JT325

^Definitely... I wouldn't want Maverick slowed down on my account. People love that snapping. I don't get it, but that's ok. The snaps just feel a little too much for me, maybe it's cuz I'm a little taller (6-1). When I ride Maverick, I know what I'm in for, and I usually love it. However, I only rode it once with the old/hard restraints. I didn't want to do that again. It's much better now!

I always thought Millennium Force was sorta the real big and fast family ride. And a great ride it is! A friend told me MF tries to do too little and Maverick tries to do too much. Both highly sensitive issues, but it's one way to look at it. (I'm one of the oddballs who loves Maverick, but some of the *snaps* are almost too hard for me. I think it would be better if it were a couple mph slower; on a comparison note, I LOVE Voyage and have no problem with it's intensity.) One thing is for sure, whatever you don't get from MF you will get from Maverick! But then some of us still love the coaster/scenic railway feel of Gemini. Variety is the key! If all the coasters felt the same, our passion would be boring.

I can't tell if you are trolling, or being serious. . . Being serious Beast used to be awesome and fast as hell... those flat sections were awesome speeding through the woods. I always say my last "fast" ride on The Beast was during it's 10 anniversary celebration, in 1989. I'm lucky to have ridden some kick butt rides when they were still kick butt. Yeah, I have a strange fascination with flat sections of track. It's like a scenic railway or a train, but fast. Those little slices of heaven: the flat track under Gemini's first drop; the Great America Demon's "disco tunnel"; those 3 flat sections that make Apollo's Chariot different from the rest. Love those flat sections. I like variety rides the most.

Millennium Force is fun, every time! But... the only steel coaster that has me going out of the way, more and more since my first ride on it in 1990, is Mind Bender in Georgia. There is something so simple about some of those Anton rides that is so perfect. A great variety of forces and pacing, and super-comfortable 70's style trains. Those seats are just right; you are safe but still get plenty of lateral side-to-side time. The luxury (and rarity) of being able to "crush your friend" on steel coaster curves! Back to Cedar Point! Yup, I love MF too! I really enjoy the view from the first drop! This may sound a bit odd, but my favorite parts are the flat (and curved - but still flat) sections close to the ground. That awesome straight section near the end. Straight track is underrated! I hope the new coaster has some.

Having not gone through every single post of the last few pages, perhaps CP will go for an inversion on that first curve? If they can nab another record ("highest inversion") they would love to do that. I really hope someone goes for longest coaster again. They could so do it here.

How about 6 trains with a dual loading station? They've done it before. Let's hope they are taking their time to go ALL-OUT for this one. Oh yeah, and longest coaster record. That latest picture really breathed some fresh life into this thread. I'm wearing my offensive-free cargo pants.

I just lump em together these days. Based on how much I enjoy each ride, not the first time I ride it, but years later in some cases. 1. Thunderbolt - Kennywood 2. Blue Streak - Conneaut 3. Mind Bender - SFOG 4. Legend - Holiday World 5. Twister - Knoebels 6. Voyage 7. Phoenix 8. - things start blending together about here. I would add somewhere Phantom's Revenge, Maverick, Magnum, Whizzer... I have a thing for older "classic" rides, especially if they don't have a seat divider! I've ridden so many great rides over the years, and have had "special occurrence" rides on the likes of the Beast, American Eagle, and a few more. But they don't normally give that awesome of a ride, so I don't list them at the top of my favorites. Anymore. My top coasters have drastically changed over the years. It used to read like this: CI Cyclone/Tx Giant/Timberwolf/Beast/Ga Cyclone... but man have those rides changed since 1990! Sad :/ Mind Bender has always been my favorite steelie though!

