bear295

An even less expensive project.... get SoB running again with Timberliner trains. Yes, GravityKraft would have to re-engineer the width between the wheel trucks to accommodate the wider gauge of Sob's track, but should be able to put 32 to 34 riders per train with much better tracking of the hard turns. Take a look at "Twister" Grona Lund. Talk about super turning. Get SoB back running!!!!

Welcome to the world of U.S. litigation aggravation. It's a big business, they can afford to pay out so I never have to work again. Like several other comments, I noticed that nothing factual has been published about the womans size. I find it hard to believe that ONE screw coming out would cause such a catastrophe. Let's all thank the legal profession for their "get rich by personal suit" attitude. Need to include the ambulance chasers in the group. Malpractice insurance for doctors and hospitals is through the roof because of them. Not that I'm saying they don't make mistakes. They are human just like you and me. But multi-million dollar lawsuits because of human judgment? Terrible, terrible, terrible!

Look out!! The cold blooded demon has been awakened by the warming sun. Watch out for the bite of the snake, Diamondback! The test run video looks like it will be another great KI coaster. Looks like Cedar Fair may have done right by the park.

I don't think that KI will be big profit king that it has always been, but I don't think that they are in real danger of going under. Diamondback, even tho expensive to build, will be a fabulous draw for KI. There is really no park with the rides, amusements and food within less than 4 hrs from Cincinnati. I think that park management will have to be very frugile about pricing and expenses. Even in bad times, a 10% across the board on food and beverage might not be such a bad idea. Yes, that Coke from a machine will be $2.25 instead of $2.50. But, people will think they are getting an outstanding bargain and in the long run buy 3 Cokes instead of 2. Saved $0.50 but wound up spending an extra $1.75. People don't look at total expenditure in the long haul, like at an amusement park. They analyze cost on spur of the moment. Shows may be cut back, but overall I believe that KI will still be profitable for the year. Not as in past years, but still will make money.

Not a bad idea. Auction it off with proceeds for a charity. Or, donate it to the A.C.E. (American Coaster Enthusiasts) museum.

Let's see. If memory serves me correctly (and at 61, it might not) I believe that FOC/Beastie and other names it has had was original with the opening of the park. Pray tell why it would need reprofiling. It was great the way it was!!!

Try this link to Roller Coaster Data Base... http://www.rcdb.com/id236.htm Tells what happened to Big Dipper.

Well said bear! Although, I have to point out that The Beast has had the same trains since day one, just heavily modified to accomidate different seating arangments, different lap bar mechanisms, different congifgurations of padding and headrests, and so forth. The chassis on all of the cars are original, yet were cut down when they were modified from four rows to three. Many other parts of the trains are also original. You are positively wrong about The Beast having the same trains since day one. The original trains were red blended into yellow and had 4 seats per car instead of the 3 seats today. Guess I will have to do the research and dig up the photos of the original trains. They were too long and way too heavy and were replaced somewhere around year 3 with the 3 seat trains.

You know, I have gone back and read through the vast majority of the Trim Brakes threading. My first impression: I sure hope that "dare-to-fly" doesn't drive a car because his perception of speed is very skewed. I've been riding Beast since the year that it opened. Yep, rode the 40 passenger original trains and was there the year they went to the shorter trains. There has been a trim brake on the downhill into the helix since day one, only then it was a skid brake. Like others, I was disappointed with one of the new magnetic trims. In particular the one in the "outwoods station" (don't remember what KI calls it. They do have a name for it.) There was always a skid brake in that area but it was smoother and more gentle than the mag brake. I was disappointed with the very hard discernable braking near the end of that platform. But I really don't believe that it is any slower than the "skids" were going into the turn to the tunnel run. As for requiring trims. CCI used to pride itself on designing coasters with no trims anywhere on the run. Most of those are still running. CP Mean Streak was originally designed and built without a trim at the bottom of the chain drop. However, it was tearing the structure apart so badly that the decision was made to trim it enough to ease some of the stress on the structure. Well thought out and planned designs won't need trims on the run. I regress; CCI used to pride itself. But with the skyrocketing cost of materials and manhours, trims came and are here to stay. Sometimes "YEA" sometimes "YUCK". All said, I don't honestly feel that there is a noticeable difference in the speed of Beast from year 1 to today.

me too Showing my age, but my first ever coaster was one at the Cincinnati Zoo. Don't remember the name of it now. My second ever roller coaster was "Shooting Star" at Old Coney. I believe I was about 10 when I went on the "Shooting Star". What a great coaster that was.

They're just building a new floral/nature center and going to put wild animals back in the park... I know, shouldn't reply to your own post. But I forgot myself. And the most important thing is that I forgot there are wild animals there every day. They're called the unruly, uncontrolled, undisciplined guests that show up in the park every day.

They're just building a new floral/nature center and going to put wild animals back in the park...

Comforting maybe instead of converting.

I don't proclaim to be "in the know" about the cost effectiveness of removing a train, but I really don't see where there is that much savings. If you are running a single train on a multi-train layout, good maintenance practices would be to use different trains during the single train operation. Make wear and tear on the equipment as equal as possible. As for other costs in operating more than one train, don't really see where there is that much cost savings. The load factor on the lift chain is not all that much, especially if there is light traffic and you are towing an almost empty train. Once it is off of the lift, gravity provides all of the power needed. Cost effective? I would think negligible savings. As for safety, you would have increased safety as there is less rush to empty a train and get it out for staging the next train.

I'm really disappointed. Several times I have ridden one direction and gotten back on and ridden the other direction. I always enjoyed the backwards train more. I am truly saddened to read that they are putting it back. I don't really think "racing" has anything to do with it. It was still raced periodically even backward against forward. It was great! I remember the days of forward racing. It was really a lot of fun when they still had the semi-manual controls for the operators. Now, with the computer controls it just doesn't have that sense of urgency in releasing the brakes. The "human" element added a lot to racing.