Gordon Bombay

So, the last few years, a couple of parks have touted their "re-tracking" of Vekoma and Arrow coasters, but what exactly does that mean if anything at all? I'm very familiar with how wooden coasters have been re-tracked, but not exactly sure how say a coaster like "Blue Hawk" at SFOG can really be "re-tracked?

I think a renovated Racer with new trains, fresh re-tracking, new paint job, cleaned up station, etc. would be awesome.

This is what I've heard from various folks over the years—not stating this is fact, just what I've heard from people with various levels of reliability—@KIghostguy, @Shaggy, @TombraiderTy probably know more. My understanding is that both Flight of Fear's ride block systems were designed to accommodate four trains. Clearly it never did and would've been a challenge, but I think theoretically—you could have had one train in the load station, one train in the "tunnel" between the load and unload stations, one train in the unload station, and the fourth train sitting on the safety brakes just outside of the unload station. I don't think, in that ideal operation, that a train would've had to sit at the midcourse regularly, but that would've required—the unload station to disembark guests rapidly and then quickly move that train along. Ultimately, a lot of that comes down to the main station loading and launching quickly—which even in the best of conditions takes awhile. Guests would've likely been sitting on the safety brake run for awhile (and then if things didn't move quickly, the midcourse could've stacked). Four trains would be hard to do. In the end it didn't matter because they only put three trains on. And I believe after an incident with wooden coaster skid brakes in the early 00's, Paramount adopted a policy of trains needing to have an additional set of brakes between them. I.E. If you look at the train sitting at The Beast, waiting behind the station—there's an extra pinch brake between it and the station. I'm not sure if this is correct. Dominion ran three trains for years while Kings Island ran two. Not sure if it's still that way now. I do know that for a time, a few of us had looked at KD's ridership data and advocated for KI getting a third train (especially after Fast Lane debuted and was a mess with the "fast lanes" only being slightly less longer waits than the main queue). I don't recall the LIM's being an issue, but I do know that maintenance did prefer having the third train at the ready and being serviced during the season. Ultimately, our FOF never got its third train back. Also, at peak operation—Backlot moves trains much quicker (thought not with as many people), I think the LIMS can handle it. There were also operational changes over the years. If you remember the earliest days of FOF—the empty train entering the load station would come in with its restraints up and open. I believe at some point, that changed and if I recall correctly—the employee at unload needed to close the restraints and check them even if there weren't riders. The unload station train also can't depart until the station is totally void of guests, which originally I don't think was the case—guests just needed to be beyond a line. RANDOM, SLIGHTLY RELATED QUESTIONS: @TombraiderTy, @Shaggy, @KIghostguy, do you all know about "The Bat Phone" from FoF's early days? Also, did any of you ever hear about SOB and Beast being designed for four trains? And in that vein: did SOB ever run three?

Specifically within the Department of Agriculture.

That musical experience was very short lived as I recall.

Screenshot taken during an apposite line of dialogue: "...might as well, we've already broken the quarantine."

Was it that the cost was high or the fact that the movie... you know... was pretty awful.

I always thought it was interesting that Indiana Jones attractions could be found at Disney properties, meanwhile at Paramount's Kings Island—there were posters, one prop on display, and Adventure Express was Indiana Jones solely by association/it happened to have the theme playing in the queue (and that scam predated Paramount's ownership).

Stay tuned. @teenageninja and I have something in the works along the lines of “alternate history.”

If I recall, the artwork kept the flying saucer as like a "cool, random, what, woah" thing.

My vote counts for nothing, but I'd love to hear it and given your collection/body of work/reputation—I'd say it's most definitely worth hearing. Speaking as a published author, former/pseudo-active journalist, and given our mutual friends, I'd trust you. Especially since you're framing it as something you heard.

Can the virus be spread through bulls**t? I don’t want anyone getting sick from @spooky21’s posts.

This narrative is already tired and playing right into the hands of subversive media. Do you think any government official (regardless of party) wants to shut down the economy, put people out of work, or create this kind of unrest? The economy will rebound, and thankfully with more people alive than previously predicted. Better to have taken these steps and not become Italy. Also, look around you—Ohio has been relatively unscathed, but places like New York and California are loading bodies into temporary morgues made out of trucks. Again, you'll get to ride your giga, travel to your parks, take your cruises, do all your stuff eventually. If the elderly folks I look after had a better chance because of all this—it was absolutely worth it.

On April 11: New York felt it was flattening the curve, doing better, and making progress. That state still lost 783 human beings that day. Across the nation, 22,018 Americans have died as of this post. Worldwide, over 113,000 people have died as of this post. You can wait a little while longer to ride Orion.

That's fair. Although, let's be honest here: these extraordinary times we live in and the political situation even before the virus can in no way compare to the division this community felt over Son of Beast. ;-)

How many Guy Fawkes masks do you own, slim? Is it equal or greater to your collection of illicitly downloaded Rage Against The Machine albums? But to answer your question: I catch most of Ohio's and the White House's. Kentucky when possible. Indiana on occasion.

Not sure what press conferences you’ve been watching.

Excellent. Any chance hard copies will also be available (I'd buy both).

Bummer to hear that. Very much looking forward to giving it a read once it's out. P.S. Once it's out, what will be the best way to support you as the author. Buying direct from the publisher? Amazon? Retail?

I believe the reason for the 2006 closure was the ride was going to be relocated to another Paramount Park before Cedar Fair made their acquisition. If memory serves, I think it was going to Carowinds.

Kool Aid is not a proven vaccine for COVID-19.

Despite the nostalgia for the ride, Son of Beast was pretty, pretty bad. In both forms. However, did you ever ride The Villain at Geauga Lake? I'd ride Son of Beast ten times in a row and let someone kick me in the stomach before ever riding The Villain again.

What did I miss? Did someone call this virus a "budget corona?"

What the hell are you talking about? Even if a "national lockdown" or ordered closure of non-essential businesses occurs, we're a far way from martial law—let alone the national guard gunning people down in the streets. That's not even occurring in other nations.

COVID-19 has been confirmed in the greater-Cincinnati region.