buck funny

Olympia looping was pretty fast. They have 7 car trains for oktoberfest and run 5 cars for the smaller fairs. They had a ride op for each row, and they help you out and get the new passengers in quickly. They can launch a new train every 30 seconds, so 120 trains/hr x 14 ppl = 1680 riders/ hr. they also charge you 8.50 euros, so 14,280.00 euro/ hr ( 14.280,00 in german writing) I never had to wait more than 2 trains to ride There are about 4 block sections on the track, plus a bunch of separate holding brakes leading up to the station. They have 5 trains, but the most used when i was there was 4. A fun fact i discovered when playing with no limits is that in a coaster with many trains and blocks, each subsequent block section should take the same or slightly less time to travel through or the trains will start to back up. (i made a schwarzkopf tribute portable giga coaster. 80m high with 8 loops and 12 trains running at a time. My laptop heats up and the internal fan comes on when i run it!)

Busch Gardens Trip Report. I am flying home from our trip to florida and thought i would share some thoughts on busch gardens. I went with some friends and their 9 year old son Markus. They aren't coaster nerds (yet) and Markus had limited coaster experience what with being 9 and all. We had been to disney and went on the barnstormer and the mine train as a warmup. We went last wednesday, and my advice to people is, go in january on a mid week day when kids are in school! The park was pretty empty and we got to explore the concepts of 'walk on', 'reride' and 'marathoning'. One of the neat things about busch gardens is that it shows the evolution of coasters, and i set about taking my friends to Coaster school. First up was air grover as a warmup and review of the previous day. Start small and work up. After watching people get wet from ShaKeira we took the train to Nairobi and walked to Pantopia to our first real coaster. Sand Serpent is an off the shelf wild mouse coaster and we were able to discuss the concepts of block sections, trim brakes and then get into banking, lateral and normal g forces with a brief mention of bunny hills and airtime pops. They liked it so much that we switched front and back and rerode. It may be a common coaster but they all had fun. We then had a brief talk about Werner Stengel and Anton Schwarzkopf and made our way to Scorpion. We discussed the clothoid loop and a bit about banking and lateral g forces as well as helixes. This coaster was a big thrill, and we rerode, first front then back. It was decided that we liked the back better for how you get pulled over the loop and through the helixes. Thank you Mr Schwarzkopf We had a little look at falcons fury. It hit all of the marks: nice and tall, lots of noise and lots of screams. I don't personally like drop towers and we didn't go. Then we walked down to Cheetah Hunt. We got to see the LIM fins and discuss how they worked. They appreciated being able to watch first to better know what to expect. After a very short queue (3 or 4 trains) we got almost on when they unloaded the passengers and went down. Apparently light rain had tripped out some of the sensors and they were cycling some trains to get the computer happy. We agreed to wait for 5 trains before bailing and were rewarded for our patience when they started up again and we got the first train out. I took the opportunity to explain more about heartlining and the idea that when Scorpion was made in 1981 computers to calculate banking and even rail bending were primitive. We have come a long way and the result is some really smooth and exciting coasters. We were having a good visit up to this point, but they were blown away. Mom demanded a reride in the front row. This is a really fun coaster, smooth as glass with a lot of really nice banking, and a few nice little inversions. The part where you follow the river bed and twist right and left was spectacular. Without the concept of heartline it wouldn't have been possible. We got a few little pops of airtime, but it wan't particularly forcefull. Everybody including myself loved it and wanted to reride several times! Cheetah Hunt, it's heartline roll and airtime hill on the return trip. Next we hit Montu and discussed B&M and inverted coasters, and elements of all kinds. Dad sat out and the rest of us enjoyed our introductions to the B&M invert, and we hit the final brake run with huge smiles. Mom was a little dizzy but really liked it. I put it in by top 3 B&M inverts. It had some great clothoid loops and dive loops, and zero g rolls. After the MCBR it lost a bit of pacing and lagged in a few spots, but was otherwise pretty great. For this reason Batman @SFGA and it's clones edges it out for #1. It edges out Talon at dorney park, and Great bear at Hershey. After lunch Markus and i rerode in the back this time, while mom sat out. The phrase 'walk on B&M invert' is a really nice one to hear! We then took the skyride to the back of the park, and took a spin on the stanley falls flume, and briefly discussed Arrow Dynamics. I have fond memories of riding Python with my dad when i was 9 or so, and maybe it is better as a memory. After a brief stint on Ubanga Banga bumpercars we rode Kumba the B&M sit down. It was interesting to compare to Montu. It was a really nice ride with a lot of forceful elements and some Nonstop pacing. It was a nice introduction to coasters and a good B&M 101 course. Later in the week we went to Seaworld and rode Manta and Kraken to cover the flying and floorless B&M's just to be thorough. It is also a reminder of the awesome forceful but balanced coasters B&M made working with Ingeneurburo Stengel… Kumba peeks out of the bushes and gardens. On our way back we watched ShaKeira, but didn't ride. I don't really like the hang you over the top and drop you element, and since this was a one trick pony that does this twice along with an immelman and helix, i didn't feel i needed to ride (despite it being a walk on B&M drop coaster, which would probably make somebody somewhere crazy). This reinforced the concept of If you don't feel comfortable with a ride then don't do it. It is supposed to be fun! On our way to the front we did Gwazi. I can cover it in more depth in a separate post, but Markus and i actually enjoyed it. It was rough not in a lateral neck breaking way but rather in a vibrating square wheels/ missing a few ball bearings way. It even did this all of the way up the lift hill. We rode it twice as the ride ops almost outnumbered the riders. We were able to discuss GCI and the concept of duelling coasters, and were glad to have had the chance to ride. For some reason they are promoting ride on lawn mowers near the thatched roof of Gwazi. Coincidence? Having rerode the coasters we liked 2-3 times, We made our way for the exits with a solid day of rollercoaster school under our belts. I had as much fun sharing the info with them as they did in learning it. Goodbye Gwazi. Your future is uncertain.

