The Official "TPR Europe Trip 2008" Thread!

[ginzo]

Coasters aside I think putting Holiday World and Tripsdrill in the same conversation is blasphemy. I wish HW was 1/10 as good as this place was.

 

Ha! Judging from everyone's pictures, we missed a lot of neat stuff at Tripsdrill. We spent a lot of time hanging out in the vinarium. You won't get any arguments out of me. Tripsdrill is definitely the nicer park.

 

Der Mammut was just a little bit frustrating to me because it COULD have been really fun, but the train just didn't have enough oomph to give airtime over the hills. I hear it warmed up and ran better later in the day. It's nice to see that Gerstlauer finally learned how to pad their trains correctly.

[darklingscribe]

Great trip report. Tripsdrill was a fun park, I wish we had more time there as there were a few other rides that i didn't get to check out.

 

The Reason why I was plugging my ears in the drop tower photo was because a bunch of, what looked like first grade girls, were sitting behind us and they would not stop their ear splitting shrieking from the moment the lap bars went down till the ride ended.

 

While I am fine with people screaming on the drops it really bugs me when they insist on screaming non stop even when the ride is not yet moving. Sometimes I'm glad to go to parks which, due to community noise restrictions have a no screaming policy on their taller rides.

[ELZ]

^

Not as bad as the 7 year old boy dressed as Little Red Riding Hood on the Michael Jackson ride at Phantasialand. Sure the boy hasn't reached puberty yet, but his scream was so shrill that im sure most of our ears were bleeding!

 

and yes Tripsdrill, in my opinion the most naturally beautiful (even over Efteling, who must spend millions on their gardening bill) park, surrounded by vineyards and luch countryside. On the way to Tripsdrill we drove through what I imagined rural Germany to look like, houses with pointy roofs, lots of BMWs and thin streets it really was amazing.

 

Tripsdrill also let you sit 6 in a Log Flume boat, which we took to our advantage putting Steve, Brad, Erik, Jes, Divv and Russ in (probably the heaviest log flume boat in the world). And one of the funniest moments of the trip when a small boy started playing with one of the sprinklers just outside the flume, then turned round and fired it at Lou full pelt.

 

Awesome park, definitley worth a visit, even if just for the wine-tasting!

[KrautWithAltitude]

Hi everyone, it´s about time I post my first one. I met up with TPR at Tripsdrill and Holiday Park, was repeatedly asked for a screen name and couldn´t offer one, so here we go.

 

First of all, big thanks to Robb and Elissa for bringing that whole bunch of TP gurus over here, and for taking me along, also thanks to all the people who made my day just by coming from foreign countries and therefore let me practice my beloved old english again.

 

As a man from the roller coaster business I really appreciate the work you people are doing here, for your contagious and enduring enthusiasm for TPs and rides is thus spread over the world and makes more people ride roller coasters and therefore helps me pay my rent and stuff. I hope we meet again soon!

 

Now a few words on Mammut:

Although I spent several months working on this wooden beauty, I´m not too disappointed to find that not everyone is too happy with this one: too slow, too little airtime, too tame etc. But this is the judgment of people who travel the world to ride (should I say live to ride? - no, you aren´t ACE) and therefore proves that Mammut was made just right. How? On the one hand it is intended to be a family coaster in a family park, on the other hand more intensity means more cost in the end, and it´s easy to figure how big an investment Mammut is for a park the size and like of Tripsdrill. So I really hope this coaster attracts plenty of crowd, not only because it should pay off, but also because I think it´s a real beauty and fits perfectly into the landscape and the park, and within it´s limits is very well laid out. It´s a coaster made for the eye more than most others, since Tripsdrill´s executives always took special care for architecture, old crafts, genuine materials (and boobs). So they hired a renowned theme park architect, among us engineering heads, and over months of discussion and design and discussion and redesign and so on, came up with this design, which I find - I repeat, within its limits - close to perfect. Of course, for myself I could easily take some more airtime and more of the things the ride deliberately lacks, but this whould shy people off, to the average park guest and in this environment Mammut is already very impressive and maybe even daunting, and the youth will love it as it is. None but the best heads in the business could have made this coaster exactly like it is. Just think twice about all those things you might take for granted. E.g., the track layout with the best feasible choice and succession of elements on limited space, including the mist tunnel. The beauti and balance of the structure. The integration into the park´s concept. It´s easier to do all these things with millions on end, and much harder to get it just right with what money, time and space you have.

