Shavethewhales

Interesting. I guess the other train ride is probably very popular and this is a way of relieving it? Kids do love trains. I love seeing this park continue to do well and expand. It is a great model for other municipal parks to follow (cough Lakemont cough)

That is good news. I actually thought about it when I visited for the first time this year. They have some kiddie stuff spread around throughout the park, but not nothing really concentrated into a kid's area. This is a highly needed move for them.

Sounds like a great plan William. I can appreciate how much of a struggle it can be to get infrastructure under control, but I'm very glad that you've put in the grind to get it done and ensure the future of the park. You have exactly the right business mindset with your focus on growing and catering to your current crowd. Just keep the Rampage running and I'll eventually make the 10 hour journey out there from where I live!

Reading between the lines, it sounds like new trains. So many news writers are so bad at details...

Woof, not sure how anyone likes that bland suburban color scheme. Obviously it's far from finished with all the aesthetics that I'm sure they'll add, but I don't like the colors. I thought they were going to go with the white and grey paint that they had made a test patch for. Meh, just add on some cool themeing and I won't care much about paint colors any way. Oh yeah, I had forgotten that Laff Track was made by MS. Still though, point stands.

I'm a fan of flumes and classic rides in general as well, so I certainly can understand how it hurts to lose something like this. It also kinda sucks for me since I'm making my first trip out there next year and I would have loved to experience it. I love how it actually goes up an actual hill after the first drop. Is this the only flume that does that? Do people count it as a credit? On the other hand, from the outside looking in, I can see why it would be chosen for removal. There are so many classic, amazing rides at Kennywood, and while they always could carve out a space or build on top of stuff, this is probably the most elegant way to free up a ton of space. Flume rides are expensive to run, expensive to insure, and this one probably came due for an expensive overhaul. I trust Kennywood to do some amazing stuff with the space. At least there is still the awesome flume at Hersheypark.

I'm really rooting for this park to put in the work needed to become a real attraction again. If they really haven't even started work yet despite closing for the summer, that is a really bad sign. They can do a lot of work in a few months, so there is still time to get in there and fix it up, but I don't have a good feeling about it. If they could just invest in the water park like they were talking about, that would be a huge boost on its own. I really hope the Skyliner gets fixed up though. I love old wooden coasters, and these old John Allen PTC's are such a rare breed anymore. I'm planning a Kennywood trip for next year, and I really want Lakemont to be fixed up a bit so it is worth driving out to. I'll go if I can be assured that Skyliner and Leap the Dips are at least operational and not hemerage-inducing. If not though, I guess there's Conneaut at least...

Yeah, totally forceless. You won't feel a thing when you are flying down a ten story vertical drop while spinning. Seriously, I understand wanting to start some discussion, but that's kind of a dumb way to approach it. What Mack coasters are you even comparing it to? Most of them are plenty forceful if they mean to be. Laff Track is the only Mack ride I've been on that could possibly be used as a measure for this one, and it is stupidly fun. Take that and throw in a huge vertical drop, multiple inversions, a launch, and all the other craziness and you have me very excited. I still think people are going to be blown away when they actually get on it.

Track is about done, at least as far as you can tell from the park. The ACE coaster christmas event will provide another opportunity to look at it up close, but Im not sure there will be much to say until then. Its all out there now, only thing left that could surprise us is if they end up enclosing one of the launches. Doesnt seem possible though.

This is excellent news to me. River Battle just seemed so cheaply done. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the plan all along, perhaps they always knew it would only stay at DW for 7-10 years so they went with cheaper theming and materials. Then again, DW is weird and quite frankly is very hit and miss on some of their ride implementations, so who knows. This is a big chuck of land though. With a few cuts and retaining walls it could be a lot bigger. Probably as big as Fireman's Landing at SDC. I'd bet this is where they'll pack some new kids/family rides and a new play structure area. It would be a perfect compliment to the County Fair on the other side of the park, help spread out the young family crowd more, and revitalize an area that really didn't get enough attention the first go around. I'm looking forward to it. My one real complain about DW was that this back area felt cheap compared to the rest of the park. It would look nice at almost any other park, but I still hold DW to a higher standard. Wild Adventures will enjoy the splash battle. Fits that park perfectly.