There is also the possibility that the ride needs too much work to keep it going right now, and they don't have the money to either fix it, tear it down, or replace it with anything.

Well, i can give my perspective on Gwazi soon. We are looking at going on the thursday jan 15. I will be going with some friends and their 9 yr old son, who i have confirmed is 5' tall and eligible to ride everything (my girlfriend is hanging back at the condo with his younger sisters). It may be his first rollercoaster experience, so i want to work our way up, and teach him about different coaster types and how they have evolved and developed. I am looking forward to this almost as much as riding. I had read a post saying the train and skyride are good ways to get across the park and take a break. Does anybody know how frequently the train runs this time of year? here is my plan: go left at the start to Air Grover (18). Go up and right to the Stanleyville train station(28) and watch SheKeiRa(24), not sure if it is my favourite type but we can debate riding later, check out the back of Scorpion, and maybe see a bit of Kumba and Jungle hunt. Take the train to (57) and walk up through Nairobi and ride Sand serpent(45), then Scorpion(49). We can then walk back down toward Egypt and ride Cheetah Hunt(70) and Montu(65). We can then take the skyride(71) for a break, which takes us up and over to Jungalia, with a great view of the park. Stanley falls flume is scheduled to be down for maintenance, but Tanganykia Tidal wave (27) is nearby, maybe (wild surge and treetop trails) and then we can go up to the congo, and ride the Congo river rapids (38). can you get disposable rain jackets for these, or do you get really wet? We can hit Kumba(39), Ubanga-Banga Bumpercars(40), and then the train (41) can take us back down through Stanleyville(28), or we can stay on back to Nairobi(57). We can ride SheKeiRa(24) in stanleyville, and then back on the train to Nairobi(57) and go to Gwazai (2) This drops us near the front gate, and we can then go back to our favourites, or head home from there. Does this sound like over programming? I wanted to take the coasters in this order to work our way up to the bigger ones. What i hadn't considered is food. I don't look to theme parks for great food, nor do i look to great restaurants for great coasters. My friends are pretty good at trying not to teach their kids to eat crappy food, and i want to try to respect that. Are there places to eat that people can recommend? Also, are some of the shows/ safaris worth seeing? After that, on sunday we go to seaworld and ignore the animals to ride kraken, manta and journey to atlantis!

