Silverwood Discussion Thread

[swfan1988]

The park got out a drone and shot some really neat areal footage of Stunt Pilot! I just screenshotted the highlights but you can see the whole thing on the parks socials here: https://www.facebook.com/silverwoodthemepark/videos/786719738613646/

I can swear that ferris wheel looks red...and if it is... (I really hope they didn't paint it that color...)

 

RMC was working on the dive loop while they were filming.

Oh...and the park is copying CGA and calling it a "Raven Turn"...

It looks like they have almost all the lower track in place aside from the final turn, brake run, and the entrance and exit from the dive loop. At the rate they seem to be going, my guess is it will be topped off in the next week or so!

Other things I noticed:

-The iconic Roller Coaster Alley sign/photo-op has been demolished. This was expected and the park said previously that it will return in a new location when Stunt Pilot opens! It looks like it's old location is being replaced with the entrance/exit/gift shop building, and it kinda looks like they might be trying to build something of an entrance plaza there as well.

-I didn't realize how tightly it fits in there, literally coming up to both the main Coaster Alley sign, and the Thunder Canyon exit path. It makes me worry a little about bottlenecks on the RCA path.

-Tremors is having most of it's warped helix replaced, from the end of the first Topper Track section to when you exit the helix and enter the first set of airtime hills. It's tough to tell from a distance (you can see it in the 3rd picture), but my guess is it's not being replaced with more Topper Track. No visible work on Timber Terror, although the parks earlier pictures showed them working on the final helix, which is what needed the help last year.

-The log flume water cannon deck seems to have held on for dear life!! Here's to hoping it stays that way! I love that water cannon...

-It's tough to tell but we might have lost some trees by the log flume, by where the old pizza stand was across from Corkscrew. As a side not it looks like we will be able to get personal pizzas from the new stand under Corkscrew's first corkscrew. I think that's a pretty neat location!

-I'm really starting to like this coaster construction update thing! No wonder the SFMM and CP threads are so active!

Even better! It's only 28 days till opening day!!! Whoo yeah!!!

Edit: This photo showed up randomly (probably user error) in this spot. Enjoy!

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by swfan1988
A photo showed up in a surprise location (User Error)

[thrillseeker4552]

Looks great. The off-axis hill seems to have a steeper bank and slightly different shape than Railblazer/WW. I am curious to see if there are any other slight layout modifications, presumably to accommodate the 10-car trains.

[swfan1988]

15 hours ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

Looks great. The off-axis hill seems to have a steeper bank and slightly different shape than Railblazer/WW. I am curious to see if there are any other slight layout modifications, presumably to accommodate the 10-car trains.

Yeah, unfortunately I'm not that familiar with the details of Railblazer or Wonder Woman, but I think it's plausible that there could be some changes. My guess is either their to accommodate the longer trains, or RMC learned from the first two Raptors so Stunt Pilot and Jersey Devil are kinda a Raptor 2.0, with the longer trains, moving loading stations, and a slight overall redesign. Plus there had to be some changes to accommodate the terrain of Stunt Pilot's location.

[coastercrazy216]

With all of the issues that topper track has been having, I am curious about how the topper track is holding up on Tremors? Anyone have any info on it?

[swfan1988]

13 hours ago, coastercrazy216 said:

With all of the issues that topper track has been having, I am curious about how the topper track is holding up on Tremors? Anyone have any info on it?

I haven't had the pleasure of riding any other rides that actually have Topper Track on them, so I don't know how it compares. It is the noticeably smoothest part of the ride though, not that the rest of the ride is that rough it's just noticeably a little smoother.

Word on the street though is that the park doesn't want to add any more, so I'm guessing that either it's more trouble than its worth, or they don't think it helped that much. Silverwood does a pretty good job on retracking their wooden coasters, so I'm not too worried about it, but it's interesting how such a seemingly really good idea seems to have so many problems. Does anyone really know the cause?

