Olsor Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 ^ Topper track is basically a normal stack of wood that you would find on any other wooden coaster, except the top two layers (which are the running boards), are a steal beam. This steal beam is pumped full of a non-crack concrete grout, which basically ensures the track will not lose it's form or deteriorate over time like a traditional tracked wooden coaster. I believe topper track has been around for about 3-4 years now, and there is no evidence that the track has deteriorated on the coasters it's been installed on. The RMC trains are a another big component to this ride as well. They utilize a suspension system that keeps the wheels in contact with the running rails at all times, which allows for precise tracking. This keeps the train from bouncing around the track, like most standard wooden coaster trains do. On most normal wooden coasters, the train bouncing around the track is what causes the track to deteriorate. RMC's whole goal is to create rides that ride like they do on opening day, twenty years from now. With all this technology, I say it's very unlikely that this coaster will become rough, but only time will tell. But with all of the things done to produce that smooth ride (including using polyurethane wheels), does topper track provide an appreciably different experience from a straight-up steel-railed ride? Is there any advantage to building a new ride with topper track as opposed to i-box (other than maybe aesthetics)? Or am I just overthinking this and it's simply "because the park wanted to build this ride"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoopScreweD Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 So if you count Goliath as being a wood coaster we now have 4 (American Eagle Blue/Red Viper Little Dipper) does that put the park in contention for the Kings island record of most wooden track length in one park? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 So if you count Goliath as being a wood coaster we now have 4 (American Eagle Blue/Red Viper Little Dipper) does that put the park in contention for the Kings island record of most wooden track length in one park? Saying you have 4 by counting both sides of Eagle is pretty dumb, IMO. Ask the majority of the guests walking through the gate and they'll count Eagle as 1. SFGam will have three woodies. Suck it up and deal with it. --Robb "Nothing wrong with saying you have three woodies in one park!" Alvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricGarbo Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 So if you count Goliath as being a wood coaster we now have 4 (American Eagle Blue/Red Viper Little Dipper) does that put the park in contention for the Kings island record of most wooden track length in one park? Saying you have 4 by counting both sides of Eagle is pretty dumb, IMO. Ask the majority of the guests walking through the gate and they'll count Eagle as 1. SFGam will have three woodies. Suck it up and deal with it. --Robb "Nothing wrong with saying you have three woodies in one park!" Alvey To me it comes down to the maintenance aspect. Even though the Eagle is really one roller coaster that is a LOT of track to maintain. We could argue all day about how many wooden roller coasters SFGA has but having that many linear feet of wooden roller coaster track is pretty awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilrider Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 ^SFGAm will have 4 woodies with Goliath: Viper, Eagle, Goliath, Little Dipper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 But with all of the things done to produce that smooth ride (including using polyurethane wheels), does topper track provide an appreciably different experience from a straight-up steel-railed ride? Is there any advantage to building a new ride with topper track as opposed to i-box (other than maybe aesthetics)? Or am I just overthinking this and it's simply "because the park wanted to build this ride"? Since it's using polyurethane wheels, I don't think it's going to ride any different than any of the I-Box rides RMC has produced so far. More than likely, it's going to probably feel like you're riding a Intamin woodie. If you've ridden Outlaw Run (which uses steel wheels), you'll be able to tell the difference when you ride this coaster. Outlaw Run, rides smooth, but with an out of control feel. Goliath, will ride smooth, but will feel more controlled, like a steel coaster. The only real advantage topper track gives is that it becomes a wooden coaster when the park uses it. RMC has said that they can do the same elements with both tracks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dropzonefan Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Considering they're not using steel wheels, I 'm guessing they're using the topper track so they can break the woodie records and not have to build another El Toro (guessing RMCs cost less than Intamins). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoopScreweD Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Taking the total wood track from KI minus the total SFGAM track there's a difference of... Taking the total wood track from KI minus the total SFGAM track there's a difference of... Taking the total wood track from KI minus the total SFGAM track there's a difference of... Taking the total wood track from KI minus the total SFGAM track there's a difference of... Ok so after a little math the truth is in the pudding. If SFGAM wanted to they could claim a fourth record. Six flags Great Americas total track length with Goliath. Kings Islands current track length minus SOB Holiday Worlds total track length of there Woodies as reference for a park with comparable numbers. ^^^^^^^Looks like the media agrees with you Robb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoBears Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 So if you count Goliath as being a wood coaster we now have 4 (American Eagle Blue/Red Viper Little Dipper) does that put the park in contention for the Kings island record of most wooden track length in one park? Saying you have 4 by counting both sides of Eagle is pretty dumb, IMO. Ask the majority of the guests walking through the gate and they'll count Eagle as 1. SFGam will have three woodies. Suck it up and deal with it. --Robb "Nothing wrong with saying you have three woodies in one park!" Alvey SFGAm will have 4 after Goliath opens if you count Eagle as 1 coaster. However, while I consider Eagle as one coaster when it comes to credit, the two sides are actually different in the second half so I would count two separate lengths. If you count Eagle and Racer's two sides as two separate lengths, SFGAm will have 16,558 feet of wooden coaster track and KI has 15,539. If you count Eagle and Racer as just one side, Kings Island has 12,124 feet of wooden track and SFGAm has 11,908 feet of wooden track after Goliath opens. I don't think I've ever been so excited for a coaster to open like I am for Goliath. Mostly because it's at my home park and I've been wanting to ride an RMC since NTG opened but haven't had the money to go anywhere. The Beast is currently my favorite wooden coaster so I'll have