PGalati

I noticed the same thing on Friday the 13th. We tried riding in the front seat (we are usually backish riders) to see and feel the new speed that we felt on The Beast opening day. They must have installed another trim strip to the end of the brake shed or another fin to the bottom of the train (don't really know how it's done) because you could really feel the pull. I had a feeling this was going to happen as stated in my previous post. The stretch from 2nd tunnel to 2nd lift was faster than I remember being in a long time and the older track was really being tested. The new track feels smoother but the speed feels close to what it was last year.

My first ride today was in row 17, typically the last of the smoothest seats on the train. It hauled butt today, I am fear that might be short lived. More on that later. We ascended the first lift hill at full pace because the other two trains were stacked in the brake run. I felt like at the bottom of the first drop there was a small dip before slightly rising in the straight tunnel section, like we landed lower and corrected. Maybe that was part of the plan, but it seem slightly odd. The left turn after the first tunnel is spot on, correctly banked entering and exiting, clearly giving the train plenty of momentum. We got a bit of air time dropping into the ravine due to this increase in speed, kinda felt like the early 80's :-) The right right turn into the brake shed was better since it was redone but some shuffling took place since we were in the back and saw the rest of the train in front of us. As in years past, the trains always flies through the brake shed only the be held back by trims to exit at a slower pace. The trims are still present but not nearly as aggressive as the recent past. Exiting the brake shed was quick and we scurried down a reprofled valley to the 2nd tunnel. I was told that area was raised by 4 feet in places. I have no proof of that statement but there is new track entering the 2nd tunnel and we got there quicker than we used to. I did notice the little bunny hop or leveling out once we entered the 2nd tunnel. Again, our pace was quick. It did not let up. 36 people in classic PTC trains is a lot of momentum. We existed the 2nd tunnel even louder and faster than before. I was telling myself, we are going way too fast and this is original track we are abusing. We made those 3 right turns and the metal on metal wheels were screaming. I remember Don Helbig said a time or two at Coasterstock that the train hits the 2nd lift hill at 28mph. We easily exceeded that today. Much more of the train ascended the 2nd lift before the chain grabbed hold. I was in disbelief how much we hauled ass. Descending into the helix was just as intense. The course was very smooth and very little if any shuffling, but watch out for the structure. Exiting the first helix, if you are sitting in the left side inner circle, do not extend your arms out. The black sheets of wood are quite close and coming in contact with them could be painful. One of my favorite things about riding in the back is watching the rest of the train in front of me sprinting in the coordinated chaos as we leave the first helix and enter the 2nd tunnel. There used to be this unique sound when exiting the 2nd tunnel of the helix probably due to track design that was absent today. I got two rides today and I also noticed the individual release of each car. I was told IOE supplied some new controls. Again, no proof. I did see lots of stacking. A couple times all 3 trains were lined up. Not sure what to say about that. I did notice that it seemed the operator was still trying to find the right spot to unlock the train. More than a couple times, the train came in, stopped, moved forward a couple inches, stopped, moved a few more inches, stopped, then released the riders. I guess they need to tell the computer what spot to stop and release. It will get worked out. I am very happy with what they have done, but I fear the speed is going to create some wear and tear on the section between the 2nd tunnel and the 2nd lift. We flew through that section with no changes in track or profiling. I hope they can keep it in this configuration with no long term damage as a result. For years the trims held back the pace to keep it intact, but the old track is seeing some crazy new g forces applied to it. Long live The Beast!

I would suggest you enter the park at Magnum and go straight to Maverick, but you may have an issue where the Cedar Point Shores parking lot in the back on the peninsula may not be open until 9:30. If you can park in the back, that would be my choice. Walk the Gemini Midway, cross the railroad tracks and into Frontier Town and go to Maverick. You should be able to get multiple rides during ERT. The GP line for Maverick can get into the 60-90-120 minute waits if the park is busy or ride issues. We get those out of the way while the riding is good. Maverick - Bins Top Thrill Dragster - Lockers Millennium Force - Lockers Magnum XL200 - Lockers? Gatekeeper - Lockers and Bins Sorta Valravn - Lockers Iron Dragon - Onride Rougarou - Bins? Wicked Twister - Lockers Blue Streak - Bins Raptor - Bins Hope this helps. We try to carry nothing that we can't ride with, hat goes in cargo pocket and fanny pack belted through pants loops under shirt etc. So we don't pay super attention to lockers or bins to know but this should help.

Just FYI... I was at Cedar Point June 22-23 (Millennium Force Ride Night) and upon arriving at the front parking attendant at 8:50AM on Friday for Maverick ERT, we were told that as of the week prior, the Cedar Point Shores parking lot will begin opening at 9:30AM because apparently the ERT people are taking parking spaces away from guests wanting to park at Cedar Point Shores. When we did reach the security booth by CPS, there were indeed gates blocking entrance to the lot. Fortunately it was raining pretty hard on Friday and we stayed in the car until 9:45AM anyway, but this change is disappointing. It makes sense but hopefully only temporary. So, this may force you to change your strategy about getting Maverick ERT between 9:00AM and 9:30AM. When we were there in May, we were allowed 7 rides on Maverick without getting up but once to move back a row. I had to quit because breakfast was getting restless. How is the walking distance from the Marina to Maverick compared to walking from Magnum to Maverick?

