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Six Flags Over Texas (SFOT) Discussion Thread


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It's a midcourse. I took more construction pictures today (September 11) and there is definitely a flat piece of track where the old midcourse was.

 

Oh, and this next picture should put some peoples' worry to rest about the overbanked track not being sturdy enough.

 

Well, maybe not completely. It still looks a bit scary, but hey, maybe that'll just add to the thrill.

 

More construction pictures from today are here: http://www.guidetosfot.com/features/giantreinvented/

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Notice that the ledgers have slots in the ends like a tuning fork that surround the uprights. Looking at the pic, the overbanked portion have ends that aren't yet connected to an upright, leading me to guess that more uprights will be installed there. That would put the track in a tunnel-like enclosure of supports (awesome). It would make sense that they would install the long, curved track pieces there BEFORE they box in the track with the extra supports, so they don't have to try to thread them through the 'tunnel'.

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At least they are keeping the midcourse brake.

 

Don't count your brake runs before they're placed.

There is a flat section of track where the MCBR used to be, but none of the pics I've seen so far show any actual brakes.

 

If they plan to run three trains (do they?) then they will have to have brakes installed there for blocking, but that doesn't mean that they'll be used in normal operations. We'll just have to wait and see. At any rate, without the problem of excessive wear on the track, there shouldn't be any need for them to slow down the train there (or stop it completely) like they used to.

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OK, maybe I'm missing something.... but why all the love for the installation of the midcourse brake?

 

Opening season, the MCBR was barely used... just a little kiss of the brakes, hardly enough to notice. The train plummeted down the next drop into the structure (back seat airtime in spades!) providing a relentless finish with very little slowdown in the lift-wrapping helix and a flying carpet that was absolutely insane.

 

As the trains took their toll on the track (and vice versa) the brake was used more heavily and in some seasons brought the train to a complete stop. IMHO, this not only ruined the pacing of the ride, but also took the thunder out of the entire second half.

 

The brake run is needed for blocking if they're planning on running three trains.... but other than that, why all the love for this feature which has the potential for crippling the ride experience?

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Don't count your brake runs before they're placed.

There is a flat section of track where the MCBR used to be, but none of the pics I've seen so far show any actual brakes.

 

Well not even the final brake run has brakes placed that I know of, yet. It's still a bit early. Judging by the looks of the ride, I doubt they'd add a flat piece of track that wasn't necessary to hold a midcourse brake.

 

And for capacity's sake, let's hope they plan on running three trains!

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^^Maybe it'll be like spaghetti bowl coasters and it'll just be a little straight piece of track, not necessarily brakes?

 

 

But they are meant for mid-course brakes on the Premier spaghetti bowls; the FoF twins have them for additional blocks with the intention of running 4(or 5?) trains.

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I for one am not happy with the potential return of the midcourse ESPECIALLY considering that it is now a good 20 or 30 feet lower than the original. This means you will thunder into it at a VERY swift speed (like Titan) only to be grabbed by potential trims. This means several sad things to me. First the drop off the old midcourse was fantastic, but now we just have what looks like a banked curve to look forward to, and I'm sorry but all the overbanks in the ride thus far have officially killed the airtime factor on every single drop the ride had. Put this midcourse brake in and the trains have to be able to complete the course when they stop in the block. Considering the sluggish nature the helix had when the midcourse was higher, this really leaves me thinking the helix wont go over the lift anymore, and may not be a helix anymore at all. Maybe if they put some LIMS up there I'll be excited but right now my excitement has been heavily curbed by this new "midcourse" section.

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Opening season, the MCBR was barely used... just a little kiss of the brakes, hardly enough to notice. The train plummeted down the next drop into the structure (back seat airtime in spades!) providing a relentless finish with very little slowdown in the lift-wrapping helix and a flying carpet that was absolutely insane.

 

As the trains took their toll on the track (and vice versa) the brake was used more heavily and in some seasons brought the train to a complete stop. IMHO, this not only ruined the pacing of the ride, but also took the thunder out of the entire second half.

