Gravity Group Announces "Timberliner" Trains

[texcoaster]

When I read this:

 

Shock absorption and ergonomic styling

Unparalleled ability to smoothly navigate the track for decreased train & track maintenance

 

two words immediately came to mind -- Boardwalk Bullet.

 

 

If there was ever a ride that was a perfect testing ground for those trains, Bullet is it. It's a GG design, it pushes the limits of what wooden trains are expected to do, and it has been a maintenance "problem child" from day one. If these trains could turn that little monster into a faster, smoother, less problematic coaster, then parks all over the world would be ordering these trains for their rides (Giant, Rattler, Roar, Voyage, Hades, Mean Streak, Ghostrider, etc etc etc). Sure, it's expensive to buy new trains, but if it saves on maintenance costs and downtime, they'll eventually pay for themselves.

 

I think GG should comp a pair of these trains to Kemah and bask in the increased demand that comes from the rave reviews.

 

(assuming, of course, that the trains do what they promise)

[Hercules]

I was getting a little annoyed at the fact that everyone was focusing on the launched aspect. However, I started to think - Does Gravity Group have something up their sleave? I mean, why would they have that as a feature and marketing plug unless they have a little something in the works?

[robbalvey]

Right now it almost looks like those trainds have similar restraints to the X-Cars which we all know weren't a big success

 

Weren't a big succes? What do you know that the rest doesn't know?

For all I know, the new X-cars are doing quite well.

Yeah, I really liked the restraints on the X-cars. I haven't heard there were any problems. They seemed to keep those people in the train that were stuck upside down just fine!

 

--Robb

[Airtime&Gravity]

^Weren't the restraints on G-Force at Drayton Manor bad, or was the ride just boring? I remember the UK trip participants not enjoying the ride, and I thought the restraints were a reason why. I know that other x-car coasters are pretty good, but G-Force seems to have given the x-car a bad name.

 

Also, like Hercules said, the launch capability of the cars seems to hint that Gravity Group is possibly working on a launched wooden coaster.

[SharkTums]

I think anyone who has been on G Force at Drayton Manor and ANY of the other X Cars will tell you that something is VERY wrong with G Force! The rest of them seem just fine, force and restraint wise!

[Gutterflower]

I've ridden G-force and Abismo and if Abismo is anything to go by, G-force is the ugly duckling of the group.

The restraints on abismo were fine.

 

Anyway as far as these trains go they sound great but I'll will reserve judgement until we get some better pictures.

[Alexander Nagel]

I'd be worried right now if I was PTC.

 

I don't think these new trains will replace anything on a GCI or Intamin built coaster...but what company will use PTC Trains now?

 

Well beyond new coaster installations, you have you remember all the replacement cars that PTC builds. With the average coasters car having a service life of about 20 to 30 years their are a whole lot of potential projects.

 

Then beyond new builds, PTC does multiple winter rehabs a year. There are currently no less than 67 cars in the shop being rehabbed at the moment.

 

The point is PTC will be fine

[cfc]

I think anyone who has been on G Force at Drayton Manor and ANY of the other X Cars will tell you that something is VERY wrong with G Force! The rest of them seem just fine, force and restraint wise!

 

The restraints on G Force tended to ratchet down when the cars climbed that stupid curved lifthill. They were OK on Formule X, but I did learn that you shouldn't have anything in your front pocket unless you wanted it fused to your leg.

[BeemerBoy]

I'd be worried right now if I was PTC.

 

I don't think these new trains will replace anything on a GCI or Intamin built coaster...but what company will use PTC Trains now?

 

Well beyond new coaster installations, you have you remember all the replacement cars that PTC builds. With the average coasters car having a service life of about 20 to 30 years their are a whole lot of potential projects.

 

Then beyond new builds, PTC does multiple winter rehabs a year. There are currently no less than 67 cars in the shop being rehabbed at the moment.

 

The point is PTC will be fine

 

Plus, PTC announced their own version of single bench cars over the summer. So really, now all three prominent woodie coaster companies have their own version. I'm guessing it'll really come down to a pricing battle for parks looking to replace their older rolling stock, with either GG or PTC being more reasonably priced than the other.

 

This all still makes me wonder how the two companies go about marketing and selling an item which has never taken one lap around any track. At least with GCI's Millennium Flyers, they're a proven product.

 

Of course, if you built an Intamin woodie, you wouldn't have to worry about silly stuff like replacement trains to cure roughness issues.

[kamikazewatermelon]

Oh, I didn't know it was just G Force, I thought It had to do with the restraints.

[MixedDrink]

I don't care what brand of trains, but Mighty Canadian Minebuster (Or as Robb says, the Newton Cradle Novelty for your testicles) at CW needs some new trains. Riding is getting more and more painful every year!

 

It's a PTC coaster, so it would probably get newer PTCs,

but I would be hoping for GG trains.

[brilinjo]

I thought the logo looked more like Timberjiner, then I started giggling and told myself to grow up.

[BkkMan13]

When they say smoother, do they mean as smooth as a steel coaster? If thats the case, then wheres the feeling of a wood coaster? Other than that, I really want to see this come up at a park near me. Launched! Thats gonna be freackin sweet.

[DBru]

^You're taking it a bit far.

 

I noticed that someone else asked this before me, but was never answered... Does anyone else think the trains look like they have in-line seating?

 

It must just be the small pictures, but they appear very narrow. There is one "dummy" visible in the front row, but there doesn't look to be room for another... Are my eyes just deceiving me?

[Guest]

I think the dummies in the picture represent an adult and a child, not two rows of dummies. I think that would be done to represent that the restraints will adjust to multiple body types, since that seems to be an issue with some restraint systems.

[Shavethewhales]

I don't know about a straight-out launch, but I think it would be more than awesome if they built a wooden coaster that, like Maverick, slows to a stop midcourse inside of a tunnel, then launches out without warning. Who would see that coming?

[DiSab]

I thought the logo looked more like Timberjiner, then I started giggling and told myself to grow up.

 

It's OK, I've done the same thing.

 

With that said, looking back at the train image, it does look like there's two per row. Given what SFNERules said, it does look like there's one large and one small dummy in the seats. But it really does look like the smaller one is a few rows back, which threw me off for a second.

[Pufferfish]

I'm just wondering if they are planning on doing launched woodies, what type of launch would it be? I'm thinking most likely magnetic, as a cable launch could put a little extra strain on the track creating a bad maintenance issue. Anyways I'm very interested in the idea. I've always wanted to experience a rollback on a woodie.

[DiSab]

Like I said a few pages back, I would expect to see the launched woodie something like Maverick with the launched/powered lift - more than likely not a true launch.

[MixedDrink]

^ I personally think that on a wooden coaster, that would be absolutely useless. And I don't exactly know if it would make the lift smoother or not.

[BkkMan13]

^ I agree with that, a launched wooden coaster would be a bit useless, but if the coaster was really smooth then I can see why it would seem like a good idea. Although if a launched woodie had Song of Beast cars, I would imagine it to be very painful

[Vffreak07]

*Winces in Pain*

Ouch. Only thing worth than SOB would be a launched SOB.

[King of Ka]

^No no, Song of Beast. Like

[BkkMan13]

All I can say about SOB trains that are on some launched woodie, is the perfect nut basher.

[coolhandluke]

^But they aren't launch-ready trains. Timberline trains are.

 

And I really wouldn't get too caught up on the whole launched woodie thing. It's a concept that could happen, but it's not like they're going to announce any alterations on existing rides. I'm more concerned with the practical aspects of these, like the seats. Or how they track.