Decoding Episode II: Rivertown 2017 and the Falling Trees

[Creed Bratton]

After 60+ pages and 5ish hours of reading over the span of about 4 days, I am finally caught up. I visited the park yesterday and here are some of my thoughts:

1. I HATE the deforestation. I would prefer that new attractions go in an area where it is not necessary, but I understand that it isn't always possible. I hope that Kings Island is able to maintain as much natural foliage as physically possible.
2. There is enough room for anything that they want into this area of Rivertown, so ruling something out due to size is foolish at this point.
3. The KI&MV RR tour on Sunday morning of Coasterstock should be interesting. I don't think that has been mentioned in this thread yet, but it could have some interesting info and photo ops.
4. I believe that the fenced-off construction area in front of the train will not be the location of a new attraction. That flat area will be the plaza entry point (similar to what Banshee and Gatekeeper have) with a bridge over the train tracks to an attraction on the other side.
5. I would be pleasantly surprised with a Giga there, but it just feels unlikely to me at this point. If this is a coaster, right now I am thinking that it will be something similar to Verbolten. That doesn't mean that it will be done by the same manufacturer or will be the same quality as Verbolten, but a terrain-ish coaster with a few launches and several interaction points intrigues me. Perhaps B&M has this up their sleeve?
6. That being said, I am still on #TeamGCI, and have been ever since the last decoding debacle.

My thoughts on 2017 are still very subject to change, and will develop as this continues to unfold. Hopefully I will be more active with this discussion going forward. Happy decoding, everyone!

To your point of #3, unless the KI&MVRR Tour is changed from last year (we walked to the engine house, heard a few stories and walked back, not sure if we'll see anything else.

 

 

I don't see how the rumor is plausible though, the extension of the contract hasn't been confirmed and the state of those Dinosaurs is embarrassing to the company who made and owns (not sure if they are leased or what) them.

 

Well, unless you have confirmation that the contract isn't going to be renewed, its plausible.

 

 

The original person who posted about the DA contract has not confirmed that it was signed, therefore, it is speculation, not credible. 

So some have said that the contract for DA was renewed, but is there any confirmation for it?  Would they shut DA down at the end of the month if the contract wasn't renewed?

No, it has not be confirmed. The contract likely was for 5 seasons, not 5 years from the date it was signed.

 

But if the land that DA currently sits is more suitable for building a coaster than the Rivertown lot, and they want to keep it, it could make sense to move it. Think of it this way, if it costs $1 million to move DA and do the site prep for a new ride at the current DA site, but costs $2 million to prep the rivertown site for a ride, it makes more sense to just move DA. And those are just hypothetical numbers before anyone tries to get technical. The DA site appears to be an easier place to put a giga though.

 

Most don't realize that the Dinosaurs are typically within 20-30 feet from the path, the area all in between from what I remember when walking through there as an employee isn't all that flat or useable. 

Source: Avatar on KIC

From Google Maps

My husband believes strongly it won't be by the maker of Diamondback.

Your husband must be very secretive, you never call him by name or title. I strongly believe that it won't be made my the make of "cowboy coaster." 

 

 

Because of some boat ride credit.

What credit? I have yet to hear anything about some boat ride credit....I assume you are talking about Shoot The Rapids, in which case that was at Cedar Point....if any park got a credit for it, it would be Cedar Point. 

[jcgoble3]

So some have said that the contract for DA was renewed, but is there any confirmation for it?  Would they shut DA down at the end of the month if the contract wasn't renewed?

No, it has not be confirmed. The contract likely was for 5 seasons, not 5 years from the date it was signed.

 

...and I highly doubt that the contract was signed on the day it opened. More likely, it was signed several months earlier, before the park even began teasing it.

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

Kings Island isn't getting an Intamin "cowboy" coaster. For good reason.

[bm0324]

My husband believes strongly it won't be by the maker of Diamondback.

Your husband must be very secretive, you never call him by name or title. I strongly believe that it won't be made my the make of "cowboy coaster."

Maybe Beast Gal is Don trolling us.

I fail at editing, I don't know what I did, I apologize for cutting that out of a quote however I did that.

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[MIcoasterguy]

All this talk of credits and Cowboy coasters is way too funny! I litterally laughed out loud, but if by some strange twist BeastGal's husband is legit we will all be eating our words, or text, or whatever including myself.

