Wow I am glad I read the last post about SOB trains because I rode it today and noticed the same thing. The trains shuffle back and fourth and they also seem to come up off the track which really weirded me out.

Thats what upstops are for.

I knew I was safe just like when I ride all the rides at PKI but those trains had me wondering.

The trains are safe.

It tends to get rougher when it hasn't rained in a while. I know they were doing something to it most of the day on Monday - not sure what, though.

And like Pat said, there are up-stop wheels, as well as wheels on the side to prevent the train form coming off the track.

SOB, the greatist name for a ride if there ever was one. Named for what you say when you get off of it as in...

Wow that was a painfull SOB...

or SOB!!! my legs haven't hurt that much in my life...

or That SOB Just busted my knee cap, Medic....

But heres the Kicker question. When KI first bought Top Gun before the big "P" came in the name on the early layouts was "Son of Bat" If this stayed true would they have Son of Bat and Beast or would Son of Beast be given a totally new name?

Yarz that is untrue. Here it is from our good buddy shaggy

I'll throw my two cents in here...

King's Island was originally opened as a division of Taft Broadcasting. Cincinnati's Coney Island had been purchased a few years prior from the Wachs family. When the park closed up shop and moved to Mason, most of the managment team from Coney moved as well.

Immediately therafter, Taft began to plot other parks and plans were laid out for King's Dominion. Plans, as early as 1973, were in the works for additional amusement centers/parks in Toronto and Chicago. Chicago never happened, but Toronto eventually premiered years later as Wonderland. Once King's Island was complete and attention moved to KD, Kings Entertainment Corporation, or KECO, was formed to help emcompass the growing amusement park division of Taft.

Paramount always had an investment in Taft parks as a large shareholder.... hence Paramount television shows filming at KI.

By the 1980's KECO had basically become it's own entity as Taft Broadcasting faltered. By the late 1980's the lions share of stock was purchased by Carl Linder of Procter and Gamble fame. Mr. Linder's coprporation ran the parks for a few years, and although they made huge ride investments, the parks were rapidly loosing steam and money. Paramount stepped in and opted to purchase the lions share from Mr. Linder (Who still remains a shareholder) in order to brand the former KECO parks as "Paramount Parks." This aquisition included King's Island, Carowinds, Wonderland and Kings Dominion. Great America was also purchased in this deal as well but prior had only been managed, not owned, by KECO.

Non-the-less Paramount took owenership in late 1992.... the same year Phantom Theater premiered at KI. Arrow had already been contracted prior to the buyout to build KI's second suspended coaster... KI has always (even to this day) worked on future additions two or more years prior to the season in which they will premier. Although it has always operated as "Top Gun," the coaster originally was planned to be called "Thunder Road." Paramount continued with the deal and the coaster opened in 1993.

If for that reason you do not count it as a Paramount addition, then Outer Limits was the first coaster that Paramount added to the park.

Shaggy

I know of "Thunder Run" because PKI marketing has told me that factoid. The name change came when Paramount decided to brand the Park with movie names/theming. I have heard a rumor that the old KI had also considered calling it the Raven, but I have never had that authenticated by and PKI personel.

Taken from a post on www.coasterbuzz.com

The shuffling of the trains is what causes the roughness on SOB.

Raven and Son of Bat, along with a slew of others are from the origional brainstorming lists. (and Son of Bat was droped very quickly) Very few people see these lists so Im not suprised you haven't heard the name. If you can ever get your hands on one it's really funny what some of the rides we love may have been called.

I've heard some of the GENIUS names put on the table.

Pat "who is still not fond of CDBB name wise"