Dvo

any updates on the construction???

Any updates on the new building construction?

where did you hear that?

I'm sure this will have no effect on KI.

^run-on sentence of the century. Back on topic... This is a really unfortunate situation, especially for the obvious reasons. But also, there is almost nothing that the park could have done to prevent this kind of thing. The man was arrested, and that's good. But they can't go searching everyone's pockets for itch powder, or do background checks on people going through the gates. It seems like the situation was handled as good as it could have been--the parent saw it happening, alerted the police, and the man was arrested. It's sad that the incident could not have been stopped.

I don't think legroom was the problem with the heavy trains. The heavy trains were removed because they were HEAVY. That's why the structure was starting to fail. After cycling those kinds of loads for years, a wooden structure is bound to show some signs of wear. We'll never see those trains again. Thank goodness.

Well let's see. SOB costed $40 million according to RCDB. Let's say KI were to decide that was too much and look to spend $25 million. For that price, KI could have gotten Millennium Force. Or Maverick for $21 million. And that's in today's dollars. Seven years ago, Maverick might have costed $16 million. SOB = Stupid Overpriced Bust

I remember the small train. They probably removed it when they replaced the trains. I'll try to find a picture online.

^well put. This topic shouldn't be taken lightly.

yes, because this is completely Disney's fault.

I agree. Disney's FastPass really is a good system.

So you're saying that everyone that doesn't have gold pass Speed Lane tickets is a "bottom feeder"? Step off of your pedestal for ten seconds and take a look around.

Wow that might be the most awful thing I've ever read. What a sicko.

I don't really see why they needed to buy anything. They were doing fine before.

I was somewhat surprised to see CF go with Intamin again, but I was also glad to see it. I think Intamin designs fantastic rides that accommodate MOST of the people that visit parks. They designed the two coasters that have topped the Golden Ticket Awards since 2000. And I think their lap bars are very safe when used properly. I've been at CP twice now when people have unbuckled their safety belts while going up MF's first hill, and the ride immediately shut down. But even if they tried to get out, it's virtually impossible with those lap bars.

I'm actually somewhat surprised that CP is using OTSRs on Maverick. The Intamin Lap bars used on MF and TTD really secure riders in. And it can't be an "envelope" issue, because the restraints on maverick don't limit where your arms can reach. Seems like they could have used lap bars to me...

Haha this came up on the CP forums as well. This "ranking" is completely worthless. The Ober what?

^I can only hope. If they tear it out, hopefully they'll replace it with a good coaster... Someone call Gravity Group.

How can you scrap the money put into it? It's not like they paid for the loop, but got their money back when they took it out.

Universal is a good one too. That leads me to think of Disney as well. Of course that will never happen. But Disney really did surprise me with Expedition Everest.

Only time will tell, I suppose. Who do you think would invest in a ride like that? I think Cedar Fair is somewhat on edge with their investments with the large debt and the "worst business decision Kinzel has ever made." I still don't really understand that... I think TTD was a great investment. Back on topic, I think the investment in Maverick is a sign of the direction that CF is looking to go. Nothing revolutionary, just modifying what is already out there to make fantastic rides. Now as to who may buy something like that... I could maybe see Busch Gardens trying it out, maybe SFMM, or maybe even Dollywood. All of these parks/companies have shown their desire to exhibit new ideas.

I'm sure KI had a good reason for shutting down SOB again after the repairs were made. Drop Zone was not their decision at all. They had to shut that down until they found out why that horrible accident happened in KY. I do agree that TRTR is their decision, though.

I don't think TTD is a mechanical nightmare. TTD shuts down in the rain because quite honestly it would really hurt to be hit with rain at 120 mph. Also, other than that, it has been running beautifully all year. There is minimal down-time any more. The first season (I might give it two seasons) were for getting out the bugs. Now it runs well almost all the time. I'm saying that robot coasters are far more advanced than ordinary coasters. Not only do they have the same issues as all coasters right now, but they have the additional issues on each train, and I'm sure that this poses a problem. Programming a robot is not an easy task. Getting it to listen to you is even harder. I'm curious to see if these rides ever get implemented. I'd say they're a few years out. And for the record, no, I'm not saying we should slow down. I'm just saying that I think that there is a good chance that the first park to invest in one of these rides is going to have a rough first year or two with it.

^I can only hope that was sarcasm. I like the idea, but to be honest I'm surprised it took this long to develop. 4th-axis robots have been on the market for years now. Granted it's a little different to think of a robot being used for recreational purposes like a roller coaster. Still, the idea is good. There are literally an infinite number of possibilities with a coaster like that. But the new innovation only brings on more ways for a ride to break down. The ride would need a lot of very hi-tech hardware on the trains. First, the train itself would need two different motors that were attached to very hi-tech sensors to tell the motors when to operate and for how long. Also, the trains would probably be immensely large and heavy, meaning that a stronger track would be needed. I like the idea, but it seems like it would be a mechanical nightmare.

I'm guessing that pic is implying two trains on one track? That's what I take from the 4 different rails. Though this is a strange concept. The train setup would be strange too. I could see having one train a basic upright and the other be an inverted train (one on top, one on bottom) or else have one train on each side of the track similar to X.