Track Spottings!

[Mochtroid]

I hope it's for Valleyfair. They could use any Beemer. Seeing as they already have an air machine, an Intamin impulse launched, an aging Arrow tri-loopscrew, a GCI and retro woodie, and some other ride nobody cares about, they should get this one. They are only one of two CF-owned parks without a B&M coming or existing they could get. A cookie to whoever knows the other one.

 

 

But fanboy hopes aside, this is probably going to Asia or possibly even South America seeing the timing of its appearance.

[Manic Monte]

Why would anyone WANT to buy a stand up? With plenty of other new ride types and technologies, why choose a stand up?

 

I would take a stand up over a flyer, dive machine, or neutered invert any day!

 

Oh wow, I certainly would not. Riddler's Revenge is the only stand up I can even remotely take, and it destroys my legs so badly that I don't even ride it anymore.

[BuschSchoe]

I hope it's for Valleyfair. They are only one of two CF-owned parks without a B&M coming or existing they could get. A cookie to whoever knows the other one.

Michigan's Adventure.

[Capitalize]

Well, I personally love stand ups, but with so many other diverse ride type possibilities, why would a park choose a standup? I would think that a flyer or inverted look more appealing.

 

The same reason why a park buy an old SLC like Michigan's Adventure, or a Boomerang like Carowinds. It's all relative to the park's specific needs. Some parks do better with specific types of rides than others. Does that make sense?

 

I agree with you, there are better types of designs out there, but they're not always the best option. Sadly.

 

MA and Carowinds didn't "buy" the rides, they were moved from another Cedar Fair park (GL). Cedar Fair simply wanted to get the most out of the closed property and move the rides that had some appeal as "new" attractions.

 

 

A stand-up makes no sense to me in a lot of ways. There hasn't been one built in a decade, they are terrible rides (best one I've been on is Georgia Scorcher and it wasn't very good at all), and as far as I know B&M started telling everyone to NOT buy them ages ago... A sit down makes a lot more sense.

[the ghost]

^ Its all a matter of opinion. A B&M standup(Riddler's Revenge) is number 3 on my coaster list very closely after Tatsu and Apollo's Charriot. I would personally love to see a stand up built. Also, it would surprise me if it was a sit down as I was not hearing awesome reviews of Zeppelin. I have a theory( a huge stretch) but it seems Wild Adventures may get a new coaster. They are now owned by Herschend and they have no no B&Ms at Dollywood, but there is one at Silver Dollar City(owned by Herschend, correct me if I'm wrong) and Wild Adventures is kind of run down, it seems like a possible fit, although I am thinking outside the box.

[RollerNut]

Well, I personally love stand ups, but with so many other diverse ride type possibilities, why would a park choose a standup? I would think that a flyer or inverted look more appealing.

 

The same reason why a park buy an old SLC like Michigan's Adventure, or a Boomerang like Carowinds. It's all relative to the park's specific needs. Some parks do better with specific types of rides than others. Does that make sense?

 

I agree with you, there are better types of designs out there, but they're not always the best option. Sadly.

 

MA and Carowinds didn't "buy" the rides, they were moved from another Cedar Fair park (GL). Cedar Fair simply wanted to get the most out of the closed property and move the rides that had some appeal as "new" attractions.

 

 

A stand-up makes no sense to me in a lot of ways. There hasn't been one built in a decade, they are terrible rides (best one I've been on is Georgia Scorcher and it wasn't very good at all), and as far as I know B&M started telling everyone to NOT buy them ages ago... A sit down makes a lot more sense.

 

Carowinds and MA may not have "brought" the ride but someone has to fit the bill for dismantling, relocation, and reconstruction. I imagine when you add that plus paint, and the new train(s), it adds up to only a small discount from what a new one would have costed.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I checked RCDB and Happy Valley is slated for 2-3 more coasters to be installed, all steels (1 inverted, 2 or 3 sit-down). Could be Happy Valley since it is making its big splash now.

 

While that remains a possibility wouldn't the plant just use the real customer name like they did for the Chimelong Paridise coasters?

[4rturo]

it adds up to only a small discount from what a new one would have costed.

If you consider several hundred thousand dollars a small discount, then yes.

[FeelTheFORCE]

A stand-up makes no sense to me in a lot of ways. There hasn't been one built in a decade, they are terrible rides (best one I've been on is Georgia Scorcher and it wasn't very good at all), and as far as I know B&M started telling everyone to NOT buy them ages ago... A sit down makes a lot more sense.

 

Say it is a stand-up for Silverwood, to me that makes perfect sense. They already have 3 (adult) sit-down coasters (2 wood and 1 steel) and an inverted. In my opinion, they are "killing 2 birds with one stone" with Aftershock because it is inverted and technically floorless. Building a B&M floorless or sit-down looper would, in a sense, be something they already have. A stand-up would be the first in over 10 years, so they have practically dropped off the face of the Earth. I'm almost positive that most of the people in that area have never seen, or even heard of a coaster you stand-up on (judging from my experience out there during Aftershock's opening...the general public, from what I heard, thought that was the coolest, baddest, and most unique thing they have ever seen). Imagine their reactions to a stand-up. I think a B&M hyper would also make sense, but it would have to be over 200 feet, in my opinion.

 

Those are just my thoughts on if it is a stand-up for Silverwood.

[televisedconfession]

So. About that X-Works...

 

Do you think X-Works could be a non-amusement park company that could be adding something to the B&M? Like a special effects company, or a sound company? I'm just trying to figure out a reason why they didn't put a known amusement park on the sticker.

