coasterkid124

^^To clarify, did you mention that Ranger is somewhere in the parking lot now? With all of the defunct rides that the park stores, they could start an "Island of Misfit Rides" attraction

I'm happy that I at least got to visit the park and ride it once more this year. I hope that whatever is done with the space is something very useful. I think that it's great that CP is finding ways to expand and rehab older attractions at the same time.

B&M is definitely improving, but may not ever reach the top. They just have not built anything that has wowed a lot of people like Maverick, Skyrush, El Toro, etc. have. Fury was amazing, and so have been their other recent builds, but until they can innovate or push the envelope like some other companies have, they won't reach the top of my charts. They may build the smoothest, most reliable, highest capacity, yada yada best for business coasters, but topping enthusiast charts is a different story. I wouldn't be surprised to see Fury top Golden Ticket Awards. To me, it's a solid top 10 coaster (like Millennium Force is to me), but GTA is a Cedar Fair slobber fest. They just don't offer the type of poll that Mitch Hawker did. I really wish he would either bring it back or someone would start up something similar!

This might be the first time I'm ever legitimately excited about a GCI coaster. This could be the first time ever that I go out of my way to a park to ride one. Besides the traditional butchered first drop, this layout probably has the most airtime of any GCI. I'm definitely excited for this and cannot wait to find out the surprise in the shed and ride it.

^Velocity Magnets. They are the same company that provides the brakes for RMC.

$0. Why does Viper need 3 running trains? $0 Predator can only run two trains. I would suggest the park sends both for winter rehab at PTC $0. Both rides don't need a new train. They need repairs for their current second trains that Herschend lied about (they actually did) and said they were going to fix them, when it's been 5 years since we heard anything. The only ride that actually needs a new train is RoS, and you failed to mention that. This. I love Darien Lake myself, but I have been one of the most critical people of them here for a few years. Some of the things that the park does are just plain dumb, and whenever someone calls them out on it, the blame somehow goes to Six Flags. They've been gone for 10 years now. They didn't leave things as bad as some people say they have. The l;ong term vision of the park was going the right direction. A perfect example is Predator. The park ordered 2 trains from Holiday World in 2010. Less than 5 years later, the trains were already shot. Instead of doing what most parks do, and send them for rehab once every few years, DL just let them operate as is. Now unless Jim Reid Anderson snuck into the park and tore the trains himself, in an elaborate scheme to sabotage the park, how is Six Flags to blame about that?

Don't mean to nitpick but... 1) What awards has Moose on the Loose won besides most downtime and lowest capacity? 2) Technically Blast Off and Scrambler are used 3) Twister isn't being restored, it's being fixed so it can run for two weeks, then go down for another year. 4) The new RoS train won't impress me until I know we are getting another one for sure. Otherwise the status quo would have been cheaper I'm glad that you love Darien Lake and find it beautiful, but even though I feel the same way, there are some huge sore thumbs sticking out right now. I think that they're on the right path, but some things really need to change with operations. If people continue to wait in 45-60 minute long lines for coasters, they're just going to go to somewhere else instead with better rides, like CP, Wonderland, or even Hershey.

Lol, if all of these little things are just Tony getting everyone worked up again, I truly think this time around an angry mob of enthusiasts will burn Mean Streak to the ground.

For me, it's a combination of the roughness, and the awful layout that makes me dislike it. It's just not fun. I've been on more intense children's rides. It's a good step up for someone not ready for Skyrush or Storm Runner yet, but Comet kind of serves the same purpose. I personally don't mind aggressive or rough rides, but the layout has to be good. Same reason why I hate Mean Streak, but like Darien Lake's Predator.

^That would be cool if the park did it. Darien Lake even did something along the same lines for Viper. The track was repainted back to its original colors, and shortly after the original hideous trains got slick green decals. The ride really pops now. It surprises me how different Viper and Vortex are really. Despite both having the same trains, track design, etc, Viper is so much smoother. You wouldn't even know it's an Arrow based just on the ride alone. Vortex pinballs a lot more around the track and really slams into the inversions.

The phones are really becoming a problem in society. But I guess that the occasional lift stop is better than forced locker usage and wanding people like Morey's Piers does. I almost got injured by a phone on Millennium Force by someone who dropped their phone and it came flying towards me. Luckily it hit my hand, not my face, because it stung a little. The biggest annoyance that I had this year was not getting to ride Maxair. The ride op E-stopped the ride to nicely tell the moron to "not do it again". He couldn't get the ride to reset, so it had shut down for the rest of the day.