Alright, i'm on a mission. I have been on wildcat at hershey park, and didn't think it was too rough. I really liked the track. i also went on the one at sf America in washington. It was pretty rough, too much to want to reride. I felt it was a fun track layout, but the roughness took too much away from the experience. I got to thinking why so many of cgi's coasters are this way. Somebody a few pages back was asking if there was such a thing as lateral airtime, due to banking up and floating out. I wonder if the guidewheels on most wooden coaster trains just aren't meant for this (the ones pushing on the inside of the track to keep the train straight). On a metal train they swivel and must stay the precisely same distance apart at all times(track gage). If on a wood coaster they are fixed to the train. As the train goes around a tight curve, the car body rotates but the wheels are not precisely perpendicular to the track, and therefore cannot touch both rails at once. It would allow them to 'hunt' or bang from right to left as it goes around the corner. When it does this enough, the track takes a beating, like when there is a bump in the highway, and when every heavy truck hits the bump the wheels hammer down as they come down and eventually make a bigger bump. The trains are actively ripping the track apart every time they go around. So, you now realize that it is remarkable that it lasted this long. 15 years at a year round park is probably like 25-30 years at a seasonal. Hmmm... something to think about... While your head is being banged around... I wonder if they could do like 6 flags and put adverts on the ride to cover it's retracking costs. maybe Rub A5-35, or the the Tampa Chiropractic college?

It just so happens I am going to the park in 2 weeks, just before Gwazi closes. I am not really a credit nerd, but may as well ride it for the first and last time. I gather it may be a bit rough... Is there a seat that is less chiropractor visit inducing? I found last year riding wilde beast that the front car was less rough, probably because it didn't have cars in front and behind pulling it back and forth from side to side. Reading this, i heard several people say they like it in the back (don't take that the wrong way).

^muggles what do you expect.

i think the history museum is in sky tower's mechanical room.

Thanks for the help. It turns out our friends with the kids will go to seaworld while we go to universal. their kids haven't read harry potter yet or got into marvel, and they wanted something more for the little ones. (plus they found a buy one get one free seaworld discount). wow, park admissions are expensive down there. For a family of 5 with kids $95- $135 a day is a bit pricey. So it will just be my girlfriend and i going to universal. I am assuming it will be quiet in mid january. is it reasonable to do both sides in one day? Our priority would be: potter/ coasters (hulk, duelling dragons, hippogryph, gringotts, potterTrain, ripRideRocket) $135x2 is a lot, but we aren't going to get to florida very often.... (and i did just make a trip to munich with the sole purpose of riding olympia looping)

i am going to orlando this january (12-19) with my girlfriend and some friends who have 3 kids 4,6,9 yr. my girlfriend and i would like to go to universal islands and wonder if there is much to do for the younger kids. I prefer the islands side if i had to pick only one because i would like hulk, duelling dragons (maybe hyppogryph) i can't really see springing for both parks in one day. my girlfriend is less a coaster fan and more of a harry potter fan. any advice? ( i also wan't to go to seaworld for kraken, but don't know if i can justify the price for just one coaster?)

stay in school, kid. and remember users never lose drugs!

a little loop porn for y'all.... long live the clothoid! also, it is ok for RMC to specialize in things other than loops. they do lots of great stuff. no one company has to do everything. It is a pretty great time to be a coasterfan!

you will have the opportunity to meet lots of canadians, or at least stand in line behind them... it will still be fun, but more crowded. go for the low capacity rides first: fly, thunder run, vortex, guardian: all are conveniently grouped close together. Behemoth and Leviathan lines move fast. Try to ride sledgehammer before it breaks down for the day. You could easily skip the slc headbanger and vekoma boomerang.

really? purple trains with green and blue track. slushee vomit theme anyone?

it would be the lake's fault for setting itself up in a coaster park anyways.

Ruin the appearance of the coaster or that of the lake?

Looks like they're setting the coaster world on fire!

