Goooose

Goliath's track for the zero-g float is similar to this (rather weak and exposed). Goliath has the added plus of having an arch design. I DO find this element itself impressive, and the fact that it is attached to the lift is innovative. I just don't find the structural design behind it impressive. From an aesthetic standpoint, or engineering standpoint? I am not an engineer, but an urban planning/architectural art historian. So aesthetically and creatively, I am shocked. First by its suspension of the side of the structure, as stated, but secondly by the rugged look of the lift. It has a turn-of-the-century railroad bridge look to it that adds character. But that's a matter of opinion and perhaps from an engineering perspective, it doesn't stand out as much?

I appreciate the structural design as well as the coaster design. I commend them for both, the total package. First: There is nobody reading this forum right now who has ever ridden a coaster with a zero g stall. There is no coaster on earth with a zero g float, but whose train rides the inside of the float, not the outside. For 3+ or more seconds. It is arguably the most significant element of this coaster. If it were easier to explain to the general public, then "world's first zero g stall" would be on the advertisements, not "tallest fastest and steepest wooden roller coaster." I appreciate that, I just also appreciate how the structure has been designed more than you. Secondly: The structure holding it up is the support structure for the lift. I'm having a hard time thinking of any other coaster on earth with which this is the case. In which an element is attached to the lift hill, and the lift hill wouldn't work without the attached element's structure. There are two elements, the lift and the zero g stall, and their shared structure is essential to BOTH. THAT is design worth appreciating! I am not going to just overlook that. Alan could have spent 10 years sitting at home racking up thousands of hours on No Limits, becoming the industry's leading coaster layout designer, for all I know. But the team who designed the lift structure didn't have 10,000 hours to do so. It is genius. It is fully integral into the design of the ride and I can't separate the two. We are all geeking out about this ride, just about a variety of things, and to varying degrees.

I get the concept, but if the element works as the name 0-G Stall entails, then there are no additional external forces acting on those beams other than the downward pull from the track itself. Those beams, unlike the triangle-spine on an Intamin or the box-spine on a B&M, shouldn't be responsible for carrying huge loads from trains passing over (or under) them, but instead just the track's weight while cars glide by, with few exceptions (slower trains in the morning might pull down some, full trains on summer days might push up a bit). Again, it's not some superior track design, just some ace coaster design as a whole. That's what these guys need commending for. You seem unimpressed still. I don't disagree with anything you said, except that it isn't superior track design. The track design is maybe only possible because of the coaster design. But they've deliberately exaggerated the element (coaster design) by manipulating the track design to expose it more and suspend it off of the lift structure. They could have left it in a sea of wood and they didn't. So even if you don't think it is superior, you have to agree that it is deliberate. Does the box, track ties, and supports suddenly fade out at the top of every B&M hyper coaster's zero-g floater hills?

Courtesy of me, via iphone 5s + snapseed. It looks so big and gorgeous in real life. While it is quite compact, it really is not a compact coaster. The elements are each massive and lobbing and the ride extends along the entire back side of the park. You have to see it to understand!

I thought it would be lower too! I didn't realize the zero g stall would get that much height! Look how beautiful it is standing there on its own!

I don't really understand this, seeing as steel coasters have no support on the top half of their loops, either. RMC's technology isn't outdoing steel Oh, but it is. and I already tried to explain this but since that didn't work, I'll use imagery to demonstrate my point. B&M: Intamin: Goliath: See what's missing? There is no support system built into the track itself. The rails are running free, save for a few bars attaching it to the supports that are off to the side. Its as if a steel coaster like B&M wasn't just missing supports, but missing the square box as well and was just two stainless steel rails. There are far fewer track ties keeping the rails together. Over the course of an inversion that long, several hundred feet, there are only about 12 track ties. The gap between the track ties appears to be the length of a train car or even a bit longer. B&M's pass a track tie every 2 feet or so and Intamin's, well, are they ever not? And as I mentioned earlier, there are only two visible steel beams extending off of the arch at the moment, whereas in the concept art, there are 5 or 6. If those are not installed later on, and since the structure is turning out different than the latest concept art already and it would be so much easier to have installed it while the rest of the arch was being built on the ground, it is likely that the zero g stall will be even more stripped and naked than the concept art posted here!

