The Beast needs to be updated

[benny1388]

The pond was a lake. With canoes.

Not the same.

At all.

 

 

Ok, so I wasn't wrong lol, just confused about what we were talking about lol.

[freaks76]

Never got to see it.

Matter of fact I never seen The Beast till 2000.

Been neat.

[matt112986]

I find this a bit confusing too. I was born in 86 and remember The Beast having water by the queue and station that was removed when the new exit was installed.

[The Interpreter]

Again, that water is not the lake that some call the pond...

[MaestroJr]

Mentioning Son of Beast again, we all know what happens when the ride's structure cant support the trains its carrying. Such additions or motifications to the track could cause structural damage or possibly another accident like the one that happened on Son of Beast back in 2006, wow time flies, I remember watching the news about it the day it happened and it's already been 10 years, again WOW! If the forces on The Beast are too intense for the new trains or structural changes, another such incident is likely. I'm sorry but I like my Beast the way it is. MaestroJr

[Pagoda Gift Shop]

Yeah but I don't think they would ever consider putting heavier trains on The Beast.  They would be lighter or about the same weight.  Of course, that can lead to other problems if the engineering isn't done right.  I've read rumors that Timberliner trains were not put on The Voyage at Holiday World because they ran too fast due to the lighter weight.  That could be totally bogus though.

 

Son of Beast failed using its "designed" Premier trains.  In retrospect, those trains were probably the worst wooden coaster trains I've ever ridden in...but I did like the yellow and red paint scheme.

[THE_BEAST]

With rumors in other threads that The Vortex won't last another 5-10 years and the probability of Kings Island getting a giga at some point, does it worry anyone else that the giga may be placed in Vortex's spot? I say this because if a giga were placed there wouldn't it possibly intrude on the seclusion that The Beast now has. Gigas take up large amount of space, and I would hate for the woods around The Beast to be lost.

[benny1388]

IF a giga were to go in where Vortex currently stands, I would expect it to run alongside first lift of The Beast, then turn left and run past The Racer's turnarounds. You're right that gigas take up a lot of real estate, but keep min mind there's no reason they have to use to the same station house. They could place a new station house behind Rivertown's LaRosa's, for example.

 

My gut tells me Vortex won't be around much longer, but others disagree. We'll see. Regardless, I wouldn't expect it to be replaced with a giga (at least not in the same spot) just because space is tight there for a giga.

[Tr0y]

I don't see the giga being placed in that spot in the park, my guess was they reuse the old SOB location. There is alot of land cleared already from the SOB layout that was not used by Banshee. If Vortex is ever replaced, hopefully we receive a multi looping B&M floorless coaster in its place.

[CP Maverick]

Banshee and The Bat come really close to the SoB station. I'd be surprised if they used it for any rides.

[Logan Goddard]

Honestly my go to replacement for Vortex has always been a multi launch like Helix, it has some great terrain for one imo. As for a giga coaster I think the most logical area for one is to replace DA and have it go behind X-Base into the land left over from SOB.

[CP Maverick]

A "Helix" or "Maverick" type ride would be great in The Vortex spot. I just worry about too many similarities to Stunt Track.

[Logan Goddard]

And if you wanted to go "family friendly" something like "Taron" would be nice considering it doesn't have inversions. The only problems with multi launches are capacity, so that would need to be upgraded if we were to get one.

 

Edit: This is Taron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNs6oRhObc8. I would be very excited to see something like this come to Kings Island.

Also I think Beast is perfect the way it is, there is just something about it that even after riding it multiple times a day I still get excited to ride it.

[freaks76]

Banshee and The Bat come really close to the SoB station. I'd be surprised if they used it for any rides.

They could. Bat and SoB coexisted for several years. Don't think The Bat being close has anything to do with it.

But, I doubt it, too

[CP Maverick]

The idea that I failed to get across is that Banshee and The Bat come close to each other, close to the SoB station. You would need to thread the coaster through one of those two for that station to be useful, otherwise need to turn towards the parking lot.

