Six Flags Magic Mountain Announces "X2"

[gotdane]

I was surprised to see Viper with 4 trains last week... I'd imagine they'd only ever run 3 during the summer and have the 4th if they need to pull one of the other 3.

 

As far as "X Multiplied Quadratically to the Second Power" goes, I rode it last week for the first time in over a year and had a great ride on it! Granted, it was on an inside seat and early in the day and it was jerky, but it wasn't painful in any way...just out-of-control fun.

 

I can't say what these new trains are going to do for it; I can only hope that applying some algebra to the ride will make for a better experience.

 

I'll enjoy the tunnel effects the first week it's open and hope it's awesome like Demon's tunnel, but after that first week I won't expect nothing. I'm in the camp that would rather the tunnel money be devoted to some grass and a few trees in Scream's layout...

[Jew]

I was under the impression that Viper has always had four trains. I remember seeing four when I worked there too. But just like Goldrusher and Ninja used to have 4 trains, over time the extra train(s) had to become parts. Guess they finally got that 4th one back online.

 

Magic used to have a gutted train from another arrow looper that sat in the boneyard behind Psyclone for a long time (red with a stripe of stars across the middle) that was sold to a private collector a few years ago too...

[AllenA07]

Ninja has a bunch of "part donors" now with the XLR8 trains sitting in the back of the park.

 

I was also under the impression Viper used to have four trains, I guess I was mistaken, but I do recall a fourth train as well.

[ECZenith]

I've seen Viper very busy on weekends with the runoff crowds from X so its cool they added a 4th train.

[Jew]

^The ride can only run 3 trains at a time, but having a back up is always good.

 

IIRC from working there when Magic still had trains that didn't need required maintenance SFMM couldn't do, only Goliath was a bigger people eater with three trains. Riddlers was a close 3rd.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

The new X2 vehicles.

 

http://www.coastercrew.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=109&pos=53

CoasterCrew.com

CoasterCrew.com

CoasterCrew.com

[PURE]

^Wow thanks for the link!

 

I wonder if that's an extra car they made just for a display?

 

Second, I'm wondering if thats what color X's new paint is going to look like?

 

Last, looks like the restraints are now all electronic! Should speed things up quite a bit!

 

^^I remember way back when I was first riding roller coasters, before Riddlers, Viper would run 3 trains with no stacking. A train would be in and out in 30-45 seconds no joke. Oh the good 'ol days when MM ride ops actually had some sort of passion for their job.

[24]

Not too much of a difference but it looks awsome. They should make the loading platform drop instead of the seats tilting back.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

Second, I'm wondering if thats what color X's new paint is going to look like?

 

 

I am wondering about that too, I just hope if they go with red, it should be dark shade of red or its going to blend in with Viper.

 

 

The trains look as if all the wheels are now making contact with the rails, which should provide a much smoother ride, along with the entire seat being supported by a steel shell.

[haiderodes]

I was under the impression that Viper has always had four trains. I remember seeing four when I worked there too. But just like Goldrusher and Ninja used to have 4 trains, over time the extra train(s) had to become parts. Guess they finally got that 4th one back online.

 

Magic used to have a gutted train from another arrow looper that sat in the boneyard behind Psyclone for a long time (red with a stripe of stars across the middle) that was sold to a private collector a few years ago too...

 

I too remember Viper always having 4 trains...Red, Orange, Yellow, and that wierd Brownish Tan colored one. I also remember hearing they got an extra train from Shockwave. I was under the impression they just used that one for parts.

 

Come to think of it Desperado also had 4 trains when it opened even though the ride can only handle three. It had blue, pink, yellow/gold, and the never used green.

[Reggie_Ray]

To be honest, I don't really like the look of the "shell" that the seats are attached to, but hey, if it makes the ride better why not? It'll have to grow on me.

[peteb]

Wow !

 

These are not like Eejanaika's trains at all; look redesigned from ground up. Looks like they ditched the solid pickle fork type seat supports for a unibody type structure. Should be stronger and lighter.

