Tmcdllr

Ok, first off, it's Invertigo, not Vertigo. Second, just like mentioned, it's only the second full year that Cedar Fair has control. A lot more damage was done when Paramount was there. True they don't have the most amazing roller coasters ever, but it is still a really fun park. And you also have to realize that there is not much room left for park expansion. They are completely landlocked. Just give CF a little longer and CGA will definitely be better . Totally agree with you, well said. I don't think that is the lamest park he has ever been to, for some reason. Like stated, give CF time to repair the Paramount damage and be patient, this park will be better. You actually can already see some positive things happening but it sounds like this person went to the park with a negative attitude and only saw the bad, I don't know but there is something strange about that post.

Did you know that when Marriot's Great America in Santa Clara first opened in 1976 it was almost surrounded by nothing but farm land (not a bunch of office buildings like now) and when driving south bound on I 880 you could see the Sky Tower and Sky Whirl (Triple Wheel) from the freeway which was about 10 miles away. Now you could drive down Great America Parkway and go right by the park and not even see it!

One more thing on the "Revolution wish list," I would love to experience it with the trims before the loop and after the tunnel turned off. (I can vaguely remember as a child and riding it that there were no trims but that is just a memory and I could be mistaken). I have several questions about this... I would like to know why they are using them in the first place...do they really need to be there? Have they always been used since it started operation or were they added later? Can they be turned off without compromising rider safety or stress on the structure or tains? Are they there because of the coaster's age? Is there some California or OSHA, etc., mandate that says they must be used? I would guess by looking at them they were added after the fact but I really don't know for sure. I would really appreciate it if someone could give more insight on this and maybe answer my many questions about it...thanks in advance.

^...yeah they were shorter and thinner and not so paranoid about people getting injured on rollercoasters.

^^I totally agree! Like I mentioned, an OTSR that was comfortable and ACTUALLY FIT is not completely impossible and on Revolution would make a HUGE difference. (I always thought the existing OTSRs were very strange and gigantic-like). Since they can't go away some investment should be made to replace them with something better. I don't know how much it would cost but I think that if they really wanted to and after they get the more important things out of the way they would budget for that. It's a classic, historical, iconic treasure that deserves this attention (and for the rest of it to be painted) and would make many who love to ride it, like myself, appreciate MM's improvement efforts even more and make a great ride even greater. I am so happy and pleased for all the good things that are happening there and I just hope that this also becomes part of all that make-it-better-goodness. The only thing that would put the icing on the cake for me is if this was my home park and not a 300 mile drive.

^I agree. Replacing them with ones that are more comfortable and designed better...that actually fit doesn't seem like an impossible thing to do. The current ones are wierd. They are hard and seem to be too high and large, when they are locked down it seems like they wouldn't hold you in. Where they attatch the the seat back normally on most coasters, is about shoulder height. These are almost above my head and I could easily get out of them. Since they will not be going away, I think they could be replaced, as I stated, with something better and it shouldn't be that big a deal.

Ahhh...classic Simpsons. Isn't that also the episode where at the end Marge does a voice over explaining how that was the last time Springfield fell for something like that and gives examples of the skyscraper made from popsicle sticks, the giant magnifying glass which was next to it and sets it ablaze, and the escalator to nowhere...where you see people going up it and just falling off the top. Love it! But what movie was all that "monorail" stuff originally from?

The roar could be explained by a different type of wheel. When Tatsu was testing they were trying different wheel types...one was louder than the other. I know they are two different makes but if the wheels are hard (nylon?) they will be louder than softer ones that are urethane. Just a thought.

Thanks Kennywierd at least that part of it makes sense.

That's an odd way to use drive tires to move a train...is that the straight section leading to the lift?

On my visits from last year it was dissapointing to see the falls not working. I can't wait to go this season. All the improvements...the falls working...man it's such great news!

I don't think that plate under the wheels is a skid for braking for 2 reasons: 1. If it is on only one wheel set and on the same one on each train then it must be for proximity switch tripping or something else. 2. Using plates attatched to the wheel assembly for braking doesn't make sense simply because braking a train in that manner would put a tremendous amount of stress on the wheels, axel, etc. and cause early failure of the components and possibly create a safety hazard. If there are no anti rollbacks on the lift then there would have to be magnetic braking at the base of the lift with fins attatched to the train chassis and not the wheels. I still wonder...if that is true then wouldn't it be better and possibly safer to stop and hold the train where it is on the lift with anti rollbacks than have it fall to the bottom then be braked? Of coourse it's possible that there are anti rollbacks on the lift and maybe it's just a different design than what we have seen before, now I really want to know!

