Another MS rollback?

One Question ?What is wrong with MS that they need to put the trim brakes? Could someone tell me ?

I was there in May. One day the trims on the first drop were totally off and I had the whole coaster to myself. The mid course trims grabbed hard as always but this ride is incredible with an unencumbered drop. I understand that they need to brake it. I'd rather have a braked ride than not have it to ride at all. I love it. Hopefully they will find a way to let it run fast without being a maintenance nightmare. I know you can do it, Monty!!!
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I think one of em was from Arkansas. Get it?

I missed Coastermania, and therefore Monty's explanation as well. Can someone fill us in?

I really liked Mean Steak up until they started trimming it two years ago. I REALLY hope they find the money at some point to revitalize it if possible.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

Yes, Jeff I have also considered that the structure also have something to do with it so whay is CP too stingy to make it a good ride? If MS is kept as a good ride that is thrilling and smooth wouldn't the lines be longer? I think its a joke when I waited an hour for MF and on the same day waited less than 5 minutes for the front and back seat of MS. If MS gives a smooth fast thrilling ride with some floaters I can be sure that the lines would be at least 20-30 minutes instead of under 5 minutes.

Consider their budget just to maintain it is a half million a year. Now imagine what it would be to renovate it.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"We used to hate people, now we just make fun of them. It's more effective that way." - KMFDM, "Dogma"

...And that's part of the problem. From their perspective it is a bit of a crap shoot. So they spend the money to overhaul the problem bits of the ride so that it can run properly. They have no guarantee of success, and no guarantee that it will do anything to reduce the maintenance costs for the ride in the future. In fact, apparently the modifications they have made since the ride was built haven't cut their maintenance costs much.

Of course, if they could get the ride overhauled to the point where it doesn't tear itself apart, and doesn't roll back because it's running too slow, and doesn't beat up the riders, there would be a reduction in their maintenance costs. But it isn't guaranteed. And getting to that point is going to be expensive.

Don't you just love bean counting?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Very true. Wooden coasters are VERY expensive to maintain. But I'm looking at the big picture here. They are spending half a million a year on a ride that has lost it's popularity. Only the true die hards still ride it (and yes, I'm one of them).

Wouldn't it make sense to put some of their other operational money into fixing it up to make it popular again? I know I'll get blasted for this, but I'd prefer they spent some money renovating MS than putting in something else.

I guess, as Dave says, it's a crapshoot as to whether renovation would drop maintenance costs or not. But I can't see it being more expensive to maintain if they can fix it so it doesn't tear itself apart.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead
*** This post was edited by OldCPer 7/2/2002 4:23:06 PM ***

I won't blast you guy. One of these mornings they're going to wake up and realize that this thing is really becoming a pain in the old behind.

I just don't think they're at that point yet. When it starts hitting them in the pocketbook for more than what they want it to, then you'll see some action.

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I was super before Superstew was cool!

It is already more than what they want it to, they just wont do anything about it. Really, who wants to spend that much money to maintain a coaster? Eventually they will have paid just as much to maintain it as they did when they bought it.

Maybe if we complain a lot they will fix the stupid thing lol.

BTW, I still ride her even if she is busted.

Sorry, but I don't see the point in riding Mean Streak anymore. There's no airtime, no anything special. It's just bumpy and goes "fast." (please note the quotes before you say somthing stupid)

If the track were reworked and millennium flyer trains were put on those two sad, pitiful rails I'd be a Mean Streak fan again. But, alas, that doesn't seem to be happening yet.

Another option, turn Mean Streak into a wooden steelie like Gemini. Just plop some Arrow mine trainesque track on there and get some new trains and there you go! A boring ride, yes, but it'd be more worthwhile than it is now.

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- The Darling one
The closest I'll ever get to riding a B&M Flyer is looking down while on Raptor... :(

I love the idea of Millennium Flyer seats. They articulate better in the tight turns so I've read. Are they padded, or that awful form fitted stuff? Never had the chance to try one out. They look excellent. Open front and all. I also vote for the Intamin track, but with steel wheels instead of poly wheels, and an 80 degree first drop. Deepening all of the shallow boring drops (after mid-course) would be nice too. I get sad when I walk past it at night after the park closes. It's so awesome looking. But that's about it. I loved it the first year. I trust they'll rebuild it some day. They are good about recycling at CP, and turning dead space into revenue.

I think the best idea yet is the Arrow track. Aside from purchasing the track and new trains what other work would have to be done?