It makes zero sense because there is still track, and many steel coasters go hundreds of feet between supports, depending on the length of the individual pieces (and big B&M's have sparse support structures with bigger tubular supports)... but this feels like a trackless element! The track is there, yes, but its the closest I feel like we will ever come to a coaster jumping the track! I think you are right, its because the pre-fab wood with the steel topper track is just suspended on its own without the track being attached to the web structure seen on intamin or the box seen on B&M's. It literally is the most see-through element/inversion, and the most naked element on any coaster, perhaps anywhere. I'm truly blown away! RMC, only you! One prime example of their wooden and I-box configuration being better than traditional steel.

I really wish the queue went under the zero g stall. Maybe it will, or maybe itll provide some freaky views of it!! Take a look at this zoom. Nitice that the bulk of the structure is directly in line with the loop. THE TRACK OD THE ZERO G STALL WILL BE SSPENDED OFF TO THE RIGHT, from 4-6 PIECES OF STEEL! Actually, thats what the concept art showdd, but Im only seeing two places where the track will attach right now! So scary and amazing!

I'm going to faint!

Seeeeeriously what are you complaining about!!!!!! That thing was prefabbed and molded and painted and its so heavy and substantial that they had to use a CRANE to assemble it. PAPER? It is not just a piece of wood with letters nailed on or a banner. I am annoyed that their "instagrammer" isn't a better photographer; I'd like to see it head-on, and finally, they could have waited until the sign was finished before they grammed it. Im more curious about the queue configuration than the sign. The sign is a success. Let's see how it fits overall. Speaking of the queue, since this ride will be packed all summer, I think it would be awesome to turn the line into a dance party to make the time go by quicker. They needed to hire a DJ for Ignight last year, and I'm sure if they called him or her up again, they could have them come in Fridays through sundays to mix all afternoon.

NTAG does rattle on those bolts! It makes the ride feel more wild! So excited. Today in the webcam, its only 10:00 am so a lot more will get done, but from what I can tell, they are attaching the pieces of steel that will hold the steepest part of the first drop track to the tower. Once they are done with that they'll be able to connect the first drop track to the tunnel.

Maybe if Hurricane Harbor had been a second gate, or an additional fee sooner, they wouldnt need to be jacking up the parking prices so much! Pure speculation here.

Its really happening! Gorgeous

BEAUTIFUL!

New lift track, prefab, I suppose!

Except this makes 1000 times more sense! "This Goliath huge"... just.... wow

Agreed. Its like they can't figure out how to use it in a sentence. It is a NAME. You don't need to say "the Goliath" and you also cannot just say This Goliath huge." Reminds me of the "blacky weather report" in Family Guy: " ITS GON RAIN."

Lol true!! Based on that diagram, the upstop wheels dont touch ANYTHING and the coaster is going to fly off the tracks. The track here (in the diagram) isn't to scale... Or maybe its the wheels? Either way, they should all touch the steel.

The story was front page in the printed Chicago Tribine today. Thats a pretty big deal for a coaster!

The Tribune article was surprisingly good!! Well done. Here is a related video, http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/video/p2p-80072302/, and the photo gallery http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/gallery/p2p-80071431/?related=true

I think itll look really cool and unique when its finished. Right now, from this angle, not so much. But I think the engineering of it will look really impressive when the top of the lift has nothing below it/supporting it. And the way that the zero g stall will be suspended from a bridge over the final break run.

The view without cranes in the way. Really looking forward to the influx of photographs from inside the park this weekend!

This thread is starved of photographs of this coaster from angles other than the webcam, so I thought I would share a lovely photograph NOT taken by myself, but by member RobSFGAm over at sfgamworld.com. This was posted on April 30, so imagine that today the lift is connected to the first vertical tower. I think you coaster fans will appreciate it. Id go take the same picture for you, but my iphone doesn't do it justice. See the original post here, http://sfgamworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14450&start=1350

Ta Daaa

They are about to install the piece that will finally connect the lift to the support tower! The piece they installed earlier today was hanging off of the existing structure and unable to support itself. It looks like they have one crane lifting this piece, another holding the piece they installed this morning in place, and then some fork lifts with welders ready to secure the first piece at its base. Not to mention all the workers on the highest piece of the lift to weld everything together up top. Here she comes: