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Decoding Episode II: Rivertown 2017 and the Falling Trees


jcgoble3

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Great layout, I still think there will be an inversion after the turn around heading back to the station.

If no inversion(s) to add into this simplistic layout, I'd be worried about Racer or Woodstock Express leaving the park.

I wouldn't be worried. Woodstock is an excellent entry wooden coaster, and Racers is a classic.

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So I decided to have some fun in NL2, and I made this coaster based on the leaked layout. Please note it's best not to take this too seriously. It's just a concept that I threw together to visualize the potential coaster that could come with the layout. I went for a realistic GCI approach, and it comes out to something akin to Prowler or White Lightning. Quick, tight, ground-hugging, and twisty. Personally I'd be pretty excited if a coaster like this would be coming to KI next year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JHsr-l9aKU

You beat me to the punch. Lol. No matter. I like this design. Time to make mine.

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What about Thunder Road at Carowinds? Classic sadly doesn't mean a coaster is safe from being tore down.

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Never said it was safe, but I highly doubt that they will go anytime soon. I see Vortrex going before Racers and Woodstock. Change the restraints on Vortrex and I think it would help immensely.

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What about Thunder Road at Carowinds? Classic sadly doesn't mean a coaster is safe from being tore down.

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Thunder Road was painted similarly to The Racer and lost it's paint over the years, which compromised the structural integrity of the wood, which is why they had to rebuild sections of it numerous times. Thunder Road didn't give that many riders, possibly because it was much more shrouded by trees than The Racer and Rebel Yell. The Racer still gets large lines even when both sides are running, particularly during the midday/ early afternoon hours, and even gave more rides than The Beast during the 2015 season. At an ACE event last year, Don stated that The Racer is structurally sound when confronted with the question of whether or not the decision to close Thunder Road would affect Kings Island.

There were other factors that plagued Thunder Road's existence. As long as The Racer gets a lot of publicity from the PR department, and as long as we all ride it, then The Racer should be okay.

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In that light, it kinda feels like "insurance," when the PR manager at your favorite park famously holds the riding record for said roller coaster.

 

It does, but that would be no reason to make a business decision to keep a ride that 'needs' to go (I'm not saying The Racer does, just that if it did nostalgia and personal connection from higher up people is a horrible way to make said decision)

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While I appreciate you giving information, my point was not why, but on my trip last year to Carowinds, people felt Thunder Road would not be torn down due to it "being a classic". That was in the spring. Last year it actually ran smoother than the previous year. In fact, I actually preferred it over Rebel Yell and it ran as well as Racer. The trains even had brand new comfy cushions.

Not saying anything about Racer being removed, just stating a "classic" doesn't mean it will be kept or not.

Vortex with the restraints similar to the ones Maverick has would probably increase ridership. I strongly hate the restraints, always have since the year it opened. While the lines are not as long as they used to be, people still ride it, some people love it.

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You obviously nailed this layout, but looking in the background... You completely cloned Diamondback! Great job.

 

 

Thanks! Yeah I have been working on a "Kings Island" park in NL2, building a few of the coasters in a space that sorta simulates the park LOL. I'm not skilled enough nor do I have the patience to do 3D modeling, so I just stick to building the coasters in the program. I built my Diamondback several months ago. There's also an unfinished Vortex, Racer, Beast, and Banshee somewhere back there. It's just one of those projects I pull out every once in a while and work on a little bit at a time. I don't take it too seriously.

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We have to keep in mind...The Racer doesn't stand in the way of a massive waterpark expansion either.

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Unless, of course, they want to expand X-Base, as someone mentioned before.

It still gets pretty good lines, I don't know much about Thunder Road's popularity to be honest, but from what I've seen, The Racer seems good ridership wise.

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What is interesting with the blueprints is that it seems to show support structure that is consistent with a wooden coaster but the part that we assume is the lift hill seems nothing like most wooden lift hill support structures. Yes they are very basic plans we have so far but it still shows some support structure. Just take the time to look at RMC's new steel lift hill structure they are using. It's plausible. Also I think we were given a clue in Kings Island's blog post about the Train that Don posted last week. It mentions the railroad trestle and it also goes into detail that it is a wooden and steel trestle. Never mind what is under the train bridge, right? That blog post may also be giving us a couple of other hints as well. Just some random observations and decoding!

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I would assume any decisions made about The Racer would come from above Don's pay grade.  Don is great at his job, but at the end of the day, he's still the PR director that would report to the park General Manager, who would report to his bosses in Sandusky.  I'm sure Don has some influence on the park's development, and hopefully they value his opinion as not only a long time employee, but also as a true fan of the park, but at the end of the day, if the higher ups decide that removal of The Racer is in the best interest of the Park, I doubt there is a whole lot that Don can do about it.

 

With that said, removing The Racer would feel like a huge mistake.  First, I'm not sure how much usable land there is behind its structure, lots of valley's down there that would make for tough foot navigation and it feels like if you wanted to use it for a coaster layout (ie Adventure Express) you would want the entrance somewhere in X-Base or Coney.  2nd, as its been noted many times, the ride is famous for ushering in the next era of roller coasters.  Finally, just think of the importance of The Racer to that part of the park, its been the backdrop to a core area of the park since its inception.  While you could create a ride in its footprint that was better, it would be very hard to duplicate the backdrop and feel that The Racer provides.  It screams "classic" American amusement park, surrounded by other rides and games that scream "classic" American amusement park.  To remove the ride completely would give Coney an entirely different feel, and likely not in a good way.

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