Gordon Bombay

The problem with loose articles is that no matter how much or little the locker costs, you still won't get everyone using them nor will every guest be aware of them. In my experiences with ride operations as an associate, supervisor and manager - a lack of loose article bins does little or nothing to speed up the ride times. Every season, we'd have the same debate about Firehawk - trying to find some kind of alternative or solution to allowing guests the option to store loose articles in the station, no one could ever agree. It's tough asking the 16 y.o. kids working for you to have an unpleasant conversation telling guests "you can't bring your bags past this point," day in and day out. Not to mention, if your associates are distracted by a height check or guest question, guests with bags can and will slip by. I think for the park it's more about liability while also trying to avoid situations where guests lose things (that often can not be retrieved until the end of night). On one hand if you allow guests to stow items in the station, you're providing a convenience, but you're also allowing an environment where items can be stolen or misplaced. I don't believe anyone I ever dealt with had their souvenir cup stolen, but I saw plenty of people mistaking,y grab the wrong ones. The earlier mentioned Universal locker idea would seem to be best, but the. It comes down to the park making a true effort to really have convenient locations and make the guests aware of the locker's need. Ever since 'The Beast' started doing the 'pause' for fireworks in 2007, that policy is STILL not communicated properly to the average guest. Also on the subject of cargo pants: not everyone wants to wear those and not everything fits in those. It's easy on a board of enthusiasts to sit back and talk about your ride marathoning secrets, but for the average family going group - stuffing items in pockets isn't always an option and Kings Island's current locker situation isn't the best, it really comes off as an exercise in price gouging even before Cedar Fair. Edit: Correcting iPad induced spelling errors.

Are you sure? You omitted the third photograph from that website which clearly shows the supports not being as dark as they appear in the first two photos: You can tell by the image quality that these were images shot on film, a high contrast film at that. In the second image jandy posted, King Cobra's supports look black when in fact they never were. It's just the high contrast of the camera's film. Top Gun DID NOT in fact ever have blue supports as it appears to in these images.

Nah, Rhonda already found the man of her dreams. They actually got an apartment together last year. He's an executive at a national chain of retailers. I think he determines the price of stuff. Then why did she call you "precious"? That sounds like loverspeak to me. Having known the two for several years, I can't think of a more opposite couple. Smells like a sitcom.

A county wide initiative (in Hamilton County) was put to the ballot in 2002. It was an incredibly ambitious proposition that called for two light rail lines, two diesel based commuter train lines, a modern streetcar downtown circulator (very similar to the one being built now) and a revised "hub and spoke" bus system. This "Metro Moves" plan was defeated at the ballot box. Hamilton County was just starting to feel buyer's remorse regarding the stadium sales tax raise, gas was still very cheap (compared to today) and the political climate was not right. Coincidentally, the FIRST phase of this plan to be built would've been the modern streetcar. Construction resumes on that Christmas Eve. Financially, if the city took on the operating costs of the streetcar it would be a very minuscule part of the operating budget. However, as of the news from Thursday - those operating costs will be financed and provided by a private donor until 2025. So financially, the city has come away with a good deal that many other infrastructure projects in similar cities could only hope to have. Also, the streetcar will run south on Walnut St. DIRECTLY bordering Fountain Square and the Westin Hotel with several other hotels nearby. This is not a tourist machine, this is a transportation project meant to serve people downtown daily. The Horseshoe Casino has expressed interest in funding a stub track/loop directly to the front door of the casino. Most likely, this would be executed in Phase 1B, but nothing is set in stone. Interestingly enough I drove to OTR after work today, had coffee with a friend after snagging a spot on the street. I then parked down at Fountain Square where I grabbed one of the few remaining spots in the underground garage and took the stairs since the elevator had a line of people waiting to use it and pay for parking. Up on the square, even with the rain, people were lined up for holiday activities and Graeters was packed along with McCormick and Schmicks, Boin Na Braza and that sketchy Gyro place off 4th. I had a drink at a nearby bar, then walked to the Cyclones games through The Banks and all of its packed bars. After the game, Boddah1994 and I talked about heading up to OTR to grab some food, but decided against it because we didn't want to deal with the weekend crowds. For a place that apparently has "nothing" going on, there's certainly a lot of people doing "nothing." The streetcar will not be cancelled or stopped. As the article at the beginning of this thread pointed out, city council voted to resume the project on Thursday. The city/region would certainly be very different today had the original subway been completed. Are you a transportation engineer? I'm curious as to why it's "poorly designed" as Parsons Brinckerhoff is one of the nation's top engineering firms. The costs have always been up front and updated throughout the process. Since 2007 the public has had countless opportunities to speak for, against and question the project along with council. Clearly you're very under informed about the project. Even before Issue 48 appeared on the ballot the same day as Senate Bill 5, the streetcar was held to a referendum in 2009 that was also defeated. Pointed out earlier - the project's operating costs will be privately funded until 2025 and potentially beyond. Also, if the liberal mindset is "you have to do something," then is the converse position that you should do nothing? This project was not rushed through. It has been in planning since 2007 and didn't begin construction until 2012. It was recently paused and re-evaluated then once again approved by city council. It has been endorsed and supported by democrats, charterites and yes even Republicans throughout the recent years. As mentioned earlier, had Metro Moves passed in 2002, the first light rail to feature construction would've been an I-71 bordering line that would connect from Mason/Kings Island down 71, throughout downtown and over to the airport/Florence at the southern end. However, even before that line would've been built - a modern streetcar similar to the one being constructed now would've been the first piece of a regional rail network constructed. Currently this is not an "either/or" situation. The city of Cincinnati has put the current streetcar project through its paces and similar projects have been huge successes in other cities. The city of Cincinnati did not have the choice of deciding to build a streetcar OR light rail up 71. The 71 "Kingsport" line would've required a tax raise, a much more massive amount of funding, the cooperation of Warren, Hamilton, Kenton and Boone counties - state support from Ohio and Kentucky as well as huge Federal support and then ALL of these government entities would've had to agree on creating and empowering one governing authority to manage the system. Cincinnati City Council can only control Cincinnati. Cincinnati decided to step up and pursue the modern streetcar after much deliberation, several studies and tons of other work. It is becoming a reality and one that now features a public/private partnership. The current streetcar plan is the first step in working towards a larger light rail network.

