DJSkyFoxx Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Honestly this doesn't surprise me at all. This was quite an ambitious project if not a risky one all together. The bad press could have easily made it so the ride ceased to exist in any capacity at all, which while being sad, would have been understandable seeing the way things transpired. But they decided to make an effort to keep it around despite the easy way out. They took a chance on a company that was willing to put forth the effort to do something on a grand scale that would hopefully be more reliable and much safer than it's predecessor. Well here we are. It performed for its opening crowds and now that its made enough passes with fully loaded trains, the problems have shown themselves and of course they are going to look at and pick through every single detail with a fine comb. This is not only a huge deal for the investment made, but they do not need another similar incident occurring with a reimagined version of a popular ride. I'm glad they caught whatever the issues are now vs later on when it would be too late. I am of course disappointed, as I was planning to make a least one trip up this year to ride it as I am sure a lot of you were as well. And with the uncertainty of a re-opening date, if at all this year, that really stinks for both the park and fans of this ride who wish to try it out in its new phase of life. But I see it as, I would rather them take their time getting it right and ready than rush through it for it to never reopen again and ultimately meet the great scrap yard in the sky. Fingers crossed for a late summer opening, but again, if not, next year is better than not at all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomPlague Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 ElToroRyan has another update and suggests its possible that it may reopen soon. It was seen testing this week. This goes back to his earlier implication that it's the wheels wearing too quickly. I had been wondering why they would shutdown the ride for a long period for wheels when those are (relatively) easily replaced. Sure, it may cost them a lot to constantly replace them but that's preferable to an unexpected, extended downtime that deals a major blow to the park's and manufacturer's reputations and disappoints a lot of guests. Guess we'll see but it would be great if it does reopen quickly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenban Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 The rumor about the wheels that I have seen was not issues with the lining wearing down and the hubs being sent out too often but that the wheel itself, the actual metal had a crack form. Which could if not caught and it progresses might lead to a wheel essentially exploding, throwing shrapnel off the vehicle at high speeds. The speculation is that the road wheels need redesigned to better handle the stresses the ride is exerting. Maybe they found some manufacturing defect in the wheel, that makes them more confident in the other wheels. Maybe they examined the other wheels and everything else looks good. Maybe they think it is safe enough until new wheels can be produced if they examine the wheels more frequently. The problem is this goes back to rumors and speculation. There is almost no chance the park will make any official statement except to say the ride is operational or not. Most likely the ride will just suddenly reopen with no signs of what changed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robintodd Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 1 hour ago, Kenban said: The rumor about the wheels that I have seen was not issues with the lining wearing down and the hubs being sent out too often but that the wheel itself, the actual metal had a crack form. Which could if not caught and it progresses might lead to a wheel essentially exploding, throwing shrapnel off the vehicle at high speeds. The speculation is that the road wheels need redesigned to better handle the stresses the ride is exerting. Maybe they found some manufacturing defect in the wheel, that makes them more confident in the other wheels. Maybe they examined the other wheels and everything else looks good. Maybe they think it is safe enough until new wheels can be produced if they examine the wheels more frequently. The problem is this goes back to rumors and speculation. There is almost no chance the park will make any official statement except to say the ride is operational or not. Most likely the ride will just suddenly reopen with no signs of what changed. I agree with your assesment. Ryan the Ride Mechanic 3 hours ago posted on YouTube that he will have a "new Top thrills 2 video tomorrow" at 2:30 CST. He included a picture of a portion of what looks like a letter/email on Zamperla letterhead with the sent date of Thursday May 16, 2(it cuts off) to Ryan at his email and the Subject is Top Thrills 2 opening da(cuts off again). Plus over on PointBuzz there are multiple reports of 2 of the trains cycling today. I'm guessing they will move heavan and Earth to try and get this up by Memorial Day weekend next week. Although I think alot of people have already re-arranged their plans to later in the summer. Interesting times indeed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjniehaus Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 I'm going the first week of June regardless of whether it's up and running. I have a very busy summer college class schedule and my friends are all working summer jobs and getting everyone together to make a trip to CP isn't easy so I don't think we're planning to reschedule. If it's running, wonderful and if not, CP is still has the best rollercoaster collection in the USA (in my opinion). My three friends have never been to CP so it will be very disappointing for them if TT2 hasn't reopened by the time we make our trip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted May 18 Share Posted May 18 Been following this on Facebook. I'm not even remotely surprised. Suggestion: Let's just call this thing Son of Dragster. