thrillseeker4552

^ Yes, I was just looking at it differently. As for it being Alpengeist, I have no idea. I guess only Busch Gardens and Mr. Walter Bolliger have the answer.

^ Yes, because, as said before, Alpengeist has a zero car, so the limited pivot point is not between the first and second cars, it is between the zero car and the front car.

But that would mean that the first and second car would remain at the same angle relative to each other. But from the pictures they don't. If you look carefully, the area between the first and second cars don't have as much flexibility as between the rest of the cars. They can still bend a little, but not as much as the others. With the exception of Alpengeist, in which the zero car acts as the "special connection" with limited movement.

That's how nearly all coaster trains work. That "special connection" is in the front on B&M, Intamin and most of them, and at the back on Arrow/Vekoma. Yes, but remember that a lot of sit-down coasters have a lead car, like B&M's Sitting, Hyper, and Stand-Ups, as well as a lot of Intamin Hypers, LSMs, and Looping coasters, with the exception of the Floorless and Dive coasters, in which I assume they use that "special connection".

Isn't the brake run after Tatsu's helix that leads into the ending *technically* the MCBR for it? I heard that it's just used as block before entering the station though... Just asking! It's a brake run, but not mid-course, so I don't consider it one. Same goes for Leviathan.

^ No, it doesn't do much for theming, but who knows. Maybe they wanted 9 cars at one point, but scrapped the idea and left the zero car?

Actually, there is a special connection between the first and second cars that prevents the front car from "falling" forward. That is how every other Invert does it. I believe Busch added an extra "zero" car on Alpengeist for theming purposes I guess. I believe it is the only invert with one.

Nope. 2015 will be it's 40th operating season. Your counting the years between 1976 and 2016 without including the 1976 operating season. Yes, but there is a difference between its number of operating seasons and its anniversary. The park's first operating season isn't the same year as its first anniversary. If the park wants to celebrate its 40th anniversary, it will be 2016. If it wants to celebrate its 40th operating season, it will be 2015. Depends on how you look at it.

It sounds more of a hassle than a convenience to remove the tower. After demolishing the 300-foot tower and its deep foundation, it would open up...what...a 20-foot diameter space? I believe the park can add many more roller coasters and rides without getting rid of the iconic tower.

The park opened in 1976. Wouldn't 2016 be the 40th anniversary?

Manta at SWO is the only flying coaster with a mid-course-brake-run.

Too bad this crew on Thunder Road can't head over to Knott's and do this to Ghost Rider. Good for Carowinds though!

So Afterburn kept its color scheme? No Patriot colors?

Twitter and Instagram. I got fed up with Facebook and deleted the app.

I'm going to have to wait for the Mac version as well, but who cares! It'll be TOTALLY worth it!

Full Throttle was lots of fun this year. I look forward to Banshee next year!

Looks very Mega-Lite-ey, but that can only be a good thing!

Either Matterhorn, Space Mountain, or Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland on January 9th. I don't think anybody can really guarantee their coaster until they actually ride it though.

T2 is re-opening in 2015. In 2014, the only coasters we are seeing are Lightning Run, Thunder Run, and the Roller Skater.

I'm surprised footers aren't even poured yet. The coaster will have to go up quickly if it is expected to open in May. But they have really accomplished A LOT in the last 6 months, so I can't pull the SFMM crew joke on them...

Two-tone track--that's the word I'm looking for! Still curious if anyone has an answer.

Looking really nice so far. I have a question though: how did you make the bottom part of Silver Bullet's track red and the sides yellow as opposed to all yellow or all red? I hope you know what I mean.

^ I was thinking the same thing. It surprised me that they had two Frisbees! Nice trip report, by the way!

Desperado. Yesterday I rode it for the first time in a couple years and it is a really good ride, but it is in the middle of nowhere! It's almost a shame that such a good ride that's full of fun airtime doesn't get too much attendance. Definitely an out-of-place coaster.

Awesome photos! Thanks for sharing. So is it confirmed yet that this will use RMC trains? If so, does anyone know if it will have steel or rubber wheels? I'm a little curious about the engineering behind Six Flags' first Iron Horse treatment after the NTAG accident.