Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[Shavethewhales]

^Except there are footers off to the side, like I've been saying all along. Roll or not, this is all part of a large sweeping turn.

 

I will say though, the track coming up out of the drop is oddly steep in pitch already, but I'm still withholding doubt that it will do a roll until we see the track in place... which may happen as early as next weekend.

 

I just hope the new trains from RMC are comfortable enough...

[vacoaster09]

I don't think this ride is going to have the RMC trains.

[crazywolf88]

^It was announced earlier that Rocky Mountain was doing an I-BOX re-build like Texas Giant and an original, all topper track coaster. The topper track build was going to have the Rocky Mountain train. We know that this is the topper track build.

 

Now where is that re-build going to be?

[Shavethewhales]

^Yes, and the re-build was leaked as being the Rattler re-build taking place this off-season.

 

I feel like we need to have a known-fact sheet or something for this thread, we keep asking the same things and having to go back and point to the RMC articles and interviews from five months or more ago.

[Jerrykoala2112]

I honestly don't care if this ride has airtime. What would make this ride for me is the pure speed. Racing through the forest with crazy turns, this ride is gonna be great!

[coast4airtime]

It doesn't even look like they are trying to make a turn around. It looks like they are trying to make a zero-g roll on a wooden coaster...

[CpBluestreakCp]

Wow..this looks like an amazing coaster. So far 2013 looks promising with all the new coasters that should be announced soon. Can't wait to see its full, complete layout. Whether its a zero-g roll or a massive over bank, I'm just hoping it will work out. I just don't want a SoB repeat..

[rclay2003]

Whatever it is, it seems like it will be epic for a woodie. I'm personally excited because it looks like a top new coaster for 2013 will be right here in Missouri! As soon as they make the announcement I will be making plans to attend the opening or, hopefully, media day!

[Blind Idiot God]

It's also possible that we could be getting something akin to a Stengel dive.

[Moose]

^ I think that is more likely, though with Rocky Mountain, who knows!

[RCBoilermaker14]

Possible zero-G roll on a wooden coaster,hmm!Now I'm really interested.

[Erik Johnson]

Looks like I will have to return to this park next year.

[Andrewoplis]

Wow, this is already looking amazing!!

[GigaG]

I love Stengel dives and I love hearing about inversions on wooden coasters... guess we'll have to see which one it is .

 

Anyways, how does topper track work - if it is bolted and welded to the steel running rails, then when the rest of the coaster is wood, how does it transition from the thicker topper track to the normal wood track? And is Outlaw (if that is the name) going to be considered steel or wood? I mean, the rails are practically half steel and half wood!

 

Even stranger, what happens on a ride like Tremors or Georgia Cyclone that is only part topper track? How is THAT classified?

[coast4airtime]

^I asked that same question earlier on. I don't know if it will be a steel coaster because the track is wood and steel.

 

Topper track is just a single piece of steel that is the same dimensions as standard wooden track, but I think this entire ride is going to be topper track.

[Shavethewhales]

The entire ride is topper track. Whether you want to call it steel, wood, or hybrid is up to you. I just call it a hybrid since it's different enough from the traditional wood style to have a different name.

 

Man, the more I stare at the photos the more I can't wrap my head around where the track could go that doesn't involve the seemingly-obvious roll. The bents leading up to it are pretty strange too though. I think as soon as we can get some more photos this puzzle will be solved - they're probably adding track already at the rate they've been going. Won't it be great if the rest of the coaster is like this? Getting to wonder just what in the hell they're going to do next. Literally every part of this coaster has been a huge surprise for me personally so far.

[Tanks4me05]

Phew. Topper track. That way it should still feel like a wooden coaster, at least that's what I've been hearing about topper track. (The only thing that is holding El Toro back IMO is that it's too smooth. Wooden coasters need at least some roughness IMO.)

 

I still call it a wood coaster, as most traditional wood coasters have the wheel already running on flat steel rails. These steel rails are just taller, wider, and more structurally sound than normal.