I believe the advisory has passed because I was able to refill my souvenir mug despite the report stating that soda machines would be off. There were a few water fountain stations with signs about the advisory, including near the go karts that seemed to be popular because they were free. I can confirm that more shoulder harnesses are back on Twister. The front row is about half full now. I'm guessing the ride will be back up mid to late August like last year. No signs of a second train on Viper, so either that plan has been scrapped, or it is still coming. I don't see the point of only running it for 4 weeks if that's the case. They should have two ready at all times. With the transfer track, they wouldn't even have to use it unless they needed it for the day. Many people were angry about the wait time on it today, and were walking out of the queue frustrated. I also saw an interesting "breakdown" on Rolling Thunder today. They had to stop operating to grease the wheels on top of the track. I guess with the combination of the heat and friction, the motor was struggling. A maintenance guy came, locked the train at the top, and put a large pin between an axle to prevent any rolling Then he painted the grease on and ran it a few times. I don't mind breakdowns when cool little things like that happen.

Maybe it's a triple tower with a Space Shot side, a Turbo Drop side and one rotating side. Seems like a possibility if they're going on the "never been done before" path.

Actually, here's a good video of them disassembling the ride at Astroworld: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juHbnS1_Or8 At about a minute in, you can see how hard it was for them to cut away the track segments and unfasten the bolts after years of standing. The construction crew tried their best, but it was tough breaking through patch welds, and years of being untouched while standing and operating. Torch cutting isn't traditionally used unless something is definitely being scrapped and not being used again. It takes less time and effort than trying to preserve everything.

No, I got that, I'm just laughing at the fact that they are still some headstrong true believers that it can actually still be built. I don't know if I believe that a part of the ride was dropped, but I have heard it a few times, but the main damage right now is a combination of torch cutting and corrosion. Most of the Astroworld rides were damaged to an extent during removal.

Lol, we're still on this? Okay I'll explain again. The reason why the park is keeping it rather than scrap it is that it is more valuable as an asset than it is scrap metal. Scrapping can be real valuable for precious metals, copper, aluminum, etc. But steel is not all that valuable. For a ton (2000 lbs) of steel, its value is only about $60. Not only that, but the park would need to pay a company to ship it to a scrap yard willing to take that much product. I did a rough calculation a while back on about how much the coaster is worth in scrap, and it is only worth about $50,000. That doesn't include any fees or shipping deductions. Even though it is damaged, it is worth more sitting there than it is being scrapped. Say if CNL ever sells the park to a different company, they can get some value saying that they have 7 roller coasters on site, although one doesn't work. I'm not sure about ever hearing that any parts were dropped by a crane, but I know for a fact that a lot of torch cutting was used on the track and it damaged many rails in the process. It was never a good ride, and I wouldn't want it even if it was operational. It was consistently a bottom ranker. Not only is the track damaged in spots, but water has seeped far into the structure by now, so it's pretty much shot.

I guess that I would rather see them get this addition over with now rather than later. It's inevitable that all large SF parks will probably get one at some point. I don't have a problem with the Justice League rides, I just wish that they all were a little different. Once again, it doesn't matter because the GP won't know or care that there are other models. I think it would be cool if this model was related to the "Suicide Squad" movie that's coming out. At least from what I've heard, people have had a lot of fun on these, and the effects are holding up good. It's something better than having the Chiller plot sit empty.

It was just a sarcastic comment. Since Predator was closed at the moment, there was some new wood on the track, and utility markers near it, I just used that as a typical fanboy overhype exaggeration. As of right now, its operating as usual and no real signs of rehab upcoming.

I'm sorry if this has already been asked, but is there a reason why the operators do not want riders pulling down the lap bars? Am I just reading it wrong, or is it some kind of state regulation?

Yeah I have to agree with you. Unfortunately, the park has had to remove a lot of our thrill rides over the past few years because it is just too costly to maintain them, and Huss won't supply any parts to fix them. Only about half of the rides they have removed have been replaced. Now with Ranger gone, and Twister doesn't seem to be opening any time soon, it would be nice if they focused on the dry side next year. Our current operator, Premier, has apparently made it a goal to add something every year, similar to Six Flags. The water park has become extremely popular since the 2010 expansion. The additions over there are cheap, but satisfy many and bring in people. I feel like it is sort of set for now, and the attention needs to be brought back to the other side. There are many gaps to fill, and rides still in need of attention. Fingers crossed, but there were some rumors of a Frisbee attraction being a possibility for the future. Plus, Predator still is a possibility for a big project, and it would do great whether they went the traditional way (ala Ghost Rider), or of course RMC. I think I would prefer the traditional route, because it has an awesome layout.

I'm just going to wing this from what my rankings are in my head, maybe I'll do an "official" one later... Cedar Point: Maverick + Millennium Hershey: Skyrush + Storm Runner/Fahrenheit (Both are close and switch often for me) SFGADV: El Toro + Nitro Darien Lake: Ride of Steel + Predator BGT: Kumba + Montu BGW: Apollo + Alpengeist CW: Behemoth + Leviathan Once I get back to SFNE, Superman and Wicked Cyclone should be high.

