Kemah Boardwalk and Bullet Discussion Thread

[Wes]

^ You probably have a good chance to get some of those legendary rain rides all the BB fanboys rave about.

[kraken613]

With some 70+mph winds! That would be fun!

[terrancew_hod]

^Surely you jest! Plus the winds will be close to 110MPH.

 

Hopefully they built the coaster to withstand high winds or it might end up being called the Kemah Lumber Pile! The whole place has a high probability of being a complete water park this weekend!

 

Terry

[Wes]

So Boardwalk Bullet has a pretty good chance of being an Aquatrax, then?

[All Clear]

OMG get Dan there NOW!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Phideaux]

Not to worry it is a made of wood, it will float.

[BeemerBoy]

Plus, the tailwinds will probably help the second half of the ride speed up a bit. I'm predicting it'll start clocking in with a full circuit time of at least 57 seconds now......and seat 7-2 is gonna be top notch.

[terrancew_hod]

^That airtime will be nothing nice.

 

Terry

[texcoaster]

According to the local newscaster (who was at the Boardwalk for his report), Kemah officials expect the entire Boardwalk to be "under massive water" by Friday evening.

 

The Boardwalk is on Galveston Bay, which is expected to have a storm surge approaching 20ft (higher than the coastal surge, since the hurricane is pushing water into the bay, trapping it and not allowing it to flow back out). If there is a 20ft surge, there will be about 18ft of water over the Boardwalk.

 

I've seen reports on local forums that the Bullet trains have been removed, but if the worst happens, the lift motor, brakes, transfer track, and much of the station trackage will be submerged in salt water.

 

Think "Mega Zeph".

 

On the bright side, it would allow Kemah to say "closed due to storm repairs" and leave it down long enough to debug it for good.... assuming it's still there.

 

I seem to remember the Gravity Group guys telling me that it should withstand Cat 3 winds, so there shouldn't be any wind damage, unless some other structure (like that little house next door, or one of the boats in the adjacent marina) rips apart and collides with it.

[ginzo]

^Damn, this poor little coaster gets the "born under a bad sign" award.

[thrillerman1]

I am seeing on a live webcast that water is already coming up through the boardwalk planks and the storm is still 12 hours away from landfall. I have friends in Houston, and pray and hope the best for all of you residents!

[mike robinson]

Yeah, lets just say I am glad I got some rides in on 8/31. Don't know when or if I will be able to ride again. This storm is going to take a long time to recover from. Not so much the winds, but the HUGE storm surge.

[astroworldfan1]

Good thing I got the credit. Atleast Gravity Group is still in business unlike CCI to rebuild the coaster.

 

-Tatum

[thrillerman1]

KHOU is reporting that 3 individuals were arrested early this morning for breaking into storage buildings at the boardwalk.

[Johnny Upsidedown]

Kemah is starting to get inundated with water..

Take a look. http://www.myfoxhoustonlive.com/ , the webcam updates every 10 minutes or so..

If its not on the right side of the screen click in the middle of the screen for Kemah.. They are saying that Kemah may see between 10 to 20 feet of water so it does not look good for the park..

[astroworldfan1]

It's so sad to see Kemah like this. Kemah was/is a really nice park with a nice coaster!

 

-Tatum

[spaceace12]

Just my thinking, I hope GG built this to withstand a Cat 2 winds, that is what will make landfall at this point. If it can withstand the wind, the only danger will be damaging electronics and motors. Hopefully the trains are in another town that is on higher ground. Motors and electronics can be replaced pretty quickly, I suppose. I think other than structural damage, the bullit could be up and running again real soon.

[mike robinson]

I believe the trains are gone, not sure about anything else. Its not the winds that are going to do the damage but the huge storm surge. The coaster is going to be taking waves before long. The coaster might be able to withstand the winds, but NOTHING can survive the water that is going to be pounding the entire area.

The storm surge is going to be the huge story out of this storm.

 

Just hope for the best!

[astroworldfan1]

I think the subtitle of this thread will have to be changed in a couple of hours.

 

I hope Kemah makes it!

 

-Tatum

[BeemerBoy]

OH NOES!!!!1!

THE BULLET'S GONE!!!!!

[terrancew_hod]

^LOL

 

I was just watching MSNBC and one of the reporters in a "green car" just passed the coaster heading towards the bay. The water was wild and coming in (just about 50 feet from the coaster); they said the place will be inundated before 6pm.

 

EDIT: Please note that it will be actually 12 hours before the hurricane comes in and they're already rescuing people trapped by flood water and storm surge. They also showed video of coast guard rescuing people either trying to drive by the ocean or trying to take pictures of storm surge and they got trapped in their cars.

 

The news also said that if Galveston Island get the 15 foot surge, most of the island will be under water.

 

Terry

[ginzo]

^^Your mom is gone. BURN!!!

[coastercrazy216]

While it is sad about the ride, I had back problems after the TPR shoot for about 2 months. I don't care that it gets blown away anymore, I am just happy I got the credit.

[thrillerman1]

KHOU is now showing the whole boardwalk under water.

[astroworldfan1]

^ Can you or anyone post a link or a picture please?

 

-Tatum