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I am fairly certain that if The Beast were ever to be slated for demolition the entire tri-state area and all of Cincinnati as a whole would riot in the streets and swarm the park with picket signs

I'll be there in August. I so hope it is up and running and reliable cause I cannot wait to ride it!

Bumping this thread now that the 2025 season has officially started. Whatever goes in Vortex's plot, I'd love to see it have chaser lights on the lift hill like Vortex had. Fury, Orion, and Raptor's solid chaser lights look good, but I think having those old-style lights would make it blend in more with the area. As much as I could enjoy a new launch coaster at Kings Island, I would prefer something with a lift hill and a compact (not out-and-back) layout to replace Vortex. If WindSeeker does go due to reliability issues, I could see the bathrooms right there being moved as well, probably to the open space between Jukebox Diner and the basketball stand next to Coney Treats. Transforming that bottleneck into only being a ride entrance / service entrance would also allow the coaster to go over WindSeeker's plot and turn around there. It would also open some space back up for the entrance into Action Theater. I'm super curious as to how soon we'll see signs of next year's family thrill attraction. I just hope Vortex's replacement is as thrilling and as fun as it was.

We're planning on going up in the fall as well. Now that we have had a fall visit to CP, we no longer have an interest in summer visits. Looking forward to a (hopefully) successful year for both TT2 and Siren's Curse! I don't even know if I can say which one I'm most excited to ride as they are both very different experiences and my opinion changes by the day. At this particular moment, I think I am more excited for SC because that thing looks like something that could compare to Maverick/SteVe levels of crazy with that tight layout. But then other days I get more excited for TT2 for the speed and height and of course to revisit an old friend with a new hairstyle lol

Can't wait to get on this ride this summer!!!

Well considering they restored/upgraded the lighting in the hanger queue, I think FoF will be sticking around for a few more years. I hope whoever put in the work for these effects can get the credit they deserve! Credit to KI Central for capturing the lighting in action, videos don't capture how great it looks! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIo36bup5Ew/?igsh=MThkdTJkeHRmaDRlbg%3D%3D

Amazing adaptive use of some of the old light strings from the world's second tallest Christmas tree. Or so I've heard tell of. Correction: since Six Flags killed WinterFest at KD, I guess we now can claim the record back.

This new light package is more exciting than the ride experience itself

I wonder if they are "real" containers or if they are just a series of shipping container walls and ceilings stacked on top of each other, all living on one concrete pad. My best guess would be the latter. If they can't be easily removed I think it would be a great idea to repaint them with fun park-related graffiti. A second option would be to have a more professional-looking mural painted on like exists all over Cincinnati.

I would imagine a more last minute change. Don't think it was a long planned overhaul but is a nice change. Just with how basic the swap is as it seems to mostly just be new billboards, pictures on the boards, and new name, it doesn't seem like something that is a big refurb or investment. Nice to see it get a little sprucing up, but it is a pretty basic change that doesn't really amount to much more than a new coat of paint, so I don't think this was something that was a long time coming, just something to recognize the anniversary and add something "new" to the dry park during a smaller year where the new attraction is a water slide.

The new hanger lighting is wonderful! Some really great detail work in the lighting design throughout the preshow. I especially love the touch of having the lights on the steps flashing as the aliens invite guests onto the ship. Major props to all who worked to make this happen!

Today it is... OPEN!!!

Thank you and I agree. You must see it in person. Here is the clip. PXL_20250419_183749675.mp4

The Bat by far doesn't get enough credit it may not be the fastest or tallest coaster but it is certainly a fun coaster for the whole family and that top view for the first lift is amazing!

It's definitely possible. I could see the Skyflyer plot being used for whatever that 2026 family thrill attraction is. I think something like a S&S Screamin' Swing would fit there well there as a fitting replacement for a Skyflyer attraction. That's just mainly an idea though, so we'll have to see what happens with that plot of land come this season.

