texcoaster

At CoasterCon, I got 35 rides on Voyage without getting off the train. I think all but 2 or 3 of those rides were in the last two cars. Sore? Hell yeah, but it was worth it.

I quite enjoyed the description of Voyage on page one of this thread. While I haven't been on El Toro yet, I rode Colossus at Heide Park and found the ride fun, but just not what I want from a wood coaster. I guess I want it to feel like a wood coaster, not like a steelie. I think my favorite description of the Voyage, however, came at coaster con when a late arrival to ERT asked someone else in line what it was like. Her reply: "The first third is like Shivering Timbers. The second third is like Hades. The final third is like being thrown down a flight of stairs." Yeah, that's about it. I also have to agree that if Voyage (my #1 also) is at my head, #2 is below the waist somewhere. There was simply no contest for me.

^^^ wuss. Seriously, how you react to it depends on what you're used to. Anyone who enjoys TxGiant even a little bit should have no problem on this coaster whatsoever. Ditto for Rattler. I can easily ride 20-30 times without getting off the train, even when it's running a bit slow and rough. I couldn't do more than 2 or 3 on Giant this year.

It breaks my heart that this park may never reopen. MegaZeph was my #1 woodie until I sampled some Gravity Group rides. As previous posters have said, though, the park was DEAD even when NO was a thriving tourist destination. The park would certainly not "make a killing" now. The biggest problems it faced (besides the heat) were the location and the typical NO tourist. [1] Location: it was too far out of town. Folks come to NO for the French Quarter and the Garden District. All of the conventions are in that area, all of the parties are in that area, all of the events are in that area. Most people plan a trip to NO and don't bother renting a car because everything happens centrally. A cab ride way out to the east end and back is a pretty steep price. [2] Tourists: come to party. They want to get trashed, get crazy, stay out till the wee hours, and see (or have) sex on the streets. Generally, they do NOT bring the kids. If a park is to survive, it needs the dollars not just from mom&dad, but from the kids they bring with them who yell that they want a coke, a souvenier, etc. Teens probably spend the most money in a park, and folks don't bring their teens with them to NO, either. Hate to say it, but as much as I loved that little park, it was a really bad business idea even when NO was booming.

^^^ It was rebuilt from the remains of the Cyclone as the Comet when it was still at Crystal Beach. It was then relocated from CB to TGE. Someone mentioned Ark Twister earlier... a LOT of the original wood was used in the relocation. More, probably, than most moved woodies. All the track was replaced, of course, but I'd say that at least 75% of the wood support structure was salvaged. It was funny, that first season... all the pieces had numbers painted on them to aid in reconstruction at the new site. It was sorta like riding through a math test!

Perhaps they're installing auto-lubrication devices on the front of the train so that the track will be nice-n-greezy for Robb's video shoot. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

No offense dude, but the guy you are correcting works for GCI. Personally, I'm going to trust him. --Robb No offense, dude, but I was told my info from a guy from Gravity Group. Between the two, I'll go with GG.

OK, I haven't seen the movie, only the trailer posted at the beginning of this thread.... But in the trailer, they pop the OTSRs on the whole back half of the train. People get out and fight. Then they decide to dispatch the train with the front half of it filled. [1] Were people still scuffling on the exit platform when the train was cleared and dispatched? WTF? How is that "clear"? and [2] Unless the movie scene has stuff in it that's not in the trailer, NOBODY put down the OTSRs, yet they are all down and locked when the train leaves the station. Lame.

Yeah, that's what I thought, too. It turns out that Halloween is one of the busiest times for Alton Towers. It was PACKED, and took freakin forever to even get to it on those little back roads full of cars. The other parks were crowded as well, but Alton was insane.

Wow... so much to cover. [1] Guide wheels on the outside of the rails doesn't make a coaster smoother. It's the amount of play between the wheels and the rails that matters. Whether that play is outside or inside the rails is irrelevant. A wood coaster is rough because the train bounces from rail to rail looking for center. Well, and other factors like aging, etc... [2] A woodie isn't rougher than a steelie because the structure moves more. The movement of the structure makes it SMOOTHER, actually. You WANT that thing to move, trust me. [3] A floorless woodie would suck. Any train concept that would raise the center of gravity that far would suck. Every vibration, every shake, every bump gets multiplied. Ditto for an inverted train, only you're lowering instead of raising. [4] Multi-looping woodie? Who do I slap for this idea? The cost of maintenance alone would make most parks balk at this. [5] Launched and/or shuttle woodie. Sign me up! I'm not sure why nobody's done a shuttle woodie yet. The launch idea would depend on some sort of launch system that could handle the train moving back and forth a bit as the wood changes shape due to age and weather. You can't have the super-close tolerances of fins between LIMS or other such launch systems. You could, however, do a reverse-lift (like boomerang) pretty easily. [6] I thought of trains that had seats mounted to poles with springs under them. In moments of airtime, the entire seat assembly raises up, guided by the posts. When it lands, the springs cushion the fall. What you get is super-exaggerated airtime sensations, since you AND the seat rise up. Crazy? Probably. But no crazier than some of the other stuff batted around in this thread!

Although Dexter Frebish's Electric Roller Ride (later Excalibur at SFAW) was my first coaster and holds a special place in my heart, I'll go with Big Bad Wolf. The DFERR was called "the coolest coaster in the world" by the band "Dexter Freebish" that named themselves after it... sorta.

I've got a bunch of t-shirts, mostly, and LOTS of pictures. I've got a map of Astroworld from 1968, the first year I went there. ..and my favorite stuff: a piece of steel track rail, an upright, and a section of handrail from the TxCyclone In the background is a collection of pics of TC, and just out of the shot is a certificate of authenticity.