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 Seeing some of the pics with rub marks & dated tape marking tests confirming the rubbing, leads me to believe the vibration was getting progressively worse. It's not a popular opinion, but kudos to CP & Zamperla for doing extensive testing & making the correct call in shutting the ride down after evaluating the vibration was getting worse as the ride "broke in" (no pun intended). I still firmly believe the vibration on TTD was the main culprit in many of the issues the ride had- especially the theming breaking off & the final accident. Seeing the dated tape test also leads me to believe the "fix" may have been getting worked on prior to the ride shutting down. Harry Hogge may believe rubbin' is racing, Cole Trickle & the CP racing team does not agree....... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion742 Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 26 minutes ago, Browntggrr said: Seeing some of the pics with rub marks & dated tape marking tests confirming the rubbing, leads me to believe the vibration was getting progressively worse. It's not a popular opinion, but kudos to CP & Zamperla for doing extensive testing & making the correct call in shutting the ride down after evaluating the vibration was getting worse as the ride "broke in" (no pun intended). I still firmly believe the vibration on TTD was the main culprit in many of the issues the ride had- especially the theming breaking off & the final accident. Seeing the dated tape test also leads me to believe the "fix" may have been getting worked on prior to the ride shutting down. Harry Hogge may believe rubbin' is racing, Cole Trickle & the CP racing team does not agree....... So you are confirming that this is the issue with TT2? I’ve been looking for photos as I’ve been hearing the same thing but I can’t seem to find any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 ^ Not confirming, just putting pieces of the puzzle together based on pics & personal experience troubleshooting manufacturing machine/ assembled part issues. I could be totally incorrect as to the true reason TT2 is not currently operating. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zac2211 Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 2 hours ago, Orion742 said: I’ve been looking for photos as I’ve been hearing the same thing but I can’t seem to find any. Here's some photos of the tape on the LSM stators. Extended Closure (pointbuzz.com) TT2 stator tape : r/cedarpoint (reddit.com) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Wheels are back on trains. It's a great sign if extended testing takes place day & night- especially for TT2 to be operating for CM next Friday. If testing starts & is limited or stops......ugh....... 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 TT2 is officially testing. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zac2211 Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJSkyFoxx Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 Ah man! Hopefully the testing is successful enough to get her operational again. Planning a late summer trip per traditional post-bday gift to myself some time in August and of course I am hopeful to get to ride TT2. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zac2211 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Black train was assembled yesterday and tested last night. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjniehaus Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 I'll be there on Thur...watch them open it on Fri for coaster mania and I'll miss it by one day. That would be so painful it would make me laugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FALLINLOVE09 Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 36 minutes ago, johnjniehaus said: I'll be there on Thur...watch them open it on Fri for coaster mania and I'll miss it by one day. That would be so painful it would make me laugh My wife and I are coming up Mon and Tues expecting it to be closed....4th of July and the weekend following I'm sure it will be open, I have hopes. Going up that weekend as well. Closing at 11pm all those nights will be cool. Not sure why KI is 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zac2211 Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 ^ It's also been removed from the coastermania itinerary entirely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 1 hour ago, zac2211 said: ^ It's also been removed from the coastermania itinerary entirely. I am sorry to those that got a ticket to the event. Especially those that were looking forward to the TT2 ERT. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 3 minutes ago, IndyGuy4KI said: I am sorry to those that got a ticket to the event. Especially those that were looking forward to the TT2 ERT. Didn't they go on sale after it closed, so folks were aware of the possibility it wouldn't be open? