Six Flags St. Louis (SFStL) Discussion Thread

[BDFS]

^^"If," not "when."

The park has stated they aren't immediately looking at converting it due to the size/terrain aspects of the ride.

I think we should t assume that every Six Flags wooden coaster not called El Toro will be iron horses in the near future. Sure, many more will be and Six Fkags has been very successful with RMC, but not every wooden coaster needs to be converted (although many say Boss needs it).

To answer your question, if SFStL is planning the conversion with RMC, I wouldn't expect it until 2017 at the absolute earliest. Great Adventure, Over Georgia, and SFA are other parks that have a reasonable chance of an RMC along with SFStL in the next few years.

 

They would have to "shorten the overall length of the Boss, and take out the double Helix at the end," so it's not in the plans at this time.

... At least that's what I was told when I inquired about this very topic on Tuesday.

 

But frankly, I'm ok with how The Boss currently rides. I haven't experienced a rough ride on the Boss in 2014, or as of yet in 2015. We even sat in the last row a few times this week, and it was a fantastic, relatively smooth ride....compared to years prior when I refused to sit in any car other that the very first one.

[BDFS]

When do you guys think Boss will get iron horsed?

 

Not soon enough. You never know it could be Screaming Eagle too. With Six Flags just renovating Cyclone and Colossus...

 

Personally, I'd love to see Screaming Eagle re-tracked. I already love the airtime you experience on it, and I imagine it would only make a very fun ride great again. I love the out and back layout of a more traditional coaster, so I'm a big proponent of anything they can do to keep The Screaming Eagle running for another 30-40 years.

[HWFan]

...especially since we know the park at a minimum dropped over 9.5 mil on this ride.

...especially since we know the park at a minimum dropped over 3.1415 mil on a new pie stand.

 

It's good that "we" all apparently know this, but someone should probably tell the park.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^^"If," not "when."

The park has stated they aren't immediately looking at converting it due to the size/terrain aspects of the ride.

I think we should t assume that every Six Flags wooden coaster not called El Toro will be iron horses in the near future. Sure, many more will be and Six Fkags has been very successful with RMC, but not every wooden coaster needs to be converted (although many say Boss needs it).

To answer your question, if SFStL is planning the conversion with RMC, I wouldn't expect it until 2017 at the absolute earliest. Great Adventure, Over Georgia, and SFA are other parks that have a reasonable chance of an RMC along with SFStL in the next few years.

 

They would have to "shorten the overall length of the Boss, and take out the double Helix at the end," so it's not in the plans at this time.

... At least that's what I was told when I inquired about this very topic on Tuesday.

 

But frankly, I'm ok with how The Boss currently rides. I haven't experienced a rough ride on the Boss in 2014, or as of yet in 2015. We even sat in the last row a few times this week, and it was a fantastic, relatively smooth ride....compared to years prior when I refused to sit in any car other that the very first one.

As I've said many times on this very thread, Boss doesn't need Iron Horse. It only needed to be retracked. Now it has been (and by RMC no less), and it runs better than at any time since it's opening year. Boss is perfect now; and I'd say anyone who is still complaining about roughness hasn't ridden it this year. Sure, it throws you around a bit--always has and always will. But there's a world of difference between that and actual roughness. RMC has worked wonders on this ride, and I think it's totally being overlooked simply because they used traditional wood track and not Iron Horse.

[SFSTLMO]

When do you guys think Boss will get iron horsed?

This conversation again? We already know it would cost too much to convert the Boss to RMC, so it is pointless to talk about it! Plus, how many ties have we had this conversation?

[Sportsdude360]

I'm hoping to see some pov's of the SFSTL version of JLBFM in the next week or two. It'll be interesting to compare the two versions, although

I'm sure they're basically the same. Still, the SFSTL version looks incredible and I can't wait to see more footage of the queue line as well as

the ride itself. Both parks now boast fantastic new attractions.

[HARLEYGUYJB]

I did have pov for Justice League, I did give it to Robb. I just don't think he's had a chance to upload it yet.

[RollerManic]

Im curious to know where the extra 200 feet went? Plus, we have less cars than SFOT, so I'm assuming the station (maybe) is a little shorter. Was it distributed amoungst the ride? Or was it here and there, like one scene would be more expanded than another?

 

Also, do you have pictures of the single rider lane? I know Texas has one

[Vonni]

^^"If," not "when."

The park has stated they aren't immediately looking at converting it due to the size/terrain aspects of the ride.