[mikeykaise]

Looks like a candy cane pretzel.

[swfan1988]

Well folks...RMC must have given Silverwood a package deal!! Tremors is getting more Topper Track!

The park posted this photo on social media, and it looks like they are doing the rest of the warped helix. They said it will be ready for opening day.

I think this is great! The helix in general, but particularly the last 1/3 (the part in the foreground and to the right just out of sight), always seemed to be the roughest part of the ride for me and even when the park retracked it, it never seemed to really help. The Topper Track parts of Tremors were always the smoothest parts, so I'm really happy that the park had a change of heart and choose to add more Topper to the ride. It's too far away in the picture so I can't tell if its like a "next generation" Topper Track or not, but either way should be a huge improvement! 

Anyone want to start the rumor that the Topper Track was recycled from Lightning Rod?

Oh...and Stunt Pilot's dive loop (I refuse to call it a "Raven Turn"!!!!) has been completed, along with the pull out from the first drop. Photo again is from their socials.

They also got approval on their permits for the barn flythrough on Stunt Pilot, so that should be starting to shape up real soon!

So with more Topper Track on Tremors, Stunt Pilot, a new concession stand, and the case of the missing Garfield, 2021 is shaping up to be a season of changes for Silverwood!!!! Here's to hoping that they are all for the better!

Oh, and only 18 DAYS TILL OPENING DAY!!!! Who else is getting really excited?!?!?

 

[thrillseeker4552]

Definitely some different shaping on the dive loop versus the other clones. This is looking great!

[swfan1988]

BREAKING NEWS!! Busch Gardens and Six Flags Great Adventure better be taking notes cause...

Silverwood has announced that they will reveal Stunt Pilot's opening date TOMORROW!!! They will also debut Stunt Pilot's commercial tomorrow along with the opening date, as part of their new "all-access" YouTube series "The Silverwood Show". (AND I finally figured out how to embed Twitter!!) The first episode came out 2 weeks ago, and I thought it was pretty good. Part of it featured an interview with Fred Gubb and Jake Kilcup from RMC about Stunt Pilot as well as a mini-tour around the RMC factory. Later, they broke out just the RMC segment into it's own video so I'll include that here if anyone hasn't seen it (because obviously that the only part that us coaster nerds actually care about):

The full episode is on the park's Youtube page.

My guess is as good as any, but my bet is on Memorial Day weekend. That to me makes the most sense based on where they are in construction and my expectations for the initially promised "Summer 2021". Fingers crossed its not later in the Summer or Fourth of July... Either way, only 10 DAYS TILL THE 2021 SEASON STARTS!!!!

 

[swfan1988]

Sorry in advance for the double post but...

STUNT PILOT OPENS MAY 29!!!! WHOO YEAH!!!!

So hopefully with no delays will all be riding it by then! I am really looking forward to this. Unfortunately, I can't be there for opening day but I can't wait to ride it later this summer! Let's see if SeaWorld/Busch Gardens and Six Flags Great Adventure were taking notes...

Sorry for the bad image, I screenshotted it from the new commercial they debuted during today's episode of the Silverwood Show. Here's the full episode where they talk about their flower wall and do the "Riptide Racer Trick Shot Challenge", in addition to showing off Stunt Pilot's commercial and opening date:

 

[joelwee]

That thumbnail, though.....

[swfan1988]

Who wants to be the first to ride Stunt Pilot? The park will be hosting an auction for the first train (10 riders)! The proceeds for the auction will benefit the local Children's Village, which provides care and support to children who have been abused, neglected, or have family crisis going on. It's also the same organization that the donations from the train ride and the tips jars in the park go to, which the Norton family matches every year. Bids are starting at $40. Here is the link to the auction for anyone intereted: https://one.bidpal.net/stuntpilot/welcome

Quick note that I got the link from a Coeur d' Alene Press article that came out this morning, so I'm assuming that the park will announce further details today as I had not previously heard about the auction. Here's a link to the article: https://cdapress.com/news/2021/apr/22/stunt-pilot-soars-opening-date/

The other interesting thing about the auction isn't the auction at all...it's that on the page where you bid for each seat is some previously unseen (at least I've never seen it) concept art for Stunt Pilot's trains!