 

Just my 2 cents, some people here seem to have a similar point, some don´t, but I could agree with them all, since I have a professional and a personal view of things here. I like the Mammut experience as it is (almost as much as Gsengte Sau) and feel proud having been among the makers, but also find it not quite meeting my personal coaster needs. Since I can´t always travel as far as I want to, I hope someone will be there to build something crazy like Expedition Geforce right next door. Soon. Even Bigger

 

cu

Norman

[ELZ]

^

I completley agree with you Norman. I remember talking about this to a few people on the trip, specificly Brad (mammut was his 100th!). I think Mammut 'fits' Tripsdrill amazingly well, ive already said that I think Tripsdrill was the most beautiful park ive probably ever been to, and it is a 'family park', its not necessarialy intended to be the most thrilling, hair-raising park in the galaxy, its intended for families to come and ride all the rides together and for that fact Mammut works. Sure, compared to Troy, Colossos and other woodies we rode on the trip it pales in comparison, but this new rollercoaster company who've built the ride have done themselves a credit by building into the aesthetic and cultural value of the park, im sure the mothers, fathers and young children love the place and i can't disagree with that.

[zjerre]

fun to see some pics from tripsdrill, going to it next weekend together with holiday park and the park looks good

 

also enjoyed the TR of Phantasialand, i also love it very much. talocan, talocan and winja's are indeed awesome

[Moose]

I think the reason we were all let down with Mammut was that noone on the trip had ridden it before so we really had no idea what to expect. It was much much better than Pegasus, Efteling's family coaster. And the track itself was actually very pretty. I am sure it will be even more beautiful when it is as well landscaped as the rest of the park.

 

Forget about boobs, this park had good German wine AND RUBBER DUCKIES!!!!!

[coastercub]

Great TR Robb as always....

 

I may be gay but BOOBS are good for ANY sexuality !!!

 

Lets hear it for Boobs !!!

 

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay !!!

 

Going to have to get my ass into gear and get over to Europe again sometime soon !!!

[KrautWithAltitude]

^^^

Well, the cited company is not that new on the coaster market at all. Holzbau Cordes has been making the woodwork on quite some "plug-and-play" woodies like Colossus and El Toro. Just check out "Referenzen" on http://www.cordes-row.de/3/6/

 

The trains and electromechanical components are by Gerstlauer. What´s left? Some (A hell of a lot of!) foundation work and landscaping. So Mammut was made by collaboration of previously not collaborating companies, that´s what´s new about it. That and the magnetic brakes - the first of their kind on a wooden coaster. But who am I telling ?

[Absimilliard]

I went to Europe the week before TPR and I also loved Tripsdrill. Holiday Park on the other hand... but that's for another topic!

 

As for Mammut, I went on an empty day and it ran horribly! Thank God the seats are well padded, cause I had never been on a wooden coaster that shuffled and tried to almost derail every time it took a turn. It also washboarded at the bottom of the drops. What happened? I took one ride in the front seat and one in car 4, row 1 and that was it... G'Sengte Sau instead got a ton of rerides from me.

[terrancew_hod]

I chalked up Mammut as a new coaster with growing pains. They were still working on the surrounding area so I didn't think of it too much. I did get worried as we encountered a slight jolt before the lift though, but it was by far not the worst coaster on the trip. If you put it in the perspective of a family coaster, then I wouldn't expect a lot of airtime and craziness as I had on Troy. And it was a bit more exciting than Pegasus. But after riding Troy and it looking a bit similar from afar, I thought I would have a similar experience.

 

Anyway, there was so much more to explore in the park!

 

Overall I enjoyed the overall quirkiness of the park.

 

Terrance

[KrautWithAltitude]

Yes, Mammut has its rough sides, like lift hill engagement and some tail wiggling along certain parts of the track. While the former ought to be fixed, the latter is just a bit of wooden coaster feeling. I can hardly imagine how this coaster could cause fear of derailing? It´s rock solid and most accurately gauged, compared to most other woodies. So it´s almost a miracle there´s still quite some wooden coaster feeling left.