[Fork]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_Works

 

?

[The Alex]

I'm just trying to figure out a reason why they didn't put a known amusement park on the sticker.

 

Because coaster enthusiasts like ourselves would snoop the manufacturing plant/construction sites, take pictures of stickers with the ride's destination, and reveal multi-million dollar secrets that weren't meant to be found out.

 

 

So B&M switched to barcodes.

And soon they'll have to do another switcheroo, because I'm sure we'll have this system busted before this ride's announced officially.

 

 

And I got word from the Dip-n Dots guy:

-- This is a mini-dive machine going to Cypress Gardens.

[Electerik]

In my view, there are good reasons that no one has built a Stand Up in almost a decade. During the 1990's, parks were adding lots of coasters, but there weren't all that many different kinds out there. Lots of parks added Stand Ups simply because it was something they didn't already have.

 

Now, though, parks are adding coasters less frequently, and there are more coaster type options. Since the Stand Up brings with it an extra level of capacity related headaches (due to the nature of loading a Stand Up train), why choose that over the many other options now available?

 

I would imagine that the trains would have to be more expensive than a standard Sitting Coaster, as well. And as for the ride experience....well, there's no Stand Up in the fantasy park that exists in my head. How about the one in yours?

 

/Could still be a Stand Up.

//But who in their right mind would want one?

[ebl]

Honestly, I like standup coasters. Riddler's Revenge is a lot of fun and still pretty smooth for an 11-year-old ride.

 

Anyway, I found a link to this article on Screamscape. It's about a tour of the Ohio factory that manufactures B&M track for the U.S. market. Most of the way down the page, there is a note that the labels on track pieces are not identified with the type of coaster.

 

Eric

[Jew]

^I took that to mean that they no longer make the customer name so obvious. In fact, the pictures in that article look like they are for Diamondback...which would mean that the theory about the prefixes is correct (the labels show it as a "MC").

[downunder]

Lemon chill guys says, launched 500 foot duelling flyers for Cedar Point - it's called Yellow - the Coldplay coaster, and the speakers will be blaring those monsters of soft rock in both ears. Baby I'm ready to go!

 

I'm sure there are people on this site who know exactly what it is, and they're doing laundry right now because they keep peeing their pants laughing at this thread.

[ebl]

"We usually can get two to three elements onto a trailer. We did have to change the bar code stickers because some coaster enthusiasts started taking pictures of them and posting them on the internet before the park had made their announcement. No more identifying information is on the bar codes." (from the article)

 

To me, the last sentence implies that there isn't any info on the labels that would identify what it is or who it's going to.

 

Eric

[gisco]

^I was just about to post that. It kind of sounds like there is no useful information on the bar code except which piece it is.

[SharkTums]

^And to me that reads "No more information detailing what park the track is going to" is on the bar code anymore.

 

I don't read that as "You can't tell what kind of coaster it is because we changed the bar code".

[ebl]

I'm sure even B&M knows that some enthusiasts have noticed the little differences in track ties, track gauge, etc. and can identify the type of ride it's going to be.

 

They just ain't saying where it's going, though, again, savvy enthusiasts can narrow it down pretty fast.

 

Eric

[coolhandluke]

Since the Stand Up brings with it an extra level of capacity related headaches (due to the nature of loading a Stand Up train), why choose that over the many other options now available?

Are flyers really that much better with loading times and capacity? Firehawk is a joke at cranking out the PPH, and I've seen many reviews on here singling out some subpar Tatsu dispatch times.

 

That could just be the crew, though, as I wasn't there, but it seems to me that stand-ups aren't any more complex than your modern flyer.

[Jew]

^^If savvy enthusiasts could narrow it down fairly quickly, we would already know what those yellow track pieces were for!

 

Again, look at the picture in that article. It's Diamondback track and it's labeled MC (presumably for mega coaster, as it has already been noted in this thread). But the customer is also labeled as MC108, as opposed to it saying Kings Island, which is how they used to do it (see the picture of the Dark Knight track label in this thread)

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

I'm not sure what to say...... It is EXTREMELY hard to tell wheather it's a standup or sitdown, due to how modern technology is, both would be a good option. If it was a standup, it'd better be as good as Riddler or better, and if it's a sitdown, a launch would be nice (coughhulkcough).

 

I'm not so sure it'll be going to anywhere in the US, so my best guess of where it's going is Australia or Alton Towers.

[cgodsey]

That MC108 correlates to a database where the information is kept on the purchaser. Perhaps these pieces have a generic tag on them or a customer ID hasn't been assigned yet because they might be a new customer...

[Electerik]

Are flyers really that much better with loading times and capacity?

 

I haven't ever worked on a Flyer, so I can't really address that side of it in any detail. But the problem with the stand up coaster is the adjustable height seats, which must be lined up correctly for each rider and then locked, all at once, from the control booth. Since the guests tend to naturally "test" the seats and "bounce," at least one of the guests in the train will probably have put themselves into a position they should not be dispatched in (squatting down or standing on their toes, say) between the time the ops signal for the seats to be locked and when the button is actually pressed. The row that guest is in then has to be unlocked, and you try again--hoping no one else screws it up now that they're once again free to. If you ever get a chance to watch the load procedure for a B&M Stand Up, hang around for a couple of cycles. It'll make you want to tear your hair out.

 

Just from watching, the Flyer does seem a bit more labor intensive for the ops than a standard coaster, in terms of the restraints--but once the guest is in, they're pretty much in.