Shane over at TPR has let me post some pictures of The Bat. Please be sure to check out his pictures.

Yes that's a Bat car testing out a corkscrew. The Bat was going to have two corkscrews as you can see in this map of the first lay out of the ride.

But Arrow did not have any luck with the corkscrews thats why it did not make its way to Kings Island.

Edited February 7, 200818 yr by Vortex

Vortex, you just made my day even better, thanks for sharing this.

Ive never ridden a suspended coaster with a corkskrew.!!!That would be cool

^That's because there have not been any suspended coasters with any inversions.

I've seen a vid where Arrow had a model of a suspended with a corkscrew, but that's all.

In that pic, that would have been the only banked track.

^ I think this is the one KIBeast...

Ok, that pic brings back tons of memories flooding back!!! I think I am gonna post those 80's pics on my newest website...

Which pictures are you talking about? If you're referring to the ones on Theme Park Review make sure you have the owners consent.

Yes Gordon I know the rules, I am going thru my personal collection from those times when I worked there.

Also be sure to check out Shane's pictures here is a link.

Edited February 8, 200818 yr by Vortex

Vortex, you didn't have to remove them. Thank you for sharing them. The way Donnie's post was made me think he was just going to add those photos on TPR to his own collection, and I was just reminding him to give credit to the original poster of the photos like you did in the original post.

^ I think this is the one KIBeast...

That was REALLY cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Weeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was how The Bat flew. Ahhhh, good times!!!!!!!

Odette, in all your posts wouldn't a single exclamation point suffice?

Odette, in all your posts wouldn't a single exclamation point suffice?

Alright, at your request I shall keep it to 1. Sorry for any offense.

I was just taken with the video.

Vortex, you didn't have to remove them. Thank you for sharing them. The way Donnie's post was made me think he was just going to add those photos on TPR to his own collection, and I was just reminding him to give credit to the original poster of the photos like you did in the original post.

Sorry I read that wrong, but I talk to Shane and he said it was okay to share.

While were all discussing the newly named Bat at Kings Island.....Take a look at some of the pictures in this discussion ^ above.....They're great views of the original Bat when it still existed.

I always have heard that Arrow suspended coasters were never able to have inversions because they couldn't come up with a way to stabilize the trains through the inversion. The cars would all topple over when they went upside down due to the suspension that helped it swing through the turns.

I never knew The Bat was originally suppose to have inversions. Was the top photo (this) taken at Arrow?

Amazing how much development went in to the creation of the Suspended coaster but it never took off. But there have been and are some very good suspended models out there.

Wishful thinking, but it would be really cool if they remodeled the current Top Gun/Flight Deck cars to look like the old Bat cars. I know this won't happen as that would be a bigger undertaking than what is already ahead for its re-theming, but its a nice thought

It would never have worked without stabilization from the top and from the bottom of the coaster....like it is stabilized upon reentry into the station. That could have been extremely rough mid course to slam into the stabilizer before a corkscrew or a loop. Anyone riding on Flight deck on it's return to the station knows what I'm talking about. (slight speed and not at 45 miles per hour of course.)

I'd think that if they tried this today, they could have some kind of sensor based thing where, at certain points of the track, it could lock the shocks on the car and prevent it from swaying. Once it was past the inversion, it could unlock the cars and let them sway again. Doubt we'd ever see that today, but I'd think the technology is there by now.

From the first post...

Yes that's a Bat car testing out a corkscrew. The Bat was going to have two corkscrews as you can see in this map of the first lay out of the ride.

I don't see any corkscrews in that concept art - I think the two spirals are just basic helices (as clearly seen in the ride overview here). I'm sure Arrow Dynamics had wanted to incorporate inversions into the ride, but by the time it was announced to the public (and that little piece of concept art was drawn), the idea had been quietly abandoned.

Correct. The Bat was never designed with, or inteded to have, inversions of any sort.

Shaggy

Found a picture of The Bat trains testing on a corkscrew track.

Very cool Vortex!

WOW! Great find Vortex! It looks like it's at arrow's testing grounds.

Edited October 30, 201312 yr by KHFan29

WOW! Great find Vortex but it looks like it's at arrow's testing grounds not Kings Island.

He did not say it was at KI?

I know he didn't say it, I'm just jugging by the pictures, that's all.

Found a picture of The Bat trains testing on a corkscrew track.

Curious... am I missing something? How do you know those are Bat trains? I just see chassis.

None-the-less... it's highly likely The Bat trains could have been used for further testing in Utah once their production had occurred. It was likely this test that proved the stablization to be an issue.

Seems obvious to me, so I am a bit surprised it made it to the actual physical testing stage. Just think about it. The train would need to hit the inversion at the perfect speed - not too slow, not too fast. In a scenario where weight fluctuates dependant upon riders ensuring an exact rate of speed is nearly impossible.

Not a great a picture you can kinda make one of The Bat cars.

I am not saying it was going to Kings Island just what could have been if it worked out.

In the background the Arrow bobsled coaster.

Both coasters where at the Arrow testing area.