. I want this to be a huge hit for S&S. Pittsburgh’s going to go nuts!

I haven't been following this thread religiously, but has Dollywood managed to get Lighting Rod running with two trains consistently?

Yeah, love this park. Unless there’s a tornado the rides are usually rolling. The polar opposite of Cedar Point. They know the B&Ms will survive freezing temps.

Anyone ridden the newly rebuilt Gale Force?

You can’t win... People bitch if there’s one train ops and don’t appreciate a little fender bender with two.

The few people I met at East Coast bash a few years ago at Kings Dominion were awesome; but they were also very aware that not everyone at the event was as much fun. We saw people boo the poor park president over those temporary trims on Intimidator, and Robb had to yell at them. One couple in line at Dominator would not STFU about “millennium forceless.” No one is impressed.

I assumed it was open, but Wicked Twister was at least testing Saturday per the Web cam. Full launches.

Cedar Point is just great. Glad to hear their new baby isn’t down for the count. They seem to have a tough time every year opening weekend, mostly due to weather. It’s been said 1 million times in this topic, but don’t go opening weekend if you expect everything to be perfect. This was a weird incident, but I’m sure with a few tweaks to the block programming it will never happen again. I always thought it was interesting how some rides pull the waiting train into the station so quickly. I can’t remember if it was one of the Intamin mega coasters or Medusa/Bizarro at great adventure, but they had the trains within feet of one another. Never was a problem.

I love that Great Adventure does not give a f**k and will run rides like this!

Why did they paint Eejanika? I saw a few recent POVs and it looks awful. Faded grey with red poking through.

The comments Robb posted about the ride's lifespan are interesting. I hate to see this ride closing. I still remember riding along the road next to IOA the year before it opened. Hulk's bright green cobra roll and the DDs' twisted red and blue steel were the craziest things I'd seen at an amusement park. When I got a chance to ride a few years later I loved the ride, particularly the red track. I have not been since they quit dueling the trains, but I imagine that took something away from the experience. I'll never forget the day I went to IOA solo on a family trip in high school. It poured rain that day but they kept running the rides. The Dragons were running one train on each side, no wait and unlimited re-rides. One of my favorite coaster experiences ever is getting hit with a wall of water during the blue side's zero-g roll as the red train roared overhead. I'm talking splash-boat soaked. Afterward I was sitting in a restaurant and one of the park's suits asked me how my day was doing. I told him how much I appreciated them keeping the park open. He told me days like that day were his favorite as a casual coaster fan. I agreed. Admittedly, I've not been to IOA since Potter came about - and I've heard it's fantastic - but I'm sad this ride is going away and I'm damn near certain we won't see a big coaster experience like this again. Virtual attractions and rides like Spider-man are amazing, but I think these coasters have a place at Universal. RIP old friend. You've probably given more rides combined than just about any coaster in the world.

Reading these comments about the ride operations policies on Lightning Rod are making my blood boil. Why? It's not as if someone is jumping up and down on the lapbar. Since when do riders close their own restraints? I'm a big guy but I've never had a ride op not close the lapbar or restraint for me. Hell, at Carowinds I've seen the operators help a guy by having TWO people push down his B&M clamshell. I'm sure the employees got read the riot act so I don't blame them, but RMC needs to do something about their trains if this is such an issue.

If you'd told me that was a Togo from 1992 I'd have believed before I looked at rcdb.

What is the story on that S&S Robin?

That's how I remember it going down at the picnic shelter. And thank goodness you did. I NEVER thought in a million years we'd get a giga in Doswell, and then to f***** BOO them?! Management was super cool that day. One of the guys talked to me about Anaconda after I rode. I told him how much I loved the older Arrow loopers. He said he appreciated that feedback and told me not to worry, it "isn't going anywhere."

All I know is that the East Coast Bash I attended a few years ago was amazing, and I got to experience things I would never be able to do just buying a regular park ticket. And for the record, Robb was right to scold the people "booing" the management when they answered questions about the trims on Intimidator 305 at the time. F'ing rude! I think some of those assholes actually expected the park brass to walk up the catwalk and unscrew the brakes.

^Did you get to run X-Flight with two stations and three trains? I know KI does a great job pumping out two trains in two stations, and I'm sure they'd get a better output with three.

It could just be a neat visual, too.

Did Alton replace the Smiler trains damaged last year or does it now run at reduced capacity?