Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[alpengeist04]

That would be great pkdcoaster. Thanks.

 

I also heard that the supports for the top of the lift hill are in place. ...but no pics, so I'm not sure if that's true or not..

[matteocrepaldi]

Can't wait to see more pictures!

[jamesdillaman]

^^^ Whatever you can capture in pictures would be great, Jeff. I dislike how hard it is to keep track of new ride construction during the offseason.

 

-James Dillaman

[pkdcoaster]

http://www.bgescape.com/Gallery/thumbnails.php?album=23

 

Sweet!!!

 

Another aerial update!!

That lift is STEEP!

 

JEFF

[coasterguy618]

Wow, that lift is steep. It is a lot steeper than Sheikra's lift.

[Primogen18]

they look about the same in these 2 pics, you can even line one up with the other:

http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com/sheikra/sh72a.jpg

http://www.bgescape.com/Gallery/albums/userpics/10002/9%7E9.jpg

 

nice new pics though

[RubenTheys]

It's definitely steeper than Silver Bullet's first drop Looks great so far

[Sexy No Jutsu]

It's definitely steeper than Silver Bullet's first drop Looks great so far

 

Most things are.

[Astat]

I can't believe how crammed in there this thing looks. It looks like there's barely any room left between what's up of the lift and the ridge down to where Alpengeist is sitting. Whoever planned this thing did a great job making it work in that space.

[cfc]

Griffon topped out this week, according to the Daily Press at http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-griffontree,0,3080254.story. They mounted a Christmas tree at it's highest point.

[FLIPDUDE]

Holy crap, it's dwarfing Alpengeist!

[pkdcoaster]

Holy crap, it's dwarfing Alpengeist!

 

You have to remember that Alpengeist is built in the ravine. the actual lift hill is about 165ft. so Griffon will look much taller since it is 205ft above ground level not Rhine river level.

 

I went by on the Train last night and the tree was not even lit up....cheapos

I can see the tree on top of the brewery clear as day though.

The track looks massive with the stairs added to it.

Nice find Chuck, thanks

 

JEFF

[TexTitan01]

Wow, I still cant believe how truly MASSIVE, this coaster will look when it's done. This will DEFINATELY be a trip for me once it's open...

 

B&M Floorless + Vert Drop + 10 rows =

[coastakid]

Wow, Griffon is going up very fast. It looks INCREDIBLE!

 

-Coastakid

[pkdcoaster]

Another photo update from BGEscape with photos from the ground on a hard hat tour. Very cool pics again.

 

(also very wise of them to remove the skyride cable during construction, I figured they would have done it right after closing the ride though)

 

http://www.bgescape.com/Gallery/thumbnails.php?album=24

 

JEFF

[cfc]

 

I went by on the Train last night and the tree was not even lit up....cheapos

I can see the tree on top of the brewery clear as day though.

The track looks massive with the stairs added to it.

Nice find Chuck, thanks

 

JEFF

 

Perhaps they couldn't find a long-enough extension cord.

[Ryan King]

RCDB Press Release-:

 

It's all downhill from here, literally.

 

Construction workers have installed the tallest piece of Griffon at Busch Gardens Europe. Track pieces number eight and nine (out of 91) of the roller coaster sit about 200 feet above the ground. It took two cranes to lift the 74-thousand pound piece into place and a pair of construction workers to tighten the bolts.

 

"Installing the highest piece of track is a significant achievement, and it's everything we've envisioned," said Larry Giles, the vice president of design and engineering for Busch Gardens Europe and Water Country USA. "It's a milestone. From blueprint to reality."

 

Griffon will be the world's first floorless dive coaster. It features a 90-degree, 205 foot drop right at its beginning and a pair of Immelman loops over the rest of the three-minute ride. Riders will reach a top speed of 75 mph and splash through a water break. Griffon was named after the mythical beast said to have the heart of a lion and the soul of an eagle. Riders may need both to withstand the fist-clenching thrills.

 

Construction workers also placed an evergreen tree at the coaster's highpoint to highlight the event. "Topping off" is a construction site tradition meant to celebrate the highest or last piece of construction. "The evergreen is part of an age old tradition, and it's a sense of pride for us," said Giles.

 

Giles also is proud of the view from the ground. The top of Griffon and its tree are both easily seen from the roadways near the park. "Now that Griffon is visible from the roadways, we think its position and color scheme are both great additions to the Busch Gardens Europe landscape," he said.

 

Crews broke ground on the Griffon project back in July. Griffon will likely open to the public in the late spring.

[FlippyTrick09]

Ok, random question... Does the Rhine ever flood? If so, would it be a problem for Griffon or any other rides? Ok thanks- Mitchell

[Alexander Nagel]

Since the Rhine is man-made by a dam i'd guess no but even it did it wouldn't be enough to effect anything. Besides Griffon station area is at LEAST 20 feet above the water.

[the sound]

Wow. I was oblivious to how cool Griffon was going to be.

 

Its huge! I thought this was just a sort of colne of Sheikra. Boy was i wrong!

[cfc]

Just noticed this today on the Daily Press Web site: They've posted a video of Griffon topping out and a time-lapse of the consruction up to Dec. 8.

 

You can find them ratchere: http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-life-griffon,0,2323701.storygallery

[rollermonkey]

Hi Chuck!

 

Thanks for the video, cool stuff.

[pkdcoaster]

Thanks for the Video links Chuck.

I went by tonight on the train and the X-mas Tree was shining bright atop Griffon

 

JEFF

[cfc]

^Cool, Jeff--guess they finally pieced together a few extension cords. I'll definitely have to check it out.

 

^^ Hi back at ya, Chris.

[xericx]

there are a few pictures up on thrillnetwork from a flyby.construction looks like its coming along good, the immelmann is up!

www.thrillnetwork.com/boards/showthread.php?t=37632&page=77

 

*pictures are on the bottom of the page and also some the next page.