I'm with you 100%. Aside from very short trips, Emily and I do not like to vacation with others, because we like to do our own thing. You can imagine my dismay when my sister said she was getting married on the outer banks and wanted the family to rent a huge beach house this August. We paid for our deposit, only to find out she changed her mind and is getting married at home, BUT the vacation house is still on... Basically got roped into a family vacation, and I dislike spending time with most of my family members. Haha! I used to avoid family gatherings that were longer than a few hours... We all (well, 12 of us anyway) went to Holiday World for HWN last year and had a blast. We split up in 3 of Lake Rudolph's cabins. Part of that I credit to therapy and knowing when I need to take a "time out." Yes, as a 43 year old grown man I need time outs! It let's me decompress and recharge. Family can be challenging! Good luck on your trip.

Maybe they can rebuild the Tidal Wave in the spot left over when V2 leaves. With the same flat-ish, non-bucket seats, etc. You know, keep it classic-like. There is nothing quite as good (and roomy) as the old Schwarzkopf rolling stock. Hey, dreaming is free!

Scanning through the last few pages (to see if there was anything worth taking time to stop for...) and I saw a picture of Lemmy. Thank you! My day just got a little better. Oh yeah, and I used to be a drinker, now I'm in recovery. I hope Lemmy is enjoying his drink up there! I thought the Lake Erie Monster would be a GREAT name, but it's already been used a few times around the area. Plus, CP would have to rename their current Monster. Which looks great with it's new-ish paint job. Man that cycle is short though!

You said Wicket. Awwwwwe...

For me, it would be VERY strange and uncomfortable to sit directly next to someone without acknowledging them or saying hi. Sure, you don't have to do it. I'm 43, we were raised in different times... I understand things change (and I'm OK with that). It's still very awkward (to me) being that close to someone when we haven't mutually acknowledged each other. I also find it strange (well, rude) when people check out at the grocery store and never stop looking at their phone (and not acknowledging the cashier). Again, times change.

Thank you for saying that. I dealt with some serious anxiety issues for a few years (much better now!), but still get overwhelmed from time to time, especially at crowded parks. I need time outs. Luckily, it doesn't affect my one-on-one manners with people. Lucky! Being in recovery, I can't have any booze. Well, I can.. but then it would be really REALLY bad, very quickly.

I would put "wanting seat dividers on coasters so you don't have contact with a stranger" up there with people not knowing how to say "excuse me," "pardon me" (why do so many say a quick and nervous "sorry"). It's wonderful to squish a friend on a classic coaster (Kennywood Thunderbolt). So we need seat dividers on all coasters (don't we have enough seat dividers???) so the stray single paired up with a stranger doesn't have to come into contact with them?? Times have changed. Geez, I'm going to sound silly and old here... Years ago, if someone was single and saw you alone, it was like "hey, are you alone!? mind if I ride with you?!" In recent years, I've rode with single riders (who were told to sit with me) that would barely make eye contact with me let alone acknowledge me. People will walk 2 inches behind you at a Six Flags, but don't have (what used to be) very common and practical manners. Ok, getting off high horse. I know I know... Nina Kleppe likes this (that I'm getting off my high horse). (Ok, one more. Seat dividers have made people not like laterals and think that the Holiday World Legend's curves should be banked more. We only have a few remaining coasters without seat dividers, I will get out and enjoy them while I can!)

I take it from the implied joke ... that Dorney is not very crowded? Dang, should've kept their Schwarzkopf The last time I was there, it was so a friend could grab "credits." We were in and out in an hour. I did, however, LOVE Laser when it was there. Demon Drop is fun!

I have handled PTC train parts and assisted mechanics who do annual tear-downs and rebuilds of our PTC trains; one with single position lap bars, the other with ratchets. While there are certainly some extra beef to the ratchet mechanisms compared to the old buzz bars and single position lap bars, I can't for the life of me come up with an extra 200lbs per seat when comparing the two. A "modern" (hard to say that with a straight face) PTC train with six 4-seat cars is about 12,000 pounds. I doubt if it had single position lap bars, it would weigh 4,800 pounds less. However, with further accessories such as one model of headrests adding 40 pounds per seat, the combined transformation from single-position to the whole nine yards with dividers and headrests might have added on some decent dead weight. There are a variety of reasons to switch from single-position to ratchet bars. I see pros and cons to both when it comes to safety and ride experience. From a maintenance standpoint, the ratchets are much easier to maintain. On a side note, buzz bars, despite having that iconic sound and nostalgic feeling, are also a mechanical annoyance. Thank you for your insight! When working on Blue Streak, the most common issues were the solenoids burning out, and lap bars getting stuck down. A pen or proper "lap bar key" could fix that, but it was an annoyance. I think a perfect set up for comfort and safety would be the standard buzz bar, with sides/back that are an inch or 2 higher. The ratchet bars can be a liability if not down far enough... Return of the buzz bar! I wish anyway.