to wait and see if this passes it up for the number 1 spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayCoasterGuy Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 I count Eagle as 2, and Outlaw Run (and the new Goliath) as official "hybrid" wooden coasters. No one cares To maintenance, operations, and a bunch of coaster nerds, Eagle is 2 coasters. To most everyone else, its one coaster. Just like Goliath will be a woodie to most people. Heck, some people who visit Cedar Point still consider Gemini to be a woodie. None of it really matters. American Eagle had steel I-beam track put in in the 90s for the out-run... but mostly still a woodie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StLCPfan Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Except that calling a tubular steel tracked coaster like Gemini or a mine train a "woodie" isn't comparable to calling a RMC topper track coaster a "we don't know because the top layer of laminate is steel", it's comparable to calling the Coney Island Cyclone or the Great Escape Comet a "steel coaster" because the support structure is made out of steel instead of wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayCoasterGuy Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 The point I was trying to make is that, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. ^Good point about CI Cyclone and Comet. I remember in the Traver book, Crystal Beach Cyclone and similar rides were called "Steel Saftey Coasters." Interesting stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StLCPfan Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 I think the only people who really make a big deal about the steel vs wood classification on these new coasters that use the traditional wood coaster construction laminate track bed are people who have a bias to one or the other. The wood coaster purists lean toward calling them wood coasters, the steel coaster lovers see the steel top layer and urethane wheels and call them steel coasters. The rest of us just enjoy them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayCoasterGuy Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 ^I can definitely agree with that. I don't care, as long as the ride is good. But like most coaster nerds, I have an opinion too. I'm all for any combination of wood/steel. The I-beams on American Eagle were the first "steel on wood" tryout I know of. And good thing, it may have saved the ride. It was getting painfully awful near the end of it's "traditional wood track" phase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombi3elephant9 Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 Well i got my final ride on Ragin Cajun today before it moves to SFA, and i will not miss it. It had been a couple of years since i went on that ride, but after today, i don't want to ride it ever again. I felt like my stomach was going to explode. I will gladly take a sky screamer in that section of the park in 2015. Have fun with another crappy roller coaster that we didn't even like in the first place Six Flags America Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TunaSled Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 ^Sorry about all that, I love RC and leave that ride laughing my arse off every time. I can see how it can easily make people sick though. I will miss it. As for the Sky Screamer, couldn't agree more. The sooner the better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoopScreweD Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 ^^That ll what happens when you go on a spinning mouse if you have a FEVER and the only prescription is more COWbell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tororific Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 As my (new) hometown park, I am excited to ride this coaster. I have not ridden a RMC-designed coaster, and am excited to see what the ride is like, especially given the insanity of Outlaw Run. That said, I can't honestly say that I was initially extremely thrilled with the design because I was hoping for a more air-time filled ride like El Toro at least a more substantial ride time. But, given the raves of Outlaw Run, maybe this one too will have such insane pacing and the new elements will feel as great as the elements on Outlaw Run, that the apparent lack of "traditional" airtime (other than first drop and the speed hill) will not be missed. In any event, it is amazingly cool that SFGam is getting two substantial coasters in such a short period of time, and this will be a great addition to the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commando Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 ^ I'll bet this thing will have plenty of airtime. All of those wacky transitions on the overbank/top hat will provide for some interesting sensation. It will be also interesting to see how they fit this into the Yukon territory. And, sorry if this has already been answered, but sure they STILL using Z-Forces station? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 I don't know if this has happened to anyone else but I had imagined an element just like that zero g stall before. It's not the first time it happens to me but it's kind of cool to see this is actually being built. As to the ride itself: looks great and if it turns out to be like the other RMC it should be awesome! Just looks a bit short, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoopScreweD Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 Yes the station is the same station used by Z-Force and Iron Wolf, the park president did say some modifications would be made to accomadte the train design as it previously catered to four across Intamin trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterEv Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 Loving the elements on this bad boy. That inverted drop looks like it's going to be amazing!! I've only seen that on some Togos and Ultra Twister @ Rusutsu so this should be incredibly smooth awesomeness, comparatively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayCoasterGuy Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 That inverted drop looks like it's going to be amazing!! Is that what they're calling it? Whatever it is, you're right - it will be amazing. The inverted hill - 1/3rd loop thingy - that really made me look twice. Insanity... I look forward to the screams! RMC said a while back they would not do any vertical loops. But they have a half loop and a third loop! Very cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tororific Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 ^ I'll bet this thing will have plenty of airtime. All of those wacky transitions on the overbank/top hat will provide for some interesting sensation. Sure looks like it -- surprise air would be gravy on top. I only hope it is a huge success and RMC take over American Eagle soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 RMC take over American Eagle soon After building a custom RMC coaster at the park. I doubt they will do a take over of American Eagle. I could maybe see them do some work to it but I doubt we will see a RMC hybrid of American Eagle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now