Another Wooden Lost to Hybridization

[Tr0y]

Ever since the introduction of RMC in 2011. We have seen quite a few Woodies “hybridized” into steel coasters. Usually this is warranted *cough*  *cough* Meanstreak, but this season will be a first for a Wooden Coaster that is held in high regard to suffer such a fate. Lake Compounce has decided to convert part of its Boulder Dash Wooden Coaster with GCI’s new Titantrack. This is puzzling due to Boulder Dash being a top 5 rated Wooden Coaster in the Golden Ticket Awards for 21 of its 22 years of existence, the exception being its first year. Those who always preferred Wooden coasters have feared these hybridizations for what it means to the industry and now it’s starting to rear its ugly head. Now, not even a prestigious Wooden Coaster is safe from suffering the hybridization fate. So far we have been fortunate that Cedar Fair has been keeping good Wooden Coasters, wooden, and that the current modifications have been met with positive feedback. 

[BoddaH1994]

If it doesn’t hurt the experience, why does it matter? The alternative may be removing the ride…

[KIghostguy]

They converted one section of the ride so it can give a smoother experience. Most of Boulder Dash is still wooden, so it’s still a wooden coaster. The problem is…?

[PKIDelirium]

It's almost like Titan track exists for a reason...

[Kenban]

Which is worse?  Replacing small sections of wood track so that the ride can keep the same layout and experience?  Or changing the layout so that it is less aggressive and easier to maintain?

I would prefer a park keep the ride as it was originally designed instead of doing what other parks and chains have done by removing elements.  A section of steel track designed to replicate the wood track does not bother me that much.

[gad198]

Boulder Dash is an absolutely phenomenal coaster when it is running well.  That said, it's a ride that most of the time is only palatable in the first 4 rows.  I didn't see from the info above which parts are being worked on, but ideally it would be the bottom of the first two drops as well as the bottom of the drops on the return leg.  I'm all for anything that makes this coaster smoother.

[Tr0y]

Titan track doesn’t do anything to replicate or keep the same ride experience as before. It is literally steel track. There is a reason why every single Wooden Coaster that received this kind of iron horse conversion has also came with major ride element changes within its layout like the addition of inversions. It would be a snooze fest if the track followed the exact same path the previous wooden track followed otherwise. The rumbling and rattling of a Wooden Coaster is a ride element.

[Kenban]

13 hours ago, Tr0y said:

Titan track doesn’t do anything to replicate or keep the same ride experience as before. It is literally steel track.

Titan track, like some of the types of track from RMC, replicates the shape of wood coaster track making it possible to switch back and forth between wood and steel track, also allowing the rides to keep running the same trains.  It is steel track but to most riders the experience is effectively the same if all that is being done is to replace sections of track in an effort to reduce maintenance.
 

13 hours ago, Tr0y said:

There is a reason why every single Wooden Coaster that received this kind of iron horse conversion has also came with major ride element changes within its layout like the addition of inversions. It would be a snooze fest if the track followed the exact same path the previous wooden track followed otherwise.

This is just wrong.  The first coaster to receive topper track from RMC was Tremors at Silverwood, it also has some 208 retrak also from RMC, they kept the original rides layout and just replicated the problem areas in steel.

The first coaster to receive any Titan Track was White Lightning at Fun Spot.  Six Flags has since used it on Predator at Darien Lake.  Cedar Fair has done this same thing using Titan Track on Shivering Timbers at Michigan’s Adventure.  All of these just replicated small problematic sections of the original layout, keeping the majority of the rides wood track.  I am likely forgetting something as well.

Boulder Dash is 4,725 feet long.  Only 580 feet of track has been replaced by Titan Track.  It is the first drop through the first curve.  That’s it, the rest of the ride is still wood, the trains are the same, the layout is the same.  Call it a hybrid now if you want.  But the majority of the ride is still wood.

Something you might notice about most of the coasters I have mentioned, they are almost all from CCI.  The other one is from Dinn, a coaster company who built 10 coasters and only 4 remain.  

Wood coaster maintenance is expensive, and parks often make changes overtime to reduce those expenses.  Six Flags St Louis removed the helix from the Boss.  Worlds of Fun removed the helix from Timber Wolf.  Installing small amounts of steel track can be viewed as preservation.  