I think we should t assume that every Six Flags wooden coaster not called El Toro will be iron horses in the near future. Sure, many more will be and Six Fkags has been very successful with RMC, but not every wooden coaster needs to be converted (although many say Boss needs it).

To answer your question, if SFStL is planning the conversion with RMC, I wouldn't expect it until 2017 at the absolute earliest. Great Adventure, Over Georgia, and SFA are other parks that have a reasonable chance of an RMC along with SFStL in the next few years.

 

They would have to "shorten the overall length of the Boss, and take out the double Helix at the end," so it's not in the plans at this time.

... At least that's what I was told when I inquired about this very topic on Tuesday.

 

But frankly, I'm ok with how The Boss currently rides. I haven't experienced a rough ride on the Boss in 2014, or as of yet in 2015. We even sat in the last row a few times this week, and it was a fantastic, relatively smooth ride....compared to years prior when I refused to sit in any car other that the very first one.

As I've said many times on this very thread, Boss doesn't need Iron Horse. It only needed to be retracked. Now it has been (and by RMC no less), and it runs better than at any time since it's opening year. Boss is perfect now; and I'd say anyone who is still complaining about roughness hasn't ridden it this year. Sure, it throws you around a bit--always has and always will. But there's a world of difference between that and actual roughness. RMC has worked wonders on this ride, and I think it's totally being overlooked simply because they used traditional wood track and not Iron Horse.

 

 

Well I rode it this year, and yes it was rough. There were several spots where there was jack hammering and I actually shouted "ow!". Is it unridable? No. Is it rough? Very much yes.

[HWFan]

While this is an extremely rough sketch, it offers a bit of a comparison between the two rides.

The bottom is the station for SFSL with SFOT on the top. At SFOT, the station is at least half the size of SFSL. In Texas, there are doors at the very end of the load platform. You are immediately thrown into the ride, and even people on the dock can see into the ride. At SFSL, there are two turns and a good sized straight path that help stage the ride better. The ending is fairly similar, with SFSL just being a bit longer. There are a couple parts with some extra footage inside the ride, but the station, beginning, and ending are the main parts that use the extra 200ft.

 

Thanks for the great media day report, HarleyGuy! Hopefully I'll see you in the park again this year (well, as long as it isn't because you had a problem). I'll try to get some more info, pics, and comments on Monday & Tuesday when I return.

 

Rough sketch comparing the rides. (SFOT top. SFSL bottom.)

[RollerManic]

l'll counter anyone who says the Boss is rough. The only thing that bothers me are the restraints and how the car turns turns. If shuffles laterally very sharply one most turns (including the one after the drop, and the one parallel to it) , bringing an incredible smack to my legs each time. In general, I hate the Gerstluar trains, but the U-bar is definetly causing problems for me.

 

Otherwise, I love the beast! At the end of last season, I marathoned it 6 times in the back for ERT while it ran cold, with no headache afterwards. I only left so I could go experience other ERTs.

 

By the way, thanks to TNT's (I believe) team for incredibly fast dispatches on The Boss ERT.

[ChrisGraslie]

Now that JL:BFM is finally finished (YESS )

 

What exactly around the park is still being worked on other than the Palace Theater? And how's the Palace refurbishing going?

 

I'm just excited to see my home park finally get the attention and beauty it has always needed

[Vonni]

^ I believe the renovation is finished

[ZeroGravity55]

I have this sneaky suspicion that we're all talking about The Boss getting the RMC conversion, but we really need to be talking about the woodie next door. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if Eagle got the I-Box conversion.

[Vonni]

^ I would not be happy about that!

[SFSTLMO]

^ I would not be happy about that!

I would normally say that the Eagle is too historic to get Iron Horsed, but with Colossus getting it, I wouldn't be shocked by anything.

[SFSTLMO]

Children's Hospital night was a success! We dodged some weather until the very end, and the park was looking good. I will say the Boss killed me, ESPECIALLY that last turn. All fun, no lines, and a little bit of food poisoning at the end was a solid night for me!

[Vonni]

^ I would not be happy about that!

I would normally say that the Eagle is too historic to get Iron Horsed, but with Colossus getting it, I wouldn't be shocked by anything.

 

 

Right, but Colossus was not very popular and really didn't have much to offer. Screaming Eagle is popular and is a fantastic ride. Oh I would be so unhappy if that was the coaster that was iron horsed. Now I'm scared....

