Dollywood Discussion Thread

[madmax]

From the animation the layout I can garner goes launch lift, airtime hill, drop, series of twisting overbanks, airtime hill, overbank, quadruple down, overbank, airtime hill, non-inverting loop, helix, airtime hill, brake run. This is probably wrong, but it's my blind observation.

[WildEagle2014]

Just a few more photos...work is going fast!

[RyanTPM]

^Looking very impressive! making great progress too with construction.

[Superbatboy]

Great pics, can't wait to visit Dollywood next year!

[ernierocker]

Thanks for the photos! Those views from the employee parking area/backstage areas are going to be amazing once the ride is built.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Omg. I have never been so excited to see wood getting erected. It looks amazing!!!

[coasterlvr]

Omg. I have never been so excited to see wood getting erected. It looks amazing!!!

that's what she said

[SFOGdude25]

Holy mother of airtime that drop!!!

Thanks for the pics!

[Dollywoodlover20]

This thing is going to gain so much speed before going over that drop. Airtime airtime airtime!!!! I'm guessing they're just working on one section at a time? Instead of having multiple crews help get different sections part of the way up.

[bkwjjm]

I am going to the park on October 12. Looking forward to seeing the progress on Lightning Rod. Will try to get pictures.

[KBrylczyk]

Omg. I have never been so excited to see wood getting erected. It looks amazing!!!

 

SEX JOKE

[thedlr]

Thanks for the photos, WildEagle2014. The dip between the twin summits is more pronounced than I thought. I'm wondering if they are truly "twin" summits in that they are identical in height.

[CP Maverick]

I can't imagine, for safety reasons, that they would make the peaks identical height due to the risk of valley should the power be cut as the train reaches the first peak. But I could also be wrong.

[KBrylczyk]

I can't imagine, for safety reasons...should the power be cut...

 

By that logic no ride should ever be built anywhere ever.

[coasterbill]

 

I love this pic.

[TyRush]

^Seems like you should put your baby in a barrel!

[CP Maverick]

I can't imagine, for safety reasons...should the power be cut...

 

By that logic no ride should ever be built anywhere ever.

What? By that logic, a gravity powered ride will continue and stop at a safe point if the power fails. You know, instead of valleying in an unsafe location.

[KBrylczyk]

^ Except for the numerous Boomerangs that have valleyed in the cobra roll, or The Chiller's Robin side that valleyed in the cobra roll. Or a bunch of others that have valleyed in places that aren't easily accessible. Yeah, many have catwalks now but Chiller didn't have one when it first valleyed. They built it after the fact.

 

Also how would it be an "unsafe" location if it valleyed up there? The train is upright and the passengers are secured by the restraints. The only way it'd be safer is if it were to get stuck on the brake run.

[CP Maverick]

The difference is being designed to valley at a certain point and poor engineering that doesn't account for those situations.

[KingRCT3]

Those in your exemple are shuttles, it's normal that their "peaks" are symmetrical, as the train travels through them both forward and backward. Here, as it is a closed circuit, it would be more logical to have a small height difference.

[kcurry11]

The friction coefficient is what will determine the height difference. The kinetic energy that is created between the two hills will keep the train going. In theory, because the train is traveling such a short distance, both vertically and horizontally, between the two hills (much smaller then between two full sized hills), the kinetic energy transferred into heat energy (friction) is much less. This will allow the height differential between the two hills to be much less, creating the most potential energy to be transferred back into kinetic energy to give the train it's full speed. Also, I am sure the RMC engineers and Alan Schilke have done all the math hundreds of times to prevent something stupid like a valley on the first drop...

[shadox17]

Just found this picture on Facebook!

 

Lifthill!!!

 

Photo creds: https://www.facebook.com/BPARCS?fref=nf

[RyanTPM]

^First track, wonderful stuff

[KingRCT3]

That's some minimalistic supports over here.

[mordecai-75]

^ i agree, it doesn't look like enough to handle launching.