Should the suspended roller coaster be resurrected?

[_koppen]

The dampers are the stupidest idea they ever had. It creates a side to side vibration on the SFC's and SLC's. A whole new train design should be made to prevent the side to side movement on there coasters.

 

It actually works very well on the SFC. Less weight on the train gives less stress on the boogies which in turn gives a smoother ride.

 

TBH I'm not even sure any SLC uses similar dampeners. The new SLC uses a stiff construction and I think the old ones do to.

[ericthewanderer]

I would love for suspended coasters with b]actual swinging trains to make a comeback,but most parks either don't have the space or lack an interesting location/terrain to pull it off.

Strangely enough,I think BGW could rebuild BBW,using Drachen Fyre's station,and having the track "go away" from the rest of the park;of course I'm just speculating based on aerial pictures from Bing maps.If they don't re-use the BBW name,they could also call it Vampyre,Valkyre,or The Wraith.

[Physical]

I would love for suspended coasters with b]actual swinging trains to make a comeback,but most parks either don't have the space or lack an interesting location/terrain to pull it off.

Strangely enough,I think BGW could rebuild BBW,using Drachen Fyre's station,and having the track "go away" from the rest of the park;of course I'm just speculating based on aerial pictures from Bing maps.If they don't re-use the BBW name,they could also call it Vampyre,Valkyre,or The Wraith.

 

I didn't even know Drachen Fire's station still existed.

[bill_s]

Oh the original SLC trains definitely had huge shock absorbers, the black "V" shapes here; I hadn't noticed before the new trains have different structure:

 

(from leeds-list.com/out-and-about/fantastic-family-days-out-in-yorkshire/, more: Kumali)

[palmerleeberry]

The part I liked the best on the suspended coaster were all those high swinging motions whenever the coaster curved around. The ole Big Bad Wolf was an excellent coaster. Plus, they were never "head-bangers" like I would find on today's inverted coasters.

 

It's a shame that only a small handful of parks have these suspended coasters and it's been ages since a brand-new suspended coaster has been introduced. Perhaps a brand-new trend with these coasters could bring these coasters back!

[theredskull84]

I would love to see suspended coasters make a comeback.

 

 

 

And while we're at it, I think Arrow should make a comeback

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey I can dream, right?

[grsupercity]

I would love to see suspended coasters make a comeback.

 

 

 

And while we're at it, I think Arrow should make a comeback

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey I can dream, right?

 

 

Arrow pretty much turned into RMC and S&S's coaster division

[buck funny]

The dampers are the stupidest idea they ever had. It creates a side to side vibration on the SFC's and SLC's. A whole new train design should be made to prevent the side to side movement on there coasters.

 

It actually works very well on the SFC. Less weight on the train gives less stress on the boogies which in turn gives a smoother ride.

 

TBH I'm not even sure any SLC uses similar dampeners. The new SLC uses a stiff construction and I think the old ones do to.

[attachment=0]wildwood2008_03.jpg[/attachment]

 

you can see the upstop wheels not quite touching the track!

 

on the SLC hang and bangs, one of the problems is that the bogie can move up and down and back and forth on the track, amplifying the banging. Sometimes you come flying into the final brake run and the wheels keep spinning because they don't touch the track.

[theredskull84]

I would love to see suspended coasters make a comeback.

 

 

 

And while we're at it, I think Arrow should make a comeback

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey I can dream, right?

 

 

Arrow pretty much turned into RMC and S&S's coaster division

 

I know. I just meant the classic Arrow Dynamics.

[Thunder_Run]

The main problem with suspended coasters has always been how costly maintaining them is. The more violent/thrilling the experience, it seems, the more often the coaster would require maintenance work. Both the one-of-a-kind Alpenflug and the infamous 1982 Bat at King's Island are primary examples in this. Namely, both suffered from stress inflicting structural damage due to the lack of banked turns, almost little-to-none of it existing on both tracks. No wonder Arrow were extremely cautious with XLR-8's design.

 

It may also explain why Eagle Fortress and Big Bad Wolf were forced into early retirement as well. While definitely significant improvements to previous suspended designs, both were known as the best in their class due to the prevalent violent swinging motion that many other suspended coasters lacked. This same violent swinging could in turn, be possibly the same reason they closed earlier than the more dull examples in the same class. Iron Dragon

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally in support of suspended roller coasters making a comeback, they're one of the best family-thrill coasters out there. But I'm guessing if we were to see new ones in the next few years, I wouldn't be surprised if they would be more of the caliber of the existing ones we still have today. I agree with people that terrain is definitely the greatest advantage suspended coasters can utilize to cut on costs during construction, but the operating and upkeep costs I think are the main issue.

[TheCoasterKid211]

I would love to see suspended coasters make a comeback.

 

 

 

And while we're at it, I think Arrow should make a comeback

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey I can dream, right?

I'm with you, buddy.

[A.J.]

Some huge advantages that older suspended coasters had when compared to inverted coasters were that the cars were narrow, they were closed in, and they had floors. For the same reasons why you can have super-tight clearances on a Schwarzkopf coasters, a fixed-train / non-swinging variant of the suspended coaster, with proper banking, would be able to get insanely close to terrain and scenery elements.

[larrygator]

I'd like to see a spinning suspended coaster. Each car would resemble a little frisbee ride.

 

Like This

Sky Rider at Skyline Park

[DILinator]

It may also explain why Eagle Fortress and Big Bad Wolf were forced into early retirement as well. While definitely significant improvements to previous suspended designs, both were known as the best in their class due to the prevalent violent swinging motion that many other suspended coasters lacked. This same violent swinging could in turn, be possibly the same reason they closed earlier than the more dull examples in the same class. Iron Dragon

 

I've been saying this same thing, when discussing the demise of what once was my favorite coaster type (granted, this was in the 80's, when I was 10, but still...). I agree that there is a direct correlation between the excitement level of a Suspended Coaster's ride experience, and its shorter longevity. As such, I think Vortex's days may be numbered at Canada's Wonderland...

 

On a semi-related note, as much as I hate seeing this coaster type going away, one thing I'd love to see is it replaced by a B&M Flying Coaster, both at CW, and CP. Vortex and Iron Dragon both sit on real estate that was nice for their coaster type, but would be even more exciting for a Flying coaster!