 

 

It wasn't the mid-course brake that took the thunder out of the second half of Giant, it was the brakes at the entrance to the helix that did that. I had one ride in the first season that the helix brake slowed the train so much, that the train barely cleared the second turn over the lift. Just when it appeared the train would stop, it crawled forward and continued on. A friend that visited the park very frequently that season saw the train stopped there on the anti-rollbacks on one visit. After the re-profiling of "Curt's Curve" in 1993, I hoped the brakes would be removed, but no such luck.

 

While the new ride looks interesting/crazy and appears to have a much better drop (still unsure about the turn as it drops and how that will ride), a lot of what I enjoyed about Texas Giant has been removed from the new version.

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I for one am not happy with the potential return of the midcourse ESPECIALLY considering that it is now a good 20 or 30 feet lower than the original. This means you will thunder into it at a VERY swift speed (like Titan) only to be grabbed by potential trims. This means several sad things to me. First the drop off the old midcourse was fantastic, but now we just have what looks like a banked curve to look forward to, and I'm sorry but all the overbanks in the ride thus far have officially killed the airtime factor on every single drop the ride had. Put this midcourse brake in and the trains have to be able to complete the course when they stop in the block. Considering the sluggish nature the helix had when the midcourse was higher, this really leaves me thinking the helix wont go over the lift anymore, and may not be a helix anymore at all. Maybe if they put some LIMS up there I'll be excited but right now my excitement has been heavily curbed by this new "midcourse" section.

 

I was thinking about adding some similar thoughts in my last post, but you summed it up pretty well.

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I for one am not happy with the potential return of the midcourse ESPECIALLY considering that it is now a good 20 or 30 feet lower than the original. This means you will thunder into it at a VERY swift speed (like Titan) only to be grabbed by potential trims. This means several sad things to me. First the drop off the old midcourse was fantastic, but now we just have what looks like a banked curve to look forward to, and I'm sorry but all the overbanks in the ride thus far have officially killed the airtime factor on every single drop the ride had. Put this midcourse brake in and the trains have to be able to complete the course when they stop in the block. Considering the sluggish nature the helix had when the midcourse was higher, this really leaves me thinking the helix wont go over the lift anymore, and may not be a helix anymore at all. Maybe if they put some LIMS up there I'll be excited but right now my excitement has been heavily curbed by this new "midcourse" section.

 

But at the same time they've added two new bunny hills/double-ups that should provide plenty of airtime where none certainly didn't exist before.

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^I know and I was thrilled to see those additions, and I hate to be so glum about the ride when we only know half of what it will be so far. I would take a good airtime drop over a bunny hill any day though. I find it hard to say a bunny hill delivers the same thrill as barreling through a lateral filled curve and then getting thrown from your seat diving down a drop 80 feet above the ground. I won't say that these overbanks will be better than those old lateral filled curves either. Seems like they will be forceless, but I do know that I am really getting ahead of myself to judge the ride now. I just know all my favorite things it used to do are now gone (minus the sacred finale... so far)

 

Anyways, I was at the park today and they had lots of drive motors and tires lined up below the brake run and station today. Should see those getting installed very soon!

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I for one am not happy with the potential return of the midcourse ESPECIALLY considering that it is now a good 20 or 30 feet lower than the original. This means you will thunder into it at a VERY swift speed (like Titan) only to be grabbed by potential trims. This means several sad things to me. First the drop off the old midcourse was fantastic, but now we just have what looks like a banked curve to look forward to, and I'm sorry but all the overbanks in the ride thus far have officially killed the airtime factor on every single drop the ride had. Put this midcourse brake in and the trains have to be able to complete the course when they stop in the block. Considering the sluggish nature the helix had when the midcourse was higher, this really leaves me thinking the helix wont go over the lift anymore, and may not be a helix anymore at all. Maybe if they put some LIMS up there I'll be excited but right now my excitement has been heavily curbed by this new "midcourse" section.

 

Wow...the ride's not even opened up, and you're like this because of a possible mid course? Look, the only reason I would want a mid course is for the sake of capacity. Who knows, they might not even install it in the first few years...

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I just know all my favorite things it used to do are now gone (minus the sacred finale... so far)

Don't you DARE jinx the flying carpet! I'm not going to speak of it until I see it go in... no jinx!

 

AMEN BROTHER!! It shan't be mentioned again lest it get F*#$@d up.

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