I like how the front car has a slightly different design, so I'm hoping that thats how it really looks! May 29 here we come!!

[swfan1988]

Sorry again for the double post...but the interesting developments keep coming in!

This photo has been circulating on a couple sites, with people claiming it's from Silverwood's Instagram story. I couldn't find on their Instagram page (although I currently hold an F- in "How to use Instagram") but it looks real and consistent with what some of the parks previous posts have been. It appears to show that Tremors was retrofitted with RMC I-Box rather than Topper Track.

Unfortunately, the angle isn't that great so it's hard tot tell if it's actually I-Box or if it's some sort of Topper Track 2.0. To me it looks like it could be either, but it's interesting that the park said it was Topper, but it could actually be I-Box. Kinda weird. I guess that this puts my hopes of and all I-Box Tremors with electric blue track and zero G roles over the midway to rest...oh well another coaster enthusiast pipe dream.

The best part though? In theory we have only ONE MORE WEEK before we get to ride it, and see if it did anything!

[IronWolfman]

It's not on their instagram anymore, but that does look like the first helix-type area of Tremors, right after where they originally had topper track. On Twitter they have a photo installing what appears to be an I-box piece when you zoom in (I hadn't noticed originally, it's a bit distant so it a first glance it looks like topper), and this track certainly looks like I-box. That Twitter picture is the one where they say they're installing topper, but it actually seems to be I-box onwards from where the original topper was, and not certain yet for how long. Weird how Titan Track was in some ways GCI's response to Topper Track, but if RMC can really just retrofit I-Box onto parts of wood coasters in the same way, then it could be their follow-up answer. 

[swfan1988]

22 minutes ago, IronWolfman said:

It's not on their instagram anymore, but that does look like the first helix-type area of Tremors, right after where they originally had topper track. On Twitter they have a photo installing what appears to be an I-box piece when you zoom in (I hadn't noticed originally, it's a bit distant so it a first glance it looks like topper), and this track certainly looks like I-box. That Twitter picture is the one where they say they're installing topper, but it actually seems to be I-box onwards from where the original topper was, and not certain yet for how long. Weird how Titan Track was in some ways GCI's response to Topper Track, but if RMC can really just retrofit I-Box onto parts of wood coasters in the same way, then it could be their follow-up answer. 

Thanks!

The new track goes from the end of the first section of Topper Track (out of the second tunnel), all the way through to the end of the warped helix, before you drop into the first set of airtime hills. There is a picture a couple posts back where you can see the track that was removed, and I guess I am assuming that all of the track is being replaced with Topper/I-Box.

It kinda looks to me like it's a I-Box 2.0. I mean it looks pretty similar to normal I-Box, but it just seems slightly different, like it's a bit smaller or something although the angle isn't very good to tell. It's also interesting that they have the traditional wood crossties (or whatever that pice of wood is called) and they just attached the I-Box metal crossties to thoose. I think normal I-Box has just the metal crossties that replace the wood ones.

Maybe your on to something that with the competition to Titan Track thing. If it is an I-Box 2.0 kinda thing, I bet it's a test like the first section of Topper Track was a test back in 2010. This I-Box 2.0 could then replace the Topper Track as competition against the Titan Track for smoothing out wooden coaster. Or it could be that I-Box is now RMC's all purpose solution for retracking, and the park just decided they had had enough of dealing with that helix, and choose to see if I-Box could reduce the maintenance.

