RollerCoasters

Mind Eraser along with the other rides in the area will be rethemed and to match the reimagined area. The SLC will receive new trains which I'm sure will be a welcome change. They will also be adding a new Nebulaz ride but it does appear that Rodeo (the breakdance) will be removed.

It seems like they are blaming Intamin which I personally find a hard pill to swallow considering CP does the maintenance on the ride, used the wrong grade of hardware, and had been using a third party (A3 Tech / Bitech) to supply parts for the coaster.

It'll be interesting to see how the case plays out.

This was taken during the Santa Ana wildfire in 2016.

The document was won at auction and then was subsequently posted to the Internet Archive for the world. It includes what Pixar Pier could have become along with other interesting facts.

Yesterday I got to complete a childhood dream and actually do an entire track walk of a coaster. In Feb there was an ACE event and they had a charity auction which Knoebels put up a maintenance tour and fortunately I had just completely a major project at work and had the funds to compete, lol. Yesterday morning I woke up at 3:30am and drove the 3 hours to meet Jutt (one of the mechanics) at Twister who took me along as he completed his daily track inspection. He was assigned to the last section of track (while others had their own sections) so we slowly walked until we reached the end of the track as he pointed out the things they look for and made the few adjustments that were needed that morning and then once his part was complete we “took the long way home” by continuing backwards through the layout and climbing the first drop up to the top of the lift hill. Words can not describe the energy required to climb a steep drop on a catwalk, lol… but it was such a wonderful experience. They also showed me around the control areas of both Twister and Phoenix and it was incredible the difference of technology being used. Twister still uses it’s original relay based system while Phoenix now has a much newer and extremely advanced PLC system that can track every single aspect of things that you aren’t even aware of.

I think the most impressive thing for me was how much all of the mechanics cared about their rides and the passion they had for their operation. They pointed out a lot of the work that was done including how they added center masts to help support the wood structure to ease maintenance requirements while not taking anything away from the actual ride experience.

Fun fact: Phoenix’s PTC train has a completely wooden frame unlike nearly all of the same PTC buzz bar trains you see on other coasters which have metal chassis frames.

Anyway, I was really focused on the experience more than I was taking pictures but I did take some and, with the park’s permission, I’m sharing them with the world. Hope you enjoy

RMC's new model is a take on the wild mouse

(Skip to 3:48 if the link doesn't work) For context: "Project Horizon" is the code name for Alton Towers upcoming indoor coaster. Additionally, RMC have teased a new family coaster on Twitter which looks like it could go indoors.

....... this is why we can't have nice things

Not a lot of new information being reported but the child that fell from Galaxy Spin at Fun Spot Kissimmee has been released from the hospital which is great news.

The ride will remain the same but will close next week so they can begin rebuilding the center of the ride including the foundation.

Inspired by an Airtime Thrills video on the fifteen biggest coaster buzzkills, what would you consider to be the biggest coaster buzzkills in your opinion?

And how would you rank them from the least awful to the most awful?

This is still a small enough community that I think we can get away with this discussion without a ton of replies that no one reads ;)

What's everyone's top 10 list for coasters? Here's my current top 10:

#1 - Voyage - Holiday World

#2 - VelociCoaster - Universal Studios Islands of Adventure

#3 - Mystic Timbers - King's Island

#4 - El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure

#5 - Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa

#6 - Ravine Flyer II - Waldameer

#7 - Skyrush - Hersheypark

#8 - Twisted Timbers - King's Dominion

#9 - Intimidator 305 - King's Dominion

#10 - Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood

Before anyone asks, yes, I've been to Cedar Point..... SteVe doesn't appear until 22 in my list....

Anyone really looking forward to a specific ride or park that they are planning to go to that they haven't been on/to before?

For me I'm heading to King's Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg this week and I'm super excited to ride the restored Grizzly..... and hopefully, if the gods are willing, I'll finally get on Pantheon which I've been to the park 3 times for and still haven't been able to get on it.

Do you like coasters that launch you at high speeds, or traditional coasters that bring you up the lift hill slowly? Wood vs metal?

My only claim to fame is riding Kingda Ka (tallest coaster... is it still the tallest), don't know that much about coasters except that they're fun!