QueerRudie

Big Bad Wolf "Travel at the Speed of Fright" Drachen Fire "Speeding on the Flames of the Drachen Fire" MindBender (SFA) See your face with your Mind Erased (From a Cal Ripken Ad)

The most on a 'standard' ride- I.E. nothing exceptional about the trains that required special loading was on Tennesee Tornado at Dollywood- I saw six at the train plus one in the booth and another at the exit- they really pushed people through on that one- Worst staffing: Easily, BatWing at SFA- three operators- Two tuggers and an operator.

Let's see: HersheyPark (Tuesday 6 June) Disneyland (August) Knotts Berry Farm (August) Paramount's Kings Dominion (August) Castles and Coasters (September)

That's some pretty good rendering of a potential ride; but I'm not quite sure about the splash at the end. BGE would have to re-think that consdiering the spring and fall weather- wet=bad idea in a climate that can get quite chilly in October. I can fully belive a floorless install on this one- B&M has quite a reputation for mutating rides and train designs- and this would be no exception. Plus, the concept of a thin and wide car would make for a great ride name- I can only imagine, being that it's in France, would be Guilliotine (Now watch them name it something else along the way- I'm hoping this is going to be another great install for BGE- they've got such a great mix of rides to play with there.

Thanks for the great hints- I'm getting very excited (although dreading the GPs at Disney for the most part- Keep the suggestions coming! R.D.

Hmmm... I think I fell into this site by way of a cross link while looking for coaster videos from throughout the internet. I can tell you this: My first video was of Powder Keg- what a great soundtrack!

From my experience at BGW (Used to go to school near there...) Geist Almighty's 'Big Boy' seats are in rows 4 and 5 under the diamonds, as posted above. HINT: Take everything you have in your pockets out, as they can hinder getting into the seats- the sidemounts will stop you from ascending the lofty heights of Geist's 'ski lift.' Daddy's beautiful Girl (Loch Ness Monster) and Big Bad Wolf- OTS restraints, but Nessie's can be 'fooled' a bit if you lean forward a notch or two- more comfort and the great airtime on the first and second drops. Apollo's Chariot. As of my last visit, there are no real 'Big Boy Seats'- but once again, remove the items from your pockets. The seat bottom is extremely similar to Geist's in many ways, and the same sidebar problems are there as well. BEWARE! Failure to empty pockets then squeezing into the Beemer Seats can result in loss of items during the ride, especially on the Chariot-

HELP!!!!! I'm planning a Coastersweep of the Anaheim/Buena Park area in early July (8-13th right now). This is my first time in riding both parks- I've already done SFMM several times, and wanted to get a lighter fare this time through (Stressed out beyond belief, and decided it's time for a proper Holiday...) Any tips/suggestions on how to get the park tickets cheaper (I'm already Googling this thing to bits) plus how to navigate the parks without the overwhelming urge to strangle people in lines, etc. I fully expect crowds, as it is summer, however perhaps the natives/locals/frequent fliers of this area might have some suggestions as to how I can navigate them easier... THANKS A MILLION SCREAMS!

TIE: Drachen Fire (Esp. Tail two cars) and TOGO's DeathMachine Manhattan Express.

O.K.- Injecting a little bit more info on this one- First: A company that does not expand, even if gradually, will be challenged into the future. Paramount Parks has done a fair to good job of creating a solid family park environment across the chains, despite what 'we, the enthusiasts' belive. Yes, they've made mistakes, and have not always chosen the best path, but then again, who has in this industry? Six Flags? Disney? Universal? Second: Bear, Stearns and Foster (If I read the press release correctly) will be arranging the 2 Billion dollars worth of extended financing for the purchase. If Cedar Fair LP is buying 1.24 Bn worth of park, and has 2.0 Bn worth of financing, that would leave 760 Mn left over. Assuming that legal costs for the transaction take between 15-20 Mn and excess spending (non- integration/non-direct expense) is another 20-25 Mn, that would leave a hefty 700 Mn for debt refinancing and for expansion/conversion/upgrades of existing parks. Knowing that Cedar Fair tends to plan ahead for existing parks, I think it is a pretty safe assumption that the remainder of the funds (Provided that CF LP doesn't turn back the remainder of the financing) would be used to convert and upgrade the Paramount Parks to the Cedar Fair level. Yes, more Trash Cans and Pepsi, but the non-tangible upgrades should also be worth it. Third: The industry was waiting for consolidation. Six Flags started the trend when Premier Parks bought out the chain in the mid 90's. Cedar Fair has acquired substantial assets in the regional park chains for quite a while now, and has cemented their mark on the industry. Busch Entertainment Corp. did the same thing with the Sea World acquisiton in the late 80s. The trend isn't going to stop now, either. Yes, mergers and acquisitions can often fail miserably. (See Also: Pan American plus Delta in 1990; Continental plus PeoplExpress, New York Air, Frontier and PBA in 1987; etc.) In this case, I think that it's a great exception to the rule. This is a good thing, people. It will mean a whole new set of challenges for the Cedar Fair people, but nothing a great company of their kind can't handle. P.S. Rob, You're right, Re: Hypers in every park. Perhaps I should re-frame my thought a bit: Quality coasters in every park.