The 200lb figure came from all the hardware on the sides and under the train for the ratcheting bars. I also believe the old volvo headrests (which I don't think PTC uses anymore; rather than being of help, they caused minor injuries) had a 40 lb core. Tom Rebbie from PTC told me a couple years ago they will build what ever the park wants. One problem parks have with buzz bars is that the solenoids in the locking unit burns out. The company that supplied PTC with those went out of business, but they purchased their entire remaining supply. There has to be a way to have buzz bars with out the solenoids, but that would cost on research and design...

Cedar Point had a perfect classic coaster, with plenty of real air time, but they sorta... (for lack of a better, not as oft used term) "ruined" it with seat dividers, individual ratcheting lap bars and needless headrests. Yes, it is still popular, and runs well for a coaster that has all that gear added to it, but it's not what it used to be. Blue Streak sailed over those hills... now it fights the track the whole way with that extra weight (200 lbs per seat was the rumor when those ratchet bars were being added to a bunch of woodies in the early 90s). Just look at all the extra structure, most notably the triple extra mid-bents that are added to the majority of the ride (this will also soon happen on Thunderhawk at Dorney, seeing it just got new heavier ratchet bars trains). I worked on the Blue Streak and rode it nearly every day for 3 summers (91-93). It just isn't what it used to be. Sure, many CP fans still claim it's a great ride, but for those of us who grew up on it, I can promise you it's very different now. Of course, we can always hope that by some strange alignment in the universe (perhaps the same alignment that has Revolution at SFMM running with out shoulder bars - a feat that every know-it-all in the industry swore would never EVER happen) they one day could decide a true classic ride is important, and retrofit the ride to make it classic again. Of course, there would probably be a no single rider policy like the Kennywood Thunderbolt, which would be totally worth it in my book. Unfortunately, Cedar Fair seems all about getting rid of any sort of single position lap bars on their formerly classic rides. Recent rescinded classics include High Roller at Valleyfair and Thunderhawk at Dorney (which had seat dividers and head rests added years ago, and now runs with ratchet bars). Sure, they get a small break on insurance costs... but there are still a few parks holding on to their still classic woodies. Cedar Point has the resources to have pretty much whatever they want; it would be nice if they had a "one of everything" collection. Never say never!

It will be a steel coaster with wood superstructure. Same as Gemini and Mine train. They will probably have yet another coaster in the top 10 steel list with new Mean Streak

This is one of the (very few) things I really liked about Mt. Olympus. It's nice to get close to rides, especially if you don't make bad decisions to do dumb stuff. Notice many fair rides in Germany don't even have simple fences around them. Unfortunately, we live in an all too litigious country.

how on earth did your friend get access to these professional blueprints? these must have been taken right from the worksite Haha! I think he pulled it out of his bunghole. I have no clue where he got that, I didn't want to hear it. It just looks like a chicken scratch sketch. Geez, say that 5 times quick, chicken scratch sketch.

^Ha! Yes! I think he knows the Lemon Chill guy, for reals!

My Cedar Point fanboy buddy sent me this, in case it hasn't been posted. I didn't even ask where it came from. He also seems to think there will be some crazy lighting package...

Speaking of Corkscrew... maybe MACK could build a new CORKSCREW 2020 with those wonderful lap-bar trains they have. Those corks (with red lights!) look so great over the midway.

Building and opening of Great America. Great opening year views of the rides, especially Whizzer and Turn of the Century. And that triple arm ferris wheel! [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]