 

For the speed - since I discussed it with the op in the morning, he told me that by afternoon Mammut would gain another 3 seconds from hilltop to brake. Doesn´t sound like much, but sure makes a difference.

[ginzo]

Yes, Mammut has its rough sides, like lift hill engagement and some tail wiggling along certain parts of the track. While the former ought to be fixed, the latter is just a bit of wooden coaster feeling. I can hardly imagine how this coaster could cause fear of derailing? It´s rock solid and most accurately gauged, compared to most other woodies. So it´s almost a miracle there´s still quite some wooden coaster feeling left.

 

I think they would have been a lot better off with 1 or 2 bench trains. I heard a fair amount of bashing into the turns when I rode in the back. The front was glass smooth though.

[olimonn]

Just to let you know, Mammut is not a prefab woody, the prefab patent is originally a Büro Stengel patent and is now exclusively owned by Intamin. Cordes was just a subcontractor for the prefab woodies, they have no right to use the technology without Intamin being involved, which is not the case here. None of the trackwork of Mammut was done in a factory, it was all realised on site a bit like a classical wooden coaster. It's not a classical woody however. This track system was developped by Holzbau Cordes specifically for the park and is patented.

 

For the smoothness, the wheels are poly-coated, unlike traditionnal wooden coasters (which explains the relative shortness of the ride compared to its height) and the rest is due to the patented track system.

[KrautWithAltitude]

^

Well, 90% of the structure of Mammut is prefab, the wooden track is not, but had to be laminated on the structure. (as opposite to Intamin woddies which also have prefab track)

 

To ensure maximum protection, each single part of the structure is first completely machined, then impregnated. The single parts get shipped to site and all the assembly gets done there. Some minor parts, like such which only need a couple of nails and some adjusting, are prepared on site. So this is a prefab woodie, as opposed to such coasters which are made on site from raw beams, which rules out high precision industrial processing and proper impregnation and "record time" completion.

 

Are you sure that Intamin owns the patents on the whole structure or only on the prefab wooden track which was not used in this case?

 

(sorry for all the ot)

cu

Norman

[Ed]

 

This is the restaurant that made me ill last year!!!

[robbalvey]

Norman! Thanks for posting and welcome to TPR. Your insight on the project is more than welcome here. It really helps everyone else understand what goes into a project and why sometimes things are the way they are.

 

Great meeting you. Next time we are nearby we must hang out again!

 

--Robb

[KrautWithAltitude]

To everyone,

 

I´m always glad to tell as much as I can and know about coaster projects, so feel free to ask. Of course absolutely no information will be given out on any confidential matters, like upcoming roller coasters, specific technical problems and company secrets (not that I know of many...)

 

To bridge the time until I meet you people again for some talk, some rides and maybe a few drinks - all of which I much prefer to posting around anywhere in the web.

 

Special regards go to Ryan, Hanno, Piers, Lou, Jeff and Big Mike. And all the others whose names I forgot. Next time, let´s raid a bar

 

Once again thanks to Robb and Elissa for the spontaneous and warm welcome - and for taking my pidgin

 

I wonder if you are ever going to make a trip to the Oktoberfest? I´ve been going there ever since I was a rollercoaster doodling kid, so here´s your "guide". You know you can get some really decent food there. Smoked mackerels. Chicken and ox roast on the spit. Salmon, Champagne, Caviar, Fried Sausages, Horseradish, Dumplings, Sauerkraut, and tons of sweets... Probably the best and most varied in any TP related environment. Did I mention beer? As Eurostar will be sold to Russia soon, and no replacement to come, many coaster freaks are going to weep a little bit (like me) but will find plenty of solace in our infamous beer gardens (same).

