That picture is outdated, more track has been removed.

That picture is outdated, more track has been removed.

Right, I know. I was using it to show how much of the first drop has trim brakes.

My initial hope was that the giant turnaround would be replaced by an overbanked turn (a la Millennium Force) that would then curve its way under the first hill. Widening the turn will probably help dramatically, but I would've liked to have seen some nice floater air after the first drop.

^ Well that's good I guess, I figured they'd be making the first turn a bit wider, or at least make it gradually go up so it loses speed, then a shorter air hill after that so the rest of the ride doesn't suffer too badly.

...and who was it that did the boats on Shoot the Rapids?

Intamin screwed up on Pilgrim's Plunge as well. I was pretty disappointed with my experience on it. Sure you get wet, but- nevermind, I guess I was just expecting too much.

Intamin screwed up on Pilgrim's Plunge as well. I was pretty disappointed with my experience on it. Sure you get wet, but- nevermind, I guess I was just expecting too much.

Perhaps they got wind of that disappointment over in Switzerland, and thusly decided to have Shoot the Rapids travel down a stream at what can't be more than 3 miles per hour, then spray you directly in the face from both sides with at least two dozen hoses.

Wet enough yet?

Having FUN yet?

GYK, who's almost certain that whoever decided Cedar Fair's stock trading name should be F-U-N is now regretting it, for the great many puns that it's been worked into on this and other websites...

GYK, who's almost certain that whoever decided Cedar Fair's stock trading name should be F-U-N is now regretting it, for the great many puns that it's been worked into on this and other websites...

Well, they did try to get rid of it last year

I see mention of changes to the restraints in this thread. Is someone suggesting that the OTSRs will be gone (wishful thinking)?

Doubtful. I think that those restraints are pretty standard for Intamin, and replacing the solid shoulder harness with the fabric one was certainly an improvement and a chore. There's so much to be done with the ride (probably, pouring new footings, bringing in new track pieces, moving brakes around, etc) that I highly doubt they'd go out of there way to change the restraints which, in all fairness, are doing just fine.

Major News Update! KD has announced that they plan on opening I305 running back up to speed next year, without the trim on the first drop! Check out the full story here:

Kings Dominion to Fix Intimadator 305

Park says it will return to original top speed in 2011.

http://www.coaster-net.com/newsandreleases.php?action=displayitem&newsid=1267

For those of you who havent ridden I305 It really is a Awsome Coaster. And way better than some other Giga coaster in Ohio.

...if you say so.

Terp, who, of all people, never thought he'd be defending the honor of Millennium Force.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI2UkwFPw-g

Oh man!

GYK, who absolutely hates that the two Intamin giga coasters in the world seemingly have to be compared at all! Talk about apples and oranges... One's forceful, and one's intimidating (though I wouldn't go so far as to say that they're named correctly), and they only get more different from there!

And.... "cement footers." Technically that is concrete footings.

Cement is the glue that chemically reacts with the water in a process called hydrolysis. So when people refer to concrete as drying, that is also incorrect, as the water is not evaporating, but going through a chemical reaction, which gives off heat (they had to install cooling pipes in the Hoover Dam when it was under construction because of all the heat that was generated from the curing concrete. I don`t really want to get on a long explanation of concrete, and the proper water to cement ratio, or the various admixtures that can be added to concrete to increase strength, work time, decrease work time, increase fluidity, etc. That is another subject for another day.

CoasterRZ, I think you mean "hydration" and not "hydrolysis," which are two very different chemical processes.

And.... "cement footers." Technically that is concrete footings.

I'm sure I wasn't the only one who saw that video and thought 'oh wait until Robbie hears that'.

At least KD is responding to people's thoughts and feelings. These improvements should make I305 one of the best coasters out there! (if it wasn't already).

Kings Dominion responding to people's thoughts and feelings? While I'm sure that that played a part in all of this, I have a very distinct feeling that, if the grayouts and blackouts were stopped by the trims, then the ride would stay that way. We can personify the park as a caring, adaptive force that listened to visitor comments all we want, but the old adage still holds:

If it weren't broke, they wouldn't fix it.

That's not to say the ride wasn't working. The ride was clearly safe, but it wasn't winning many fans, and there's no denying that it wasn't living up to expectations mostly because the designing and planning was done poorly. Intamin has clearly been working on fixes for quite a while since they were able to start dissecting the ride so soon into the off-season. My guess would be that it was as much their idea as anyone's. Perhaps they feared legal action for creating a ride that was forced to operate under conditions that promoted false marketing. Maybe they just feared what might happen to their reputation after yet another ride of theirs came to a sputtering halt halfway to it's promised statistics. But this is a hefty investment for whomever is paying for it (almost certainly Intamin, since it's their product that didn't operate as promised), and if there weren't a real reason to change it, I just don't think they would.

Either way, I just don't know that I'd chalk this investment up to Kings Dominion's love and care for its guests.

And everyone knows I love me some Kings Dominion.

When pushing the envelope of creating thrilling rides, there are things that just cannot be anticipated with a computer during the design stage.

If that means a design change that eliminates the trims added to keep I305, fantastic. Enthusiasts know all too well about the trim arguement.

I applaud both KD and Intamin for working together, as it benefits everyone.

Coaster fusion is reporting the trims have been remove from I305!

http://coasterfusion.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?10765.10#post_11336

Scroll to about the middle of the page. I am not seeing a link for individual posts.

Awesome! Quite a good thing to see, not only for those who weren't able to ride 305 in the brief period it was without the trim (Ahem...mua ) but it's also great to see Cedar Fair taking a different route for a coaster fix other then the standard "Put a trim on it."

Testing with new configuration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICVGMzN-_7Y#noexternalembed&feature=player_embedded

Uh, today is not Thursday, March 9th....

It is Wednesday March 9th. Tomorrow is Thursday, although it won`t be March 9th anymore.

I just post em...I don't take responsibility for that which I do not originate...

Terpy, who is solely content with his responsibility

Uh, today is not Thursday, March 9th....

It is Wednesday March 9th. Tomorrow is Thursday, although it won`t be March 9th anymore.

I just post em...I don't take responsibility for that which I do not originate...

Terpy, who is solely content with his responsibility

I guess they were so excited, they forgot what day it was.

Is that road behind the park owned by the park?

^ I believe that is a public road where most of the "inside" videos have been recorded.

It is indeed.....

Otherwise, taping from said road would have been unlawful for those not given consent by the park...