Vekoma? really? no no it will be different this time... I also think Back lot stunt coaster deserves more respect (and attention from the park) that it gets. The launch and first helix are pretty cool. The last part after the brake run is a bit confusing because they turned off all of the effects and it becomes a dark ride. (a better dark ride than wmg though...) To finish with a waterless splashdown? really, you can't get that to work either? Any idea why they just turned off all of the effects? Maybe a bit of re theming and turning the effects on would be nice. How about the theme of driving in downtown Toronto after 4 more years of crackhead ford administration. Burned out streetcars, and heaps of mangled bicycles and condemned highways falling down on you? The grand finale would be to splash down in Ontario place. Just a thought.

so, a little belated trip report here. After hearing here that Olympia Looping might be retiring soon, i didn't want to take any chances. I booked a 4 day trip to Munich and went to Oktoberfest. (the irony being that i am a professional brewer and my first trip to Oktoberest was for a rollercoaster!) It turns out some of my work colleagues were going as well, so we met up and i made them all ride! If i had spent all of the money just to fly in, ride the coaster and fly out it would have been worth every penny. Spoiler alert, i am a fan of old Schwarzkopf/ Stengel coasters. I have wanted to ride this coaster since i first heard about it and have spent countless hours reading about it on the internet, including watching TPR's youtube videos of it (the one where they have the cameras filming from inside the coaster was one of the best coaster videos i have seen period) None of this could have prepared me for the experience. Just seeing it as we approached down the midway was emotional. It is hard to explain, but having looked forward to something for many years, and finally seeing it up close literally brought to tears. (having 6 litres of beer after arriving off the plane that morning may have helped) 6 litres of beer and an iphone don't make for sharp nighttime photography. Standing at the foot of it was spectacular, especially at night with all of the lighting chasing over the loops. Even if one doesn't ride coasters, it is one awesome machine to see. With my colleagues in dirndls and lederhosen, i am the canadian guy with the hat in the back. They have around 6 cashiers to collect your 8,50 euro fare. There are 5 trains, and at peak they can dispatch one every 30 seconds! Do the math and that is a lot of cash! In the bahnhof, they had a ride op on every row of the train to quickly unload and help the new passengers in. These guys are here to run a coaster, not stack trains! it was impressive. I got to know the ride ops and they all recognized me by the end. I rode at least 15 times over 3 days. der bahnhof As you go up the lift hill, you turn the corner and have a view of the whole coaster spread out before you. The tightly banked curves are impressive to look at. This is art. It is amazing how they were able to pack it all tightly in there and still have a fast but smooth ride. The loops themselves are awesome, the first black one is more of a space curve looking loop with just a 3 beam spline, whereas the other 4 are the classic schwarzkopf box support design. Just look at the banking on those curves. When you reach them, you are really booking it, and it is really nice and forceful. My pulse quickens just to look at them again. I had a chance to talk with some of the ride ops and they were pretty nice guys. They all come from Romania to work the coaster. It was fun to speak german to them which was neither of our first language, but a meet in the middle. What i heard was that the regulations for the weight of trucks on highways had changed, and many trailers were overweight. They have to get special permits just to move the coaster. They didn't know anything about the coaster retiring, but said that there would have to be work on the trailers in the future to meet regulations. They aren't owners, so the story is obviously more complicated than that, so who knows for the future. That said, the coaster was riding really well. You would hardly know that it was a 25 year old machine that takes a lot of forces and high speeds, then gets disassembled and moved to another location. I don't know what it's future is but i'm sure it will show up somewhere again. If you ever get the chance to ride it, i would highly recommend it! As a bonus, the beer was delicious too. prost! Nina klepke would have loved this one!

Does la Ronde currently hold the title of canada's longest Woodie? oh those frenchies...

I hope not on both counts. Ziz?! really? I went on the wing coaster at great america. What i didn't like was that the banking in each seat was messed up. depending on which side you sat it was either too much or too little. Also the dispatch times were terrible, maybe just because 6 flags... The modern looping coaster has come a long way since our friends at arrow cut and pasted their elements together and bent their coathangers to make dragon fyre. I would like to see something in that class, preferably a floorless Beemer.

maybe ontario place?

To the bottom of Darien lake! It would make a great reef for the fish.

I read too quickly, and i thought you said "preparing forfeiture enjoyment"

We could send Wild Beast down to the farm at darien too, and then get RMC to retrack Minebuster and add another 100 feet of height to the lift hill. Make sure contract clearly states: Do not set fire to the coaster during construction. We will have a whole new park before you know it...