^EXACTLY!!! Well put. I'm not bashing this lift system or anything I just find it odd there are no anti rollbacks, and because of that, it has gotten me really interested in what is used instead (lift chains it appears) and how it works.

No anti-rollback device? Can you confirm that? So the train is held only by the lift chain or chains and NOTHING else...so if they break the train plummets down and into the station. I find it extremely hard to believe that they would design this without the redundant safety feature of anti rollbacks. Just doesn't sound right. I hope this is not true...if in the unlikely event the lift chain or chains break there would be a serious catastrophe. I can't remember ever hearing about a lift hill on any rollercoaster that did not have some kind of anti rollback device on it. Common sense would say it had to be on there. Can someone clear this up? ^If it's only on that one axel on each train it COULD be the metal plate that trips the proximity switches as it goes by them to tell the PLC where the train is, etc.

Even if the place was having financial problems, it sounds like the track was still their property and there was more than one piece. So all the missing track pieces and other things were by the curb like trash? I don't think so. I would guess if this stuff wasn't in a fenced in area (which would be dumb) then it was still on private property so then it also would become a tresspassing issue too. In that respect...how incredibly dumb of them.

It hasn't opened yet and is still testing...it could be different.

Was the lower level of the sky tower ever used? When you go up there you can see there are doors there for the elevator to stop at so it looks like it was designed to have two floors but I have never seen anything there. And, if it did have two floors in the past, what happened to the lower level? A second level could be used for a lot of different things and eating in a restaurant way up there would be really nice...with an incredible view!

^This sounds very interesting....it's too bad you can't elaborate on what you have stated.

Funny, back when it was rumored the park might be sold there were people wanting it to be paved and saying it was a terrible park that would never recover and now look, all the improvements, people reporting good experiences and positive things happenening and how MM has really turned around and how great it is that someone like Jay Thomas who really seems to care is in MM's corner. So happy to see it . For all those that said this park was worthless and wouldn't last all I have to say is....in your face!

Seats auctioned off? Never hears of that before.

I for one agree with the locker policy. I try to take as few loose articles with me in the park as I can but with the stuff I do have to bring, I will gladly pay the $1 per ride to safely store them and not worry about losing them on the ride or slowing down operations. If everybody who brought loose articles would follow this then imagine how it would speed things up. I think $1 is a very fair price tp pay to ensure the safety of my items on any ride.

Ok. Three things. You forgot about Psycho Mouse which was in 2001. And I know you put a ? next to Survivor, but...SURVIVOR IS NOT A COASTER!! It does not run on gravity. And I highly doubt 2010 will bring a new coaster; it's possible but not probable. Unless it happens in the 2009 season, I think 2010 will be a season of repaiting coasters and other fading rides. Vortex and Flight Deck are in need of some desperate paint. Followed by Demon, Psycho Mouse and Taxi Jam. Invertigo does not need paint at this moment, and Reptar just got repainted this season. I also think Centrifuge cars and platform, and Orbit's cabins and arms need some paint. Also forgot about Turn Of The Century

It's loud enough with one and I can only imagine what it sounds like with both...that must be really cool.

^Could not agree more. It's easy to point out the negatives but if you're going to do that you cannot ignore the positive steps that have been taken as mentioned. Nothing is ever perfect and in the process of improvement there are going to be little things here and there, such as ride names, that seem like a step backward. Looking at the overall picture the positives out number the negatives...in my opinion. The trash can thing is old and needs to be let go. I'd rather have a clean park with lots of trashcans than a filthy one with not enough so how can that be a bad thing? And really, it's not like it's rediculously outrageous to the point that the place is completely covered with them. More trashcans encourage people to use them instead of the ground. I am so glad the hours have been extended and I am looking forward to riding coasters in the dark there once again.

Some of this negativity seems like a little too much...give the park time. It won't be overnight but you can see lots of positive things happening to improve the park and move it forward and I for one am excited about it.