Dollywood Discussion Thread

[prozach626]

On 11/7/2020 at 6:33 PM, KBrylczyk said:

I'm guessing there will be a small launch at the base of the lift followed by a second gut-puncher halfway up the hill, hence the tarps over the motors there.

I wouldn't think the solution to Lightning Rod's downtime is to complicate the point of failure even more.

 

I saw on a Facebook group (lol) where there's supposedly been blue I-Box track spotted in the woods. Pictures and all. I didn't look at the pictures in depth, but it almost looked legit. From the little attention I paid to the post, the track pieces looked straight. My main apprehension is if they were replacing portions of the track with I-Box track, why the hell would it be blue?

[grsupercity]

1 hour ago, prozach626 said:

I wouldn't think the solution to Lightning Rod's downtime is to complicate the point of failure even more.

 

I saw on a Facebook group (lol) where there's supposedly been blue I-Box track spotted in the woods. Pictures and all. I didn't look at the pictures in depth, but it almost looked legit. From the little attention I paid to the post, the track pieces looked straight. My main apprehension is if they were replacing portions of the track with I-Box track, why the hell would it be blue?

lightning strikes twice.... New theme, new track, new trains, added ride duration? who knows. 

[Chiselphane]

5 hours ago, grsupercity said:

lightning strikes twice.... New theme, new track, new trains, added ride duration? who knows. 

They let you ride twice in a row without leaving your seat to make up for all the previous down time.

[megan]

I think people are reading WAAAAAAY too much into the “strikes twice” line. I think they are making some necessary modifications to ensure better operations... threw RMC under the bus a bit by clearly stating they are involved (like the GP would really care? Maybe part of the lawsuit settlement), and will reopen AGAIN (strikes twice) with the same ride experience, but with better reliability. I think people are setting themselves up for disappointment with all these wild “two launch” theories. It’s marketing spun guys. Nothing more. 

[A.J.]

Lightning Rod always has had two "launches" though. It's a small boost at the bottom of the lift and then the full launch as you go up.

[grsupercity]

2 hours ago, megan said:

I think people are reading WAAAAAAY too much into the “strikes twice” line. I think they are making some necessary modifications to ensure better operations... threw RMC under the bus a bit by clearly stating they are involved (like the GP would really care? Maybe part of the lawsuit settlement), and will reopen AGAIN (strikes twice) with the same ride experience, but with better reliability. I think people are setting themselves up for disappointment with all these wild “two launch” theories. It’s marketing spun guys. Nothing more. 

It has so much momentum when you hit the brakes it does not need a second launch 

[coasterbill]

2 hours ago, megan said:

I think people are reading WAAAAAAY too much into the “strikes twice” line. I think they are making some necessary modifications to ensure better operations... threw RMC under the bus a bit by clearly stating they are involved (like the GP would really care? Maybe part of the lawsuit settlement), and will reopen AGAIN (strikes twice) with the same ride experience, but with better reliability. I think people are setting themselves up for disappointment with all these wild “two launch” theories. It’s marketing spun guys. Nothing more. 

I'm inclined to agree with this.

[KBrylczyk]

6 hours ago, A.J. said:

Lightning Rod always has had two "launches" though. It's a small boost at the bottom of the lift and then the full launch as you go up.

This is exactly what I was talking about, just that they may be reprogramming it to be more noticeable between the two launches.  Right now it feels more like one launch that gets a bit stronger as you go up the hill.  Reprogramming to give a first boost onto the incline followed by a big puncher to get the rest of the way would be a good way to reduce strain on the engines and structure.

[Nrthwnd]

16 hours ago, Chiselphane said:

They let you ride twice in a row without leaving your seat to make up for all the previous down time.

LOL. But the old saying goes...."Three Strikes and You're Out".....? Let's hope it doesn't come to that. (Ha ha)

[tndank]

 

[thrillseeker4552]

That sounds about right to me. I can't wait to see hardcore enthusiasts melt down over whether this is still a wooden coaster or not. Grab the popcorn!

[KarlaKoaster]

I think we can all agree this would be one and a half credits though 

[Canobie Coaster]

I don't care if this is wood, steel, PVC, or a combination of anything.  As long as it has the same great layout and actually runs reliably, I'm happy!

[Nrthwnd]

^ Totally in agreement, with the above statement.

[u4icmusic]

On 11/11/2020 at 2:16 PM, boldikus said:

Here is a photo of the I-Box track on the left and the all-steel Topper Track on the right. As you can see, the Topper Track is on top of stacked wood, but it is still a steel coaster as the trains run on top of and under the Topper Track. It is a marketing gimmick. The Lightning Rod is not a wooden coaster. It is a steel coaster on wooden supports. Now, depending on how much Topper Track they replace with I-Box track, then Dollywood may not even be able to get away with calling it a wooden coaster next season.

[dankeykang]

6 hours ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

That sounds about right to me. I can't wait to see hardcore enthusiasts melt down over whether this is still a wooden coaster or not. Grab the popcorn!

