Dollywood Discussion Thread

[jarmor]

Curious, why would you think it would mean losing the vertical drop?

[prozach626]

I'm not getting too involved in the wood vs. steel argument, but I'll say for me there's a noticeable difference in how a RMC wooden coaster rides vs. their I-box. It feels more like a wooden coaster to me than a steel coaster.

As far as potholes go, Outlaw run has a prominent one on the bottom of its first drop. It's very noticeable in the back seat.

[DBru]

23 hours ago, jarmor said:

Curious, why would you think it would mean losing the vertical drop?

The drop thrusts riders forward and the pullout is super abrupt. I just can’t imagine that combo with lapbars not resulting in a few bloody noses. 

[kenban]

Dollywood had a Q&A earlier today.  Coaster Crew was there and posted on Twitter the magic number 2,160 feet of Lightning Rod is being replaced by I-Box, the ride is 3,800 feet long.  So 57% of the track.

Based on what I have heard it’s the launch through the first drop all going I-Box then a significant section of topper track.  Just before the 45 degree banked hill it will become I-Box and stay that way through the brake run.  So two sections of I-Box, and two of topper track, but the one will be very small just basically the station.  So everything except the station visible from the park will be I-Box.

This includes every area of the coaster I have every heard having problems, so I would assume it will be more reliable.  It’s about what I had guessed when I heard about the work but the percentage of the ride and the number of feet of track being replaced still surprised me.

[thrillseeker4552]

Great to hear confirmation from the park. Hopefully this works out and makes the ride reliable.

I can't help but wonder, however, if 5-10 years down the road they'll end up just replacing the remaining portions with I-box.

[DBru]

^I wouldn’t be surprised by that at all. But I assume this is the most cost-effective solution for now. 

[FeelTheFORCE]

I couldn't care less what this track is made of.  I'm just excited that I can finally plan a future trip and experience this coaster without having to worry about whether it'll be operating or not.

[southpuddle]

2 hours ago, FeelTheFORCE said:

I couldn't care less what this track is made of.  I'm just excited that I can finally plan a future trip and experience this coaster without having to worry about whether it'll be operating or not.

Same. I've been planning and putting off trips to Dollywood since... well, 2016, because I wasn't confident enough that it would be open 

[sdcfan88]

2 hours ago, Jakizle said:

So it's basically an I-box coaster now...the only topper track between the launch and brake run will be the first 2 wave turns? 

The 45 degree airtime hill is right after the 2nd wave turn thing lol. 

Why even bother? Make it all I-box and be done with it. 

I am gonna assume it has to do with budgeting. Dollywood and RMC negotiated this for awhile. Likely they agreed to have RMC foot the bill for this overhaul and Dollywood would then have the option to pay for the rest out of pocket down the road if they wanted the conversion fully done.

[Canobie Coaster]

Lightning Rod wood or steel?  It'll be 2021's version of the Orion giga or hyper debate, but I think it'll be interesting how this coaster is handled on polls going forward.

But ultimately that's a secondary thing.  Number one is actually having this ride run reliably and I hope this finally does it for the park.

[xVicesAndVirtues]

I don't really care what we call it, I think it's pretty hard to mess up the awesome layout that is Lightning Rod, unless you maybe threw a 90s boomerang train on the rails or something.

That being said, I do wish more of the layout was staying wood but I understand their decision at the same time. While I'm sure the airtime and 99% of the ride experience will still be one of the very best in the entire world, there is an undeniable feel to the way the trains run wild on that wood track that I think adds to the "oh-sh*t" factor of the ride. We just went to Silver Dollar City last weekend and I hadn't rode Outlaw Run since it was new and somehow I forgot that it's one of the best coasters out there. It was running totally insane and it had airtime I don't even remember it having years ago.

I do have a question for one of the people who know every minute detail and aspect of these rides- does Lightning Rod run "soft" urethane or nylone wheels and does Outlaw Run run on steel wheels? I have absolutely zero knowledge of engineering but it sounded and felt like the wheels on Outlaw Run are steel, another detail I didn't remember about that ride.

[sdcfan88]

13 hours ago, xVicesAndVirtues said:

I do have a question for one of the people who know every minute detail and aspect of these rides- does Lightning Rod run "soft" urethane or nylone wheels and does Outlaw Run run on steel wheels? I have absolutely zero knowledge of engineering but it sounded and felt like the wheels on Outlaw Run are steel, another detail I didn't remember about that ride.

I do know for a fact that Outlaw Run uses steel wheels on the topper track, however they have had the same wear issues and poor aging with the track as Lightning Rod with the infamous "potholes". There was some retracking already observed being done on Outlaw Run earlier this year with the coaster being down for a few days and I believe the same was done last year below the first drop. I suspect the trains might get switched to urethane wheels if not a complete track conversion in the coming years depending on how Lightning Rod fares afterward with its conversion.

[DBru]

Yikes. It’s kind of crazy to see how big of a failure the topper track has turned out to be. Granted, I’m sure it would’ve fared better on less extreme coasters, but it certainly hasn’t saved on maintenance costs or had the long-term durability that RMC (or these parks) originally envisioned. 

[Comeagain?]

2 hours ago, DBru said:

Yikes. It’s kind of crazy to see how big of a failure the topper track has turned out to be. Granted, I’m sure it would’ve fared better on less extreme coasters, but it certainly hasn’t saved on maintenance costs or had the long-term durability that RMC (or these parks) originally envisioned. 

That's not really true. Topper Track is lasting just fine on many rides, and is significantly easier to work with (and under) which does save on maintenance time and cost. That's what it was originally intended for, and it does that very well. Tremors is still running the original Topper Track in its most intense sections and it's still going strong. 

