Dragster May Close for Rest of Season

But to tell you the truth, I did step foot in Cedar Point without Dragster working and it was still great. They still have so many roller coasters to keep you occupied and I didn't even get through the big six.

I don't think Cedar Point is going down. It's one thing when it's the park's fault that the roller coaster is malfunctioning but when it's the manufacturers, thats different.

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Ohio State, here I come!

That would be my guess. I've gotten the impression from here and other sources that the troubles are mostly in the hydraulics. I can't imagine that they would need to tear the whole thing down and start all over.

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Awww, bad day? Take a different perspective on things. Try upside down, a barrel roll, a cobra roll or a corkscrew. Life can't be all that bad when your feet are over your head!

I'm sure she was just talking about the hydraulics. Keep in mind the story was in the Blade, "One of America's Worst Newspapers."

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-Chris Woodard
"We got pop and Gatorade over here for $100 a bottle, so have your credit card ready. Seriously, the food here is so expensive, I just eat the condiments because I can't afford a meal." - MF que DJ 6/16/03

That would be sad, but I would have no problem with Cedar Point having to close down the ride until next year. If that's what they have to do to get it run more efficiently, than it is in everyone's best interest.

Hopefully they will still have something new for next year also.

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Life has it's ups and downs, might as well make it on a coaster!

Come on guy's, Dragster reopened next year ? It's already open, and I 've had the luck to ride it on June 2.

If CP has to refresh the oil every week, they will do.

On June 3 people wait the whole day, and were sitting in the station for ours, but at the end of the day everybody who was in line get a front seat place, and they launched several trains while the line was closed. I don't think that the problems are so bad. It will be operating soon, believe me.

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onridepics.com

If the engine is too far gone (slowly tearing itself apart) could CP run this engine (after doing whatever maintenence work has to be done) until it dies or until the offseason?

who said the engine is gone???, as of yet its just contaminated oil, although that might lead to a deteriating (sp?) engine, as far as i know the engine is still in great condition

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TTD=7(frontseat=2)absoulutely amazingWT=38MIlle=67
MagnumDan siteings this year=8

I don't believe he said anything about the engine gone. He just implied the example of it starting to run down. But I don't think CP would take a chance with that happening.

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Wanna Get High? Ride Top Thrill Dragster!
RIP Top Thrill Dragster Themeing, who lies here in pieces on June 26, 2003.

Rebuilding the ride? Why would they want to do that? It's not the ride's structure is in trouble. The track isn't falling apart. I'll have to say that "scenario" is at the very end of the list.

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AKA Cobraroller on Cbuzz

The Cedar Point / Intamin relationship is amazing and I hope that they keep experimenting with new ideas and keep pushing the envelope, cause I still see something as Top Thrill Dragster being a huge success.

The best thing that can happen are these malfunctions or mechanical problems, they are probably caused by new innovations that give us an experience like none other before it. We need to trust that this ride will not only run efficiently, day to day and season to season, but it will allow the rides of the future to use the technology created. Rides will only get better, not worst from these errors.

So it is true that we are sad Top Thrill Dragster is not currently running and most of us don't have a clue what is going on. We just have the information that was passed on by another person. The information that gets more elaborate, more specific, more dynamic through the many people who tell it in different ways.

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Life has it's ups and downs, might as well make it on a coaster!

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Jeff said:

And you don't jack about the park's bottom line.

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Nice. Isn't this the forum that seems to be more about punctuation and grammar (as a disguise to hide opposition) than Cedar Point.

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aIrtIme'S oVeRrAtEd...

I am saying if the engine has suffered too much internal damage and it was determined to be safe to use it until it just fails (doesn't launch or get up to speed to get over the top..) it would be logical to run the ride on this engine until the offseason if possible.. The only thing I'm not sure about is what it would do if it failed as I said.. I would assume sensors would cut it off and everything would be fine.

In my opinion, I would rather have TTD closed for the season and re-open next season. If this is so, then the reliability is sure to go up and downtime should go down.

Every new ride at Cedar Point always experiences downtime...a few examples are Wicked Twister, in 2002, when I went to Cedar Point, it was closed, they were re-adjusting the seating due to guests complaints. Then, Millennium Force, which experienced a day of downtime because the lift hill system wasn't operating right, in 2000. (Those were only when I was at the park, I am sure they experienced much more downtime than that.)

An article from the Toledo Blade proclaimed that trains were not making it over the hill, without the use of the safety measures, which is not good... and also a cable snapped in May, My trip to Cedar Point will be in August, so I am praying, and have my fingers crossed that everything will work out.

And this, for those of you who didnt know, is about the 2002 ride that collapsed...

In March, 2002, Cedar Point dismantled its VertiGo thrill ride, which had collapsed in the winter. VertiGo opened in August, 2001. One of three 265-foot posts that supported the ride snapped about 65 feet up on Jan. 14, sending a 200-foot section of steel crashing down.

Not making it over the hill is a perfectly natural occurance on TTD. That line was just the Blade trying to accredit more problems to the ride than what it actually had.

Yes, the article did mention VertiGo's collapse, but that was a very freak accident. It fell because of a very rare natural phenomenon that happens to steel. Once again, the Blade adding unnecessary drama.

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-Chris Woodard
"We got pop and Gatorade over here for $100 a bottle, so have your credit card ready. Seriously, the food here is so expensive, I just eat the condiments because I can't afford a meal." - MF que DJ 6/16/03

Playa, M Force was actually very reliable its first year. The only time that I was aware that it was shut down all day in its first season was the roll back because of a wind gust. If what you say is true than it was down twice for an entire day in 2000. Otherwise it would only have intermittant breakdowns (usually involving the computer or wheel replacement) and would be down for an hour or so at the most. So if you went to CP that year specifically to ride M. Force you most likely would get to ride it(GASP, people do that? I guess so if Mr. Kinzel indicates they do, why else would a park build a new ride?) So I dont think you can include it in your breakdown theory

I have been to the Point twice this year and didnt get to ride Dragster. I think if they cannot get it running with any type of reliability as a result of the current problems I would agree that shutting it down for the year is the best move. I was going to have to take alot of extra time and expense to be able to get back down there this year and YES I would have been doing that to ride Dragster specifically. But if that happens I can just wait until next year, will be easier anyway.

But here is something to consider. What if they do shut it down for the season. Then next season it opens and has just as many problems? I honestly dont know how some of you would be able to defend CP and Intamin like they are a relative at that point. I hope it doesnt happen, but this thing has been a nightmare for everyone CP, Intamin and the public and continued problems at that stage would be a complete disaster. I would think lawsuits might start flying at that point because they would have a 25 million dollar nightmare on their hands.
*** This post was edited by CPTwister 6/29/2003 11:02:56 AM ***

CP, I do believe the cable on MF snapped the first year, so I think it is valid. Also, keep in mind, even if Dragster does close (officially) for the rest of the season, I would bet dollars to donuts all involved will continue working on it. Given Xcelerator works, I would be pretty confident all these issues will get solved - no need to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Tom

The MF cable snap happened in 2001.

Wasnt sure - thanks for the correction - old timers - lol

No problem :)

wow i'm back... after a 5 month absence.... ok so here's my take on it... there's a smaller version at knott's berry farm correct? did that have any problems similar to this?