SOB to reopen

[RailRider]

Where is Maureen when you need her? She could take care of the speculation with just one post, but then again talk like this a great thing for the park. So guess we need to send an email out to the park for an answer about the loop.

[guy1115]

As for GWL. Yes, people were checking in yesterday. They have given away many rooms this weekend to city workers in Mason. I believe it is kinda their dry run.

[PKIDelirium]

With the new Great Wolf road now connecting to where used to be a blocked off service gate, the border is a little dodgy right now. I'm assuming there will be a new gate built to block the service road?

[Snake Attack!]

As for GWL. Yes, people were checking in yesterday. They have given away many rooms this weekend to city workers in Mason. I believe it is kinda their dry run.

Yep that is exactly right

[TOPGUN1993]

Does the Loop sit down in a hole?

[PKIDelirium]

SOB sits down in a valley, so it's hard to see the loop from outside the park, except for certain angles from the parking lot.

[PKIVortex]

I think the loop is still there, until I see up close pictures or a press release. Why remove the best part of the entire ride? It was the smoothest, and it's the only looping wooden coaster. Why rip it of that?

[AZ Kinda Guy]

Theres a pic out there. It's just not making the rounds.

[Gordon Bombay]

^So why dont you point us in the direction of it?

[CYoung2003]

Because my cell phone is'nt easily accessable by the public, thats why

[Cody]

Fly over? weres a plane when u need one...

[fryler87]

There are two main routes here:

1) Keep the loop. Adjust the rolling stock (is this really possible?) and/or retrack the coaster-more. Is this a logical decision if it will need to be done year in and year out? It would cost less than removing the loop and retrofitting regular track in its place, but the cost of retracking would be expensive in the long run.

2) Remove the loop. Put a magnetic trim or two on the 218 ft. main hill and get the train to just gracefully crest the pre-helix hill. Decrease the train's velocity, and you have a smaller force on the track on the bottom of the hill. Remember our favourite equations: PE=mgh, KE=1/2mv^2, F=ma and F=m*v^2/r. Removing some of that energy in the train means lower velocity through the rest of the ride (come now, we've all seen that snap-action deceleration during the brake run at the end of the ride) and lower forces on the track. Lower forces mean less wear and tear on the track, and a drastically reduced jackhammering effect (which is the only thing that keeps me from riding again and again and again). The only disadvantage here would be that removing the loop and rerouting the track (remember, the track into the loop doesn't line up with the track coming out of the loop) would cost a good sum of money and would likely take more than just a few weeks to complete. However, you end up retracking fewer times and have a greatly improved rider experience.

I say take the loop out, reroute the track and get more comfortable trains. It won't be a slim check to write, but I think re-ridership will greatly increase and people will walk off the ride much happier. It would be worth the investment...and yes, it WOULD be an investment!!!

Albeit, this all comes from a second-year Mechanical Engineering student...I don't know anything compared to the people who make the actual decisions.

[StreetStrip03]

Still waiting for some proof, just not some jr high speculation.

(not directed at anybody) Just waiting like the rest of you.

[Shman]

Jr. High speculation?? Maybe you should wait until you are around on the board more than 1 post before you start judging people. Many people on this board have been around/worked for theme parks for 20 or 30 years. There are quite a few people on here who know exactly what they are talking about.

[Captain Picard]

I was thinking about other changes that may need to be done to SoB. After they seen the types of injuries there was after the accident they may have decided that they needed to change the restraints.

If the loop is removed this would be one reason for it as they can't use the type of restraint that is needed.

[The Interpreter]

...or that customers perceive is needed, which can be just as important.

[fryler87]

If you look at Schman's picture from the corner of GWL St. and Columbia Rd., the top of the loop *should* be straight down from a little to the right of the top of Vortex's second hill. After looking at SEVERAL pictures of the ride, it appears that the loop is just a hair shorter than the block before it. (Does anyone have a really good comparison picture? One from the station would be fantastic.) From Schman's picture, the top of the loop either should have shown up in the picture just barely above the tree line, or it DID at one point and the loop is gone. Or maybe the loop is shorter than I think, it's still there, and the top is just below the tree line.

Red circle is where the loop is or should be. The very center of the circle is where the top of the loop should be or exists just below that point. Sue me for infringing on the copyright of the picture.

It's just speculation. But of course, there are a few people here who are apparently allergic to it, so I won't ramble on for too long.

I'm going back to school (UC) for the Xavier game Wednesday and will take a few peeks for myself on the way down.

[CoasterKrazy]

2) Remove the loop. Put a magnetic trim or two on the 218 ft. main hill and get the train to just gracefully crest the pre-helix hill. Decrease the train's velocity, and you have a smaller force on the track on the bottom of the hill. Remember our favourite equations: PE=mgh, KE=1/2mv^2, F=ma and F=m*v^2/r. Removing some of that energy in the train means lower velocity through the rest of the ride (come now, we've all seen that snap-action deceleration during the brake run at the end of the ride) and lower forces on the track. Lower forces mean less wear and tear on the track, and a drastically reduced jackhammering effect (which is the only thing that keeps me from riding again and again and again). The only disadvantage here would be that removing the loop and rerouting the track (remember, the track into the loop doesn't line up with the track coming out of the loop) would cost a good sum of money and would likely take more than just a few weeks to complete. However, you end up retracking fewer times and have a greatly improved rider experience.

