TTD Will Live!

[Andy_q69]

This just in from Cedarpoint.com: 07/05/03 Dear Valued Guest, Happy Independence Day Weekend! Cedar Point's newest roller coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, is scheduled to be in operation again beginning this weekend. As I can confirm from personal experience, Top Thrill Dragster is an absolutely amazing ride, and I know many of you are looking forward to riding our strata-coaster, the tallest and fastest roller coaster on Earth. With any new ride, especially one this complex, there is always a break-in period. Although Top Thrill Dragster is scheduled to be in operation, it is likely the ride may experience intermittent down time for adjustments, fine-tuning and needed maintenance. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I hope to see you on the midway this summer. Sincerely, CEDAR POINT Daniel R. Keller Vice President and General Manager P.S. - We are making you aware of this situation on our website because of the extreme interest in Top Thrill Dragster. For more updates on the park, we invite you to call our information line at 419-627-2350 daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wo0ties! We hope it doesn't break down ever again!

[Flea]

We hope it doesn't break down ever again!

And let's hope pigs will fly! It's obvious that more major breakdowns will occur once again, I'm afriad that TTD is one pre-mature ride. More extensive testing was needed before opening, much like disney is running tests for months with their new ride (Mission: Space at Epcot). Hopefully, this will put a big blow on all types of theme parks to run extensive tests with their new prototype before opening it to the public. ~Liam

[Richard]

These delays really aren't anything out of the ordinary. It might be for Cedar Point, but that is because this is their first truly ambitious project (Magnum and Millennium Force, despite being the first to reach their respective heights, weren't exactly leaps and bounds over the previous record holders). Superman: The Escape didn't open until a year after it was expected to because of technical difficulties, and Tower of Terror was two months (Intamin worked out what was wrong, applied it to TOT, then once it worked took it to SFMM). There's more recent examples with the radical design of X that took around six months (or more?) to just get the ride barely running, and is still down every Wednesday for maintenance. Essentially, I think that's the way this industry works. The designers can't keep up with the parks who always want the most different and most extreme ride able to be thought up (last week I was writing travel brochures, this week it seems I'm narrating a coaster special on Discovery). The cost of this is downtime and technical issues (and tires being flung off rides), but once the first troublesome season is over, I think it has paid off.

[joz]

I think the fact that its nearly up and running is a testament to Intamin's determination. After the problems that Wicked Twister, Goliath, Millennium Force, ToT, Xcelerator, S:TE, every Impulse ever created, S:ROS, Giant Drop and their restraint system have had, you'd think that they'd just stop making coasters and start making something easy. But to their credit, they keep on trying to manufactur things that they aren't in the least bit skilled in. No wonder parks keep asking them to build rides :?

[Richard]

Well, we've had discussions before on our different opinions about Intamin. No need to go over that. The fact is, there must be more to the company that makes parks go for them. They're generally accepted as equally as smooth as B&M, and far more intense. Their coasters are significantly cheaper. I think that most (if not all) of their problems come from their computer systems/PLCs, which are made in-house. And in defence of a few of them: Millennium Force's cable incident was predicted. The cable (not made by Intamin) had a designated lifespan of something like two years. Wear was noted well before the incident, so they quickly ordered a new one. Instead of shutting the ride, they took their chances, keeping it open for Millennium Mania, the major coaster event to be held later that week at the park. The Darien Lake incident was caused by the guy being over 300lbs. I seem to recall something from Intamin around the time of the Perilous Plunge incident (which falls into this same defence) that Intamin's restraints are designed to hold a person of a maximum of 225lbs. This would have been the parks fault for allowing the man to ride. What was the issue with Goliath (SFH)? I don't recall anything. And they're a heck of a lot more skilled at producing coasters than any company, bar B&M, and their range of rides is second to no other company (an entire park could easily be Intamin).

[beetlecoaster]

It's risky to go to the USA only for that coaster. If I had the chance I would wait untill next year, when the coaster is tested enough and most problems will be gone.

[joz]

Goliath, had some minor structural problems requiring some of the supports to be strengthened (inference, not fact. Perhaps one of our European guests could help ). I'm not against Intamin, they make some pretty cool rides, but my personal opinion is that they aren't reliable enough, and unfortunatly, the Intamin rides on the Gold Coast don't seem to go against that. Plus to make things more confusing, the Gold Coast's Vekoma's, Arrows and in-house productions are more reliable. BTW, I was actually talking about the brake failure on S:ROS rather then the fat guy getting ejected: I just thought I'd put that under a broad "restraint system" heading. Although, to be fair, Intamin isn't the only company to have had a station brake failure.

[beetlecoaster]

Goliath, had some minor structural problems requiring some of the supports to be strengthened (inference, not fact.  Perhaps one of our European guests could help ). I'm not against Intamin, they make some pretty cool rides, but my personal opinion is that they aren't reliable enough, and unfortunatly, the Intamin rides on the Gold Coast don't seem to go against that.  Plus to make things more confusing, the Gold Coast's Vekoma's, Arrows and in-house productions are more reliable. BTW, I was actually talking about the brake failure on S:ROS rather then the fat guy getting ejected: I just thought I'd put that under a broad "restraint system" heading.  Although, to be fair, Intamin isn't the only company to have had a station brake failure.

That's right, some had to be strengthened. But it was Intamin who tried to do something else with the supports. Not Werner Stengel as much people think. But some other coasters still have the supports as Goliath had before they were strengthened. They run without any problems. So Goliath just needs more strength then they thought.

[Andy_q69]

beetle, have you rode Goliath in SFMM? If so, which is better, GOliath in SFMM or SFH (If you have rode it there also which I am assuming you have)?

[beetlecoaster]

beetle, have you rode Goliath in SFMM? If so, which is better, GOliath in SFMM or SFH (If you have rode it there also which I am assuming you have)?

I've never been to the USA, so I don't know which is better. But a lot of the people of the ACE that went on the Europe tour say that the Dutch Goliath is much better.

[Andy_q69]

Alright, because one of my friends overseas is making a trip to Holland and he wanted to know if to go or not because he wanted to ride Goliath there. So thanks for that, I'll tell him :mrgreen:

[rappa]

beetle, have you rode Goliath in SFMM? If so, which is better, GOliath in SFMM or SFH (If you have rode it there also which I am assuming you have)?

Ive ridden Goliath at SFMM several times and I can tell you its one full on coaster. That first drop is intense and its the only ride ever to get me to black out on that huge spiral at the end!!

[Andy_q69]

Yeah, I've heard a lot of people have blacked-out on that last helix/spiral bit.

[Ian]

yeah that helix was so intense on my face when I was last a SFMM

[Andy_q69]

Going back to the TTD topic, TTD has removed the tyres, etc from the back or the train! http://dprintonline.com/new_page_2.htm ^^Photos BTW, is it true? What do you think? Is it just a dud or someone pulling a prank?

[Flea]

No, it is true. Apparently, the theming on the trains were adding weight to the train, therefore causing malfunctions (according to other forums). That black box is the attachment used for the theming (once again, according to other forums) which could mean the theming will live again, once this 'weight distrubition' is sorted out. ~Flea

[joz]

That and the themeing was flying off at high speed :|

[beetlecoaster]

It were already fake tires, but if they are going to put new ones back, which are lighter, than they will look even more fake :? But if it solves some problems it's ok.