[swfan1988]

WHOO YEAH!!! Track work on Stunt Pilot is officially done!!! (As of yesterday according to the park's socials)

Couple interesting bits:

The reprofiling has continued, as it seems that they "mostly" eliminated the "pre-drop" off the lift. This is probably to accommodate the longer trains, but I find it to be an interesting change. It also seems that they mostly got rid of the straight section exiting the the s-bend and the drop into the second half. This too me has to be the biggest plus of the profile changes because I always thought that that was the weakest part of the layouts on the original prototype raptors.

It appears that it will feature the extra walkway on the first turn like Railblazer. Not sure if that's for better or worse, but I don't mind it.

 

Also...opening weekend was this last weekend! I wasn't able to go, but I've hears good things! People say Stunt Pilot looks great in its spot, and it's gonna be an excellent addition. The park is open weekends till Memorial Day, then daily from then until Labor Day. It also seems like they are planning on the return of Scarywood since they have it scheduled on their website under October.

As far as COVID stuff goes...apparently the park is doing what they did last year, "limiting capacity" and they are still cashless (for the most part), but I heard that only about 30% of the guests were wearing masks. No word on if the employees are wearing masks, spacing people out on rides, or cleaning in between cycles. 

Word on the street is that with the re-tracking Tremors is running better than ever!! I hope that's true as it seems to have not been at its fullest the last few seasons.

Did anybody here make it out for opening weekend, I would be curious to know what your thoughts are?

Lastly...ONLY 25 MORE DAYS till Stunt Pilot opens!!!! Here's to Silverwood's best season yet!

[Baffles]

Looks great! Not that it matters too much, but the first drop is a fair amount less steep right?

I wonder if this will be the only version of the original Raptor layout that RMC will sell now. The extra rows are definitely needed.

[OrbitalObject]

1 hour ago, swfan1988 said:

 

Did anybody here make it out for opening weekend, I would be curious to know what your thoughts are?

 

I was there on opening day. Overall the park was insanely busy - I have never seen the park as busy as it was in the over 15 years I've been going there (although I generally try to go on off days). Lines for Timber Terror and Tremors were pushing 2 hours and the log flume line wrapped around close to the antique cars entrance. If they were 'limiting capacity,' I certainly didn't notice it. I would say at most about 10% of people were wearing masks, which made me a little uncomfortable given how busy it was. Aftershock also wasn't open (no train in the station at all), which also didn't help absorb the crowds. Line jumping was also a huge issue and something the park needs to get under control. I counted at least 15 people line jumping throughout the day - definitely not okay. 

Okay, with the (mild) complaints out of  the way, the main positive was the I-Box on Tremors. The ride is absolutely hauling and continued to get better as it warmed up. The I-Box runs from the end of the first topper track section, to right before the first set bunny hills. The laterals though the I-box section are extreme and the bunny hills now produce ejector airtime. The track though the last two tunnels had been repaired as well (just wood track - no I-Box) and is running very smooth. I got three rides in (two in the front and one in the back) and I can definitely say it's now much smoother than many steel coasters I've been on. The PTC trains still chatter a little especially in sections that have high laterals, but overall it is much more re-rideable, with no noticeable jackhammering at any point. I was told by multiple ride ops that after this season more I-box will be added all the way to the second section of topper track. The RMC truck is still sitting inside the first helix and it looks like there are more sections of I-Box onsite sitting under tarps. 

Operations were generally pretty good on everything, but with how popular the park is becoming, the single train ops on the woodies is really starting to become an issue and should be addressed. Glad stunt pilot is getting two trains. Speaking of which, is looking incredible. There is a really tall construction wall on the midway side, but I got some good pictures from the Thunder Canyon exit. I didn't spot trains on site yet, but the maintenance barn looks pretty much done. The site still looks pretty unfinished - pretty crazy it's opening in under a month. Looking forward to May 29th!

Here is an Imgur album of some of the pictures I took: https://imgur.com/gallery/vS9LpQ3

[thrillseeker4552]

2 hours ago, Baffles said:

Looks great! Not that it matters too much, but the first drop is a fair amount less steep right?

It definitely is, but given the 10-car trains it will still throw you into another dimension in the back row.

