Shavethewhales

How do we know this? Seems like there could still be multiple issues just judging from the park's reactions lately. I enjoy the armchair engineering as much as anybody, but to say we know anything is certainly pushing it. If everything is completely shut down right now the only conclusion I would make is that there is nothing the park can be doing right now and that they are waiting on something or someone to come in.

Did you just skim through the last few pages and miss where they were making fun of the google thing, or is there a press release I missed?

I guess that would indicate they are waiting on another part or fix? Could the 14 time be the charm? Surely they've whittled down some of the issues by now...

I'm amazed. I'm especially amazed they have been able to do this without their meager watersides being open. I mean, there's like a total of 6 things to do there right now, right?

This is really cool, thanks for sharing. This is exactly the type of establishment that I love and want to see more of in the world.

That does provide more insight into the potential issues. I'd be very interested to see a breakdown of all the typical launch mechanisms available today and how much energy they take. I have wondered before why S&S's compressed air systems didn't take off more. Powderkeg's launch is plenty powerful, and I'm sure it can be scaled upwards from that. I don't think they have much additional electrical infrastructure there since they have time to re-compress the tanks between each launch.

I don't think they could simply close it for awhile at this point. So many people bought passes because of this ride. At least at this point there's a chance a person could get a ride or two in. They can basically pretend it's been open all summer... At least that's one possible reasoning. Personally, I think I'd rather have it functional or not and know for sure (with the usual stipulations at least). This whole situation is a joke that is getting less funny by the day. I don't take issue with the suggestion that they should simply close it until it can be marginally reliable. It's starting to feel very unprofessional on their part to let it continue to operate so erratically. Their FB page and other review sites are filled with complaints about people tired of playing games with park management about whether or not it will be open after spending hundreds on a trip based around riding it. Even all the enthusiasts reviews mention how lucky they were to get a ride or two in after repeatedly waiting and having to check back multiple times throughout the day. There have been other examples of rough openings, Dragster being a big one, but this is starting to feel different. People were more understanding with Dragster because it was such a big and new thing, and it was way back in 2003 when it was so much more of a standout world famous attraction. We're about half way through the "official" summer season, and a month away from schools starting up again. If it's still like this at the end of summer it will be a pretty major fail.

It seems like last year I heard a story on NPR about WOF's operations and it sounded like they really had their ducks in a row. Did they have a change-up in management this year? Good to hear about Ed Alonzo, he had a fairly interesting show. I'm probably going to be one of those GP people who stays away from SteelHawk now. That's the one ride type I'd absolutely hate to get stuck on.

Sounds like the ride is figuratively out of the woods now. I guess we can start slowing down the obsessing over the daily operations now, lol. I was watching with bated breath just to see if crap would really hit the fan with the launch problems, but it looks like disaster has been avoided. All said and done, this saga certainly didn't leave DW unmarred. It wasn't the "no one will care when it's finally open" scenario many were hoping for back when problems first started surfacing. This will be a memorable ride commissioning for both enthusiasts and the DW patrons who had to deal with it. Ultimately DW has a winner on its hands though and time will heal all wounds. What I really think will be interesting is to see the next launched RMC coaster get built. It will probably be bigger, better, and won't have any of the problems that LR faced. Which brings me back to what I asked many months ago: is it really worth it anymore to be the 'first'?

Ride Outlaw Run and Powderkeg early since they are temperamental and often crowded. Everything else, other than shows, can be worked in whenever. You consider OR to be temperamental? Not nearly as much as PK, but some days it can be a pain apparently. That was more of a blanket statement for the both of them. PK is usually acting up and OR is usually crowded if the park is crowded. OR apparently had more issues early on simply because of the parts the park chose to use in an attempt to cut costs. They recycled some of OzCat I've been told.

I don't know what all has changed with CNL, but HFEC has a new CEO and with that a new strategy that doesn't seem to include buying any more theme parks for the time being. CNL is very boring as an owner. They've been investing a bit into these properties, but just enough to fix them up from being complete dumps - not enough to actually fulfill their potential. They just want to keep everything running, and when a new ride is needed they go with cheap over quality. The Larson rides are OK, but they were bought because they are cheap. They seem to be getting into the ride rotation concept as well, with Magic Springs and FC swapping rides this year. I assume DL will be included soon. It seems like they just want the parks to maintain equilibrium until they are ready to sell, which could take years.

Ride Outlaw Run and Powderkeg early since they are temperamental and often crowded. Everything else, other than shows, can be worked in whenever. I recommend the saloon show - it's not too long and is a bit of fun that shows off the character that made this park what it is. Also don't forget that there is a cave to take a tour of, if you are into that sort of thing or want a cool way to escape the heat without getting soaked.

