Cedar Point Announces New Water Ride for 2010 Season

^ I agree. We need a Gravity Group Woodie. The Voyage (maybe the best wooden roller coaster in the world) was only 6.5 million dollars. Gravity group is ALOT less expensive than GCI. Prowler: 2800 ft. was 8million and Voyage (Gravity Group) was oonly 6.5million and it is 6500 ft of track. I would love to see a gravity group.

Exactly. We have enough steel coasters. We don't have a great woodie. Blue Streak is good, but there are tons of wood coasters out there just like it. GG is a perfect fit.

As far as coasters go, I think it is fairly clear that the only hole is a modern top-notch wooden coaster, which could come from either GG, GCI, or even Intamin. Perhaps the removal of DD is a sign of things to come over the next few years in that area of the park.

Demon Drop Was Just The Beginning.

this ride is not event appealing to me i wouldn't wast my cp time standing in line for it i would rather stand in line for something more thrilling

Maybe because it's a family ride? You know I'm young, but I find it amazing I know what a family ride is compared to others on here who obviously don't.

I do not think it is a family ride. I have seen grown men chicken out on DD. I doubt little kids in families would ride it.

I think STR was being referred to as "family", not DD.

My bad. I thought we were still talking about Demon Drop.

STR steel has arrived.

But holy crap - why the heck are they storing the stuff way out there during the off season?

Holy mother. Is that a magnetic strip down the middle of the track? If it is, that better be for a launch and not a trim brake!

Um, that looks like the upstop rail to me.

I get the middle rail is the up stop... but the white strips down both sides of the rail? Looks like magnets to me. Or is that a track for the up-stop wheels? I wouldn't think a track with holes in it would be a good idea, but that's just me.

Looking good! I already can't wait to ride!

The white strips look to be some sort of nylon (or similar polymer) protective strip - perhaps to protect the guide wheels.

Millennium force has the same white stripes on it's track as well.

See here..... http://pointbuzz.com/Photos/Photo.aspx?id=1268

So does maverick.

Those aren't nylon. If you're referring to the actual tubular track, I believe those strips are simply not painted (or painted with primer or whatever), because the wheels travel there, and the paint would come off anyway (or perhaps interfere with the wheel behavior). The upstop wheels on MF and Maverick are, as with most coasters, on the assemblies that travel on the tubular track.

I'm assuming that the nylon strips on STR's track is to protect the track and/or wheels from damage caused by rubbing, since the upstop wheels run in the center of the track, as opposed to the outside rails.

I would think it would be easier to paint the entire piece as opposed to leaving those small sections (where wheels travel) unpainted. There must be a reason they leave it unpainted. More than the fact that it's going to come off anyway. I would tend to agree with DJ about it possibly being interference with wheel performance. The steel it precisely formed. The extra diameter from the paint (however small) could be the issue.

I was thinking less a physical interference issue than a contact surface friction issue. As in, the wheels may experience more friction on the painted surface, and as the paint wears, the ride dynamics would change. This is all speculation, of course.

What makes it more difficult to speculate, is the fact that not every coaster mfg does this. Most notable, I don't think B&M does this.