[Logan Goddard]

Or go over top Banshee which I doubt they will do since they have options.

[matt112986]

The idea that I failed to get across is that Banshee and The Bat come close to each other, close to the SoB station. You would need to thread the coaster through one of those two for that station to be useful, otherwise need to turn towards the parking lot.

 

I always think they could put a tunnel in between Banshee and The Bat without too much trouble. I don't think they would but it would be awesome to. They could put in another woodie there that could start out similar to how SoB did.

[Tr0y]

The SOB station sit's fairly high up, a steep lift hill ( typical for most giga coasters ) would easily clear Banshee, and as far as final break run it would be no different than when SOB was there, so The Bat would pose no issues.

[silver2005]

You could also put in an elaborate pre-lift section starting from SOB's station (a coaster book I have says that SOB's drop out of the station was about 50 ft).  B&M giga's have brake runs that sit pretty high off the ground, and with the terrain back behind Banshee, you could get a pretty wicked layout out of a giga.  

[Diamondback96]

I love how this went from a discussion about modifying The Beast to a discussion about a possible giga coaster that would use the SOB station.

 

I do think AZ is the best place for a giga because it's on the opposite side of the park from Diamondback.

 

Regarding the original topic, I don't think The Beast needs very many changes. I would keep everything the same except the brake shed; I would take that out and put in a new layout, like some turns or airtime hills. I don't know if that would be possible, but it would be nice to do something with that segment that used to serve a real purpose. However, the ride is fine as is.

 

What does everyone think of the brake shed (the roof, not the track)? Should it be removed or should it stay? Personally, I don't see why it's there. Obviously it was there for a reason, but that reason doesn't apply anymore. I vote to remove it.

[shark6495]

I'm in the camp of "if it's not broke"...

The Beast is popular. So many many many riders each year enjoy it already. If you modify something as drastic as that,( or really almost anything on the ride) you run the risk of the following:

1) upsetting repeat guests who love the ride

2) messing up the flow of the ride, a change for some air time may affect how much speed the train as for the rest of the ride, causing more trouble

3) when changing something like this more serious issues may develop due to the fundamental change in the structure

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[SonODiamondback]

With rumors in other threads that The Vortex won't last another 5-10 years and the probability of Kings Island getting a giga at some point, does it worry anyone else that the giga may be placed in Vortex's spot? I say this because if a giga were placed there wouldn't it possibly intrude on the seclusion that The Beast now has. Gigas take up large amount of space, and I would hate for the woods around The Beast to be lost.

For me I could see a Giga going where Dinosaurs Alive is. I think a wing coaster or a dive coaster would be a good Vortex replacement.

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[SonODiamondback]

And if the did put a Giga in Dinosaurs Alive area I pay homage in Coney Island and call it the Shooting Star theme it like the Old Coney legend.

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[KIfan73]

The park has been featuring The Beast very prominently in their social media lately; over and over.  I don't necessarily think it "means" anything, but it is interesting.  It is a great ride, and deserves the coverage.

[Thrill_Biscuit]

Here you go. The Beast. Updated... pretty sleek, huh? 

 

[GigaG]

I could think of several things to do to The Beast to improve it... while I typically am supportive of RMC, Beast is such a historic ride and shouldn't be touched by I-Box. Kings Island has plenty of land, so I'd love to see an I-Box/topper terrain coaster in the future, but not on Beast's supports.

 

However, I do think there are a few changes that should be made.

 

Trains-

1. If the ride is to be renovated, the trains should seat at least 30-36 people. GCI Millenium Flyers only seat up to 24, and tend to be longer than a PTC train of the same capacity. Either way, if any new trains go on Beast, they should be longer than 24, preferably at least 36 people.
2. Whatever trains are installed, they need to be padded a bit more than the current ones.
3. If PTC trains are used, perhaps a buzz bar/seatbelt restraint system could be used. Also, the headrests are probably not needed - many woodies with more extreme, steel-like forces don't use headrests.