Trimming the coaster pre-loop makes sense; reduce the speed, reduce the forces, produce a more comfortable ride. However, this does not necessitate the removal of the loop. The ride was designed in such a way that the train would be able to complete the course after having been stopped at the mid-course brake run. No matter how much the ride is trimmed pre-loop, it will finish the course. Trimming immediately after the mid-course brake run and before the loop may cause need for removal, but why do this? Son of Beast is fine on the straight drops and in the loop. Just trim the ride after the loop, and keep the one good characteristic of the ride in tact.

Tyler, have a great time at the Xavier game! I wanted to get some friends together to go, but students can only get one ticket! And whats the point of going if you sit across the court!

[RailRider]

Finaly someone mentions the mid course brake run. Which leads up to the fact that removal of the loop is not a necessity for the train to complete the circuit, because the train can come to a complete stop through the mid course brakes and still make the remainder of the circuit.

So the only necessary reasson to remove the loop would be for new coaster trains that were unable to negotiate the loop. Now think about this. You are relying on new coaster trains to create a smoother ride, but if the ride is not drastically improved by these trains then what do you have? A bigger rougher version of Mean Streak with no loop. Thats not an improvement and it would surely spell the end of SoB.

Once again the true improvements needed for SoB are coasters trains that are lighter, dont shuffel and can negotiate the loop. Along with retracking the rough areas and either redesigning or reconstructing the support and track sections that are the roughest.

SoB's roughness does not come from its design or engineering, but instead from its construction and the trains designed to navigate its twisted rails. Hence the need for a new set of trains and rebuilding of various areas of the track and structure. The best example to show that the support structure has some issues is the fact that retracking has not led to a smoother ride. Instead the retracking is a quick fix but eventually the support structure makes the ride rough again. Also look at the support structure finally failing and breaking. I think the signs point to the support structure as needing the biggest fix not the loop.

[Reclaimer]

Still waiting for some proof, just not some jr high speculation.

Not a great first post.

[StreetStrip03]

Still waiting for some proof, just not some jr high speculation.

Not a great first post.

Just one that is taken out of context, or that someone who hit the send button faster than me has taken offense to.

Neither one is right. Carry on.

[PKIDelirium]

Well, back in February I was on Columbia Road looking at the Greal Wolf construction, up by where the road dead-ended into the service gate. That is approximately where the new intersection is. I took a photo of SOB from there, and no loop was visible. I don't remember ever being able to see the loop from outside the park, except for a few places in the North end of the parking lot.

[Legend Rider]

this may help someone locate the loop height a bit better...

[RailRider]

I never remember being able to see the loop from outside the park and I use to drive on Columbia every day going to an old job.

Nothing more than a case of offseasson panic

[Reclaimer]

Just one that is taken out of context, or that someone who hit the send button faster than me has taken offense to.

Neither one is right. Carry on.

You may want to establish yourself here before you start telling people what is right or wrong and telling people what to do and insulting people. You'll find we're all pretty nice here at PKICentral, but from your two posts so far, it appears your attitude is more suited to PointBuzz.

[fryler87]

Trimming the coaster pre-loop makes sense; reduce the speed, reduce the forces, produce a more comfortable ride. However, this does not necessitate the removal of the loop. The ride was designed in such a way that the train would be able to complete the course after having been stopped at the mid-course brake run. No matter how much the ride is trimmed pre-loop, it will finish the course.

I thought about this a little while after I made the post, and realized how much of an idiot I probably made of myself. My main issue is with the first helix (and surprise, that's where a problem occurred) and its jackhammering. If trims were put on the hill and the velocity of the first half of the ride was decreased, it'd be MUCH more comfortable to ride. As for removal of the loop, that was more of an idiotic statement. If the block stopped the train, yeah, it would still clear the loop. Here's some wishful thinking: remove the block, reprofile that part, put a bunny dip in and remove the loop. Slow the ride down and it'd be a much more comfortable wooden hypercoaster.

Violating more copyrights...

If you compare the pictures, could that red ellipse be representative of the loop? There's a slight curve in the original picture that looks like it could be the top of the loop. It's just a shim lower than the blocks, so that may be it.

[KIBeast]

In that second pic, that looks like the top of the loop to me. Thoughts?

[RailRider]

I think I see BigFoot in the second pic. Look closely to the dark shadowy figure standing in the field. Who cares about the loop there proof of BigFoot

[Avatar]

No that’s Ronny, he thinks he has Beast like qualities and can blend in. I guess he’s been working to long with Sonny’s father.

carry-on.

[Skywriter]

No that’s Ronny, he thinks he has Beast like qualities and can blend in. I guess he’s been working to long with Sonny’s father.

carry-on.

Lol.