[Tr0y]

4 hours ago, Kenban said:

Titan track, like some of the types of track from RMC, replicates the shape of wood coaster track making it possible to switch back and forth between wood and steel track, also allowing the rides to keep running the same trains.  It is steel track but to most riders the experience is effectively the same if all that is being done is to replace sections of track in an effort to reduce maintenance.
 

This is just wrong.  The first coaster to receive topper track from RMC was Tremors at Silverwood, it also has some 208 retrak also from RMC, they kept the original rides layout and just replicated the problem areas in steel.

The first coaster to receive any Titan Track was White Lightning at Fun Spot.  Six Flags has since used it on Predator at Darien Lake.  Cedar Fair has done this same thing using Titan Track on Shivering Timbers at Michigan’s Adventure.  All of these just replicated small problematic sections of the original layout, keeping the majority of the rides wood track.  I am likely forgetting something as well.

Boulder Dash is 4,725 feet long.  Only 580 feet of track has been replaced by Titan Track.  It is the first drop through the first curve.  That’s it, the rest of the ride is still wood, the trains are the same, the layout is the same.  Call it a hybrid now if you want.  But the majority of the ride is still wood.

Something you might notice about most of the coasters I have mentioned, they are almost all from CCI.  The other one is from Dinn, a coaster company who built 10 coasters and only 4 remain.  

Wood coaster maintenance is expensive, and parks often make changes overtime to reduce those expenses.  Six Flags St Louis removed the helix from the Boss.  Worlds of Fun removed the helix from Timber Wolf.  Installing small amounts of steel track can be viewed as preservation.  

 Wrong? You’re telling me if Kings Island gave The Beast an entire makeover with Titan track the ride would be just as fun as it is now? Or let’s say just a section like you keep mentioning, titan track both helixes, would it be as fun now? Also Shivering Timbers hasn’t received any Titan Track, you’re mixing up a good coaster with Wolverine Wildcat which is not a good coaster. That’s my argument. A great coaster like Boulder Dash did not need such a monstrosity of a track replacement. It needed what every wood coaster needs yearly, general maintenance.

[Kenban]

3 hours ago, Tr0y said:

 Wrong? You’re telling me if Kings Island gave The Beast an entire makeover with Titan track the ride would be just as fun as it is now? Or let’s say just a section like you keep mentioning, titan track both helixes, would it be as fun now? Also Shivering Timbers hasn’t received any Titan Track, you’re mixing up a good coaster with Wolverine Wildcat which is not a good coaster. That’s my argument. A great coaster like Boulder Dash did not need such a monstrosity of a track replacement. It needed what every wood coaster needs yearly, general maintenance.

When I said wrong it was a response to "every single Wooden Coaster that received this kind of iron horse conversion has also came with major ride element changes within its layout".  Which is wrong, not a single coaster which has had Titan Track installed had any major element changes, and that includes Boulder Dash.  Also not a single one has had the entire track replaced, so far every Titan Track installation has been small sections, of a few hundred feet, and appear to only target problematic sections of coasters.  It feels like your trying to combine what RMC has done with what GCI has done, when frankly they are very different.  Its possible GCI will redo an entire ride at some point, maybe even with a radically different layout, but as of right now that has not happened. 

When RMC has installed I-Box track those have mostly been complete conversions into completely new rides, sure they are reusing portions of an existing coaster, but I do not consider that major of a change to be the same ride, except for Lightning Rod.  For example, I view a conversion from Mean Streak into Steel Vengeance the same as a company tearing down a coaster and building a new one, except they reused a few pieces of the old ride to lower the cost of the new one.  The work they have done on Tremors is much closer to the work done by GCI, and to my knowledge has not involved I-Box track, although 208 is completely steel.

You are correct I was wrong about which coaster at Michigan's Adventure had the Titan Trick installed.

I have zero issues with how Titan Track has been used so far.  Personally at this point in time I still consider all of them a wood coaster and the same coaster they were before the track was installed, that might change if more steel track is installed.  If it continues to replicate the original layout, in my view its the same coaster still, just no longer a wood coaster, it becomes a steel or hybrid coaster.  I will play along with your hypothetical, if for some strange reason Cedar Fair used GCI to install Titan Track on a Helix on The Beast, I would likely continue to view the ride the same as I do today.  I have ridden White Lightning both before and after the Titan Track and frankly while you can tell the track changes to steel and back, the ride is effectively the same, its slightly smoother, although I never felt it was rough before it was installed.

If the same section of track needs replaced or repaired frequently.  Something more than just regular maintenance needs done.