[larrygator]

Phew. Topper track. That way it should still feel like a wooden coaster, at least that's what I've been hearing about topper track. (The only thing that is holding El Toro back IMO is that it's too smooth. Wooden coasters need at least some roughness IMO.)

 

I still call it a wood coaster, as most traditional wood coasters have the wheel already running on flat steel rails. These steel rails are just taller, wider, and more structurally sound than normal.

 

Then ride El Toro towards the back of the train early in the day with a 2/3 full train if you need "some" roughness. It might be your opinion but it's also a stupid comment. Do all steel coasters need to have at least some smoothness?

[Two Fifteen]

I still call it a wood coaster, as most traditional wood coasters have the wheel already running on flat steel rails. These steel rails are just taller, wider, and more structurally sound than normal.

 

Well that's just it. I think the distinction is structural vs non-structural, because that is what affects the behavior and feel the most. My view is that since RMC is touting the advantages of topper track because of its structural function, it's no longer a wooden track. More subjectively, based on riding the Riverside Cyclone, the feel on those sections of track did not resemble that of a wooden coaster.

 

By contrast, the thin steel pieces on top of traditional wood coaster track serve the function of merely distributing the load into the wood track. (Smoothness is probably one of its functions, too.) In any case, that steel is non-structural and would not behave the same way without the wood beneath it.

 

I would consider a ride that truly uses both (Riverside Cyclone, for example) to be a hybrid because there are distinct sections of each. But if a ride is entirely topper track, you'd have a hard time selling me on anything but calling it steel.

[Moose]

I may be wrong On this but i think that The topper track wouldn't behave the same way if the wood were not there either. It is much much stiffer, but still nowhere near stif enough to support the loads from a train without working in unison with the layers of wood below.

[chadster]

Topper track is noticeably smoother than wood, but done in such a way that you can still tell it's a woodie. That's my opinion on it after riding two with some sections having topper track, but this will be the first with prefab pieces so who knows what it will be like until we ride it.

[Mrlittle]

This coaster is looking great. I just got back from SFOT like a week ago and rode New Texas Giant and loved it. "So Smooth". It's going to be interesting what they do on this coaster that tops the Giant.

[KCForce]

I'm going to call the Topper Track a steel coaster. This one is tricky, I know RCDB is calling it a wooden coaster, but there is no wood anywhere that the wheels roll - on a wooden coaster, there is wood under the steel plates where the wheels roll. The rails on this are rectangular hallow steel, not laminated wood. The rails are what define if a coaster is wood or steel, not the support structure. The rails are supported by by wood (and that is laminated). If Thunderation's round hallow steel rails had a wooden structure - if you replaced all the steel cross ties and supports that currently connect the rails to it's support structure - it would still be a steel coaster. Hallow steel track - regardless of it's shape - is still hallow steel track.

 

On a separate note, I'm going to say I'm voting with the the "this will be an inversion" camp. I'm not certain if it will be a zero g roll, but it sure looks like it based on the support structure next to the ledgers currently in place. If the track were going to be placed on the right side of the steel ledgers, you're going to get a face full of bents coming around this area. If the track goes on the left side of the ledgers it's going to invert here. With this we'll know as soon as the track is in place.

 

Regardless, I'm thrilled this is being installed in my home state, and it looks to be one of the most interesting new coasters in quite a while. The most important thing is we all will have a new one of a kind coaster to ride (until someone else builds a brand new up from the ground Topper Track Coaster.)

 

I shudder to think though about the is this a steel coaster or wood coaster comments that will be forth coming... Peace.

Edited June 26, 2012 by KCForce

[Intaman]

This new coaster looks rather promising. Of course, I have yet to visit SDC. This will likely give me that incentive to get out there. Having just experienced El Toro a couple weeks ago, I am somewhat on a "woodie kick".

[nieksanderman]

I'm not that active on your forum, however, on our own (dutch) forum we have the same problem: how to define this coaster?

In my honest opinion, the roller coaster in SDC should be considered a hybrid. To clarify, it is of the genre shown in the last of four images:

 

Kind regards,

Niek

(themepark.nl)