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SOB closed for the season?


SkootersFan
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I am hoping that PKI can get the kinks worked out of SOB and if that means new trains, new track, and reworking the support system then I bet we see it in time. PKI will get it right and SOB still has great potential. I love the ride, but can only imagine how amazing it would be if it were as smooth as Raven, Gwazi, Legend, or even Ghost Rider. Just imagine that ride.
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Okay did SOB have track work this past off season? Its a good ride I just don't think that wooden coasters should go that fast. The last ride I had on SOB I was in the front seat it keep jumping up off the track and hitting hard back on the track four times. Everone tould the people running the ride when we got off they said yeah its rough. The area that this happend was after the loop.

Also did someone also post about this in this past off season?

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Yeah, there is a recorded spiel that plays periodically in the station. Jeff is the one saying it and it goes something along the lines of "The Son of Beast is a forceful, turbulent roller coaster with quick turns and sudden drops. Guests with recent back, neck or bone injuries should not ride."

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Vortex, to my knowledge, the park has done track work every off season on Son of Beast since it opened. PKI prides themselve in maintaining their wooden coasters. While Son of Beast is rough, they are continuing to work on it to make it smoother. As the old saying goes, a wooden coaster is always under construction.

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Yeah, there is a recorded spiel that plays periodically in the station. Jeff is the one saying it and it goes something along the lines of "The Son of Beast is a forceful, turbulent roller coaster with quick turns and sudden drops. Guests with recent back, neck or bone injuries should not ride."

"in case you missed the fun and safety guidelines up front, the Son of Beast is a high speed, forceful, turbulant roller coaster ride with quick turns and sudden drops. People with existing, or prior, back neck or bone problems, recent surgery or illness, pregnancy, high blood pressure, heart condition or any other condition should refrain from riding, the Son of Beast. if you have any questions, please ask a ride attendent"

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Wow. You could use some better sentence structure in that post. As has been discussed before, they did not run a Racer train on Son of Beast. (Not to mention that all four Racer trains are still on the tracks of that ride). But PKI`s PTC trains use electric strikes on the sides of the trains to lock and unlock the lapbars. Son of Beast`s trains, llike most of the steel coasters at PKI, use bars that rise underneath the trains to release the bars. (They can be unlocked by the operators stepping on pedals in the rear of the train. If they ever were to run PTC`s on Son of Beast, they would have to buy PTCs that have that type of locking mechanism, or retrofit the station.

IMO, the trains themselves are not the reason for the bad experience. It also has to do with the track and the way the train jackhammers on the track in certain spots. With the amount of money PKI has spent on Son of Beast, I`m sure they will continue to wokr on it, to make it a more enjoyable ride for the general public. They want to be able to see some return on their investment. However, it may reach a point when they throw in the towel. I don`t forsee that heppening in the very near future though!

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eh- but they're fun to read.

about SOB... honestly, and it would take a smarter chimp than i to figure this, but is it really the track? even on the lead out from the station you can feel the bumpiness coming. there can't be that much of a speed difference on the helix parts compared to The Beast and it's not as bad. could it be that the suspension on the trains is so tight that makes it seem harsh?

I love the imposing figure that SOB is upon entering the park. i took some friends from CA to the park this summer and when they saw the mass of lumber shooting 200'+ into the sky they were in awe.

i wish that when they designed it, they used more of the terrain. thats one of the elements that makes The Beast so memorable... going back through the woods, tunnels literally in the ground.

i hope though they do get the kinks worked out and it doesn't follow the unfortunate path of other maintenance plagued coasters.... Bat, Cobra, etc... it's a great addition to the PKI skyline.

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Yes, tunnels would improve the "experience" of the ride. But they would not improve the roughness or smoothness of the ride, which in a lot of people`s opinions, is a big problem. I`m sure the park won`t add tunnels to Son of Beast, when they can spend the money on trying to fix the track/trains/structure, to make it a smoother and more enjoyable ride for the general public.

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Well, according to what Jeff said, they plan to do a lot of extra track work this season. Because of the hot summer (something like 28 days where the temperature was 90 or above as compared to only like 4 days in 2004) the track took a beating. When it is how out, the wood expands, and is more susceptible to fatigue. He also mentioned that with preparations for Winterfest, they have less of an offseason to complete their winter maintenance of the rides. (That is why Adventure Express and Vortex are down to two trains.)

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Well, according to what Jeff said, they plan to do a lot of extra track work this season. Because of the hot summer (something like 28 days where the temperature was 90 or above as compared to only like 4 days in 2004) the track took a beating. When it is how out, the wood expands, and is more susceptible to fatigue. He also mentioned that with preparations for Winterfest, they have less of an offseason to complete their winter maintenance of the rides. (That is why Adventure Express and Vortex are down to two trains.)

I see I forgot they had less of a off season with Winter Fest coming back. Also wonder how much of HB land will be up during Winter Fest?

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