Just my two cents, I don't think Cedar Fair has any interest in building a potentially dangerous ride from Intamin anytime soon. And if this project is indeed a Giga I believe it will be from B&M. And although I was on the fence about DA possibly moving into Rivertown about 20-30 pages back, the recent tweet from KIPR pretty much says "we are building something here" not moving something here. It will be fun to watch construction take place over the summer.

[SingleRiderAfter1]

I am team cowboy coaster! I don't think Intamin is out of the question. Credit for a failed coaster or "water ride" is not a foreign idea. There is quite a rumor that this idea has even happened in KI. After the original Bat failed I hear we got quite the deal on Vortex to heal the wound. Maybe Intamin is trying to get its foot back in the door. But I completly agree Cedar Fair is smart and could negotiate for a lower tech, more reliable, action packed ride. Also, if this is true Intamin back in the game, it would also be in there best interest to build a more reliable, action packed ride.

 

So conclusion, I welcome the Intamin Mega-lite coaster cowboy coaster 

 

humm.. what if it dived through a underwater tunnel in the reservoir like Anaconda, maybe with the splash too!

[Magenta Lizard]

To follow up what chugh43 said above, about not probably seeing much during the train tour... Last year it's not just that we walked to the engine house, heard stories, and walked back. We walked through the /backstage areas/ at the front of the park (if you make a right and keep going past the restrooms just after entering the front gates), not getting to really see any of the areas where work is currently being done at all. It was cool to see that area, but it would give less insight to current construction and destruction than either riding the train or DB.

[Creed Bratton]

I am team cowboy coaster! I don't think Intamin is out of the question. Credit for a failed coaster or "water ride" is not a foreign idea. There is quite a rumor that this idea has even happened in KI. After the original Bat failed I hear we got quite the deal on Vortex to heal the wound. Maybe Intamin is trying to get its foot back in the door. But I completly agree Cedar Fair is smart and could negotiate for a lower tech, more reliable, action packed ride. Also, if this is true Intamin back in the game, it would also be in there best interest to build a more reliable, action packed ride.

 

So conclusion, I welcome the Intamin Mega-lite coaster cowboy coaster 

 

humm.. what if it dived through a underwater tunnel in the reservoir like Anaconda, maybe with the splash too!

The difference with the Original Bat and Vortex is that Arrow built Vortex at the same place as The Bat. 

Shoot The Rapids was not at Kings Island. If Intamin were to give a "credit" it would be for Cedar Point and more than likely for the same classification of ride, i.e. water ride.

[MIcoasterguy]

Being that CP is alot closer to me since I live in Mid-Michigan, I have to say that Maverick, Millennium Force, and Wicked Twister are great rides and I also loved El Toro, I305, and Skyrush. That being said, I would like to see Intamin return to making installations in the U.S. but do I think it will happen anytime soon, not really. Not since they have a spotty record with safety and reliability.

[RollerNut]

Sounds like a Giga if you ask me. Carowinds had a record attendance year with over 2 million visits last year because of Fury 325.

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Nighthawk pushed Carowinds over 2.1 million in 2004, attendance went to 2.14 million in 2005. Attendance went flat in 2006 and stayed below 2 million in 2014.

[Hoeter]

 

``Every accident is tragic and we should strive not to have any, but accidents do happen. The question is what is an acceptable number?'' 

 

 

This was from Sandor Kernacs, Intamin's U.S. President

 

http://articles.courant.com/2004-05-04/news/0405040040_1_roller-coaster-lap-bars-or-seat-superman-roller

 

It's been discussed here before, wanted to add while on the subject.

[fryoj]

Well, unless you have confirmation that the contract isn't going to be renewed, its plausible.

 

 

The original person who posted about the DA contract has not confirmed that it was signed, therefore, it is speculation, not credible. 

You might want to look up the definition of plausible.

 

And nothing has been confirmed on any of this including there being a ride built at all, so its all speculation, and therefore not credible to you.

[The Interpreter]

``Every accident is tragic and we should strive not to have any, but accidents do happen. The question is what is an acceptable number?''

This was from Sandor Kernacs, Intamin's U.S. President

http://articles.courant.com/2004-05-04/news/0405040040_1_roller-coaster-lap-bars-or-seat-superman-roller

It's been discussed here before, wanted to add while on the subject.

