SFMM Psyclone, was it ever a great ride?

[speedracer]

What did the 1994 Northridge earthquake do to the area and SFMM...

 

As far as SFMM, nothing that could/should have been repaired. Can't understand the logic behind blaming the earthquake for how craptacular Psuclone was. Colossus didn't suffer such a degrade, and up North here, the +80yr old Giant Dipper at SCBB is located just 10 miles from the epicenter of the slightly bigger 1989 earthquake, still runs glass smooth to this day.

 

The earthquake theory is just that, a theory. If a small independent seaside park can keep their much older classic woodie in pristine glass smooth condition even after taking almost a direct hit from a bigger earthquake, then why couldn't a much bigger park with a bigger budget repair any assumed damage to their woodie? Very simlple, lack of maintenance, care and repair, which ultimately had nothing to do with an earthquake and more to do with a park that just didn't give a crap.

[RIP Psyclone]

What did the 1994 Northridge earthquake do to the area and SFMM...

 

I have never ridden the woodie due to being so far away, it looked ok and had the same layout as the "Cyclone" in New York.

 

Why did SFMM not retrack it if it was becoming too rough, were the cars bouncing along the track down the drops.

 

Many of the Curtis D. Summers/Dinn Corporation woodies share a similar reputation, i.e. Cedar Point's Mean Streak.

 

As to the earthquake "theory," it is possible. After a major earthquake, you'll see a collapsed structure surrounded by other structures still intact.

 

One thing is for sure, though, SFMM needs another woodie. Badly!

[**McFly**]

I don't think that SFMM needs another woodie. Sure, maybe if you only want it to last a couple years then ok. However it usually takes more than a couple of years for a Major Ride to pay for itself.

[ebl]

"Sorry, Eric, my sources have pretty much confirmed that area is being reserved for an Aquatrax, not a Nantimi Connect N Amuse." (DerekRx)

 

That would work, too. It would be something different for this area.

 

Eric

[KingOfNynex2003]

In my own opinion I thought it wasn't too bad when I went onto it last May but I had been on the Ghostrider coaster a couple days before and I felt that was the roughest coaster I've ever been on in my entire life but since it's been completely demolished now I don't really care that it's gone but I would've liked to go on it more than one time before I left but now that it's gone I'd like to see another coaster in it's place right now maybe a coaster like The Voyage or maybe El Toro if they had the same restraints as The Voyage.

[PURE]

What did the 1994 Northridge earthquake do to the area and SFMM...

Very simlple, lack of maintenance, care and repair, which ultimately had nothing to do with an earthquake and more to do with a park that just didn't give a crap.

 

Which is mostly the reason behind all of the coasters at MM going to hell in not too many years after they open unless they're B&M's.

 

B&M's take pretty damn good care of themselves because of their simple designs, where as you can see Arrows, Vekomas and wood coasters require extensive maintenance on a day to day basis that Magic Mountain doesn't bother to provide. Yes, there are "daily" checks, but these daily maintenance routines are just that, daily checks to open the ride for the day. They don't provide the kind of care that coasters which run almost every single day depend on, if there are hopes for them to be running in the long run.

 

Ride Maintenance at Magic Mountain is understaffed and has been for almost 2 decades. Plain and simple, its amazing that some of the coasters have lasted as long as they have. Psyclone (and the rest of the rotting coasters at MM (which is pretty much all of them)) is a product of Magic Mountains horribly organized maintenance staff, and the parks unwillingness to set aside required funds that are vital to a coasters (not to mention a wood coasters) lifespan.

[JamesMC]

When SFGA built "Viper" (pretty much a clone of Psyclone and Georgia Cyclone) I thought, do I even want to get on this ride? I had ridden Psyclone at the time and found it unnecessarily slow and rough for such a small coaster.

 

SFGA got something right, and I'm not sure exactly what it is because it Kicks A$$ and is far superior to the American Eagle. However, the design is almost a photcopy of Psyclone, so I'm not sure why one works and the other didn't.

 

I am sad to see any coaster meet the wrecking ball without a ready replacement such as SFMM. Hope they add a GCI or Custom Coasters in the next couple of years.

[RIP Psyclone]

I'm not sure why one works and the other didn't.

 

Two words: Dinn Corporation

 

You bring up a good point, I wish SFMM would construct a clone of SFGAm's Viper on the same spot as Psyclone and call it Psyclone...and act like nothing ever happened. Maybe even use the same B&M trains, but I hear they were in part due to the demise.

[waterviper]

Yes the heavy trains did aide in the falling apart of Psyclone as well. I really never understood why they kept used them and kept them on. I think that Psyclone coulda been salvaged. With retracting and added Millennium Flyers I think Psyclone would of lived much longer with much better rides. If they do this on Ghostrider, I do believe Ghostrider will be born again!

[lapseofreason]

Which is mostly the reason behind all of the coasters at MM going to hell in not too many years after they open unless they're B&M's.

