JamesMC

AND . . . so how did your visit turn out? Just curious

The only beyond vertical drop coaster I've been on has been Steel Hawg at Indiana Beach. It was fun, but the drop itself is so short (and you are basically in a mad mouse car with OTSRs) that it really doesn't register before you are already coming out of the dive. I liked the "Hanging Loop" and the "Diving Corkscrew/Heartline" elements the best on that ride by FAR, I will be going next week to Cedar Point for my first credit on Maverick- so as soon as I ride that I will have some basis of comparison and will let you know what I think.

This could be just a rumor, BUT: I heard that Worlds Of Fun is NOT going to have a media event for the new coaster and is even going so far as to say they will DENY it's existence once the ride is actually built and operational (much like Groom Lake at Area 51.) It will be based on the legend of the Ghost Lion (see wikipedia or the movie The Ghost and The Darkness). Ghost Lion will NOT appear on the park map and you will be discouraged from riding by electric fences, guard dogs, and assorted thugs stationed in or around the queue line. Again, this MIGHT just be a rumor.

I think this might work if they put it closer to Disney or closer to one of the coastlines, but near the airport . . .? Kinda lame

Not that this will come to pass, but . . . I've always thought that amusement park patrons would benefit from a service such as the "You Are Here" park maps located on display throughout the park- which also display approx ride times for major rides. All they would really need to do is to have a sensor at the ride queue entrance, to count those coming into the line, and for an operator to actually punch in the dispatched capacity of either the coaster trains or the number of riders onboard at every ride cycle. It's not gonna change the number of people who ultimately ride the ride, but it would help to spread people out over the rides if you knew ahead of time where the backups were and which rides were relatively empty at any given time. My .02

I believe it has to do with a number of factors 1.) The View 2.)Stresses are reduced to track and train by spreading people out. 3.) It's easier to load 2 people per row than 4. 4.) Allows for more airtime with a longer train. 5.) In the future the "missing seats" arrangement will allow such things as a commode, microwave, entertainment center, and/or pet carriers to be placed on the longer world record-breaking rides that B&M has envisioned.

Referencing an earlier post^^ Demon a.k.a Screamin' Demon was approx where the (I forget the name) big flume/splashdown ride is near Delirium. (I got the chance to ride it as my first coaster slightly over 30 years ago. It was off by itself near the old monorail) Diamondback is on new ground mostly (tho I think that is where they had the little island you could actually canoe out to-((see the Brady Bunch episode where they visit the park))--which became Swan Lake, which became Diamonback's Splashdown or Snake Lake if you prefer.)

Who doesn't like Frosted Flakes? They'rrrrrrrrre Grrrrrreat. But do you like Rice Krispies (and I'm not counting people who have to put sugar on them or throw fruit in with a bowl-I am talking a la natural . . .)

^^ Of course you'd let the horse out of the barn if it was on fire started by an errant laser beam to kill a snake.

Not ride related, but . . .since 8 year olds tend to get hungry and like pizza- your only choice is Papa Johns-However-the one in Hometown Square (near Triple Play ((also good for an 8 yr old)) and Whizzer) has the quickest line/service- don't bother with the one in the Farmer's Market. BE VERY AWARE-of the ride-locker policy . . .bring in nothing with you that you cannot fit in your pocket. Or you'll grow broke feeding singles to the ever-present ride lockers. Win your large stuffed plush toys on the way out of the park at the end of the night. If you go to the waterpark an 8yr old will love Skull Island. If you don't get on Dark Knight early- do not even bother. Even if the little one likes the ride, No One will like the wait. Especially since it's your first visit to the park, there's so much other better stuff to do. Raging Bull and Viper are the two best coasters at the park. Batman is great too, but lots of parks have them. It's fun, but this one is basically the same. Superman is awesome too, but too short. If the line is longer than an hour, check back later for a shorter wait, but DO ride it at some point. If you ride American Eagle- ride the Red Train-it's the better side. (This is coming from a coaster enthusiast) Most kids love The Demon and The Whizzer. Fiddler's Fling (spinning ride) is a Hoot. Log Flume= more of a splash/ Yankee Clipper (boats) is a better drop. Not sure where you are staying while in the area but if you have to travel to the park the day you are going to visit and are driving on I-294- allow extra time . . .LOTS of construction on that road. Some days it flies, and other days it crawls along. If I think of anything else, I'll post it.

In regards to the T-Shirt, the front could read: King's Island 2009. . . The 3-H Club Hot Hybrid Hyper

Thanks for the info/corrections about the ride. We were supposed to go the year it was in operation, and after hearing about the accident we (my family-I was only 15 or so) changed our plans and we went to either Cedar Point or King's Island instead. I am still surprised that there aren't more pictures of Rail Blazer in operation. If anyone's got some or knows where to find 'em, please post the links. Or, if you had a chance to ride, please post your review. Thanks again! James

Son Of Beast hands down- esp. the second helix---ouch! (when I rode it last- it still had a loop and the ride up thru the loop wasn't bad)- but that ending was a killer. The Boss at SFSTL is Rough, BUT I still enjoy the ride. However, I don't sit back further than 3rd car and Always on the left side. Riding it like this is still bouncy BUT fun. I can actually re-ride this 4 or 5 times before the bruising sets in. Oh yeah, Manhattan Express is terrible after the first two drops. Tear it down and try again.