The video you referenced I have seen. The ride was still being tweaked at that time. The footage I am looking for would have been from what looks like media day where it was cold and raining since most of the riders were wearing rain gear as was the front mounted camera. Thanks for the reply.

Not sure if these are mentioned in any of the forums yet, but WCPO uploaded a couple videos from 1979 showing The Beast running with four 4 bench trains and lots or aerial footage. Where is the film footage from that train mounted camera? https://youtu.be/lvEw08Id0WA https://youtu.be/VhKr12S2rH4 https://youtu.be/8THrVOGe3Hg https://youtu.be/Fpe2MG2Uj8w Interesting to note how quickly the riders bring the buzz bars down and dispatched, whew. It looked like that dude was granted single rider to get his numbers up. 5 car trains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh0yfw8uINE I chose to link the videos rather than embed, hope that's ok.

What is the processing system they use throughout the Cedar Fair chain, SQL server? Aren't all the parks internet linked to a central system to cross-reference platinum pass usage and attached amenities (meal plan) or do they all work individually and replicate applicable data overnight during low traffic instances.

Soak City is the best place to park so you can get 5 rides on Maverick during ERT and then head to Top Thrill Dragster by 10 to get a couple rides in and maybe see or experience a rollback. Was there last week and the ride ops for Maverick let us stay on IF our lane was empty. We had two such rides. Edit: It is also nice to be able to go back to the car during the day if you need to rest or regroup in some way. We leave the souvenir bottle in the car until after ERT since TTD requires a locker. The drive in and out of the park is nice too. I typically pull up to the guard booth and then make that left into the parking lot to maybe get a spot under the trees that line the road.

My first dive coaster will be Griffon, and will be my first visit back to BGW and KD since the 80's. Have lots of catching up to do. CP in June/July. Does Griffon have the shoulder restraints similar to Valravn or are they the older painful kind like Raptor. Thinking out loud, since Valravn is 8 wide and the newer restraints have slightly wider space requirements, and Griffon is 10 wide, I am guessing they are the older style. ....off to look for pictures...

Hopefully the email that will be sent this weekend will include the time that I chose for The Beast tour. Having purchased event tickets in February, I failed to document the time that I chose. I hope there is some leniency in that department.

That certainly makes a lot of sense. I guess I was not thinking that the change in braking method would change the dispatch intervals. I always assumed that the brake shed could stop the train if necessary. Thanks for the clarification, certainly enjoyed the education.

I agree with you, although it seems in recent years that slow crawl of the first hill was to allow the train ahead of it to enter the last block (beyond the point in which the chain can stop the train). But I do vividly remember climbing the 2nd lift and watching the train on the first lift crest and enter the tunnel before our descent into the helix which contradicts with my first statement. Simply an observation, not an argument.

This appears to be an early picture of The Beast. When did it become possible to walk on the roof of the 2nd tunnel? It appears that The Bat's short life had just ended as the ride is gone but the station remains. <http://im12.it/g/13490> Edit. Doing a google image search for all things Beast it is interesting to see that because most of the photos are POV of the first drop, over the years it seems that sensor placement has changed multiple times in terms of block positioning. Basically the train climbing the 2nd lift hill is in a variety of locations as the train crests the 1st hill. <http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/dabe707ef551874d771b8809384fa32e946569db/c=179-0-2305-1598&r=x408&c=540x405/local/-/media/Cincinnati/Cincinnati/2014/07/25/1406304330000-ki-beast.jpg> <http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/fb/c7/14/the-beast.jpg> <http://www.coastergallery.com/2000/beast3.jpg> <http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/3/7/3/event_27714131.jpeg> <http://vacationthrills.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG_0546-1024x768.jpg> Great old station photo <http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/files/beast_0.jpg> 4 Bench Cars <http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/78e67b0365b85a8f272b704b418ea78c6037b129/c=320-0-2444-1598&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/Cincinnati/Cincinnati/2014/04/02//1396449464000-ki-rides-23.jpg>

For those who have not seen it, check out the end of this video to see empty test runs early on. It is cool to see the train run through the helix without tunnels from the ground. < This is a great video of what some of the park looked like back in '81, lots of old rides. At around the 1:15 mark you will see that The Beast did indeed have 5 car 4 bench trains equaling 40 riders. Also notice the pond, switchtrack, open tires, and that there is no trim on the first drop. This video also shows a lot of the original Bat. It is clear to see that the swinging motion is unique to the banking of the remaining Arrow Suspended coasters still operating today. One can see why it tore itself apart. But that is a different story. I like the song too.

What makes The Beast the classic ride that it is, and what could be changed, if any, to make the ride even better, if that's possible. Would changing the trains help or hurt the overall experience? Are PTCI360 trains worth considering, or even Timberliners? Would that have a positive effect on the trims located throughout the ride. Would Timberliners allow for better banking that isn't possible with the PTCs currently in use. Could some speed be gained? Think of it like a wooden Millennium Force. Obviously The Beast can't do 80, but 55 without trims from lift to lift. Or should it be left alone as it is. I was imagining of what it might look like if it was decided to reclaim the land that The Beast occupies. Not tear it down, just build around it and over it. Other coasters towering over its track that hugs the ground, a walking path located next to the covered brake run leading to a strata coaster that combines the launch and height of Top Thrill Dragster and a course like Millennium Force. I am not saying I want that, but that was the image I created when I thought about it. I guess at some point KI will run out of space and have to start inching closer to The Beast. Ride On!