 

I disagree.... Scream! (a B&M in case somebody didn't know) has been rough as hell the last couple times I've been on it. It used to be really smooth when it opened 4 years ago, but now... ouch. Even in the front row I get banged around.

[almightyfire]

I don't quite understand how a coaster made of steel becomes rough. I was at MM last May and Scream felt the same as it did as when it opened. (to me) Can someone explain how a steel coaster becomes rough because I have never ridden one that was noticably rough than when it was first opened.

[kraxleRIDAH]

^ Steel coasters can get rough if not maintained properly over the years. If the wheels/wheel assemblies/axles aren't replaced as recommended, seats/harnesses not installed as well as they could be after maintenance, etc.

[viking86]

I don't quite understand how a coaster made of steel becomes rough. I was at MM last May and Scream felt the same as it did as when it opened. (to me) Can someone explain how a steel coaster becomes rough because I have never ridden one that was noticably rough than when it was first opened.

 

On most steel coasters, atleast B&M's and Intamins, its all about the trains and wheel assemblies. When I visited Mirabilandia a few years ago they were running 2 trains on Katun. One of them gave glass smooth rides, while the other one was shaking alot, causing some light earbashing in the outer rows.

[PURE]

Which is mostly the reason behind all of the coasters at MM going to hell in not too many years after they open unless they're B&M's.

 

I disagree.... Scream! (a B&M in case somebody didn't know) has been rough as hell the last couple times I've been on it. It used to be really smooth when it opened 4 years ago, but now... ouch. Even in the front row I get banged around.

 

I'll take the blame for that. I should've known on these forums sometimes you gotta be super specific otherwise 1 exception pops up and someone calls you on it.

 

Just because they're B&M's doesn't necessarily guarantee they're going to be smooth for ten years. If not maintained properly, a B&M can have just as much demise as any other coaster. However, I don't recall Scream ever being that "smooth," from what I remember, its pretty much been inconsistent since day 1.

 

A big part has to do with the polyurethane wheel mixture that rides the coasters track. Silver Bullet at Knotts is so quiet because (well, to start, there's sand in the supports/spine) the wheel mixture is so soft, you can almost indent it yourself with your fingernail. Same with Tatsu (which is still quiet even though i don't think it has sand filled in its spine and supports). If you look at Screams wheels they're white, and a lot harder than SB's (they're also cheaper), which is why the coaster rides so hard and is so loud.

 

Many factors contribute to a rides roughness, some have already been listed by other people posting. Gaps between wheels and the track (upstops, ride wheels), looseness of hitches, looseness of bolts on the train, even bad track design (Viper is almost all of these things which is why its so rough) will contribute to a rides roughness.

 

Keep in mind not all of this is the cause of bad maintenance, some coasters just simply don't age well. So when parks buy a coaster, its kind of a risk. You could get a lemon on your hands and there's really nothing you can do about it except take it down and start from scratch (Windjammer). Unfortunately, a combination of these factors have contributed to the nightmare of coasters that are Magic Mountain.

 

However, I will say Tatsu's fared well so far. Perhaps its the new ownership, a new and improved designed B&M, or better yet, things could have finally went right for a Magic Mountain coaster.

[haiderodes]

I went on it opening year(1991) and it was my favorite coaster in the park(i know, i admit it so you can make fun of me later)

 

My last ride was in 2005 and it was really brutal. To bad because i really thought it was a great ride to beginn with.

 

Also opening year the lines were insane, waiting 2 1/2, 3 hours was not unusual for Psyclone. At one visit the line went all the way up to the entrance of Roaring Rapids

 

That must have been some insane line. The longest I ever saw it was when it winded back behind the wall and behind that little "snack shack" building. The regular queue itself held about an hour wait (with two trains operating).

[waterviper]

I don't quite understand how a coaster made of steel becomes rough.

 

Desperado at Buffalo Bills on the state line beat the tar out of me and gave me a bruise.

[ebl]

Don't start me on X...

 

Eric

[RIP Psyclone]

As seen in the SFMM Photo TR, Psyclone has been replaced by Scream! as one of the greatest coasters ever built.

 

[PURE]

^Its been like that for a while now. Tatsu even has its own picture, but I believe X and Deja Vu were skipped.

[sfmmrules!]

NO WAY! The most painful ride EVER. I don't miss it at all. I'm glad its gone. They need to bury GAs Grizzly on top of Physclone.

[ebl]

What I found funny is that SFMM had more than six coasters when that "monument" was built, so I wonder why they didn't make it much bigger with room for expansion?

 

Odd how X and Deja Vu were skipped.

 

Eric

[RIP Psyclone]

If I remember correctly, the "monument" was built around 1991 after the opening of Psyclone. Psyclone was, at the time, the 6th coaster, not counting the kiddie one. Mountain Express, Sarajevo Bobsleds and Shockwave were gone. After the opening of Flashback, and maybe Batman, they expanded the monument, starting to the left of the original 6, causing it to be non-chronological. 1991-1992 was the time I visited the park the most often, as I had a pass in '92.