LukeFlynn

Maybe they've made significant headway with the recent downtime, It's nice to know RMC is likely on site working.

No one has suggested that. No one. The thought is that a fast chain or cable lift that goes the same speed the car has at the top of the lift (~25mph, correct?) would work just as well and more reliably. The only downside is that the park doesn't get to claim world's only launched wooden coaster. Of course, the people who are saying this don't actually have any information regarding whether the problem is with the launch at all, so they're still wrong. They're just not wrong for the reason you said. My post is theoretical, just as everyone else's on the topic of LR's issues. It crests at 45MPH according to Dollywood. I never claimed anyone was wrong, I simply stated my opinion.. which is what he asked for. There is no right or wrong on this because we're all ignorant on the topic anyways. Doesn't mean we can't shoot ideas around though.

No, they shouldn't do that IMHO...... The ride is designed with a 45MPH launch, a 5mph chain lift hill isn't gonna work. Probably isn't even the issue anymore tbh, rollbacks are rarely what shut it down from what I and others have seen. The more I see, and the more others post the more inclined I am to think maybe it is the trains. I'm sure Dollywood/RMC has tracked down the biggest trouble spots... maybe this part is some re-engineered component of the trains or something.

If they were in a law suit and planned to keep it closed, I'd imagine they would announce that it would be closed for the foreseeable future.

I had tried multiple times in May-June to ride, but didn't get a ride until late October.

The recall wasn't even what made the coaster have all the downtime in the beginning IIRC.

Something the park should definitely take into consideration if they haven't.

It's definitely happened, all launched coasters roll back at some point. I unfortunately do not have any footage, but I have seen it multiple times. It did make it a good 2-3 quarters up the lift and then started rolling back. I have also seen the failure to launch, and this is not that at all. Perhaps it is the trains indeed, I have witnessed them mess with the underside of it before from the transfer track... it's probably a LOT of things though. I'm sure there are multiple variables that affect it's uptime.

It's the world's only launched wood coaster, and they're not going to change that. To use the Dragster analogy... that would be like them cutting it in half instead of working on fixing it.

Velocity did the brakes but not the brake fins which have been the issue. As for the launch, it has been operating at 99% since opening day this year. RMC is at fault here for the brake fins and sensing as well as issues with the trains. Which set of brakes are you referring to? I know that braking fins were retrofitted onto the trains for DYNA-brakes that were added to the launch track in the event of a rollback. That said, the final brake run does NOT use these fins, they are only used in a rollback situation. The actual brake run uses a similar setup to the launch, which has been confirmed to be made by Velocity in the initial interview before LR was even built.

+1, even though my previous posts slightly object.

They're not going to put in a standard chain lift, the whole appeal of the ride is the launch. Not to mention, the first drop would have to be totally changed as there wouldn't be enough speed to crest the false drop.

I can definitely see the launch being torn out and replaced with another LSM setup from a more tried-and-true company. I don't see them using a hydraulic/weight/cable launch... that would require a lot of re-engineering. Clearly it's possible to have an up-hill LSM launch that's not down everyday.. just look at Maverick. It's not going to get torn down, Dollywood's not done pouring money into it yet. Timber Tower was a fun, but insignificant flat ride. Lightning Rod is the world's fastest wood coaster, and a 20 million dollar investment. I'm sure a law suit is stirring, probably between the company who built the launch and Dollywood. I really don't think most of this is RMC's fault.. Velocity did the braking and launching.. which are TWO things this thing seems to always have problems with.

Guess what's closed? You guessed it, Lightning Rod! I don't see this thing opening for at least a month at this point, good luck to all traveling from abroad...

Looks like you found that little JSON API they use for that! I've been wanting to write an app for the Apple Watch but never got around to it. Nice work!

I have said a few negative things about LR, but I definitely try to be the defender. I know it's a frustrating beast, but it is a beast no less. It's truly amazing, and no amount of downtime will ever change my mind about that. To those of you who have yet to ride it, I understand your frustration.. it took me 6 months. I promise you though, once you get a chance to experience it, all will soon be forgiven. On the bright side, this is a huge learning experience for ALL parties involved. They'll no doubt work through all of the issues, and know what not to do in the future, it'll take time, but I have faith. This thing is more complex than most of us will be able to understand from the outside, I'm sure there is a lot of work going on DAILY to come up with a plan to get the bloody thing up consistently. And yes, it is really hurting their ratings. THEY could do more to help that though, I think it would really help if they provided more transparency and actually replied to all of the LR complaints with details and not just generic "prototype" BS reasoning. If I were one of the many frustrated people on FB, yelp, and other sites, I would at least like some sort of explanation as to why it's not open.

Yeah, if I lived that close I'd buy a Season Pass for sure (then again... I love 12 hours away and have a Season Pass so maybe I'm not one to comment). It pays for itself in less than 2 visits and then you can go back for Christmas (which I HIGHLY recommend). Maybe you'll ride it this trip but if not you'll ride it eventually. Of course, but I stand behind that comment because it's always directed at people who come to the forums and act as if their entire day at Dollywood is a waste because Lightning Rod is closed. I completely understand being disappointed but you're still at a great theme park with great rides. I don't mind if people go to the park and have a great day but are a little disappointed that it's closed, I direct those comments at people like this and I think that's completely justified. +1

It was really doing well up until about a month ago. Such a shame.

Every "rollback" I've encountered this season has been a true rollback. I do remember what he's talking about though. Late last year, it would just refuse to even try to go up the lift hill.

They at least tried to run LR today. It ran for about an hour, never reopened. R.I.P.

I know they replaced some wood on the structure, and revamped the station a bit.. but I don't think much if any track work was done.

It would be quite a large project, I wouldn't be surprised if they spread it over several seasons like a lot of the GCI retracks have been. I'm pretty certain they'll do it eventually, either way.

It does need it. It's not awful at all, but it's certainly not running as smooth as it was even 5 years ago.

If they rushed RMC, they probably rushed Velocity as well, who had never taken on such a project... but 'Rod was planned years in advanced so this is nothing more than speculation. The ride itself is extremely cutting edge, they should have used a more tried-and-true company to supply the launch in the first place... but who even knows what the problem is to be honest. We could all be extremely off the mark as to what is actually causing the problems. The park has chosen not to be forth coming with the reasons why... who knows if any sort of law suits could be going on behind closed doors.

It was operating fairly well this year up until about late April. Evidently, they had been testing it extensively during February, but I guess once it really started to get hammered with trains constantly being sent out more issues started cropping up. Part of me wishes they would just shut it down for a few weeks and actually work on fixing the issues instead of taking it down 20 times in a day eventually just to close it anyways.