ansley

Even though I live overseas now, I'll call SFA my home park still. Superman:RoS, easily the best coaster in the park and IMHO a top 5 steel coaster. I was getting a little jaded with it, then over the last 5 years I didn't ride it much. I was shocked how much I like it and how great it is when I only rode it occasionally. I rode it on average only a couple of times each season and it really does kick ass, much better than most other steel coasters and way under-rated. I still think it may be the 2nd or 3rd best steel coaster in North America. Go ride it!

Last Coaster.... Space Mountain at Hong Kong Disneyland a few weeks ago! Ted -----------

B&M's that are 20 years old and have no problems are associated with both how the ride is maintained, and who originally built the equipment. There is only one B&M that is 20 years old, Iron Wolf.

So even if Intamin had nothing to do with it, you're still comparing manufacturers? Holiday Park has had this coaster for 9 years, and Intamin's liability for the ride has LONG since past. It's practically the same thing with Xcelerator, only KBF has had that for 8 years. Is it Ron Toomer's (or Arrow's) fault that Magnum slipped through the breaks and "crashed" in 2007? Was it Schwarzkopf's fault when Mindbender killed three people? The answer to all those is a resounding "no." Once the park gets a coaster in operation, it's THEIR responsibility to maintain the ride. Well, yes....it was partially Schwarzkopf's fault in the Mindbender accident. Maybe you should get your facts straight. The accident happen approx. 6 months after opening. The company was found partially at fault for lack of providing proper maintenance procedures, or something like that, to the park. The accident pretty much bankrupted the company because they were found to be partially at fault. In general, in this thread, I'm apalled at the lack of knowledge being spewed. At least some of you actually say things like "pardon my ignorance" becuase you don't understand the physics of the coasters, or the design of the trains, but some of the posts are down right foolish or pure speculation. It is quote obvious from the photos that an entire rear truck assembly came off of a car in the middle of the train, and the train *probably* dragged on the track causing it to stop. Unfortunately this is not the first time this has happen on a coaster. Beyond that I would say you can't assume much until (or if) more details are released to the public. Regards, Ted

Great report, this park looks very nice! I wish I could be there right now, I think some co-workers are in Shanghai right now too. I live in Bangkok at the moment and I'm hoping to make to Shanghai and back to Chengdu and Beijing before we leave Thailand. About mine trains.... the mine train at Ocean Park in Hong Kong is one of the best I've ridden, a truly great ride with incredible views. My kids and I loved it! Robb has a video of it, check it out!

Chengdu is an interesting city, you should take half a day to go to the Panda Preserve (not sure of the official name). It is awesome..it's the place where all the Panda's are raised in China, I saw like 60 panda's there...it was very cool. It is about 40 minutes outside the city by taxi. The food is awesome in Chengdu, very spicy, but VERY good if you get the right dishes. Sounds like a great trip, wish I could have visited some parks while there....isn't there a Happy Valley park there too? I love spicy food, I live in Bangkok now...lots of great spicy food here, you should plan a trip here, although there aren't that many coasters!