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Questionable coaster elements


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I was thinking about this recently after riding Intimidator 305--many high-ranking coasters don't seem to waste an inch of track. Every element has a distinct purpose or goal. The transitions and pacing can make a good ride even better.

But then we find the occasional exception. The elements that just don't make any sense... that make us wonder "wtf is this?" The goal of this thread is to share some of these instances. Perhaps to discuss any insight on why such elements were incorporated in this way, or to explain something others (or myself) might not have known.

Here are some that come to mind...

 

-The straightaways on S:RoS at SFA. They make sense on the DL clone, but always make me think "why?"

-The trick track on Thunder Dolphin. I havent ridden it, but it seems so out of place on an Intamin hyper.

-(For discussion) the brief (maybe 50 yards) straightaway before MF's final overbank is obviously to permit a longer brake run

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I was thinking about this recently after riding Intimidator 305--many high-ranking coasters don't seem to waste an inch of track. Every element has a distinct purpose or goal. The transitions and pacing can make a good ride even better.

But then we find the occasional exception. The elements that just don't make any sense... that make us wonder "wtf is this?" The goal of this thread is to share some of these instances. Perhaps to discuss any insight on why such elements were incorporated in this way, or to explain something others (or myself) might not have known.

Here are some that come to mind...

 

-The straightaways on S:RoS at SFA. They make sense on the DL clone, but always make me think "why?"

-The trick track on Thunder Dolphin. I havent ridden it, but it seems so out of place on an Intamin hyper.

-(For discussion) the brief (maybe 50 yards) straightaway before MF's final overbank is obviously to permit a longer brake run

I think Millenium's strait away is more for the ability to place a trim brake their. The clamps are still present and everything.

 

As for me I've always thought that the empty area from where the barrel roll on Maverick was originally. It seems like they should have designed some sort of overbank instead of that boring turn.

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Totally agree about Thunder Dolphin's trick track! If they replace it with a couple of twisted airtime hills the coaster would be so much better!

If they wouldn't have designed that building with the wavy roof, they wouldn't have had to design those hills the way they are. I would put the blame on Tokyo Dome City for that one and not necessarily Intamin.

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Long straightaways aren't a bad thing. Bizarro at Sfne has one too. Millennium Force's finale is perfectly placed because it really gets people in the queue amped up for the ride. It's all very close to the people waiting in line and the trains blow by them with amazing speed. I love it.

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Totally agree about Thunder Dolphin's trick track! If they replace it with a couple of twisted airtime hills the coaster would be so much better!

If they wouldn't have designed that building with the wavy roof, they wouldn't have had to design those hills the way they are. I would put the blame on Tokyo Dome City for that one and not necessarily Intamin.

They can even make a few crossings or barrel rolls on it, I would thank Tokyo Dome City for that roof honestly.

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I think Millenium's strait away is more for the ability to place a trim brake their. The clamps are still present and everything.

 

I found out from working there that the straight track is there as a removal piece if the train were to valley. There is 1 piece of straight track right there not connected to a support beam so it can be easily removed to remove a valleyed train. So those extra bars you see are where a crane could tie onto. There's also another straight piece before the 3rd overbank that works the same way.

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^That's really interesting. My initial thought was that (yes Coasterbill I love that section by queue) it would seem to flow better with the ride being shorter, it needs to be that length to permit a proper brake run. Now it seems there were multiple reasons for this section.

It is much shorter than those on Superman though, which always seem so "off" to me. It makes some sense at Darien Lake being over water, but at SFA I'd much rather have seen another airtime hill. It's a shame they couldn't have built a custom hyper at SFA, but even as it is it's the best steel coaster at the park by far.

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The jo-jo roll on Hydra.

 

I know many of you are thinking what a great, gimmicky thing this is, but despite the fact that the GP also thinks it looks cool, I wouldn't call it very pleasant or thrilling in the least.

 

Uncomfortable, yes.

 

Edit - Also...any part of Son Of Beast.

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^I agree, even though it is the most "interesting" part of a mediocre ride.

 

This section right before the corkscrews of Anaconda convinced me that the designers at Arrow were hardcore alcoholics and were suffering from the DTs when they designed it.

 

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^^ I forgot about that weird part on Anaconda and have to agree!

 

Also should have mentioned in regards to SOB, I think that the worst part was that spaghetti bowl element that I believe was supposed to compliment The Beast's final helices.

 

I just remember it being one long drawn out crap-fest that just continually shuffled you around like you were actually going through a square versus a double helix. Oh my, does that coaster conjure up some horrible memories!

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El Toro's RT hill. What were they thinking making something so awesome in ejector air, that it beautifully hurts?

 

I love how it just hurls you over the top.

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I'd say anytime a loop is thrown on a wooden rollercoaster. Wooden coasters are such things of beauty, why cheapen them by adding a bland vertical loop whose feel goes against the nature of wooden rollercoasters either predicated on negative G's or on crazy lateral G's.

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El Toro's RT hill. What were they thinking making something so awesome in ejector air, that it beautifully hurts?

 

I love how it just hurls you over the top.

 

The "rodeo" hill may be the best part of the ride behind the initial drop.

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I have to go with the boring post MCBR ("mid-course" is really pushing it though) helix that B&M has put on several of their coasters. The worst offenders that immediately come to mind are Intimidator232 and Gatekeeper. At the very least these helixes (helices?) could have been low to ground to get some speed on them but nope, just a lazy little turnaround that gives you a nice little view of the brake run you're about to hit.

 

Poltergeist's final corkscrew. It just feels so out of place.

 

I love that corkscrew (at least I do on the other Premier spaghetti bowls, haven't ridden Poltergeist!). Such a perfect finale to that awesome "funnel" I like to call it. You hit it with so much speed and I can never entirely anticipate it even though I have ridden Joker's Jinx easily 100+ times.

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I never understood the seemingly deliberate under-banking through turns on CCI woodies. I think CCI was going for fun Kennywood-style Thunderbolt laterals, but instead a lot of those turns, transitions, and crests of hills were jarring nightmares on otherwise solid layouts. The moment one of those woodies slipped out of top maintenance shape, the painful and exaggerated laterals stuck out like sore thumbs. It also didn't help when Gerstauler trains started popping up on some of them with Magnum-style lapbars, hard plastic seats, and shuffling that felt like riding an angry bull during an earthquake. Myrtle Beach Hurricane comes to mind...

 

I have to go with the boring post MCBR ("mid-course" is really pushing it though) helix that B&M has put on several of their coasters. The worst offenders that immediately come to mind are Intimidator232 and Gatekeeper. At the very least these helixes (helices?) could have been low to ground to get some speed on them but nope, just a lazy little turnaround that gives you a nice little view of the brake run you're about to hit.

 

I think that's a great call in both cases. Gatekeeper at least has some funky banking and the wingspan of the trains gives unique visual perspectives while riding, but there's absolutely nothing going for either of these elements. "Meandering" shouldn't be in the description of big-time coasters, but I've felt that way about some of the newer B&Ms. In contrast, Kumba has a second half with purpose -- the tight, low-to-the-ground elements feel like a real finale and not a tacked-on way to halfheartedly extend a coaster.

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^ Goudurix. The first half of the ride is sent straight from the depths of hell itself. After the butterfly it turns into a semi-smooth ride.

 

[youtu_be]

[/youtu_be] Edited by KBrylczyk
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