Cedar Point Announces New Water Ride for 2010 Season

I agree. The site looks amazing. They've done a great job on it.

^^ I am going to hold you to that Adam come opening day! ;)

It looks as though the main block of queue lines are on the opposite side of the train tracks, yet I don't see a bridge over the tracks. Any idea how well the line will function with tracks bisecting it?

I believe they did something similar originally for Mantis, but I never visited the park prior to them switching it. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I would assume just like that, it will eventually change to a bridge over the tracks.

Speaking of the original failure at Mantis, any pictures of how that looked? Where was the line originally starting?

Glad to see they switched up the color on SRF this year with it's new paint job! More rustic feeling and it fits in with the surroundings much better than it did previously!

Here Corey, these are a couple pics I could find. Not the best but you know.
http://rcdb.com/7.htm?p=34

http://www.mrsmcelwee.com/coaster/graphics/mantis.jpg

http://www.idexter.com/coasters/parks/cedar_point/mantis/mantis_pho...tis_15.jpg

The first one is perfect, thanks.
I see them adding a bridge for STR in a couple years. I'm all for an Equal Opportunity Rider system, but it's just not going to happen here.

One thing I have always been curious about was why they decided to have the entrance for Mantis cross the tracks. Why not have it originally do what it does now?

EvilChameleon09 said:
...

Speaking of the original failure at Mantis, any pictures of how that looked? Where was the line originally starting?

I don't have any pictures of it. But I believe the original Mantis entrance had a much smaller area for the crossing of the tracks than what I see compared to the latest STR construction photo for the STR crossing. The original entrance for Mantis started in the Millennium plaza (on the inside of the tracks) opposite to the Melinium entrance just in line to the left of the first loop on Mantis as you face the tracks and the lagoon. (They used to set up temporary queues in the plaza for Mantis when it was new, similar to how they did for Millennium.).

Here are my 2 cents on why the crossing of the tracks did not work so well for Mantis:
1) The area to cross the tracks was very small and had little extra room to move people out of the way for an oncoming train if the line was backed up and not moving.

2) The crossing did not use a train crossing style gate and bell that people associate with rail road crossings. The gates were manual stainless steel queue rail gates that the attendant has shut (on both sides) each time a train would approach.

3) The warning bell for the attendant would go off LOOOONG before the train would be anywhere close to where people in line could hear it and/or see it. You would swear that they had the sensor on the tracks probably about where the new crossing for STR is now. (I saw multiple times in the old Mantis entrance line when people would crowd onto the small crossingon the tracks like cattle, the line would stop, the train alarm for thecrossing attendant would go off and people would stand there on thetracks when the attendant would try their darnedest to get people offthe tracks, but people would be confused as to "what train? I don't see any train". The attendant could not close the gates because people were still stuck on the track and then the trains would have to stop on the tracks before the crossing not to hit people when they would finally see it and try to cram into the crowded queues of either side to get out of the crossing.)

4) The proximity of the Mantis crossing was very close to the existing main walkway crossing into the plaza and the attendant could hear the train alarm buzzer for Mantis crossing (along with the buzzer for their crossing) and sometimes confuse the 2 if they had a brain fart, which would cause a huge crowd on the main walkway on either side of the crossing. Mantis's train approaching buzzer went off long before the main walkway one.

I think the STR crossing will work out better than Mantis:
A) The crossing area is much larger than what Mantis had and they have enough room it looks that they could put up train style crossing gates. More importantly, there is more buffer room to move people off of the tracks than Mantis ever had.

B) I suspect they put the train approaching sensor much closer to the crossing than what they did on Mantis so that people will be hearing/seeing the train much sooner (and want to get off the tracks) from when the attendant does their spiel to get out of the crossing.

skiboi007 said:Here are my 2 cents on why the crossing of the tracks did not work so well for Mantis

It only requires one cent: It was a dumb idea:)

Really though, it was dumb and that is why I have always wanted to know why they did it. It requires more staffing just to have it that way than doing it the way it currently is. Dumb idea all around.

^ Are you sure there is even one cent there? Wouldn't it just be 1/2 a cent then? :)

Unfortunately a bridge will never be built over the train tracks for STR.

Look at this picture: http://pointbuzz.com/Photos/Photo.aspx?id=7178&tag=cple

There are probably many reasons a bridge was not/will never be built:

1.) The bridge would need to be very high (atleast 15 feet) so that the train could clear it (See picture). This is probably one of the biggest reasons, because a ramp would have to be built (which would take up a lot of space) so that special access guests could reach the ride (this is required by law, all guests must have access to the ride otherwise there would be a class-action law suit filed against the park for discrimination against guests with disabilities)

2.) You must also remember that the CPLE train is a coal operated train. Imagine standing on a bridge as the train passes underneath you and being sprayed with extremely hot, black soot.... this would be disasterous!

I was just recently at Busch Gardens Tampa. They have a bridge over their train track in the Stanleyville section of the park. This is the only type of bridge that would ever be able to be built, and it is extremely large, and the train travels underneath it like a tunnel. (could not find a picture)

I would imagine the crossing for STR will be a crossing similar to the other ones throughout the park, complete with drop-down gates. Though this will probably be a very chaotic operation- it is really the only option they had.

Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure people in wheelchairs will be so pissed that they will sue the park because they can't get their wheelchairs wet.

EvilChameleon09 said:
Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure people in wheelchairs will be so pissed that they will sue the park because they can't get their wheelchairs wet.

That doesn't make any sense.

If you were in a wheelchair, would YOU want it wet the entire rest of the day?

Walt that's a good picture you took of CP & LE railroad.

Do like Disney does and go under the tracks. Sure sounds cheap :)

edit: Oops.. I mean, bring back the Frontier Lift, and have the station at STR.

Really though, it was dumb and that is why I have always wanted to know why they did it. It requires more staffing just to have it that way than doing it the way it currently is. Dumb idea all around.

From what I could gather they wanted to have space for the overflow queue to handle the larger opening year crowds. The Frontier Trail side of the tracks had more space than the current entry/exit area.

Eh, the plaza where the entrance is at now might not be that wide, but its very long, more than enough room to accommodate overflow queue. Even if the park was expecting big enough crowds that would warrant extra queue, I don't see why you would want the mess of using a train crossing just for that.

some of the cool action today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0xnvUBsf7k

They brought the test boat up the second lift.