I'll take rain over the bugs any day.

I know they offer lots of options, but that isn't the point. Have you been around many typical theme park guests? It was bad enough when they had a few backwards seats on Thunderation - that confused the heck out of a lot of people that had never been there before and weren't familiar with roller coasters. Now imagine touting this record smashing SPINNING coaster and then throwing different options into the mix in the station. You'd have to carve out different lines, have attendants to explain where to go for what, deal with crowds wanting to do one thing or the other... etc. Not to mention it would still look like a walk-back after they specifically built it to smash spinning coaster records. It would have been stupid to invite that chaos just because some people are scared of a little spin. But it's all set in stone now anyway so it's not worth digging at more - perhaps that will be the gimmick on the next Mack coaster somewhere else: multiple options on one coaster. The second launch sounds funny to me. I love launches, but 30 to 45 in 3.5 seconds? They couldn't give it any more juice than that? I'm not sure that warrants being called a launch. It sounds like something they probably played around with a ton, and this is the final intersection of cost, efficiency, marketing, and thrill value since it allows them to add a final almost-inversion at the end. I'm sure the ride would have had to be cut shorter or utilize a lifthill at the end otherwise. It's just odd that there's this huge launch segment there that only pushes it 15MPH faster. Would be the perfect place to add a tunnel later though Don't get me wrong, I am loving all of this, but of course we're going to be pecking at all the details for the next seven months.

We can talk about stuff without it being "raising a stink". The original concept artwork showed a bunch of different theming, so of course we were expecting something of the sort to make it to the final ride. I wasn't expecting much, but tunnels and fly throughs are fun and I think they add a lot to coasters. We've always wished SDC did more of that sort of thing on every new coaster that has come along since Wildfire. I'm OK with just the station being themed though, and it sounds like it will be very nice. I'm seriously excited to see how it turns out in March, almost more than the coaster itself. I do love a well executed theme.

^They aren't going to lock any cars down, ever. That would be a total logistical and PR nightmare. Nothing like building the world's wildest spinning coaster, then immediately walking it back with non spinning cars like it was some kind of mistake. The whole point would be lost. Anyone who is too scared can either choose to ride something else or at the very least try it once before decrying it as too intense. It's like asking CP to put a slower car on TTD... The announcement was spectacular. I'm very excited for the coaster itself. It think it will be tons of fun and coaster enthusiasts will really come around to it once it gets some riders. As a fan of SDC in particular, I'm very interested in the development of the theme as well. The video and backstory are very interesting, but this is shooting well above the psuedo-historical/tongue-in-cheek nature of the rest of the park. They showed very little of the actual theming in the artwork so far, but they mentioned something about releasing more of it down the road. I'm sure it will be amazing in the station at least. Lots of room in there for neat stuff. Wish they had some tunnels or something along the track though. The ice cream for this ride is fantastic btw. I haven't been terribly impressed by a lot of the HFEC coaster ice creams before, but this is one I will seriously look for and buy on a regular basis. Also, I was reminded yesterday that SDC now has flavored cinnamon breads with peach and apple options. The peach is pretty good!

I am so beyond stoked for the announcement. It's been hard to keep up the excitement since the development has been so drawn out, but it's all been rushing back at me today. Cedar Point and KD are going to get fantastic rides, but this right here will be entirely different. This could be among the last times we'll see something truly groundbreaking at a theme park of this scale. There aren't a whole lot of decent world's firsts left to reach, but SDC is promising to grab at least one. I don't think it's just a question of spinning or not, I think there could be a whole lot of details wrapped up in this announcement that will blow our minds. ... and honestly I'm still probably the most excited to see how crazy they are going to get with all the theming. Remember, this is supposed to be the "biggest" single ride in park history - bigger than Wildfire. What "bigger" means, I am still trying to figure out. The track itself isn't that big, so that could imply a bunch of other things to be added around it later? In a news article from a few months ago, they specifically called it a "game changer" for the amusement park industry.

lol, seriously? You guys are crapping on the county fair ferris wheel? That thing is a classic and is super iconic for the look of the whole area. I'd love another, giant, ferris wheel, but I'd never consider the current one to be an eye sore. I'm not sure this rumor deserves much credence, but if we're taking bets on rides that could be removed, I would look at the rapids ride. While it is popular, it takes up a lot of room in prime real estate. I never actually got on it myself, but it isn't exactly one of the better rapids rides is it? There's been a lot of talk about park operators getting rid of these things lately due to the general expense and probably rising insurance rates due to some of the incidents that have occurred. Sidewinder is unfortunately a good bet as well for similar reasons.