There are actually a number of design changes on this model which I assume are to accommodate the longer trains. I'm sure the coaster will still be insane though and with the added capacity, it all sounds good to me.

[swfan1988]

Welcome to the forums @OrbitalObject! Thanks for the report and the photos!

Yeah, I've had generally negative experiences on opening day in the past. I don't know if its the $19.88 admission or what, but it seems to attract a more...errr..."rougher" crowd than the park normally does. There wasn't really a problem with line jumping, but other rules were not being adhered too like smoking where your not supposed too, not respecting the landscaping, breaking rules on rides, etc. Couple that with the notorious one train ops plus the "it's the start of the season and it's everyone's first day", and you get an experience that I wouldn't necessarily recommend to a first time goer...

I really do think that Boulder Beach is the park's "people eater", and the theme park on it's own just doesn't have the capacity to keep up with the crowds. Even when I've gone in september, and BB was closed, the theme park was just overwhelmed. The theme park needs another high capacity ride that is popular *cough* cough*...dark ride...*cough* cough*.

All that aside, I'm glad that things are looking good for I-Box on Tremors and Stunt Pilot. I hope that the 2 trains on SP can serve as a "pilot" (pun not intended ) for adding them to the wooden coasters. Aftershock obviously can't run a second, and I don't think it's a good idea for Corkscrew, but adding second trains to the woodies would really help. I don't know about all the design changes for the 10 car trains, but I'm grateful all the same for a new, I guess "semi-custom" coaster.

[IronWolfman]

I can't wait to compare Stunt Pilot to the prototype raptors, it looks so good and fits nicely into its location. Hard to say now what the different profiling will change. Will have to post my thoughts after my visit! It's crazy they're aiming to open it in 25 days when they just finished the track, but if they get all the electrical in fast and the trains prepared, I bet they could test like crazy to make sure they finish the testing requirements.

Glad I'll be giving them about two months past opening date to work out the kinks until I get to visit. Anyone know how late July Fridays usually are? I unfortunately don't have a lot of leeway for the date. 

[swfan1988]

10 minutes ago, IronWolfman said:

I can't wait to compare Stunt Pilot to the prototype raptors, it looks so good and fits nicely into its location. Hard to say now what the different profiling will change. Will have to post my thoughts after my visit! It's crazy they're aiming to open it in 25 days when they just finished the track, but if they get all the electrical in fast and the trains prepared, I bet they could test like crazy to make sure they finish the testing requirements.

Glad I'll be giving them about two months past opening date to work out the kinks until I get to visit. Anyone know how late July Fridays usually are? I unfortunately don't have a lot of leeway for the date. 

I haven't had experience with Fridays in July, but I think you might be ok. I know that Saturdays tend to be the worst, and that July is technically part of their busy season. However, if you get to the park before opening and spend the whole day there than you should be ok.

I know Idaho is one of the few states in America that doesn't have laws specifically governing amusement rides, only requiring an electrical inspection upon completion. This probably makes it so that they only have to test till RMC give the "Ok" and then they are good to go. They mentioned somewhere I thought that some of the theming won't be installed till next year, so my guess is that they'll get it open on May 29th and finish the theming and landscaping later.

Still ,even though their not Six Flags, giving them an extra month or so probably isn't a bad idea...

[OrbitalObject]

1 hour ago, swfan1988 said:

Yeah, I've had generally negative experiences on opening day in the past. I don't know if its the $19.88 admission or what, but it seems to attract a more...errr..."rougher" crowd than the park normally does. There wasn't really a problem with line jumping, but other rules were not being adhered too like smoking where your not supposed too, not respecting the landscaping, breaking rules on rides, etc. Couple that with the notorious one train ops plus the "it's the start of the season and it's everyone's first day", and you get an experience that I wouldn't necessarily recommend to a first time goer...