I mean, we obviously know this is all a matter of course and there isn't anything terribly scary about a coaster stopping on a lift hill. The location in this particular instance was terrible due to the lack of a catwalk extension, but ultimately everyone got off with just a bit of climbing over some seats. However, from the park's perspective I could see this as a big mark against the Silver Bullet. Bad PR like this can linger around, and that hurts attractions far more than routine mechanical issues. Plus FC is short on usable space as it is, so I could certainly see this causing them to look into the possibility of an "upgrade". I would miss SB, but I wouldn't mind a brand new G-fighter or compact Mack looper.

What a pain. Sounds like their investor simply flipped on them instead of letting them correct the course and actually last long enough to evaluate the business. Make sure you go into business with professionals. The location doesn't sound like it was a great choice though. $25 shouldn't be a huge amount of money, but these people are acting like it's a months wages. I don't think there's enough disposable income there to make it viable even if they did expand to make it "worth it". Ugh, this is like the fourth new park (that actually got off the ground) to go under in recent memory. Galveston Pleasure Pier is about the only success story I know of recently. Is the industry too difficult to enter now unless you have your own capital to live off of for a few years?

Bad day for it to happen - a slow news day. It's getting lots more attention than it probably should just because of general intrigue about coasters. Hate to have it happen to FC, a park that is trying so hard to turn into something really nice.

Really great shots. That camera does really well with lighting, what model is it? That bit on the American Plunge is actually part of the old Jim Owen's Float Trip ride which sat on the same spot. American Plunge was built over it, but everything after the lifthill is new. The old course can be seen from Wildfire's Overflow queue and it runs underneath the pathway out there. Jim Owen's didn't have any drops though, it was just an open air boat ride with some thematic elements and a tunnel.

^The BBQ stuff at SDC is OK for theme park food, but nothing amazing. The really interesting and unique stuff to try is the skillet options. They are located near Thunderation's entrance and near Wildfire's entrance. Also the cinnamon bread, which is located at a bakery mill tucked into the center of the park. Look for the suspension bridge then find the water wheel next to it and go to the building it's attached to. Other than that there's a new fry bread booth I have yet to try next to the saloon. I hear it's good.

Holy crap, look at the line: https://www.instagram.com/p/BGZmnbas0aR/?taken-at=378300 Hope they can get two trains running again today.

But RMC's aren't some product sitting on a Walmart shelf. There aren't that many buyers in the roller coaster world, and you can bet all of them know a lot more about this type of situation than you seem to think. From an outside perspective, RMC seems to have given the client what they asked for. Who knows what real promises were made or what has gone wrong - we still don't know the actual issue for pete's sake and probably never will. It's not our place to point fingers. Bottom line is that coaster enthusiasts shouldn't get ahead of themselves with baseless speculation, especially when it comes to throwing around blame in situations like this one. I know it's something we all struggle with occasionally on casual chit chat forums.

This place is nuts. I remember when it was just an indoor park and how cool it was when they got that motorbike launch coaster. Were they always planning on going this large? Seems odd that they started out so small yet keep expanding so rapidly. Definitely smarter to do it this way than to propose something ridiculously large from the start and never get started though.

Why not both? There's an independently built drop tower/observation platform going up in Branson as we speak. As for LR, perhaps they made a break through with the 2 train testing, and now they are working on the final fix that will solve all of this. That's what I'm going to assume anyway. It can't be much longer! Those slide pieces could be for next year, or they could be from that water park next to Stone Mountain that HFEC pulled out of at the last minute after buying all the slides and equipment for it. I know DSC already got a racing mat slide from that project, but I don't know if they ever used the rest of the slides yet.

Excellent, so I'm guessing this "technical rehearsal" nonsense is almost over. Perhaps it will be fully open on Saturday? I feel like I keep jinxing it by saying that though.

^They half-assed it from the get-go. Compare SDC's version to it, and its obvious they went with the cheapest props available. It needs to be completely redone. Heck, a lot of that area needs some help to feel as special as the rest of the park. The "outdoor adventure" theme shouldn't be an excuse to be as plain and unoriginal as possible. They did a good job on Firechaser at least. If we're talking about the future already, I have a feeling DW will get something similar to Fireman's Landing at SDC soon. Something involving a big indoor play area with some rides around it. Maybe they'll use the fireworks factory theme they keep trying to find a place for at SDC.

Our side of the commissioning is complete, and all went well. It is finished to satisfaction for all clients. You may see IOE on site but as support staff only as our side of the project is complete and working as expected; this is an all hands on deck project. Thank you. BP Irvine-Ondrey Engineering Ah, I see. Thanks for the insight. I was just throwing something out there since the answers to a lot of these questions have been buried in this thread. Snovi, the LSM issue seems like a good guess. That could also explain why they are seemingly only able to operate it for limited times and why they don't want to let a proper line form. I'm sure they should be able to get something in place this month to take care of the issue.

So it's got to be down to the control system, right? The launch is working, clearly it's safe and reliable enough for human riders... the only thing missing is running both trains. I'm still just scratching my head at how a coaster can be in "technical rehearsal", but be unable to open fully. The control system being an issue is the only thing that makes sense to me.