[RollerManic]

I really would rather see custom RMC than an iron horse at this point. Honestly, why do SFSTL keep hiring GCI/RMC (or in-house) to retrack The Boss in sections? Company to company, it's really all the same wooden track. Let's be honest, this retracking will be great, but it wont offer the lifetime of Topper Track. I love wooden coasters, but sometime's I feel that we are ignoring the purpose of history - to not repeat our mistakes.

 

Ok, sure! The return? I don't know. But the guarantee of less maintenance will make up for that return. And honestly, what return does regular retracking seem to have? its never as effective. But the less maintenance of Topper Track would sum a larger savings over a long time.

 

The problems I see are the length of the ride, and the reputation of RMC. Though Six Flags is gambling to instal as many of these rides as possible, we really don't know of their longevity yet. Is it a safe bet? Yes, it seems certain that their products will preform better longer. Retracking the entire ride would coast a lot, but what if it were just to be the more intense and rougher spots? I'm referring to the helix (which I've noticed has seen the most work year-to-year, and must be because of the extreme forces) and the valleys (first drop and double down, two parallel turns between the first turnaround< and maybe some points after the MCBR.)?

 

All this may be a long shot, but it's only my two cents to the speculation.

[Shavethewhales]

I got into the park late today, but the place was pretty empty so I got a number of rides on boss, American thunder and some others. This is the first time I've been to the park since before the boss existed, and man, I'm impressed. I truly hope that if it gets RMC treatment, they just add topper track and keep the layout the same. It might be my new favorite coaster, RMC doesn't need to add any more craziness to it. Screaming eagle would be painful to loose too, and American Thunder is awesome as it is as well - so honesty, other than adding topper track, this isn't a park that really needs RMC to upgrade its coasters.

 

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. This park is so much better than I remembered!

[RKO]

So went out to the park today. Good day even with the rain. Everything was going good until we rode the train at about 8:30. Myself, wife and our baby were sitting in the front row of the last train car. As we were passing the crossing at the Boss we heard horrific screaming coming from about halfway back. My heart sank as we heard the words being yelled, he fell off, repeatedly. A little boy maybe 3, somehow fell off off the train as it was passing over that the end of the little trestle. Several people jumped off the train to get him. I'm not entirely sure what happened but we overheard that he almost ended up in the creek there. He looked to be ok but he was very upset (as anyone would be). He was favoring his leg. The conductor at the caboose did a phenomenal job. She immediately signaled to stop the train add tried to keep people calm. She was very shaken up but managed to keep a level head. They brought park EMT's over to transport the boy and his family to first aid. They got the train going again and the conductor didn't say anything until we got to the station and she did the usual exit spiel. She was very emotional at the station and had tears in her eyes. Kudos to her! I stopped by guest relations and gave her a guest compliment but they guy working the window didn't write anything down. I do know that as we were leaving the park and ambulance arrived at the park. I really hope everything is ok with him.

[TNT]

Deleted 

[RollerManic]

I can't take credit for Boss crew this year as I'm at Thunder River this season. Unfortunately I'm only working about once a week at the park because I got a full time job but if you see me be sure to say hi.

 

This was last season, at Dredevil Daze. i remember talking to the operator in the back, and he was from TPR. Maybe it wasn't you?

[TNT]

Deleted 

[Mizzoumatt]

So went out to the park today. Good day even with the rain. Everything was going good until we rode the train at about 8:30. Myself, wife and our baby were sitting in the front row of the last train car. As we were passing the crossing at the Boss we heard horrific screaming coming from about halfway back. My heart sank as we heard the words being yelled, he fell off, repeatedly. A little boy maybe 3, somehow fell off off the train as it was passing over that the end of the little trestle. Several people jumped off the train to get him. I'm not entirely sure what happened but we overheard that he almost ended up in the creek there. He looked to be ok but he was very upset (as anyone would be). He was favoring his leg. The conductor at the caboose did a phenomenal job. She immediately signaled to stop the train add tried to keep people calm. She was very shaken up but managed to keep a level head. They brought park EMT's over to transport the boy and his family to first aid. They got the train going again and the conductor didn't say anything until we got to the station and she did the usual exit spiel. She was very emotional at the station and had tears in her eyes. Kudos to her! I stopped by guest relations and gave her a guest compliment but they guy working the window didn't write anything down. I do know that as we were leaving the park and ambulance arrived at the park. I really hope everything is ok with him.

 

 

We were on the train too. It was a scary moment. There are many spots that if you fell off there is a pretty major drop. It seemed that he just missed a pretty bad one. I am guessing the they will be strictly enforcing the kids to the center from now on.