The main reason Metro does not use the RTC as its main hub is because it's several blocks from the center of downtown, where a majority of the office buildings are located. Essentially, if Metro/Tank busses were to use the facility they would have to loop around downtown and into the underground center. Then passengers would have to walk several blocks into the central business district. As it stands with Government Square, Metro's current hub, Metro's routes terminate right in the business district center with stops along the way. Their current hub is much more convenient. As you stated, the RTC was built more so with rail intention in mind. On a daily basis, the approach ways of the RTC are used every day, but the underground section is not used daily. The entry ways are converted to monthly parking spots that can be purchased for downtown workers and in the evenings for event goers. The interior underground area is used frequently for busses visiting the Freedom Center, game days and special events. If you remember, when Cinergy Field was still around, charter and group busses could be parked on the main level of the stadium's entryway. Nowadays, those busses park in the RTC while their riders attend events. You can usually walk down there (especially during Reds day games) and see just how many busses are down there In terms of it "being a waste," it's actually a good example of forward thinking. You have to remember, before the RTC was constructed and Ft. Washington Way was completely redesigned, 2nd St. was not at the level it's currently at. Essentially, 2nd st. was raised to the same plane as 3rd st. To support it, they would've just filled in dirt, but the idea of the RTC was conceived of. When all was said and done, it cost only $2 Million more to build the RTC than it would've to build the dirt and concrete structure to support 2nd st. The eventual plan is to use the RTC as a rail terminus (light rail, commuter rail, eastern corridor, oasis line, airport line, etc). The streetcar will actually feature a stop directly above on 2nd St. to connect and serve the RTC. Here's a photo of what it looks like on a random day when the doors were unlocked:

So essentially… this project was just majorly scaled back? They should totally turn that pond in front of the ark into a wave pool. Genesis clearly states that Noah loved swimming.

Continued... A few years back Newport and Covington passed resolutions stating that if they were to build a streetcar, they would build theirs to the same specifications and details as Cincinnati's in order to connect the two systems. The most recently proposed route would be a loop featuring a KY streetcar departing Newport over the Purple People (or most likely the Taylor Southgate) bridge into DT Cincy, then back over the Clay Wade Bailey into Covington and back through CVG into Newport. However, no studies or plans have been launched since then. I wouldn't classify a stadium for a football team that hasn't seen the second round of the playoffs since the fall of the Berlin Wall to be an awesome or profitable improvement. It's easy for people to sit back and pan the stadium construction now, but it's funny how no one had regrets when they voted to raise taxes to build the two buildings. It's a much more complicated situation and issue, but you have to keep in mind the mentality in 96. Teams held cities' hostage and having pro sports teams wasn't just an economic engine, but a matter of civic pride and a determining factor of where your municipality is on the national stage. Lover it or hate it, those stadiums are here to stay. The streetcar itself won't, however future light rail could. Earlier in this post I mentioned how the streetcar is a circulator line, meant to rapidly carry people throughout downtown. It is meant to be connected with existing roads and bus service. In the future, you could see light rail extending to Mason and other outlying areas. Interestingly enough - in 2002 there was a measure put on the ballot to fund construction of a massive light rail system. The first part of that system, dubbed "Metro Moves," would've been a modern streetcar line similar to what is being built now. The second phase and first light rail line would've been called the "Kings-port" line. That line would've had a southern terminus at CVG International airport, snaked its way north through Kentucky and crossed the Ohio River into the downtown Riverfront Transit Center (where it would link with streetcar/other lines), then it would proceed north roughly following the path of I-71 until it reached a northern terminus at Kings Island. I'm not sure where exactly a Mason or Kings Mills (as it was at the time) station would've been placed - I haven't read that study in years, but essentially you could've taken rail all the way from KI to the airport through the city. Sadly, that measure was defeated at the ballot box.