The arrow track would smooth things out. Maybe perhaps the reason that the maintenance is so high on MS is because when the trains go at full speed the shaking and bumpiness literally shake the ride apart. Making it run on tube track would alleviate most of that. Although I wouldn't be impressed if they used mine trains! CP will do something with this ride. I am sure they know the issues we have with it and they track how many riders are on it each day/hour/week/month/year. They can ridership going downhill.

But what good will trains do? If it's a structural problem, you can put backward bobsleds on it and it wouldn't matter.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"We used to hate people, now we just make fun of them. It's more effective that way." - KMFDM, "Dogma"

Actually, in this case, the Millennium Flyer trains might help to some degree since they are single bench trains and they navigate turns and twists so nicely. This might help to keep the shaking down and keep the structure from being beaten on so much by the "fast" three bench trains rattling around. Think of how nicely a single bench Raptor train traverses curves as compared to the three bench Magnum or two bench Corkscrew trains - it's kind of the same concept. Lightning Racer at Hershey was all I needed to see how cool these trains are. Unfortunately, it was my understanding that GCI only built them for GCI coasters. :(
-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew

I heard that Intamin said that some rides aren't even structurally fit for their new type of track. So it may not even be possible from an engineering standpoint.

But what if the problem isn't shaking (I don't buy that it is). What if the deflection caused by a passing train is putting stress on the structure in a detrimental manner?

The reason I bring that up is because I'm reasonably certain the ride didn't open with the metal braces along high stress points in the track. See the climb out of the first drop and the valley of the third to see what I mean.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"We used to hate people, now we just make fun of them. It's more effective that way." - KMFDM, "Dogma"

You are right Jeff. I just looked at all the photos I took of it the year it opened, and they were not there. In fact if I look at shots I took every year thereafter, you can see what was added along the way. The banking on the second and third hills seems a little different too, and the third hill was much higher. I think they added structural support to the track from the 1st drop all the way through the turnaround that passes through the lift, over the years. I once read an interview with either Mr. Dinn, or Mr. Summers, (sorry 'bout my memory) and they were not happy with having to build it. I think the problem was described as not enough room to spend the energy correctly. I could go through my storage and dig it all up........If you look at Mean Streak from above, it's almost a double out and back twisted into a small circle.

I could see them thinking that. In fact, I was thinking it a couple of weekends ago when I realized, standing from the ground, just how high up the final brakes are. It's really up there.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"We used to hate people, now we just make fun of them. It's more effective that way." - KMFDM, "Dogma"

I agree with Jeff. I think the ride is structurally weak and I doubt new trains would make much of a difference.

As for fixing the problem, I am not sure what Cedar Point can do--if anything--to return this ride to its original "glory." Some of the suggestions given here are almost comical. (My personal favorite is when people mention retrofitting the structure with steel rails.) Whatever the case, my suggestion involves razing the monstrosity. I know this seems like giving up, but if the structure is weak and no one rides the ride, then what is the point in making tortured attempts to maintain it? In its current incarnation, Mean Streak is an aesthtically pleasing, unridable coaster taking up a huge plot of land in a section of the park that is in dire need of a major attraction to help even out the crowds throughout the rest of the park. I think they could spare the coaster count thing for one year, tear down the ride (and this could be done during the operating season because of its huge infield and lack of proximity to other attractions) and build something else...perhaps something using the same materials. I dunno. All suggestions seem like a crapshoot, but I am under the impression that the ride is beyond repair.

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I am still the Geminazi!

rawr!

I'm starting to think that way as well. Sure it might have been an expensive mistake, but at what point do you stop spending all that money on a ride that gives fewer rides per year than Mine Ride? I understand it's a vital piece of the skyline, but a nice 120-foot range CCI could look amazing out there, just ask anyone who has been on Shivering Timbers.

I don't know what the breaking point for Cedar Point will be. Some people might attribute the ride's lack of popularity to location, but even then, it's not like you could pick it up and move it to the front of the park.

What concerns me more than anything is that the park's management seems to have a really negative opinion about wood coasters in general, just because of Mean Streak. I mean, there are some positives (Dick Kinzel roaming the park in a Ghostrider jacket certainly is a good thing), but overall you bring up wood coaster and the reaction isn't good.

If they rode an Impulse and said, "we need one of those," they need to go to Holiday World and say, "we need one of those."

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"We used to hate people, now we just make fun of them. It's more effective that way." - KMFDM, "Dogma"