Gravity Group Announces "Timberliner" Trains

[Tbcoasterfan]

I don't know if anything can help Son of Beast. They have already changed the trains and took the loop out.

 

Yeah and the new trains were supposed to be smoother but I haven't really seen that. The vibrating quick up and down jarring is what gets me.

[ebl]

^ Though I've never ridden Son of Beast, I can tell you what its problem is---IT'S TOO DAMNED BIG!!! Nothing can help a wooden coaster that tall.

 

Eric

[Wild 1]

^ I think that a coaster that big could be good if they just got the right people to build it, if they got Gravity Group to build a hyper wooden coaster I bet it could be good with plenty of airtime and with the Timberliner trains it might not tear up the track as much. The problem with Son of Beast is that it was built by RCCA and had bad trains.

[coastb2]

Why are the trains making that jingle bell sound?

[ebl]

^ I think that clip was taken at Holiday World.

 

After some thought, the Intamin plug 'n' play woodies (like El Toro) are pretty tall, and from what I've heard, ride very well. Perhaps Intamin could build a "hyperwoodie" and have it work out right.

 

Eric

[netdvn]

^ Though I've never ridden Son of Beast, I can tell you what its problem is---IT'S TOO DAMNED BIG!!! Intamin can help a wooden coaster that tall.

 

Eric

 

^ FIXED

 

Edit: Just saw the video and the trains seem to run very well. Hopefully more parks will consider using these trains for their rougher rides.

[SFOGdude25]

I think the timberliners are great! I kinda like how the seats are a little more open than MF's or PTC's. Adding the zero car and the outer shells should make these trains look a lot better. I'm looking forward to riding them someday!

[atem122]

The pictures on TGG's site made it look much better than the off ride video, but I trust TGG know's what they're doing and by the time they have it all sorted out, they'll have a winning train. (did anyone notice how big those wheels were too?)

[KFConcepts]

Definitely look at TGG's Gravitycast pictures. We're all about to see a serious evolution in wooden coaster trains with these guys.

 

Think Blue Fire trains on a wooden coaster. Blue Fire also being a serious evolution in steel looper trains.

 

These are very bright spots for the future of the industry!

 

.

[DiSab]

Well, given that GAdv.'s El Toro (I love that we have to specify which one now ) is only 19 feet away from being a hyperwoodie, I have a feeling Intamin could pull off one quite easily.

 

I have a good feeling about these trains. I'd be willing to bet that HW's weather is about the same as it is here in Dayton - mid- to low-40s. Given the coolness and the length of the train, I (as someone pointed out before) have a feeling it was running slow there. And it was still going freakishly fast! Once it warms up and a full-length train (which I'd be willing to bet it around 12-cars long), I can see some massive airtime with these. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. And I'm sure the completed ones will look better with the outer shell and everything.

 

I'm really wondering what ride will be the first. I wonder if HW will consider purchasing one? Also, will GG sell the train to any buyers, unlike GCI? If so, I can see some crappy woodies (SoB and Mean Streak, I'm looking at you guys) getting a hell of a lot better.

[Mechanic]

Are the wheels a larger diameter than what we usually see on a woodie train, or does it just look that way?

[Rollerman87]

Those trains sound awesome. Sounds like a jetfighter, and smooth as hell. And yep, looking at those pics on the Gravitycast, they don't even have a proper grab bar yet, so I would definitely assume they are no where near their "final" look.

[UberBeavis]

I'd love to see the two Giant Dippers in California get the Timberliner trains.

 

Just about anything's better than those Morgans.

[haux]

For everyone speculating about what coasters may get these trains, I bet they're just like GCI's Millennium Flyers in the sense that only GCIs get MFs. I bet only Gravity Group coasters get Timberliners.

[texcoaster]

For everyone speculating about what coasters may get these trains, I bet they're just like GCI's Millennium Flyers in the sense that only GCIs get MFs. I bet only Gravity Group coasters get Timberliners.

 

Um, yeah... that's why GG is marketing them to parks with existing coasters that aren't GG designs.

 

Anyway, the point of building a train for the "modern wooden coaster" is that modern designs tend to be a LOT more twisted and full of turns (banked and otherwise) than old-school woodies. The track designs have evolved, but the train designs haven't changed that much. Even the MFs are throwbacks to previous designs (with some improvements).

 

If you build a train that's supposed to excel on twisted, curvaceous track that other trains are NOT working well on, then it seems the obvious choice would be Boardwalk Bullet.

 

It's a GG design, it's one of the most twisted layouts in coaster history, and it has yet to run at designed speeds with the current trains. No brainer.

[ebl]

"...modern designs tend to be a LOT more twisted and full of turns (banked and otherwise) than old-school woodies." (texcoaster)

 

Not necessarily. Prior and Church and Harry Traver designed some pretty twisted coasters back in the early- to mid-20th Century, which is why many P&C coasters used the single bench articulated trains. As I've said, these new Timberliner trains---as well as the Millennium Flyers---are modern day throwbacks to those older trains.

 

Eric

[macca_boy69]

On a CoasterRadio Podcast interview with Gravity Group.

GG said that they could make a wooden inversion. That would be interesting.

 

Robby

 

 

P.S. Has Fireball announced its trains yet?

[Loefet]

^ They are going to use PTC's on Fireball.

 

I really love the sound that these new trains make, do anyone know if there is a video showing the same stretch of track with the original PTC trains to listen to the difference.

[Raven Maven]

Just posted a second video ... a bit more up-close-and-personal. This was taken during the first tests of the prototype.

 

Thanks, Paula

[Top Thrill Dragster]

 

Interesting wheel configuration, for a wood coaster.

[thrillerman1]

I really love the "openness" of the seats and hope they don't get enclosed in shells. I think these look MUCH better than the original (clunky)Timberliners I remember seeing last year.

[Hercules]

Wow. That thing looked like it was flying on the track.

 

The trains don't really look all that restricting at all.

[peteb]

My first impression is that these things look light, not a lot of structure. But maybe they're onto something since GG is touting the lightweight balanced nature of the trains. The train appears to be flying over the tracks, so I think we're in for a completely new ride experience from existing coasters.

[jmicha]

^I think the speed is especially impressive when you take into consideration that the train is only like half the size of a real train that would e on The Raven. These trains look like they are just designed properly and will help with the navigation problems of PTCs and hopefully help with maintenance problems on some wooden coasters.

[Kennyweird]

They kind of remind me of the chassis Arrow used on their steel coasters.