Took the words right out of my mouth.  This thread and some of the other forums are about to be nearly as entertaining as the ride itself

[Garet]

34 minutes ago, u4icmusic said:

Here is a photo of the I-Box track on the left and the all-steel Topper Track on the right. As you can see, the Topper Track is on top of stacked wood, but it is still a steel coaster as the trains run on top of and under the Topper Track. It is a marketing gimmick. The Lightning Rod is not a wooden coaster. It is a steel coaster on wooden supports. Now, depending on how much Topper Track they replace with I-Box track, then Dollywood may not even be able to get away with calling it a wooden coaster next season.

 

If Dollywood wants to still call it a wooden roller-coaster because its got wooden supports, let them. Does it really matter if the park calls it a steel/hybrid/wooden coaster etc? Outside of a very vocal minority of enthusiasts, 99% of the park going people won't even blink. They'll only care that the ride that they thought was awesome on the one ride they managed to get, and then disappointment at a closed sign on the other visits isn't closed as often anymore.

[jarmor]

31 minutes ago, u4icmusic said:

 As you can see, the Topper Track is on top of stacked wood, but it is still a steel coaster as the trains run on top of and under the Topper Track.

You mean like this. . . (pssst, all wooden coasters run on steel rails, well, with the exception of the flying turns)

 

Also, who would have thought the first RMC coaster to get the RMC treatment would have been Lightning Rod lol lol. 

[TEDodd]

 

21 hours ago, jarmor said:

(pssst, all wooden coasters run on steel rails, well, with the exception of the flying turns)

Been away and was just about to point that out.

All modern wooden (at least 50yrs) coasters have a steel top layer on the wood. Just walkover to Thunderhead and look.

"A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with running rails made of flattened steel strips mounted on laminated wooden track."


RMC's topper is just a box instead of a flat plate.

"consists of replacing the traditional wood track top two layers with a 'steel box' . A new six layer laminated wood stack is attached to the Topper Track during the manufacturing process."

 

On 11/14/2020 at 3:57 PM, tndank said:

 

Who is "Lloyd" and why should we believe him?

 

On 11/13/2020 at 6:20 AM, megan said:

Maybe part of the lawsuit settlement), 

What lawsuit? I've not seen any stories about such.

They are public record so please link to the info on it.

 

On 11/12/2020 at 4:32 PM, prozach626 said:

I wouldn't think the solution to Lightning Rod's downtime is to complicate the point of failure even more.

Again, assuming facts not in evidence.

There has been no credible source claiming problems with the launch, and many credible sources have repeatedly said the launch is fine.

 

 

 

So using I-Box in some sections would suggest the forces from speed and weight of the cars is causing problems, so they are making the track stronger in some places.

The I beam of the I-Box would be much stronger than 6 layers of pine and the Topper box.

 

[Canobie Coaster]

Considering Dollywood has messed around with the zero car over the years (downsizing it, removing it at points), I had a strong hunch weight/wear was the root cause.

[KBrylczyk]

14 hours ago, TEDodd said:

Stuff

 

14 hours ago, TEDodd said:

More stuff

 

14 hours ago, TEDodd said:

Still more stuff

 

14 hours ago, TEDodd said:

Even more stuff

 

14 hours ago, TEDodd said:

Annnnnnnd one last stuff.

Holy crap, guy, there's a multiquote feature for a reason.

[TEDodd]

Holy crap, guy, there's a multiquote feature for a reason.

And it doesn't work for crap on my phone.

I used it in forums long before it was a built-in feature, just copying and pasting from multiple tabs. And in newsreaders and email before that.

Then the people quoted generally can't/won't edit and respond to the quote. Instead the whole thing gets quoted multiple times.

So I practically gave up on multi-quote. The exception being to quote the same person multiple times.

[A.J.]

Merged / fixed.

[thrillseeker4552]

Maybe I missed it somewhere (even though it hasn't officially been announced), but I wonder if new trains are coming with this "upgrade" as well. I could see them purchasing the 2nd-gen RMC trains that may handle the elements better, but perhaps the current trains are a non-issue and once the track is upgraded, that's all the ride needs to operate consistently? I guess time will tell.

I can't get over the fact that an RMC is getting RMC'd. Anything can happen in 2020!

[u4icmusic]

On 11/14/2020 at 10:38 PM, Garet said:

 

If Dollywood wants to still call it a wooden roller-coaster because its got wooden supports, let them. Does it really matter if the park calls it a steel/hybrid/wooden coaster etc? Outside of a very vocal minority of enthusiasts, 99% of the park going people won't even blink. They'll only care that the ride that they thought was awesome on the one ride they managed to get, and then disappointment at a closed sign on the other visits isn't closed as often anymore.

I have to agree with you. I think at this point, guests just want the ride to be up and running smoothly. I have a season pass and on almost every visit this year the Lightning Rod was closed for at least part of the day, but mostly for the full day. I'm sure Dollywood just wanted to get into the record books when they made the poor decision to build another wooden roller coaster with untested technology by outside vendors. Had they built Lightning Rod as a steel coaster from the beginning, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now and the guests wouldn't have cared less if it was steel or a wood/steel hybrid with a topper track.