coasterkid124

Come Undone- Duran Duran

^^ Sorry for the double post but that's a great find. I'm surprised that they just didn't scrap it, but maybe they're keeping it for the same reason that Batman is still here. It counts as an asset, it isn't taking up any space in the park, and it would be expensive to move. And before DarienLaker even suggests it, no, they are not saving it to rebuild it. It was custom built for the hill it sat on, and that land is being used for future expansion.

A difference that I noticed between RoS and Millennium Force's trains was the quality of rides that they gave. By the end of the year, RoS generated a bad rattle and it gave the roughest rides I've ever had on it. Granted, it still was probably one of the smoothest coasters in the park, it never was in that bad of shape. MF still rides smooth as glass. Due to the maintenance over the years, the park has found it hard even to parts both trains out to get one running right. I think that Premier/CNL is looking to the future for the ride in the decision for new trains. This will nearly guarantee two train operations for years to come, and less maintenance on it so that they can focus on other rides. Maybe then we will see something done with Predator and other rides in need of big time rehabs.

Yeah, RoS was running horrendously last year. Not only was the one train operation a problem, but the crew was really slow. Most of the times I visited, the same group of people were running the ride. They seemed unmotivated to work and they took their sweet ass time checking restraints. Only a few workers really pushed and worked quickly, but then they would be slowed down by a slow worker, or a restraint not giving the green light. But you have to remember, at Cedar Point, they have a lot more people working at Millennium Force. There are 5 people alone working in the loading station, and probably 2-4 in the unloading station. Darien has never had more than 3 working the station. I would like them to improve on quickness over the offseason. Even if it isn't feasible to have more operators checking restraints, they could at least work faster. Viper's crew was amazing last year. Once the second train was put on, the operators were really pushing it. By the time the train hit the mid-course, they were dispatching again. This isn't something that has happened since the Six Flags days, and I was really impressed.

^Apparently a company called "US Thrill Rides" right in Orlando designed the coaster. I hope that the project ultimately gets the green light. The coaster looks amazing and will give me a reason to get back to the area.

But why? Alton Towers doesn't have many flats as it is. First Submission, now Ripsaw? And the Flume was pretty good too. I get that they have been hurt by The Smiler incident, but removing the rides won't help the park's rep at all. If anything, shutting down more rides will give the media more ammunition.

Subdivisions- Rush. Killer song.

It's definitely a possibility. Fantasy Island usually makes purchases at IAAPA. So there's a good chance that somebody from DL/Premier is down there scouting. Besides the improvements we already know of, the park may have no idea what to add or if they want to add anything this year. If they see something there that they like, they could jump on it.

They have space. It's not like they're building a coaster. Drop towers take up little room.

Still waiting for Batman to be set up . Not sure why people want these old standups to be built at Darien. I would rather wait longer to get a solid coaster than to set up junk like this.

"Something exciting is dropping soon" Sounds like a drop tower to me. The ones from ARM are really efficient and fun from what I hear. People still miss Pitfall even though Black Widow is an amazing ride.

It's like what Goliath at SFGAm should have been. The coaster looks great. Nice job.

For some reason, I am excited to see PTC's new train design. I'm guessing that it may be a second attempt at trailered trains of some sorts. Now with GCI, Gravity Group, and RMC all using their own modern form of train, PTC's articulated cars will begin to be phased out as time goes on. Hopefully the design works and is purchased by parks. Predator and Raging Wolf Bobs were torn apart by the original trailered trains.

Accidental double post. Sorry.

^ Oops, I always get the two mixed up . Thanks for pointing that out. I think it's because American Thunder is at the same park and I mix-match the two names.

That layout for Iron Boss isn't so appealing to me. It's not like the original layout is bad either, it just got really rough like Ghost Rider. If that turns out good for Knotts, Boss could use that treatment instead. As for American Eagle I found a more appealing RMC treatment on YouTube. There's some funky elements in there. That would be a much better coaster IMO. Edit: This video has already been posted on the thread before. Most people are against touching Eagle it seems. I just ran by it and thought it was pretty cool.

They'll only use sprayers in certain situations. Mostly because the spray goes everywhere, and the excess spray would end up on the track. Believe it or not, most parts of buildings and structures are done by hand.

^ I wouldn't exactly call their coaster lineup lackluster, it's just that they don't have too many coasters and a couple are clones. RoS, Viper, Predator, and Motocoaster are still good IMO. Plus, Darien had no choice over wooden coaster manufacturers. The guests wanted a wooden one after Viper, and Dinn was the only wood coaster manufacturer at the time. This was a period when wooden coasters were dying, and steel ones were going up everywhere.

I'm sure that Alan will reveal more once he is interviewed. Besides that, not too much more is known about the concept yet...

Basically less fasteners, connections, and supports are needed compared to other steel coasters. It is sort of like the advantages of Intamin's double spine track.

Can't wait to hear from Alan and see more renderings from the T-Rex concept. Lightning Rod looks great like expected. The Wood N Slide art from Polin looks cool too. Is that made of real wood, or is it painted like that on the fiberglass?

Conversely to the post above, when I rode Wildcat this summer, it was rough. Not as rough as some woodies I've been on, but not too comfortable. Lightning Racer was really smooth and enjoyable. With two other solid woodies already at Hershey, I wouldn't mind at all if they changed Wildcat. After seeing the airtime filled, crazy layout that Schilke pulled off with Roar, Wildcat could turn into the same. Predator at Darien Lake was rumored to be getting an RMC treatment, and would be a really good choice for a renovation. Schilke said that he likes to work with compact coasters, and that's a reason why Cyclone turned out as good as it did. Predator actually has a really good layout too, it just has become rough from age. Of course I would love to see something done with Mean Streak as well. That could actually even be preserved as a traditional woodie with Topper Track. It would probably look like something along the lines of Goliath at SFGAm

Hell, even a bunch of burned out bulbs beats the old flood lights that Darien Lake uses on our Giant Wheel.

As far as I've heard, they definitely will showcase the concept, but we don't know for sure whether or not they have already sold a design. The chances of that though are probably high, as RMC is very cost friendly, and they have proven themselves for a few years now.

While we're on the topic of the lap bars I have a question. Darien Lake will be receiving a new train for Ride of Steel next year with similar restraints to Bizarro/Superman. Are they really as bad as people say they are? Also, how do they compare to the old T-Bar restraints?