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SoB Opening to be Delayed...


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Not really all that ground breaking news, but it does help confirm and add to some of the speculation that has been going on around here.

Taken from the NoCoasterCon as stated at ScreamScape

A park rep at the No Coaster Con mentioned that Son of Beast would not be ready to open when Kings Island opens for the season. Apparently they were unable to even give an estimate of when it might reopen. Also a rep from PTC also mentioned that the park asked them to create new trains for it, but they had to decline the job because they couldn’t meet the time frame. So I’m curious about who Kings Island may try to get new trains from instead, or if they will just try to modify the existing trains.

So they approached PTC, could they have gone to another manufacturer. Still sticking with Millenium Flyers here.

No big surprise that Sonny wont be open, theres a lot of work to be done there.

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It sucks that PTC declined the job because of the time frame. They build some quality rolling stock. I understand that the park wants SoB open as soon as safely possible, but why half-butt the job? It's an investment...sure, the park would have to wait even longer to open it up, but if better rolling stock makes for the best possible ride, I think it would be worth the wait.

P.S. If the Premier rolling stock is on the track for this season...I will be EXTREMELY reluctant to ride.

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Actually, Son of Beast reopened in late May of last year, not in early June. And did any one actually expect that the ride would be ready to roll on opening day?

Well, if the Premier rolling stock is on the track, I HIGHLY doubt it will be the same configuration as it was last year.

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^Well no but I was really hoping for it to open in the beginning of the season but now we will only be only left guessing about when it will be opening for the season again. :(

I think it will reopen around late june or the middle part of July with good new cars if them know whats right.

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Well hello to everyone, I am new here so i just want to say hi first and nice meeting all of you. :) Now to the S.O.B. situation. I really wanted to ride s.o.b. on opening day just like the rest of the loyal patrons to the park, but if a delay is in the works I respect the parks decision wich is probably based on safety issues. I think it just shows people that the park is taking the safety of the rider as a major concern. This in turn may make even the new riders feel a little more secure for the first time on the ride after the reputation it has been given in the past few years. I kind of see an interesting trade off here though. I am thinking that Cedar Fair may have taken all this into consideration and might have known of the delay in advance and thats when the decision was made to bring the xflight to the park. It is kind of like them saying we are sorry for the situation with the s.o.b. wich is a major thrill ride to the park but as an alternative we would like you to try the new xflight . I really think it was a great business decision on Cedar Fairs part. It really shows what I think will be a company that is willing to go the extra mile to make all things great and great things to come.

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Also, one of the major concerns with the current configuration of Son of Beast is shuffling trains. PTC trains cannot, with the current configuration, take the curves on that or any coaster with sharp lateral angles well, without shuffling even worse than the current Premier rolling stock. Probably about the only coaster trains currently in production that could are those from GCI. And I truly doubt that GCI is interested in producing trains for that coaster...but stranger things have happened.

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I think everyone should be looking not so much for a quick opening, but for all of the problems that have plagued this coaster to be fixed and/or mitigated. If that happens, and SoB can finally run reliably and smoother than it has in the past, I can certainly wait a little while for it to reopen.

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Well, I believe that it was also stated at No Coaster Con that they won`t make a decision on what replaces the loop area until after they select a train manufacturer. That being said, I think the most logical choice, as explained above, would be to simply connect the drop with the ascent into the helix.

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It has me a little concerned that the trains will not be from PTC and now others seem to think they will not be from GCI. You do not think they would actually put Gerstlauer trains on SOB do you? I think that would be a huge mistake. Anyone who has ridden Villain at Geagua Lake would know what I am talking about. I would prefer they keep the Premier trains. Whatever they do, PRAY it is not to use the dreaded Gerstlauer trains...

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It has me a little concerned that the trains will not be from PTC and now others seem to think they will not be from GCI. You do not think they would actually put Gerstlauer trains on SOB do you? I think that would be a huge mistake. Anyone who has ridden Villain at Geagua Lake would know what I am talking about. I would prefer they keep the Premier trains. Whatever they do, PRAY it is not to use the dreaded Gerstlauer trains...

Make a mistake with SOB?

The whole ride has been a mistake.

So why not keep with the record?

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I have ridden Villan. More times than I care to remember. Villan's problems are not with the trains, but rather with the dreadfully poor track maintenance. Twisted Sisters, when it first opened, ran very well indeed with Gerstlauers. And I, for one, much preferred Legend with Gerstlauers.

That all being said, Son of Beast needs trains with far more padding than any Gerstlauer I have ever seen.

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Oh I agee that Villain's problems are not caused by the trains. I was just using it as an example of Gerstlauer trains. As you say, Gerstlauer trains lack padding, and they would be terrible on a coaster as fast as SOB. Your legs tend to rub against the lap bar on both sides, and it can be brutal on a rough wooden coaster. I have experienced this on The Boss at Six Flags St. Louis.

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That sucks SOB is my favorite coaster at PKI. I went last year to the park and without SOB it was boring. I want it reopened and new trains added with padding like The Beast. They added Firehawk and aren't going to reopen it until who knows when? Where did you here this information? It doesn't sound good. They did this with Hercules also at Dorney Park then a few years later they closed the ride.

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