 

Norman

[Ryancrash]

I wonder if you are ever going to make a trip to the Oktoberfest? I´ve been going there ever since I was a rollercoaster doodling kid, so here´s your "guide". You know you can get some really decent food there. Smoked mackerels. Chicken and ox roast on the spit. Salmon, Champagne, Caviar, Fried Sausages, Horseradish, Dumplings, Sauerkraut, and tons of sweets... Probably the best and most varied in any TP related environment. Did I mention beer? As Eurostar will be sold to Russia soon, and no replacement to come, many coaster freaks are going to weep a little bit (like me) but will find plenty of solace in our infamous beer gardens (same).

 

Norman

 

Yes, I think we do need to do a TPR Oktoberfest trip! I would totally sign up for that. Not just for the amazing beer, but for the food as well. (Are any parks in Germany still open at this time of year?)

 

Norman - Thanks for all your hard work on Mammut! I absolutely loved Tripsdrill. I look forward to returning in the future and once again riding Mammut and all the other delightful rides this park has to offer.

[olimonn]

^

Well, 90% of the structure of Mammut is prefab, the wooden track is not, but had to be laminated on the structure. (as opposite to Intamin woddies which also have prefab track)

 

To ensure maximum protection, each single part of the structure is first completely machined, then impregnated. The single parts get shipped to site and all the assembly gets done there. Some minor parts, like such which only need a couple of nails and some adjusting, are prepared on site. So this is a prefab woodie, as opposed to such coasters which are made on site from raw beams, which rules out high precision industrial processing and proper impregnation and "record time" completion.

 

Are you sure that Intamin owns the patents on the whole structure or only on the prefab wooden track which was not used in this case?

 

(sorry for all the ot)

cu

Norman

 

Thank you, I didn't know all about the structure part, I understood prefab woody as "prefab track woody"!! My point was only about the track construction hence my analysis being incomplete. Another point to add is that this system is incredibly cheaper that the full prefab system as sold by Intamin (though still more expensive than the classic way)

 

For the patent about prefab tracks, they claim it on their website here is what is said:

Additionally, for the park, the prefabricated and labelled parts improve accuracy while decreasing installation time. Consequently, though the initial investment is perhaps higher than before, the total cost of ownership is significantly lower.

 

The unique track design is patented and exclusively employed by Intamin alone.

So they only own the rights on the prefabrication of the tracks (which, according to Andreas Wild, I interviewed two months ago, is still a Stengel/Büro Stengel patent, so I guess they only have the commercial rights). However the prefabrication of the structure seems to have nothing to do with Intamin. I'm not sure if it's even patented (maybe by Cordes?), it must be used quite a lot outside of the coaster world...

 

Anyway, as far as tracks are concerned, there are now two patents, the Cordes one and the Stengel/intamin one. Each one offering more comfort and less maintenance than the classic tracks.

 

Sorry Robb for polluting this Trip Report topic in such a way, they're always an interesting read!

 

(@KrautWithAltitude: Servus! I really need to update my profile some day )

[ihani]

Tripsdrill is a really pretty park, and G'sengte Sau looks awesome!

[TheRapidsNerd]

As usual, I'm late to the party on topics. Just saw the Phantasialand update.

 

--Robb "I really wish people would stop calling this ride a rapids ride, because it's really not...sorry RapidsNerd!" Alvey

 

I would agree with that statement. Appreciate the sentiment, but no appologies needed. River Quest /= Rapids.

 

The Victorialand oven pic was just wrong. Now it's time to go back a few pages and catch up on the latest Euro trip update.

 

EDIT: Thanks for the rapids pics on the last couple rounds. Greatly appreciated! And Robb, yes, you have seen that whirl pool before...at Visionland (seriously).

 

And Joe, don't feel bad. You're way more ahead for posting on topics a few pages back. I blame PMW.

[ParkTrips]

Yes, I think we do need to do a TPR Oktoberfest trip! I would totally sign up for that. Not just for the amazing beer, but for the food as well. (Are any parks in Germany still open at this time of year?)

DITTO

 

and it looks like several parks are open through October

[robbalvey]

TPR Oktoberfest Trip is absolutely IN THE WORKS!!!

 

We've pushed it off 2 years now..hopefully it will happen soon!

 

--Robb

[SharkTums]

^Well, do we have any solid info on the coaster leaving? If it will be there in 2009 and not 2010, I can be persuaded to do the TPR Oktoberfest trip next year for sure!