pyrocoasterkid

To be fair, I was referencing all CF projects (and really even outside of CF) when I mentioned the "scorched Earth" method above. I don't like to see it here as much as I don't like seeing it whenever a new ride comes. Not upset, but I just feel it could be so much better leaving some mature growth in so many instances. But I know sometimes it would just create more construction hindrance than it's worth.

Not sure if anyone commented on it or not, but it appears 5 of the cabins are already on the street there ready to be placed. I guess that's maybe where John Matarese was able to stand in front of one for his segment. Cool to see. I'm sure some land movement was required, but it is always disappointing to see projects go with the "scorched earth" method for construction. Even saving a mature tree here and there, saving SOME terrain too, would make a huge difference, especially with it being right along a highway, McDonald's and parking lots. Also, I'm sure there's bigger money in trailer and cabin camping but it's always a bummer to see tent camping ignored. Nonetheless, I'm very excited to see a KI campground return after all these years. Removing the previous incarnation way-back-when always felt ill-advised and short sighted. It had a nice location and I always felt an upgrade would've been better. But great news to see this, especially with cabins like at CP!

Oh wow, I honestly didn't even remember this process or actually guessing this correctly (Even after the announcement)!!! Maybe a product of getting old?!?! Thank you for digging that up!

I know it doesn't help the OP, but I am going to second the Whipty-Do suggestion! I know they are usually open at least March through November and is nearish to KI so you can get your fix without going to the park. They do have the blue ice cream and it is actually what KI offers; the owners went through quite the process to get it and maintain supply. Plus, gotta throw a little support out there for the owners (family of mine). Check em out!

Apologies, I misread what you said a few times! But I think my point is still valid in that clearly MF had some issues, and that it doesn't even take a tall person on Beast.

I wouldn't necessarily say that. Case in point: Millennium Force. The unaltered support passed clearance testing, but was altered in it's first few years (see below, center right), presumably due to people being able to make contact with the support: Also, I have personally seen a friend who was able to lean far to the side and smack her hand on Beast's helix tunnel wall and she wasn't abnormally tall or anything (not the wisest decision, but hey, we were young and reckless). It's certainly possible, and she definitely never tried it again as it was pretty badly cut up.

They are real. You just have to figure out some missing variables. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk The most important being the survey center point WHERE these coordinate distances are measured from...?

To be fair, "re-tracking" occurs on almost a yearly basis on various sections of almost all wooden coasters; it's hardly uncommon. Saying it was "re-tracked" doesn't necessarily mean it had to be RMC'ed. If I recall, Mean Streak often closes for Halloweekends, and even opened late this year, due to the yearly maintenance/re-tracking. I can't say I have kept up on my Mean Streak maintenance to know for 100% certainty it got some sections re-tracked this year, (my bet is it did), but he wasn't necessarily wrong. Of course, I wasn't there and don't know the context of the convo either... he could have been implying an RMC job.

Ahh. I see how you got 88 acres compared to me getting 76 or so. I did not include areas of the parking lot that were already repaved. (Preferred + Handicap) Due to obvious reasons of why tear up road that was nicely redone and happy the way it is. Ah, I haven't been to the park in a couple years now, and was unaware a few parts have been redone. I actually considered it, but from the satellite the whole lot appeared to be roughly the same condition (just a guess based on the color). Either way, researching a bit online (for what that's worth), it appears the average cost to repave a lot with asphalt is $1.25-$1.50/sq. ft. So if the lot that needs paving is closer to 76 acres (or 3,310,560 sq. ft), that means the full lot would cost anywhere from $4,175,700 to $4,965,840. If it is closer to 88 acres (or 3,833,280 sq. ft.), then you're talking anywhere from $4,791,600 to $5,7499,920. Youch! That is no small investment! Of course it can vary based on things like if it needs restructuring to fix runoff issues, curbs need replacing, etc. This is strictly a cost just to mill and repave. Just goes to show how much it can cost to upkeep the things we don't really think about and not every year can be a big, bad new ride!

Just as a quick sketch in Google Earth in a minute or two, I got ~88 Acres. The imagery date is October of 2015. Obviously, this is in no way precise, but just a relatively decent idea.

Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but I swore they have had these in years past? Or maybe it was at Kings Dominion? Anyway, KI retweeted a picture a guest took of the eyes (and full moon) the other night. I agree, it is a cool touch:

I believe the "serious leg injuries" were previously discussed in this thread, but this article confirms that at least one of the patients needed a leg amputation as a result of the accident: http://airgates.co.uk/2015/06/03/smiler-collision-results-in-loss-of-leg/

While it is true a lot of the NC MSA's are growing at "wild rates" (Charlotte grew at 7.37% from 2010 to 2014, making it the 22nd largest MSA), the Cincinnati and Columbus areas are still growing at 1.65% and 4.87% respectively, from 2010 to 2014. This makes them the 28th and 32nd largest MSA's, which is still fairly decent growth and hardly something to sneeze at (especially with so many areas in the Midwest struggling to grow).

