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Diamondback with 4 across trains?


SonofBaconator
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B&M has made hypers with both the standard 4 across as well as the staggered seating. My question is- would Diamondback (heck include Behemoth, Intimidator/Thunder Striker, Shambala, and Steel Dragon 2000 in as well) have a different experience if it (and the latter mentioned coasters) had 4 across trains?

The lack of open-airedness is a given, but would it/they ride any different?

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To me, the 4 across trains keep their speed better than the staggered trains.  I think there may be issues with how the brakes handle that up in speed as well as the momentum they would sustain post-splashdown.  I have Diamondback as my 5th favorite B&M hyper behind Fury, Nitro, Apollo and Bull mostly due to that faster pacing (especially Nitro and Fury).  

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I personally like the staggered trains because they are longer and you get some serious airtime in the back of those super long trains. I do feel like the 4 across trains are faster, but Diamondback isn't meant to be a super fast paced speed ride-that's Orion's job. Diamondback is there for the massive airtime. I wouldn't change a thing on Diamondback. It's perfect and is my all-time favorite hyper!

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Diamondback would be less forceful with the 4-across trains.

The layouts of all modern coasters are initially designed around the forces at the center of the train, so the farther you are from the center (e.g. the front or back rows) the more forceful the ride is. The forces have to stay within certain limits for the ride to be safe, so longer trains require the ride to be more drawn out so the forces at either end stay within the limits. Compare how small the radius of the top of the lift on Orion is compared to Diamondback.

If you swapped out the staggered trains for the 4-across trains, everyone would sit closer to the center of the train, so the ride would be gentler. See also: Voyage being more extreme in the front and back rows with the original 7-car trains than with the current 6-car trains.

The inverse is true with Orion: If you put an 8-car staggered train on Orion, the forces in the front and back would likely be way too high for people to safely ride.

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I like the staggered seating for a few reasons. I am a big fan of the more open-aired feeling. Gives more of a sense of flying over the rails. I like that you have the option to sit directly next to someone or apart. The latter being more true if you're a solo rider and if ride crews are trying to fill seats you don't have to awkwardly sit next directly next to a stranger. 

I can see how both seating styles are relevant to the kind of coaster they are applied to, but I'm glad we have a hyper with a not so common seating arrangement. That's something I find pretty cool about our park. This also applies to Invertigo. While I know many of you are no fans of it, I for one am. And I like it more than a traditional boomerang because of the unique seating. I always choose to sit on one of the ends where I am not facing anyone, but the inverted seating makes for a more intense ride than a traditional boomerang. 

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On 10/30/2025 at 12:17 AM, SonofBaconator said:

Do you mean that the staggered seating allows for a longer, more snakelike train?

No... because the seating layout makes a repeating "diamond" pattern just like a Diamondback Rattlesnake has on its back.  Does no one else get that??

I always assumed that was a HUGE inspiration for the naming of the ride. 

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2 hours ago, Driver8rws said:

No... because the seating layout makes a repeating "diamond" pattern just like a Diamondback Rattlesnake has on its back.  Does no one else get that??

I always assumed that was a HUGE inspiration for the naming of the ride. 

No I ever thought of it like that...I suppose I could see it, but I don't think that was where the inspiration came from for the name.

Here's a Tower Topics video made a while back that talks about it. The history behind the name starts around 5:55.

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On 10/26/2025 at 7:04 PM, Diamondback_Is_King said:

I personally like the staggered trains because they are longer and you get some serious airtime in the back of those super long trains. I do feel like the 4 across trains are faster, but Diamondback isn't meant to be a super fast paced speed ride-that's Orion's job. Diamondback is there for the massive airtime. I wouldn't change a thing on Diamondback. It's perfect and is my all-time favorite hyper!

100% this. You don't get that whip over the airtime hills on a 4-accross train like what they put on Mako and Candymonium

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