Easy set: Mountain Slidewinder at DollyWood- One of only a handful of rides where death seemed closer than it appears. ANY Intamin Gyro/Acro/Tower Drop rides. Never have liked the feeling of falling off a perfectly good tower. SkyCoasters. Same as above. If G_d had intended for me to swing from a cable, he'd have put a hook insert in my back. Any production Vekoma Coaster. I've never been into punishment by lethal OTS restraints. Just about anything TOGO for obvious reasons. I thought the Japanese were supposed to be world famous for quality in production?

Interlocked Loops. Especially the only set still running conterminously. (Loch Ness Monster.) Whoop-De-Doos (A favourite of Bill Cobb and of GCI, Notable on Riverside Cyclone and Wildcat, respectively.) Blackout Strength Helixes and loops (Just about anything Schwartzkopf.)

Perhaps this is a great trend to the preservation of classic steel rides... I can only hope other parks regain an admiration for the great design and thrills of a basic, non-elemental steel ride. Less is more, my friends. Less is more.

- It might be a bit on the neck-brace side, but it still looks good to me.

Hmmm... There are only a few that I think look truly spectacular and terrifying at night- 1. Big Bad Wolf (For obvious reasons; the village at night and very few trees hanging along the second 'final' dive into the ravine, and 2. Loch Ness Monster- the light shining up through her beautiful, curvacious loops is exhilirating to say the least. (I'm a little biased on her, she's my #1 and has been since 1992.)

Hypersonic, Speed: The Ride (The second Wave is great) and perhaps- at a stretch- Volcano

Scene: Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle- "OH YES, OH YES, OH YES, OH YES, OH YESSSS" I can only hope that PKD will be freed from the bounds of the under-height ride- I've always had a fantasy of a hypercoaster/Giga Coaster/TeraCoaster running alongside Rebel Yell- through/under the crossover to WaterWorks and behind Anaconda. Having had the great pleasure to see Cedar Fair invest in what can be said as some of the greatest steel in the world (I'm still disappointed in the wood factor), it can be expected that perhaps we'll see a Beemer in PKD. Please. For the love of God. It's Three hours for a Beemer fix in this state.

This may be semi-off topic- but it's been rolling around in my head for a while. I had the opportunity to experience Thriller and Zonga- once in Germany, once in California, and let me say it this way- Yet again, SF murders a great and powerful ride- That strange thunking sound coming from Germany is the great one himself, spinning in his grave. Will somebody please explain why Anton's rides have to be massacred by SF? - those godawful OTS restraints added when SF bought Thriller were sheer hell- very painful- and even my sister said she'd thought something that looked that cool would have ridden better. I'm a very big fan of Schwartzkopf rides- especially his loopingracers and portables. I can only pray to the Coaster Gods that this ride will be taken to a place that still believes that Anton built it right the first time, and all the screwing around that SF has done has damaged it. First Revolution, then Thriller. What next?

Wow. Amazing. A real jaw dropper. But the capacity MUST suck- a long day if you're one of the few who get to take a ride...

Lets see: Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Well over 150- probably more; I went to college less than a half hour from there- Circus Circus Adventuredome: Around 25: Live about four hours from there, and can ride whenever I want to, even in January.