I've only been to SFMM 4 times (The last time was for TPR's Media Day for Tatsu-that was fun- but anyway)- I read on a website within the last month (and no, I cannot recall which one, I browse as many theme park websites as I can with my usual half hour a day on the internet)- that the new coaster was either going where Deja Vu is now (BOOO-I still miss DV at my homepark of SFGA) or that it was going 'near' Batman. If either of these is true, I hope that it's the one that doesn't require DV's removal. That's my .02 (but it's not really even mine-credit goes to where ever I read it). Anywho . . .here's to the new woodie at SFMM regardless.

B&M have said repeatedly that they will not build over 300 feet and I'm doubting KI is putting that to the test. HOWEVER- if you look at that topographical ride survey on Screamscape.com (I'd post the link but I'd probably screw it up) what looks like the bottom of the first drop (and possibly subsequent drops) is 50+ Ft. in some areas. So if we do get the Steep Incline Ahead, that's promised with the teaser placards, and even if this thing stands only 200 or so feet tall, the first drop is likely to be 250 feet or thereabouts. Not a bad thing at all, no no no, not a bad thing at all.

I was down at the "Beach" for an afternoon a couple of weeks ago and I'll say this about Steel Hawg. It's not nearly as painful as it looks like it might be. The first drop is over so quick it's hard to realize just how over-steep of an angle the ride features. BUT-that hangtime loop and the downward barrel roll are a hoot!!!!! Thanks for the report.

I recently visited Six Flags St. Louis and rode River King Mine Train. The ride (for those of you that haven't been there) was half of a set of (semi-)racing mine trains. When I first visited the park in the early eighties in my early teens, the side that is now open used to be closed the majority of the time, while the other side (which has since been relocated to another park and called Big Bad John-and was the far better ride) used to be the default running part of the ride. In 1983-84 (I forget) the side that is now currently open was re-imagained as a stand up coaster with new trains called Rail Blazer. The ride did not run well (guests per hour) and had a tragic accident where a rider was (apparently) thrown from her restraints, fell a couple stories and died from head trauma, all within the first 8 weeks of it's debut. The ride was shut down immediately, and only opened again (with the former mine train set-up) because the other side of the ride was relocated/sold to make room for Ninja. My question/challenge is this- even though it had a brief run at the park, why can't I find ANY pictures of Rail Blazer anywhere? (Other than the picture from that year's brochure-which I actually have that park-brochure for myself in a shoebox somewhere). I've seen old You-Tube footage of the accident report, and I've see one or two pictures of riderless trains from that era- but surely someone, somewhere has photos or possibly even videos of this ride in action. I know the ride had a troubled and brief history, but for the curiousity aspect and/or nostalgia- does anyone have any more real info/pics about the ride when it still existed? Thanks for any info/pics/videos in advance.

why must people wait until the minute they are seated at a restaurant to pick up their cell and call someone and tell the person on the other end "Oh, I just sat down at (insert name brand restaurant here), what are you doing?"

No- I really don't watch t.v. much at all. I do read a lot- Do you like Entertainment Weekly's (the magazine) new look?

I made a trip down to St. Louis a couple of weeks ago to ride EK- and I thought it was great. For such a short ride it packs a lot of punch! As an enthusiast I thought it was fun, but it is also a good choice as a family ride as well. Also-they did a bang up job of getting the trains out in a short time frame- I am sure they were running pretty close to theoretical guests per hour. As much as I hate to see any coaster meet the wrecking ball, if SFMM builds an EK-style coaster as Psyclone's replacement- then it was actually worth it this time around.

$4.13-$4.26 here in Northwest Indiana

As soon as they buy out InBev. What is the likelihood of you finding that long-lost misplaced item that you've almost forgotten about in the next 24 hours?

Not so much. Will I be asleep before someone asks the next question? Hint- I am pretty tired.

From What I Gather (and all of this is unconfirmed, but . . . ) As far as Six Flags Great America is concerned- here's the chatter I've heard while at the park, and on various sites like Screamscape and such: 2009: Splash Battle (Deja Vu site) 2010: Relocation of Go-Karts- new Hurricane Harbor expansion onto former Go-Karts/Spaceship America Site. 2011: New Coaster. I have heard everything from Dive Machine (however this one is supposed to have a first of a kind element- don't know if it's a corkscrew or a modified vertical loop ((which is why the delay from next year or '10 because B&M are supposedly 'tweaking it engineering wise))) or Removal of Iron Wolf/Whizzer (not both) for a Tony-Hawk like coaster. I (surprisingly to me anyway) enjoyed Tony Hawk at SFSTL immensely and wish we would have gotten that instead of Dark Knight (THUD!!! )(which I am secretly trying to sell to someone on E-Bay), BUT I really don't want to wait another two years to get something less than a new big coaster- it's been way too long since we've added a Thrill-Coaster.

Went down to Indiana Beach on Mon for a quick four hour visit. Last coaster: Hoosier Hurricane (which was down during my ride session for 'light' track work. Snuck on once, though, after my ride session was over- hey, it's the reason I wen't down there in the first place and I DID pay my money BEFORE I knew it was gonna be down for the day). Also rode Galaxi, Tigrr, Cornball Express and Steel Hawg.