^Thank you for checking my TR out! At least someone is paying attention to it The problem with our Boomerang goes back to a possible leak from a few years ago. Something in the system is leaking, and since it hasn't been properly repaired the motor is overheating from the extra effort it takes to haul the train up the hill. How do I know this? Engineering experience and being a former maintenance employee at the park for those who may want to discredit me or say "Hey look it's an engineer from Vekoma" sarcastically. Anyone can see this for themselves while riding. There is a small dugout where the lines go from the hydraulic room to the winch under the lift. It is filled with oil, which is not normal. It should be dry, so a leak is the greatest possibility. Some of the other older Boomerangs are slow as well, but those issues pertain to motor fatigue rather than leaks. After years of heavy use, motors lose efficiency and cannot push out as much power. It's a big reason why SFSTL went to a full electric system after the ride was moved from Texas. The old hydraulic motor was probably shot.

I think it depends from a coaster to coaster basis. Superman at SFNE previously ran with a first-gen lead car too, but it was upgraded when they got new trains. Ride of Steel at Darien Lake got a new train this year, and it is completely modeled like the first generation style. Of course both EGF and Superman have much larger and more twisted layouts, which may contribute to the decision. Although Ride of Steel's train is designed like a first generation model, all of the electronic and mechanical components have been upgraded.

Thank you! Those restraints do make the ride much more comfortable. I like them a lot more than what we previously had because the side brackets would restrict my leg movement and crush them. The trains are much more accommodating to larger riders too from what I've seen. No "walks of shame" yet this year. Of course I'm biased, but I don't think it's ever pointless to stop by this park. Predator, Viper, and Motocoaster are all fun and there are some unique flats that you cannot ride anywhere. The water park is large and modern too if you're into them. Thanks for reading!

Part 2: I usually don't take pictures when I visit the park because I go there so often and am with other people. Today I had the chance to take my time and really get some shots of everything. This is Darien Lake's only themed/interactive kind of ride This is another one that's hard to photograph without being seen as a pedo. I believe one Moose is named Marty Moose. It's fitting because he needs to say "Sorry folks, ride's closed" a lot. It's very low capacity and unreliable, but it was done quite nice. This is another Herschend addition. I believe Robb visited a park with a similar ride on his Europe trip. These weren't made for large scale theme parks. Nicely landscaped Larson Skooter. How can a ride be so photogenic, yet brutal at the same time? I wish I brought my swim stuff. Grizzly Run looks refreshing on this 90 degree day. This is as close as I'm getting to Mind Eraser today Second train parts sitting on pallets for 2 years This isn't a roller coaster. It's Vekoma's attempt at abstract art. Another half paint job. Half the supports look good, half are peeling. The track hasn't even been touched yet. If the government wants to get information out of terrorists, just throw them on this and don't let them out. Here lies the remains of a water slide that shall not be named. Confusing three-way sign. Rolling Thunder is a much better roller coaster than Mind Eraser *Ducks for incoming chair thrown at me* Thunder Rapids is hard to get a picture of because of the trees. Skloosh! The ride is named Corn Popper, but they don't give you any popcorn at the end Ugh, why did I leave my swim stuff at home? I envy them Take the tunnel! Hopefully coasterbill approves of my multiple flume pictures. Only Heintz Fahtze enterprise in operation. I like it better than Huss or Schwarzkopf models. It's small size gives it more force IMO. It's a pretty short cycle though I spent 4 dollars and change for these fries. Not bad at all, and they give you a lot for a "regular" size. These came from the stand near Viper's exit. Premier is no Herschend, but they did a nice job with this little plaza Predator is back open, I am the only one in the world who is happy about that... You do get some ejector air on these hills. It's like El Toro but instead of being the smoothest woodie in the world, this is the roughest. Astroworld fans will remember this slide. It's the most photogenic, but probably the most boring one in the water park. And the line is always long. Ride of Steel is the real star of this photo The "Flotation Station" Darien's water park is very modern and popular with the guests New for this year: Ripcurl Racer! This thing is very fun, a people eater, and family friendly. Darien Lake really likes Proslide. This 4 slide complex is called Swirl City New last year was Brain Drain. A very intense Proslide pod-drop slide. The only downside is it's capacity. Twisty! Not the best shot to end the TR, but I was very exhausted from the heat when I took this. Thanks for reading! Not bad for my first full TR. I know that the comments start getting skimpy towards the end, but I am very tired after walking on the blacktop all day in this heat. Don't hesitate to give me some constructive comments or ask questions!