In a deposition in a lawsuit caused by an ejection from an INTAMIN roller coaster. Ejection--of which INTAMIN has had a number. B&M? None. At all.

[Creed Bratton]

Well, unless you have confirmation that the contract isn't going to be renewed, its plausible.

The original person who posted about the DA contract has not confirmed that it was signed, therefore, it is speculation, not credible.

You might want to look up the definition of plausible.

And nothing has been confirmed on any of this including there being a ride built at all, so its all speculation, and therefore not credible to you.

Plausible, having an appearance of truth, credible. Maybe you shouda look it up.

To believe a contract has been extended for 4 more years without proof is silly. Someone claiming that they heard it was extended isn't credible.

[bm0324]

Someone just posted a photo from outside CSF of yellow B&M track..but it almost looks like snow on the ground so I'm not sure if this image is old or not.

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[The Interpreter]

Old image.

Track for China...

[fryoj]

 

Plausible, having an appearance of truth, credible. Maybe you shouda look it up.

To believe a contract has been extended for 4 more years without proof is silly. Someone claiming that they heard it was extended isn't credible.

 

I didn't say that the contract was being renewed. I didn't say that the person who said it was renewed was credible. I said that moving DA to Rivertown based on what we are seeing now so a giga could be built on the DA site was plausible. It is plausible. It is believable. It is a reasonable idea. Ie - has an appearance of reason.

 

It's just as plausible as a giga in Rivertown at this point.

[Kenban]

 

 

``Every accident is tragic and we should strive not to have any, but accidents do happen. The question is what is an acceptable number?''

This was from Sandor Kernacs, Intamin's U.S. President

http://articles.courant.com/2004-05-04/news/0405040040_1_roller-coaster-lap-bars-or-seat-superman-roller

It's been discussed here before, wanted to add while on the subject.

In a deposition in a lawsuit caused by an ejection from an INTAMIN roller coaster. Ejection--of which INTAMIN has had a number. B&M? None. At all.

 

 

Worst part is that was from 2004 and they seem to have not gotten any better.  One killed in Spain in 2014, one in Brazil in 2012, and one in Maryland in 2011.

 

Skip to about 25 seconds into the video.  But this ride was built in 2007 and the Restraint Broke in 2012.  I have NEVER seen a restraint snap on any roller coaster and yet somehow this one broke in only 5 years.

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

Isn't that the same yellow track that's going to China?

Edit: I'm late. Need to hit refresh next time..

[The Interpreter]

And other ejections resulting in grievous injuries but not death....

There is a reason INTAMIN isn't selling coasters in The United States of America.

A fairly obvious one.

And it isn't price...

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

So I knew Intamin had some problems, but 3 different accidents resulting in death in just 5 years? No thanks.

[bm0324]

Old image.

Track for China...

Thought so, but I thought the China track was a different yellow. Unless there were multiple coasters and I only saw one (which is the likely scenario)

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[sixohdieselrage]

I'll drive by in a few minutes and let you all know if there is anything new. I doubt there is, but just because I drive by there anyways.

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[The Interpreter]

If you see snow

Let us know

[bm0324]

If you see snow

Let us know

Wouldn't be surprising in Ohio tbh

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[sixohdieselrage]

Haha. What if I set a snowblower outside of their facility? Does that count as snow?

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[bm0324]

Some people have brought up a wing coaster: doesn't B&M have some like 5 year/250 mile guarantee with their coasters, where they won't build something bigger and better for 5 years within 250 miles of another park to ensure the park is happy with their purchase? That would rule out a wing with Thunderbird. Not sure Gatekeeper would count since it's owned by Cedar Fair. I can't remember where I've heard about that, but I've heard it multiple times and it seems like a legit thing based on how their coasters pop up.

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[MadMaverick]

Maverick is no longer Maverick. From this point on, it shall simply just be called "The Cowboy Coaster"

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Does this mean I have to change my name to Mad Cowboy Coaster?

[The Interpreter]

A park can buy exclusivity.

It's negotiable.

The longer or bigger the geographic area, the more it costs.

It isn't free.

Far from it.

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

Just read up on Intamin's issues over the years. I completely forgot that Intamin was the manufacturer for both Flight Commander and Superman Tower of Power. That's a horrid safety record.