I would argue that downtown already is a lot more than Reds and Bengals games and festivals. As someone who spends a lot of time down there, downtown is a lot more active and entertaining than it was even back in 2007 when I first moved back to the area. There's a lull on weeknights in the winter for sure, but overall downtown is doing great. The streetcar itself serves as an urban circulator which connects multiple attractions and businesses on a loop. The point of it is to provide rapid transportation between these waypoints and spur economic development. Essentially if you take the bus or your car downtown, the streetcar helps you navigate around multiple attractions very quickly. In the future you may see improved bus service, BRT or even light rail reaching the further outlying areas and connecting them with downtown. However, keep in mind that rail lines extending into other cities and counties becomes a far more complicated process. If this were true, you'd see economic activity springing up all around the "Southbank Shuttle" line. You don't. Meanwhile in Portland, Charlotte, Atlanta and cities where modern streetcars and light rail are being built - you see businesses popping up all along the fixed rail routes, mainly because those routes are permanent and not going to change. Unfortunately, had the Governor of Ohio not recommended state funding being pulled from the streetcar - you'd see the Clifton line under construction right now. Keep an eye out for it in the future though. Not to mention all the bars, restaurants and good stuff in between and along the route. I'm guessing you're not aware of the actions taken today. A private donor stepped up to guarantee operational funding until 2025, meaning the city's operating budget won't be going towards the streetcar. Not to mention, even if the city bore the operational costs, they're minuscule compared to the rest of the operating budget. You won't be paying more taxes for it, nor have your taxes been raised. To be fair, not just Cincinnati, but the entirety of Hamilton County is paying for/voted to raise taxes for the construction of the two stadiums. It takes far longer than eight minutes to walk the entire route, I know because I've walked the entire route before: http://queencitydiscovery.blogspot.com/2009/09/cincinnati-streetcar-virtual-tour.html Also as far as "the hood" goes, I've been in neighborhoods and cities far worse than where the streetcar runs. OTR still has its issues, but increasing pedestrian traffic and development in the neighborhood is one way to combat crime.

^Nope that's it. It's a rendering provided by the manufacturer, CAF, to the city. That's the correct model and color scheme.

That's truthfully about what The Beast gets at Kings Island nowadays.

Former Glory as in reverting to its original name: Scooby Doo?

Nope, they still got to ride The Beast, so I think they were just fine.

Apparently not according to an interview with then Manager of Marketing Communications, Carolyn Boos. From Cincinnati Magazine, April 1993.

That's what I initially anticipated happening, but that set of stairs has now been demolished. I'd now be surprised if Fast Lane was added to the ride, as it'd require a whole new bridge of sorts from the ground to the station. Thanks for pointing that out! I hadn't realized that they had demolished those! I'd still put money on a Fast Lane queue going somewhere in there.

Where was the monorail storage house? Is it still there? From this post: It's used for maintenance of some sort today. The Steel Coaster Maintenance team is based out of there.

I don't think the joke would be on anyone. Having another roller coaster to add on to the list of "Fast Lane" attractions makes the product seem even more valuable.

^Those are the stairs I figured would become a Fast Lane entrance. It's a shame as those were so well done. Great photo work.

There may still be some, but it's my understanding that most were sent off as spare parts to the park's that still had them at the time. The ride's controls are gone and the Technifex projector was replaced with a new digital projector for the Dinosaur attraction.

Yeah, won't happen unfortunately. The seats and ride controls are long gone.

Great eye, nice find!