I'm glad to see Whipty-Do brought up on these boards as it's my cousin and his wife who own the place! It's cool to see their dream and hard work really paying off. Definitely go check it out! He said "it's a BIG deal on the very rare days we don't have it."

Since Cedar Fair seems to be incorporating new rides into front entrance redesigns (and doing a great job at it IMO), hopefully Kings Island is next on their list!

Maybe it's just me, but that seems like not much change for the $$$ it would cost... I think it'd need a little more to it than that to justify the cost. Truthfully, I could see The Beast getting Rocky Mountain'ed before Racer, and personally I would be more curious to see it on The Beast. Blasphemy, I know, but I think it would be far more interesting and unique IMO. But I'm not sure either has a high probability of happening.

So wait, let me get this straight...Most people complained of how "stupid" it was that CP was going to name a ride after LeBron, and now that they didn't, people are mad that they didn't follow through on their word? Sheesh, only in the enthusiast world could partnering with a worthwhile charity instead of renaming a coaster seem like a bad thing.

I will 100% echo what Terp said about The Roller Coaster at NYNY, the artist formerly known as Manhattan Express when I rode it in 2003. I'm not one to complain about rough rides, but this ride beat the crap out of me AND my entire family. We all had the same sentiment: Never again. I've been back since, I held to my word. It was that bad. Not only that, in 2003, I believe it was $13, so I can't imagine what it is these days. I know people around here often aren't fans of TPR, but if you find and watch their video of Manhattan Express, you'll understand... and laugh quite a bit (especially if you have ridden it and understand their pain). In 2003, most of the existing rides at The Stratosphere were not there, except for Big Shot. I did it at night and was lucky enough to face The Strip. That was quite the rush as you couldn't really see the tower below you. Worth the money. I didn't ride High Roller up top, but that has since been removed. Too bad Nascar Cafe closed and Vegas lost Speed: The Ride, because that was a fantastic ride, racing along The Strip and all. As for Desperado, I've driven past and it looked decent enough, but never stopped. It's not exactly close to Las Vegas. I've heard mixed reviews, but if you're coming by from SD, I'd say it's probably worth a visit.

A number of TPR members who attended Banshee Bash this past weekend have said "The broken part was going to require the ride to be major disassemble and take a long time. The decision is to put it away for the season." and "I talked to Don Helbig about it at Banshee Bash. He said it is getting totally rehabbed and it will be back next season like new."

You got me! Hardy. Nonetheless, I do believe there was a fairly dense wooded area there within the last ten years or so.

Maybe my memory is failing me, but wasn't that area previously more treed in? I seem to recall a decent amount of trees being removed to open up that area a bit within the last 10 years or so? If that's the case, it doesn't make sense to plant trees there when they fairly recently removed some pretty hearty trees.

Whipty-Do does in fact have the blue ice cream that KI sells. So for all you blue ice cream fanatics (or lovers of ice cream in general), check it out! Plus, its close to KI. It's only 3-4 miles away on US 22 just South of KI in Maineville. For the record, I grew up near Putz's and Zip-Dip and love them both, so hopefully you all will appreciate Whipty-Do as well!

I believe I saw a train transferring out of the storage shed to the station! It's a bit hard to see though and it was for only one refresh of the cam.

I am pretty sure that the running wheels are clear of the rails and that the cars actuallyhang on the set of wheels just above the riders heads that sit on the catwalks. You both are correct. I realized it just after I posted and immediately edited my post. You can see the ride wheels in the picture of the original train delivery, and they are clearly different than the wheels that it sits on in the storage shed. It also does appear the wheel covers will cover the "storage shed wheels." Having said that, it seems kind of odd/inefficient that they have to remove and put those on each day. Maybe it's just me. I'm sure it's the same way on at least all newer inverts...just not something I thought of I guess.

I find it interesting that the trains sit on the wheels in the storage shed. Doesn't B&M have a different set of wheels for the train to sit on in the storage shed on other their other types of coasters (see Diamondback)? When Diamondback was built, it was mentioned that it was done to prevent flat spot/lumps in the wheels from sitting in one spot each night, thus causing a bumpier ride and necessitating wheel changes more often. Not that I don't trust B&M, but what makes an inverted train and its wheels different than their other types of rides? *Edit* I just realized that those are actually a different set of wheels, and not the running wheels. My bad, it's early in the morning!