You wanna know what does have good capacity? Please, please, please, KI! I would love a MACK Stryker Coaster similar to Voltron. This would be a worthy replacement of Vortex in my opinion, and would look great in that plot of land. It doesn't have to be as long or big as Voltron, but something with powerful launches, strong airtime, and crazy inversions would fill all of the gaps at KI. Another ride that fills in those gaps is Time Traveler. Would love to see something like that come in as well. If you don't care about maintenance costs, (which they do because of Ka) then something like ArieForce One would be cool. I guess I could settle for a Raptor, but that's farther down on the list for me. Unfortunately, I don't see Six Flags going with RMC.

Chapter 1- The Old Dominion Line https://www.facebook.com/KDGoldenYears/ Following the success of Kings Island in near Cincinnati, Taft Broadcasting Company decided to duplicate the park in Virginia. One of the many things Kings Dominion took from her sister park was a small 36" narrow gauge railroad in a section of the park named "Old Virginia", a section that reflected the early years of Virginia; a similar concept to Rivertown at Kings Island. The "Old Dominion Line" featured two authentic steam locomotives built by the Crown Locomotive Works- the Baldwin Locomotive Works of amusement park railroads. The line ventured through the Virginian wilderness past log cabins and animatronics. https://www.facebook.com/KDGoldenYears/ The two locomotives that ran along the short line were the #601 "Patrick Henry" and the #552 "Stonewall Jackson." Like their Kings Island cousin's, both locomotives were modeled after the standard "American" style locomotive bearing the typical 4-4-0 wheel arrangement. When management asked Kings Island engineers for feedback on how to perfect the train ride in Virginia they suggested a more prototypical approach. This meant that the locomotives should have larger smoke stacks, darker colors, and most notably- wooden cabs (as seen in the picture above.) These changes were made to give the locomotives a more "primitive" look as steel wasn't as plentiful in the mid 1800s as it is now. http://parkfans.net/thread-1541.html The “Patrick Henry” was meant to resemble Kings Island's #12 "Tecumseh" locomotive respectively. The locomotive bared a large balloon smoke stack, featured 2 domes, and a gothic style roof, as well as a dark blue color scheme with red decals. The “Patrick Henry” also had a set of blue coaches with brown decals to match the locomotive’s color scheme as well as the look of older passenger coaches from the 1800s. There’s no audio to prove this but I suspect the “Patrick Henry” featured a 6 chime whistle. The locomotive also featured two flags, one was the American flag and the other one was the Virginia Flag. Though meant to resemble Kings Island’s #12, Kings Dominion’s #601 was one of the most cloned Crown models to date. The large balloon stack was seen on multiple crown locomotives throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s giving it a less original look. http://parkfans.net/thread-1541.html The “Stonewell Jackson” was meant to resemble Kings Island's #19 "Simon Kenton" locomotive respectively. The locomotive bared a narrow balloon smoke stack, featured 2 domes, and a curved style roof, as well as an orange-red color scheme with blue decals. The “Stonewall Jackson” also had a set of orange-red coaches with brown decals to match the locomotive’s color scheme as well as the look of older passenger coaches from the 1800s. There’s no audio to prove this but I suspect the “Stonewall Jackson” featured a 6 chime whistle. The locomotive also featured two flags, one was the American flag and the other one was the Confederacy Flag. This locomotive model was my favorite of all the Crown locomotives ever built because of its unique balloon stack design. This is was one of the more original designs ever found on a Crown locomotive. https://www.facebook.com/KDGoldenYears/ The line started in the Old Virginia section of the park, near the end of Candy Apple Grove not too far from the Rebel Yell. The train would run parallel to Rebel Yell until taking a right turn into the Virginian Wilderness. In the woods, like the Miami Valley Railroad, the trains past several log cabins and animatronics. The train would stop at a part of the line and actors would interact with guests on board. The train would then pass the engine house before finally returning to the station. In the later years, some of the scenery changed to accommodate newer attractions. In