Apparently the station building is very, very close to be entirely complete. The walkways to and from are just about finished, and there is even AC inside. Sounds like it could be highly themed like Wildfire's station? That's my hope at least. Honestly, Wildfire never gets mentioned enough for just how awesome its station is. Outside of parks connected to major media companies, I have yet to find a more intriguing station for a coaster.

Solid additions as always. I love how wisely this park as grown over the past decade.

Seriously, it's just six days. I'm as stoked as anyone, but you might as well wait for the official announcement at this point and get legit info in a fun way rather than ruin everyone's suspense. I'd hate to see the park get disrespected when they are trying to bring us so much fun. Also, I'll definitely call into question the authenticity of the supposed leaks anyway. What I've seen looks pretty fake. There are definitely some people with good art skills who try their hand at imagining concepts for parks, and then there are some who are just into trolling/clickbait/attention. Just six measly more days to get the real scoop.

The thing is that you can't even see into the valley from the road. That drop is over a 100ft. It's probably not much shorter than OR or even Wildfire, but it's a completely different perspective that makes it look smaller. There's probably less than half the track put up yet as well. It seems like it is going to be pretty tightly wound though.

Austin Zamora sent some photos into SDCFans. Definitely several fun inversions on this thing. I'm just surprised at how short it is. It's definitely going to confuse people if they keep calling it their biggest ever. I know it is the most expensive, but unless they are going to enclose part of it or something it's not a huge coaster for the cost. I predict this will be a sleeper hit though. The layout just screams fun to me. Awesome vertical drop, cool distorted inversions, a launch half way through, probably some cool theming, and maybe something wacky with the cars? Lots to look forward to.

They sold Roaring Falls apparently. I'd expect DW to get something bigger and better anyway. Honestly I'd like them to get a dark ride in the vein of the flooded mine. DW had their own FM and they got rid of it because of a few snakes. There's a lot of value in something unique, immersive, indoor with AC, and accessible to the whole family. I don't know why more parks don't have them, but I guess they are a maintenance hassle.

They've always been stingy with trains on weekdays. PK is a separate issue though... the problems have really ramped up again this year with some sort of new sensor issue. I think they re-did something on the trains and it hasn't worked well? That's just me reading between the lines from the people who have to stand out and give excuses for why the ride isn't working or is only running one train. On OR I think they are more stingy with trains now because of how much maintenance is involved. They went to non-steel wheels this year and it just eats them up. All the crazy RMC's have that issue if they don't use steel wheels, but I guess the steel wheels are harder on the track itself? Lots of maintenance either way I guess, so they are going to run less trains if they can help it.

New for 2018: Lightning Rod! We Swear it'll work this time! Seriously though, that's what they need to focus on again.... What about the concept survey from awhile back that would be similar to Fireman's Landing?

The track will sit pretty low in the station. The station floor comes up to the floor of the cars so it is easy to get in and out. The railing on the other side seems to indicate the trains won't be the wide body big dipper trains, but that's just my interpretation. Depth on these kinds of things can be deceiving. I've got to say again: if it turns out this ride has some kind of spinning involved, don't freak out! They know what they are doing and they aren't going to go through all this effort to build something that is too "spinny" to enjoy. Mack is so good at what they do, and I'm sure that if they did include spinning, it would be thoughtfully setup with governors or something. Going through a loop sideways would be fun. Maybe even only spinning on certain parts as speculated before. I'm just seeing a lot of people starting to make some assumptions again that because this has a vertical drop, it must be something like Big Dipper or Helix. Mack is pretty big on pushing limits and they can modify their designs to do anything. Either that, or this is going to be another "shed" moment where the world's firsts are really goofy.