 

So maybe X2 won't dissappoint.

[AllenA07]

^I was going to say that those do look like a farily substantial change. Now of course nobody will really know if they make the ride better until it's had a chance to open and run for a while...

 

I'm curious how much these new trains weigh in comparison to the old ones.

[peteb]

Looking at the difference in the way many of the pieces are fabricated compared to the old trains (lots of cutouts, even on the wheel carriers) looks if light weight was the goal.

[Coasterlvr_nc]

^ yup! I like they way they look personally, and If they give a smoother ride then all the better. With the electronic locking system I wonder how much that will improve capacity....

[coastakid]

Are the cars going to receive a shell to cover all the metal? IMO, I don't think that they look too nice, but not shabby anyhow... I've never ridden the original X, so hopefully when I get out there soon X2 won't disappoint me!

[AllenA07]

I'm sure there will be some type of plastic shell... If you've ever seen video's of X testing before it came to SFMM (a small part of it ran at the Arrow factory) it didn't have any of the plastic coverings.

[Tmcdllr]

Second, I'm wondering if thats what color X's new paint is going to look like?

The trains look as if all the wheels are now making contact with the rails, which should provide a much smoother ride, along with the entire seat being supported by a steel shell.

 

Unlike standard Arrow coasters, ALL the wheels on the original X trains all contact the rails, they always have. The roughness and headbanging is almost completey due to slop that has developed in the seats/the seats bounce around a lot and the restraints have lost their softness and have become extremely hard. No doubt the new trains will be smoother but the wheel assemblies appear to be the same but I am sure they have been improved upon. New softer, more luxurious restarint padding and 'tight' seats, with minimal to no bouncing around, hopefully will make it almost as smooth as most B&Ms.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

^ Not the up stops.

 

Every time I ride X, I notice the up stops still spinning freely as the train makes its way into the station or in the station, at a complete stop.

[Tmcdllr]

Yeah thats right. Now that you mention the upstops I remember seeing that too and thinking to myself "thats odd, why is there a gap between the rail and the upstops?" I apologize for the error. Thanks for jogging my memory.

[Jew]

I hope the "electronic" restraint system is a better design than Deja Vu's...not going to help anything if it is as poorly designed as Deja Vu's was.

[coasterjunkie91350]

I bet the wireing will go bad faster then vu's did during the first summer it opened.

[PURE]

I don't think Deja Vu's capacity is due to the electric restraints. However, mostly everything else (horrible train and station design, orange seatbelt before locking the restraints, seatbelt on the over the shoulder harnesses) is.

 

^ Not the up stops.

 

Every time I ride X, I notice the up stops still spinning freely as the train makes its way into the station or in the station, at a complete stop.

 

I think all coasters have some wheels that do that, sometimes even new ones. More common are ones that have been riding for a couple years. Some of it has to do will wheel wear and tear, but I think its most of its due to the wheel assembly's wearing down and having slop. Although some wheel assembly's like X's have adjustments, they eventually wear down with the rest of the train; they can only do so much.

 

Since the rails of X are pretty stationary, I think a new assembly will keep the wheels from having that gap until the rides worn and begins to have the same problem. I definitely think the new trains will have an improved ride-similar to when it was new, and hopefully because they're lighter, they'll last longer.

 

I was thinking it'd be sweet if they could adjust the flip motions of the X rails for the rehab to create a new Xperience. I wonder if it could be done.

[peteb]

I wonder if Eejanaika will be getting their trains upgraded as well since those apparently are some version in between X's and these, especially if the new versions improve things on X.

[Xtreme_Gz]

Hi everyone I'm not quite new but this i actually my first time posting...or second one....anyway just want to say that the new X trains look pretty awsome. hope they'll paint the trains shell. although watching a white painted train zipping down the hill could be eye catching. I used to work on X for a time and I heard that the seats are now electronic so that should make the job easier on ride ops and temporary ride-ops. anyway, the future for X is looking pretty good I just hope I can get in one more ride on the original one before they re-vamp it (even if it is bumpy right now).