coasterkid124

Very interesting. With this, I wouldn't expect a major RMC overhaul to happen in the near future. I wonder who will be performing the refurb. Topper Track, Gravity Group, or Martin & Vleminckx would probably be the front runners, maybe even GCI. It's not like Ghost Rider needs a layout change or RMC treatment. This work being done should make it a great ride again.

4 years of college and a degree finally come in handy. I took the derivative of the curves of the inversions, took the reverse tangent of the lift angle, and added them together and my calculator told me.... Intamin is sad.

Whatever it is, I want to be surprised. A water park expansion of some sorts is expected, but these pictures of Racer are intriguing.

Is this something relatively new? I remember Comet at Crystal Beach (now at Great Escape) used to run half the train backwards, half forwards and it was a PTC. I guess what I'm really asking is that did PTC ever directly come out and say this, or were there any service bulletins?

WTF is this??!?!?? Looks awesome! Where did it even come from?

^I too was disappointed when Darien Lake installed one this year, but I found the ride to be surprisingly fun. They are pretty forceful and quick. I think these are good additions for any park now.

Super Loop? Six Flags still markets them as coasters anyways.

Only Viper at this point.

Maybe it's a typo and they meant 29 days. Even so, that's a whole month longer that we have to wait because some moron had to break the rules.

Twister was new in 2000, and it was the 4th ride of its type added by Six Flags to their chain. I'm not sure why everyone thinks it is definitely on the chopping block, I'm guessing that it's waiting for a few parts. The park probably isn't stressing over fixing it too quickly because of the low foot traffic it gets. There are many more rides that have caused the park problems that I would look into removing first.

I would be happy with either honestly.. I'm still torn between the two and not ready to give an exact answer yet. There is only one thing that would worry me about both companies... Premier: Do they have the budget for larger scale rides like roller coasters or a possible Predator rebuild? Herschend: Operations were abysmal and slow under them; they haven't even pushed for two trains. Nothing new last year, whereas Premier wants to add at least something every year. (I realize these are two things but kind of all fall under operations/management)

As soon as you get to Fantasy Island head straight to Silver Comet. If you want to ride the train, wait until later in the day. Try to get in as many rides as you can on Silver Comet before the line builds up because their loading policy is really irritating. First off, there is assigned seating. Then while loading first they check seat belts, then they push down the lap bars for you. If you pull it down yourself, they restart the process. The process may have changed, as I have not been here in 2 years. I suggest sitting in the front of the train, because the first drop is the only airtime moment in the back car. Seabreeze has a nice Lazy River and an Octo-Racer. Also their kids play area is pretty unique. I really enjoyed their flume ride. It takes you through a tunnel with some rapids inside. I believe the drop is still the record holder for steepest log flume drop. Last time I rode, I had three people in my log and only got a little mist/splash at most. I think I did end up riding once alone. No rides officially open late, but sometimes when I go Silver Comet is still testing at opening. I would still bet on it opening on time. They are old fashioned Bisch flyers. They run faster than Larsons, but slower than some models like Knoebels. Seabreeze can get a little crowded but not too bad. I've had a little bit of a hard time before at Martin's getting on the Crazy Mouse with even two people. The operator claimed you need at least three. But don't shy away, because there will always likely be a group needing another person, or an empty seat pops up.

I think that Premier has done a fantastic job this season. They have been striving to make the guest experience as good as possible. I believe it all started with the two new additions for the year. I remember at one point when nobody was expecting anything new for this year, but Premier breaks out two new rides. It isn't just the additions, but advertising for the park has been up, Premier has been striving for two train operations, and all together the park is cleaner and better maintained. Out of all the years I have been a passholder, this one is high up there, if not number one. Attendance numbers will show that. Doug, has there been any talk of a Halloween event this year? I know the operating calendar says that the park is closed in October, but it was to my understanding that an event would be TBD if happening.

Promote this guy immediately. He just made a statement 1000x better than the actual manager(?) of the park. The amusement industry could use more employees like this.

Orange markers are for telecommunication lines (phone, cable...) Take that for what you will

Viper at Darien Lake. Also my first big coaster.

That station looks even better than the Nolimits models. I hope that the game allows for a lot of custom design in the coasters, but they haven't really shown us a lot about the design panels yet. This project is really starting to get my attention though.

That's actually a very common way of securing small coasters like this in carnivals/small parks. I'm really surprised that maintenance did not catch this in morning inspections. The whole footer looks shifted and the anchor bolts for the ride aren't even in good from the looks of the picture.

Viper's trains were refurbished, not new. An advantage that Darien has over other parks with Arrows is that we originally had three trains. The yellow train (number one) was taken off after the Six Flags days and is being used for parts on the other two. The current trains were formerly red and blue and are numbered 2 and 3. Hoping that if RoS is actually getting new trains, they are similar to those of Expedition Geforce's rather than Bizarro's.

T2 now uses custom built trains from a company called Kumbak. Their versions are sort of like the vest restraints on the B&M coasters. It is still an OTSR, but with straps along you shoulders. Vekoma also produces a vest model exactly like B&M. I have heard that they are better than the original restraints but still not as good as a lap bar. These can be found on Great Nor'easter or Hershey's Boomerang. The lap bar only design has been used on just the family coasters so far. The diagram is a family coaster because the wheel assemblies are pointed to the outside of the rails. SLCs travel on the inside. I would love to see Vekoma test these out on SLC trains.

^Am I missing something here, or did you just contradict yourself in the same post?

^Is this really a possibility? Maybe I'm underestimating the wear and tear that these trains have taken. RoS is also Intamin's first ever Hyper coaster.

Well I am... when people don't like the same rides I do it really hurts my feelings. Generally it causes me to cry or even scream myself to sleep at night. I demand a public apology and you'll be getting a call from my attorney. ... as soon as I find an attorney. As for Storm Runner, I completely agree about how underrated it is! Personally, I'd take it over either Kingda Ka or TTD! Love that ride! Clearly, we need to talk about it more here, because it seems every first-timer mentions how shocked they are nobody talked it up more! This. Both of the stratas have amazing launches that nothing can compare to, but to me they are just one shot deals. Storm Runner has more texture to it and I was blown away by how much fun I had on it.

^Agreed. If Vekoma could find any way to retrofit trains w/ lap bars like on their family models, the SLCs would be rather fun. I found out that ME is not as bad in the front seat as it is in others. I had a pretty enjoyable ride a few weeks ago in the very front car. As for RoS, I don't see second gen trains coming any time soon. I have heard rumors of the 2 sister models of RoS getting them, but it really isn't needed. If maintenance tore both trains apart over the offseason and gave them some TLC, they could ride like new. Re-mold the seats and restraints, adjust the wheels and assemblies, and remove the side brackets from the restraints. If the park got the double locking seat belts like Dragster and MF have, the ride could probably do without the painful brackets. Edit: To add to that Viper's trains are about double the age of RoS's and I believe they still run very smooth. With good maintenance, trains can stay smooth for a very long time.

Hersheypark currently closes off the middle cars of their coasters for their Fast Pass. Even if Darien just closes off one middle row, it would work a lot better. I personally would be mad if I waited over an hour for a certain seat, then had to wait longer for people who won some game. I like the Plinko idea, but the amount of exit passes needs to be distributed better then.