 

Part 1 - Beginning to Shed

1. Cut the first 2 trims. Yes, they've always been there, but I've seen pictures of Beast operating without any skids on the first drop, alledgedly in 1981. (Link to picture attached at end of post.) The first trims put a bit of a damper on the first drop, while the second trims butcher any airtime possible on the second hill.
2. Bank the first turn - but only enough to keep the lateral G-forces the same as they are today, just for a higher (trimless) speed
3. Either bank the second turn (again preserving the lateral G-forces) or put the magnetic trims in the bottom of the valley. I'd prefer the former.
4. Sharpen the peak on the rise up out of the valley for some airtime. (especially if there's no trims in the bottom or rise out of the valley.)
5. Spread the magnetic trims in the shed out to slow the ride down over the whole shed. This will be the first set of trims on the ride.

 

Part 2 - Shed to Second Lift

 

1. Upon exiting the shed, the speed should be similar to today's speed (maybe SLIGHTLY faster)
2. The rest of the ride shouldn't really be touched until the approach to the second lift. Maybe turn one or two shallow downhills into a straightaway followed by a steeper downhill, but that's a bit too drastic. Any reprofiling should keep the ride's lateral g-forces similar to how they are today.
3. Add a block brake run before the second lift if possible. It would not be hard to modify Beast for 4-train operation.

 

Part 3 - Second lift to end

 

• There are 2 options for this:
• 1. Reduce the banking and reinforce the structure in the tunneled portions of the helix. AFAIK, Beast was reprofiled around 2009 to create a more "positive G force" based helix, but that just isn't what the helix is meant for.
• 2. Take off the trims and keep a higher bank angle in the helix.
• Either of these 2 methods should create a helix with a bit more lateral "punch" as it was designed for.
• Possible make the final dip a bit more intense, but that's really not a big deal.
• The final brake run should be redesigned to "stack" 4 trains if needed. It is plenty long enough for that, and stacking 4 trains in a breakdown is preferable to stacking a train on the second lift.

 

Final remarks:

After this, we have a Beast that keeps the same layout with a very slight amount of reprofiling, runs 4 trains for increased capacity, and is more intense where it needs more intensity.

 

A few more notes and potential changes-

• Add the music to the first lift hill (this year, it seems to have disappeared and only the "keep hands and legs inside the car at all times" voice plays)
• The "slowdown" on the first lift will probably go away for the most part with an added block brake before the second lift. (The slowdown is currently intended to give the train on the second lift time to crest before the first lift's train crests) However, the slowdown at the top can be kept for dramatic effect.
• Paint The Beast red again (again, not 100%  needed.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo reference - this picture is claimed to have been taken in 1981:

 

https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13438907_1084021348346932_3296957665950436509_n.jpg?oh=cc60b24184aab94e1290fe57fdbc4684&oe=5836C947

 

Compare to this pre-opening video WITH skids on first drop

 

 

 

[silver2005]

^Beast had brakes on the first drop for most of its life.  The skids were on there before the current magnetic set. 

[The Interpreter]

And Beast was never painted. Ever.

It was stained.

There is a huge difference.

[RollerNut]

^^^Painfully slow, I spy what looks like motors under the brake shed attached to tires; kicking up the speed?

^Does stain peel?

[GigaG]

^Beast had brakes on the first drop for most of its life.  The skids were on there before the current magnetic set. 

I fully understand that. I'm pointing out that the pre-opening video has skids (implying that it had skids there from the start) but the "1981" picture has none.

 

Just because it's always had trims doesn't mean that they can't remove some during a renovation.

 

And Beast was never painted. Ever.

It was stained.

There is a huge difference.

Thanks Terpy, I actually didn't know that!

 

 

 

^^^Painfully slow, I spy what looks like motors under the brake shed attached to tires; kicking up the speed?

^Does stain peel?

Probably because the ride hadn't warmed up yet. I heard once that the tires were there as brakes to use the brake shed as an MCBR, though I find it hard to believe that it could stop there and then not valley - that hill going into the second/third tunnel is pretty high compared to the shed, or maybe I'm just imagining things.