Yeah, I'm trying not to jinx it by saying too much in anticipation over the dino-park..... ...but everything I've read says that they will have rollercoasters. Notice that the word is PLURAL.

Ride time is not a good indicator, as it can vary wildly depending on the weight of the train, the grease packing in the wheels, rain, etc... As for the rest, go back and notice that I said that at the media day it was stated that the ride had been SHRUNK in all respects to fit the space. This is what was announced. Claude was there and did not dispute this. We can go on and on over this, and this could get ugly, and neither of us is likely to change our minds. The bottom line, however, is that I am going on information that was released OFFICIALLY, I was there in person to hear it when it was released, and the guy who designed it was right there, and even rode it with us several times. 'nuff said.

When they installed Dungeon Drop at SFAW, one of the first questions I asked was "what if the power goes out after we drop, but before the brakes kick in?" That was a real concern, since the previous year I had been stranded on rides three different times due to power outages. I was told that the brakes worked on magnetic principles and that no electricity was needed. Apparently, the odds of the tower falling over are better than the brakes not working. ...or maybe they just told me that.

Really? They wouldn't let me on it with two 6 year old friends of the family last time I was there. I rode it a couple of times with a friend of mine who's even older than I am. We, of course, held our hands up and screamed.

Space Center Houston/NASA are pretty close to Kemah... I've lived here most of my life, and I've yet to visit Space Center Houston. I saw NASA a time or two, but that was pre-Challenger. Geez, I'm old.

All batman clones are the same other than some are mirrored. None are smaller. Stick with stuff you know before you make a fool of yourself. At the Great White media day, it was mentioned that the coaster was "shrunk" in all respects to get it into the area they had. A quick check of the rcdb confirms it: BTR standard model: 2700' long BTR mirror image model: 2693' long Great White: 2562' long Since GW is not a mirror-image model, that makes it 138' shorter than a standard version. Its inversions are slightly tighter, a bit closer together, and the g-forces feel a little stronger.

[1] Nemesis [2] Great White (Sea World TX - slightly smaller BTR clone) [3] Alpengeist [4] Talon [5] Raptor

re: kiddie credits The coaster at iT'z is open to adults with no need to kidnap a toddler to ride with you. The other coaster at Zuma is REALLY hard to get a credit on, as they only open it when they feel like it, and unless it's crowded that day, they usually don't bother. I've been there (or been by there) several times and have yet to get the dang credit.

WHEEE!!! I suppose there's ONE good thing about not having the money to go to Fiesta Fest this year!

So, even though I was sad to see this historic ride go down (I think it was the first-ever Int Freefall ride), I admit that I was pretty geeked to see a video posted.... 3.. (holding breath) 2... (waiting to see it implode) 1... (anxious to see lots of smoke and hear a huge explosion, and see the tower just collapse into itself) .... (pop) (tower simply lays down) WTF? That's IT??? I think they should've designed some sort of stunt show around it with that being the climax. At least there would've been entertainment.

Add the word "tubular" in front of "steel track" and you're right! My first coaster was 1972. Dexter Frebish's Electric Roller Ride (later renamed Excalibur) at Astroworld (later renamed Astroworld:A Member of the Six Flags Family, then renamed Six Flags Houston, then Six Flags Astroworld). My first woodie was 1976, Texas Cyclone. The picture: Me and my cousin Larry just before my very first coaster ride. We got me the Gilligan hat so I could make the height requirement!

For those who haven't ridden the kiddie coasters, you've likely missed a GREAT time.... the "High Speed Thrill Coaster" at Knoebels is a freakin BLAST. Also, the more lame a kiddie coaster is, the more fun it can be. Some of my favorite ACE event moments are when they let us ride a kiddie coaster that is normally not allowed for adults. There are these full-grown adults, crammed into these tiny cars, some of us having to adopt advanced yoga positions just to get the lap bar to lock, and SCREAMING all through the ride like it was Top Thrill Dragster or something. Yes, it's retarded, but it's FUN and funny. Also, since the train is carrying probably four times the passenger weight it was designed around, some of those turns can be pretty intense(!) As for the parks that have a clone of a coaster you've been on somewhere else, but they won't let adults ride, it's not always a safety issue. These rides are often VERY low capacity because of tiny trains, few seats, and the added time to secure small children who don't think to fasten their own seatbelts, etc. Low capacity makes long lines, and long lines make kids and their parents irritable. Many parks keep the adults off the rides in order to give the kids a chance to ride without having half the seats taken up with parents, cousins, credit whores, etc. Even when the park is dead, the rule is still there and the high-school ops follow it simply for fear of losing their jobs... or because it makes them feel powerful over you. Whichever.

Yeah, I guess. My question to you would be had you already been on Wildcat or Double Loop when you decided on seconds of Maverick and Dominator? If you'd ridden them before, then it wouldn't be another credit anyway. If not, then you and I have different philosophies. I'd have gone with a first-ever ride on a coaster before a second ride on a known coaster. While it's true that just by looking, Maverick beats Wildcat and Dominator beats Double Loop, and in those cases, you chose wisely. However, I've had MANY coasters that didn't look like much that became "surprise hits" on their respective trips. Kennywood's Jack Rabbit was almost passed by for another spin on Steel Phantom (that would've been a travesty!) and I almost drove right past MegaZeph on the way home from a long trip in favor of a good night's sleep before work the next day. It didn't look like much at all. I finally decided to run in quickly when I noticed the parking lot was nearly empty, ride the four coasters once each, then head home. That was the plan, anyway. FIVE HOURS LATER, I'm still riding MegaZeph. It was my #1 woodie until this year, when Voyage and Boardwalk Bullet beat it out.