I really do think that Boulder Beach is the park's "people eater", and the theme park on it's own just doesn't have the capacity to keep up with the crowds. Even when I've gone in september, and BB was closed, the theme park was just overwhelmed. The theme park needs another high capacity ride that is popular *cough* cough*...dark ride...*cough* cough*.

Thanks for the warm welcome! Honestly, ride operations were really good. Dispatch times were about average from what I've experienced but the major rides just weren't able to handle the crowds. I think that may have contributed to the poor behavior of some of the guests, but it was still a little disappointing to me. 

And yeah, I have generally noticed that wait times go up pretty significantly after the waterpark closes. Silverwood itself is such a small park that it gets overwhelmed super easily. I am very excited for Stunt Pilot, but I do think that a high capacity dark ride would be a wonderful and much needed addition for the park. I think that it's really time for a 'next step' to really separate Silverwood from the rest of the pack. I saw Gary Norton walking around on opening day - I should have asked him 

[HavenHamilton]

Never been here before, but really thinking of coming up from Portland this summer to check it out. What are the lines usually like here? Can it get pretty slammed?

[swfan1988]

10 minutes ago, HavenHamilton said:

Never been here before, but really thinking of coming up from Portland this summer to check it out. What are the lines usually like here? Can it get pretty slammed?

Well the woodies run one train all the time...and the ops are hit or miss so those lines can range from 45 minutes to an hour and half, although they tend to change throughout the day. The park counts their busy season as the 4th of July through Labor Day, but some days are better than others. Days to definitely stay away from are Opening Weekend, 4th of July, Toyota Tuesdays, or pretty much any day the waterpark is closed. Boulder Beach (the attached waterpark) is the "people eater" for the park, so not having it open really puts too much of a burden on the theme park. I think the Canadian border is still closed so that will help a bit, especially if you go later in the summer.

The best days are weekdays in June when the waterpark is open, but I've also had good luck with weekdays later in the season as well. Get to the park at 10:15 and rope drop either the wooden coasters if your starting with the theme park, or Ricochet Rapids and Avalanche Mountain if your starting with the waterpark. You should be able to do each at least 2-3 times with little to no wait before the crowds show up.  In general, the earlier you get there and the later you stay the better the crowds will be.

Some other random tips:

-Aftershock can't run in cold weather or if there's winds above 150'. If it's closed in the morning, wait till mid-afternoon (around 3 or so) and it will probably open up. You can see it testing from almost anywhere in the park, so if you see it testing start making your way over there.

-The back seat is probably the best on all the coasters. Although I'm sure someone here will disagree...

-Don't go to the train at the last minute, or it will be full. You should get there about 15 minutes before it leaves (the top of every hour). The best seats are either the open-air car in the middle or and further back. Make sure you sit on the side of the train station (right hand side) for the best views of the stunt show.

-Chuckwagon John's (in the picnic pavilions behind Tremors) is THE BEST!!! It's all-you-can-eat BBQ, plus salad corn bread, drinks, mash potatoes, etc. Other solid options are the High Moon Saloon on Main Street, and the bake goods at the Victorian Coffee House and Silverwood Coffee Roasting and Trading. The new paninis at Caselli's over by Corkscrew look good (haven't tried them but they look really good). Most everything else is maybe slightly above average theme park food, better than Six Flags or Cedar Fair but nothing to write home about. If you want ice cream go to the South Creamery across from Panic Plunge, it has the same ice cream the main Ice Creamery is famous for but with shorter lines.

-Stunt Pilot opens on May 29. It has two trains but it's a real wild card on if they'll use them, how popular it will be, how it will effect crowds on the other rides.

-The magic show is really good, it's won some awards, and it's pretty popular but you can usually get a seat if you get there about 10-15 minutes before the show starts. Nick Norton is the magician everyone talks about, but Isaiah Daniels (Nick's protégé) is also pretty good.

-Enjoy yourself!! The park is really pretty all times of the year, and there's more to see and do than there initially seems so take a little time and enjoy it all!