That was an awesome day at work and ended up being the only day I left early. After spray painting all morning, my finger got really sore and I couldn't move it. I was allowed to leave work, made a doctor's appoiintment for that evening and then came home and fell asleep. Never ended up going to the doctor and that finger never hurt again. We also did a lot of work fixing up the FOF queue that season. Ha. Sorry for the random side story. Also, here's that concept art I was talking about. This isn't the image I had, but a newspaper article featuring the same art. Shout out to TG93 for this one:

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you for posting that! The feels, man, the feels. I went to Kings Island for the first time in 1995, two years after the ride had opened. I didn't ride it, but most of the group I was with did. I have a very distinct memory of watching it from the overlook and seeing the fog pour out and the lights under the station. It looked amazing in the mind of a six year old who was absolutely in love with that movie. When I finally did ride it, sadly, a lot of that theming was gone/deteriorated. I still get nostalgic thinking about it though. The select songs form the movie soundtrack that would play in the line, the fighter squadron flags hanging up etc. SOME HISTORY: When you think about it, Paramount actually did a pretty good job theming that ride to the movie. Keep in mind, the ride had been ordered from Arrow under former management, was supposed to follow the area's "Adventure Village" theme ("Swoop" and "Thunder Road" are the intended names often mentioned). According to RCDB, Paramount had brought in John DeCuir, a famed Hollywood set designer who had worked on a lot of the sets for the film. However, I'm not sure if this is true since DeCuir died in 1991 and (I'm assuming) Paramount didn't begin plans to alter the ride's intended them until 1992 after DeCuir was passed. Nevertheless, they made the ride's queue and station feel like an aircraft carrier. I'm curious to know if/how had the ride been labeled as "Swoop" or "Thunder Road" would've utilized the under station queue if at all. From my understanding the ride's station design was completely altered by Paramount. Exline Design performed the design of the station for Paramount Parks and actually designed the queues for all three Top Gun attractions. Original concept art for Kings Island's "Top Gun" station: - Notice how much more it looks like an aircraft carrier than what was actually built? Exline actually spent three days aboard the USS America researching the carrier (The movie actually filmed aboard the USS Enterprise and USS Rangers, different classes of aircraft carriers). Exline also did a large format photo shoot during those three days which produced the photographs seen on the massive "billboards" in the ride's queue. A mural under construction: That above particular mural, I'm not sure which park that went to. I think it was the one that you saw when waiting at the loading gates looking across the station. You can see more of Exline's concept work here: http://exlinedesign.com/entertainment/portfolio/ride/topgun.htm At some point, when the ride became sponsored by "Gillette Mach 3," the murals were changed to this: - Photo from Don Flint's KIExtreme.com (another great Kings Island site that's worth a look!) The other mural not seen in that photograph depicted an F-4 Phantom fighter jet waiting on a carrier deck. The F-4 was no longer in service when Top Gun was filmed and is not the jet featured in the movie. Another mistake is that on the image above it shows to F-15 Eagles photoshopped in to a scene where they're flying over an aircraft carrier (again, it's the USS America, not the "Enterprise" from the film). The carrier shows F-14 Tomcats sitting on the deck. The F-15 Eagle was never used by the navy and never used in carrier service. Anyone remember the old spiel from the early 2000's of Jeff Seibert's voice saying: "Gillette Mach 3 Hopes You Enjoy you Ride on Top Gun!" That debuted the same year that the backs of the ride's cars had the Gillette logo painted on them. Somewhere around here I have old concept art from the ride that depicted a full scale F-14 jet that was to be placed atop the ride station. Clearly, that never made it to the actual ride, but it would've been visible from the tower and looked pretty cool. The F-14 was an amazing fighter jet, the backbone of the U.S. Navy for years. It's no longer in service. Back in 2011, when I worked for the park, my boss was really into sprucing up the theming along the ride. We used industrial tape to create the "fake" runway on the ride's brake run early one morning before the park opened. When trying to decide what number to put on the ground (aircraft carriers are marked with a two digit number on their flight decks), I suggested "93" for when the ride opened, we ended up going with "41," the last two digit's of the ride's phone number. SOME SPECULATION: I always loved the Top Gun theme and loved the movie. I miss hearing that awesome 80's soundtrack in the line. However, IF they are re-theming or changing anything I think "The Bat" would be a nice nod to KI history and to the fake website pulled earlier this year. They could turn the under queue into a "bat cave," but personally I think that they're just going to keep the line as is. There's an extra set of stairs that attaches the ride's exit down to the lower queue. In the past, this featured a handicap electric ramp where guests in a wheel chair could experience the queue then ride up to the accessible part of the station. I bet you that becomes a "Fast Lane" entrance. I.E. Fast Lane riders enter through the exit, then go down those stairs and join up with the regular queue.

Wasn't it repainted in 2005 as well? For some reason I seem to remember it being wrapped and blasted during a BL:SC construction tour.

Yes, that is one huge waste of paint, and money, which we all love money. What's a waste of money and what's not isn't for anywhere on here to decide... that's decided in Sandusky. And just to point out - Vortex recieved a full paint job a few years before 2009 and for the 2009 season only had its rails painted, not the entire ride.