[ScreaminNewEngland]

10 minutes ago, Comeagain? said:

That's not really true. Topper Track is lasting just fine on many rides, and is significantly easier to work with (and under) which does save on maintenance time and cost. That's what it was originally intended for, and it does that very well. Tremors is still running the original Topper Track in its most intense sections and it's still going strong. 

Yeah with trains that are twice as light compared to RMC trains lol

[DoinItForTheFame]

Am I the only person who is NOT at all surprised that the first RMC coaster to get the RMC treatment is Lightning Rod?!

[tndank]

Opening day for 2021 is currently March 13.

 

[Condor]

19 hours ago, sdcfan88 said:

I do know for a fact that Outlaw Run uses steel wheels on the topper track, however they have had the same wear issues and poor aging with the track as Lightning Rod with the infamous "potholes". There was some retracking already observed being done on Outlaw Run earlier this year with the coaster being down for a few days and I believe the same was done last year below the first drop. I suspect the trains might get switched to urethane wheels if not a complete track conversion in the coming years depending on how Lightning Rod fares afterward with its conversion.

Outlaw Run might be stuck the way it is. Maybe RMC will figure out a workaround for all I know, but I imagine the increased friction going from steel to urethane would prevent it from running the course as intended. 

Unless... they do something truly groundbreaking and add a midcourse launch to Outlaw Run to reclaim the record of world's first/fastest/only topper track wooden polyurethane wheel coaster once the enthusiasts of the world collectively decide Lightning Rod is now steel! obviously joking

[prozach626]

On 11/22/2020 at 8:54 AM, FeelTheFORCE said:

I couldn't care less what this track is made of.  I'm just excited that I can finally plan a future trip and experience this coaster without having to worry about whether it'll be operating or not.

I'm not trying to be negative, but I wouldn't jump the gun just yet.

On 11/23/2020 at 8:55 PM, DBru said:

It’s kind of crazy to see how big of a failure the topper track has turned out to be. 

Did I miss something? I wasn't under the impression topper track would never to be replaced/retracked. El Toro is a prefab wood coaster and it still receives regular retracking.

RMC may have pushed the envelope a little too far with Lightning Rod. It's nothing most other roller coaster manufacturers haven't done.

[FeelTheFORCE]

23 hours ago, prozach626 said:

I'm not trying to be negative, but I wouldn't jump the gun just yet.

I'm not too worried about it.  It won't realistically be for a while until I'd get there, so I'm confident that their decision will increase reliability.

[CoasterGuy06]

I remember a couple of years ago watching an interview with someone involved with RMC (Don't remember if it was Fred, Alan, or another employee) but I seem to remember them mentioning they were really pushing the I-Box designs over the Topper Track designs. I wonder if they have discovered the topper track isn't holding up over time as well as they thought it would?

[middle_keeny]

13 hours ago, CoasterGuy06 said:

I remember a couple of years ago watching an interview with someone involved with RMC (Don't remember if it was Fred, Alan, or another employee) but I seem to remember them mentioning they were really pushing the I-Box designs over the Topper Track designs. I wonder if they have discovered the topper track isn't holding up over time as well as they thought it would?

I remember hearing that exact same thing. It may have been an interview someone conducted at IAPPA.

there is also a pretty informative video by ElToroRyan about topper track/prefab on  El Toro and how its expensive but doesnt hold up much different than normal wood track.

[u4icmusic]

On 11/23/2020 at 5:01 AM, xVicesAndVirtues said:

I don't really care what we call it, I think it's pretty hard to mess up the awesome layout that is Lightning Rod, unless you maybe threw a 90s boomerang train on the rails or something.

That being said, I do wish more of the layout was staying wood but I understand their decision at the same time. While I'm sure the airtime and 99% of the ride experience will still be one of the very best in the entire world, there is an undeniable feel to the way the trains run wild on that wood track that I think adds to the "oh-sh*t" factor of the ride. We just went to Silver Dollar City last weekend and I hadn't rode Outlaw Run since it was new and somehow I forgot that it's one of the best coasters out there. It was running totally insane and it had airtime I don't even remember it having years ago.

I do have a question for one of the people who know every minute detail and aspect of these rides- does Lightning Rod run "soft" urethane or nylon wheels and does Outlaw Run run on steel wheels? I have absolutely zero knowledge of engineering but it sounded and felt like the wheels on Outlaw Run are steel, another detail I didn't remember about that ride.

I'm not sure what you mean that "you wish more of the layout was staying wood." None of it is wood. It's all topper track, which is steel. Only the structure is wood and it will still be wood with the new I-Box sections they are putting in to replace damaged areas.

[u4icmusic]

On 11/23/2020 at 1:25 AM, sdcfan88 said:

I am gonna assume it has to do with budgeting. Dollywood and RMC negotiated this for awhile. Likely they agreed to have RMC foot the bill for this overhaul and Dollywood would then have the option to pay for the rest out of pocket down the road if they wanted the conversion fully done.

The Southeast ACE group was informed that Dollywood was paying for the repairs and track updates. Did you read otherwise?

[u4icmusic]

Just got back from Dollywood. I left early because it was so crowded and after waiting 40 minutes to buy a Coke, I had had enough. Also, Dollywood also more than doubled the price of their fudge since two weeks ago. You used to be able to buy 6 pieces of fudge and get two free. It came out to about $20 for 8 pieces of fudge and $16 with a gold card. Now the fudge is all pre-packaged in plastic containers with 2 pieces for $10.99. That same 8 pieces of fudge will now cost you $43.96 plus tax without a gold card or $35.37 with a gold card PLUS tax.. Dollywood no longer cares about the guest experience and is only looking out for the almighty dollar. Dollywood should be ashamed of themselves. Even the employees were upset with this change. I'll never buy fudge there again at those prices.