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr0y Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 4 hours ago, Browntggrr said: Meanwhile Zamperla: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJSkyFoxx Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 In the mean time while the trains are being fixed, Cedar Point will be taking contestants to see how fast and how high one can get up the structure. Person who gets the furthest wins a pass perk or voucher for Buy 4 get One half off cup of cooler water from the VIP Lounge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted June 5 Author Share Posted June 5 A couple of possibilities with this “no announcement announcement:” - “We know you know it’s testing. Don’t read too much into that.” - “This ride will not be open for Coastermania.” - “The fix didn’t have the desired results.” For the sake of both Cedar Point and Zamperla, I hope it opens soon. Additionally, for the same reason, I hope this doesn’t happen again. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 ^ I'm thinking the "announcement" was due to CM. If the new parts come back off the trains, that's going to be a red flag for opening anytime soon. It's not exactly encouraging it has not tested more (which I'm assuming due to lack of video). The social media monsters are losing their minds over the downtime. The Zamperla blame game is rampant. Suddenly everyone forgot about new ride issues with: Intamin, Arrow Dynamics, RCCA, Huss, S&S..... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DispatchMaster Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 3 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said: - “The fix didn’t have the desired results.” This seems most likely, given that the ride was testing for a couple nights, after which all activity stopped and there's been no testing since. 11 minutes ago, Browntggrr said: If the new parts come back off the trains I think, considering the wheel bogies were prototypes, and didn't fix the issue, there was no use in removing them. Presumably there were sensors affixed to them that gave them all the info they needed. Bummer for CM, but in a few seasons this will all be a distant memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 ^ The "first generation" wheel bogies were quickly removed in anticipation for the revised parts currently on the trains. Not sure why that process would change now if the revision(s) were not operating as intended and a 3rd revision is on the horizon. Although I'm totally speculating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 52 minutes ago, Browntggrr said: The social media monsters are losing their minds over the downtime. The Zamperla blame game is rampant. Suddenly everyone forgot about new ride issues with: Intamin, Arrow Dynamics, RCCA, Huss, S&S..... As someone utterly fascinated by amusement park history, the specific history of all the coasters that have crossed the 100 mph mark comes to mind. All of them have had major issues getting open and/or staying open. Superman: The Escape and Tower of Terror had major power issues due to LSM's beings so new and the weight of the cars, I read Superman required its own line off the California power grid which was mind boggling at the time. For the S&S attempts- I'm not privy to Dodonpa but I'm sure it had issues given how Hypersonic went and has been dismantled, and Ring Racer was blowing air compression tanks. TTD and Kingda Ka- cable snaps, overheating wheels, the TTD incident which led to TT2 Formula Rossa launches straight into trims because even with its giant layout, the curves are still too tight for the necessary G force requirements to riders, also requires goggles to ride due to sand particles flying into your face at 150 mph I'm really, really skeptical about Falcon's Flight. I think it has the potential to be to Intamin what X was to Arrow. I don't think the industry has really got a lock on how to do coasters over 100 mph. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DispatchMaster Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 23 minutes ago, Browntggrr said: Not sure why that process would change now... If memory serves, the Original Recipe(R) bogies were removed upon the initial closure of the ride, and the replacements were not installed until some time later, once Zamperla was back on site. If that is, indeed, the case, I suspect they were removed and shipped back to Zamperla for analysis - NDT/ultrasonic testing, micrography, etc. - so as to inform of possible solutions to the issue. One explanation for why they wouldn't remove these prototype bogies is that they already know the original failure mode, and have those bogies to reference. Also, it's reasonable to assume that, given the original bogies lasted quite some time before showing an issue, the prototype bogies were not cycled nearly enough to exhibit the same symptoms/issue. And continuing with that assumption, those bogies were fitted with sensing equipment that told them all they need to know about the design, so no need to get them back to Italy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 ^ if the failure was indeed vibration fatigue (Silver2005 brought up a great point of coasters hitting the 100mph mark and the numerous issues- and my belief vibration fatigue was likely a major culprit in each example), any type of NDT testing would not be necessary. The pics of the test tape rub marks exclude part failure but rather part design is the culprit. The original bogies could not be adjusted to prevent vibration. It would be interesting to know if the bogies were aluminum like the chassis or steel. Thinking deeper- the revised bogies are "beefier" than the original and the revised parts are still intact makes me believe more parts for the bogies are necessary and Zamperla was testing last week w/o more parts in hopes to get TT2 up and running without compromising safety. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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