the early 80s, Grizzly was placed behind the station, similar to Mystic Timbers at Kings Island. The challenge was that the que line crossed the railroad tracks making operations interesting to say in the least. http://parkfans.net/thread-1541.html Towards the late 80s, the popularity of the railroad started to dwindle and some of the theming began to go away. By the 90s, Paramount attempted to revitalize the railroad by adding an action scene on the train but to no avail. Operations were so dismal that the railroad would close early around 6pm because it began to lose the park money. In 1994 Hurler was added and coexisted with the train for about a year. In 1995, it was decided that the line would be demolished and the locomotives and their coaches sold to other amusement parks. The fact that the railroad wasn’t a transport ride was one of the main reasons why it’s popularity decreased. One could make the assumption that Kings Island’s trains would have suffered the same fate if they weren’t used to transport guests to and from the waterpark. #601 currently operates at Busch Gardens Tampa on the Serengeti Express. The locomotive was repainted an off green color with a red cowcatcher and yellow decals. The original wood cab was replaced with a steel cab fitted with exhaust fans. The whistle was mounted on the additional dome and was toned down a couple of chimes, in my opinion to not scare off the animals. The original coaches were painted yellow to match a nearly identical locomotive bought from Six Flags Mid-America, now Six Flags St. Louis. The green coaches the train usually pulls is a part of an older Busch Gardens locomotive #4 that isn’t currently in operation. I was fortunate enough to see this locomotive down in Tampa when I visited Busch Gardens in 2012. Though I prefer its original look, I’m happy that the locomotive has more room to stretch out it’s wheels and isn’t sitting out to rust like a lot of other Crown locomotives. http://parkfans.net/thread-1541.html #552 currently operates at a small religious retreat called Dry Gulch USA in Adair Oklahoma. Like #601, #552 received a cosmetic overhaul with a black boiler, red domes, a red cowcatcher, red wheels, and a black tender. The most notable change however was the wooden cab. While in transport, engine #552 encountered a tree and suffered damage to its cab. The original cab was removed and replaced with a new, darker colored wood cab that can still be seen today. The locomotive operates on select dates and during the parks popular “Christmas Train” event with two other locomotives made by H.K. Porter. It is unknown what happened to the original coaches of the train whether they were sold to another party or are sitting on storage. https://www.facebook.com/KDGoldenYears/ There has been a bit of confusion as to where the locomotives actually ended up first. One rumor states that Dry Gulch bought the two locomotives and sold #601 to Busch Gardens. Another rumor states that Busch Gardens bought the two locomotives and #552 was sold to Dry Gulch. In my opinion, I believe both trains were initially sold to the Busch Gardens chain since Busch Gardens Europe was a short drive from Doswell. At the time, Busch Gardens Africa already had three locomotives but desperately needed a backup. I think #552 was less appealing to the company so it was sold to Dry Gulch. I could be completely wrong but that’s just how I think that went down. http://parkfans.net/thread-1541.html Remnants of the Old Dominion Line can still be seen at Kings Dominion today. The old railroad shed still stands vacant and the old route can still be made out on satellite. I think this ride could have served a greater purpose and could still be standing today if it acted as a transport ride. However, it’s placement in the park limited its potential to be used as a transport ride and was one of the many contributing factors to its dismantle in 1995. Also, the placement of the ride prevented a lot of potential expansion so, while I still wish it were there, I can see why the park made the decision to remove it. I hoped you enjoyed this! Please feel free to share your comments and post any pictures. I have way more pictures if anyone's interested. If you have any questions for me or any suggestions on what park I should do next, please let me know! Edit as of 2020: Cedar Fair aquired #552 to be a backup engine for the World's of Fun Railroad. The engine will be named "Levi"

Just now, sitting in the brake run of Diamondback. "We'll go ride The Beast next. It's so old no one rides it. We'll get right on it."