If you can't tell by now...

*The white track will be for the tophat; most of the red track is straight and has the brake hardware attached to it.

The white track will not be for the tophat. It will be for the launch. You can see the white posts go to about 1/2 of the arc leading up to the tower. Also, you can see the two pieces of track that are connected together would almost fit perfectly in the middle of the transition from horizontal to vertical. We know the brake run will be red because most of the pieces are already on site and nothing of the launch has been seen yet. There is also a piece of red track that look like it might be the tophat.

Snoopy: The Ride ?? :)

------------------
Hoping to work at The Point in '03 so I too can get drunk and pee on VertiGo

Also, I think that the only track we've seen is either straight or concave (with the support connectors on the convex side) so I don't see how it can be deduces to be a certain color. I still say it will alternate from red and white, which is what the two pieces of track bolted together suggests.

------------------
June 28th: LocoBazooka Tour (Sevendust headlining)
July 11th: Korn, Puddle of Mudd, and Deadsy

Ive seen the pics of the red/white pieces attached together... so I think the white IS for the tophat, at last the upper portion.

We've also already seen one of the pieces of track that has a partial twist to it, presumably for the 90 degree twist for the approach to or coming out of the top hat.

------------------
June 28th: LocoBazooka Tour (Sevendust headlining)
July 11th: Korn, Puddle of Mudd, and Deadsy

http://www.virtualmidway.com/mystery/attraction227.jpg

If you first look at this picture, you can see where the mount is to attach it to the track. It is on the convex side of the track suggesting that the track will be mounted on the transition from horizontal to vertical. This is where the track changes from white to red. It would look totally stupid to have white track with yellow supports. Not enough contrast between the two colors.

http://www.virtualmidway.com/mystery/attraction168.jpg

In this photo you can clearly see where the mount is. That mount will attach directly to the tallest white pole in this picture:

http://www.virtualmidway.com/mystery/attraction188.jpg

The red will attach to the first support on the tower. There is a possibility that the track will change from white to red back to white at the top, but like I said before, yellow and white don't make a bold enough statement.

*** This post was edited by Photonix 9/30/2002 12:27:25 AM ***

After checking everything out yesterday, I hate to say I'm beginning to believe Michael Darling that we are going to see a launch, very high tophat, and then back to the station. The way the supports lead up to the tower supports on the left side, and the same tower supports on the right side just scream top hat to me. But I can't see where any other elements will fit in. I believe the tophat might be red and white track (just a guess here)

Unlike Xcelerator with two supports for the top hat, it doesn't look like this ride will allow track to go through the tophat like the track does for Xcelerator. This, to me, limits additional elements unless there is some way they can direct track over to Millennium Island. The area by ID seems to be the likely spot for the launch, and it's rather narrow there, even allowing for building out over the midway.

There are flowerbeds surrounding trees in the fenced off area near the PWE midway that look like they are not going to be touched. Even the benches are kinda tucked into corners of this fenced off area.

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

CP said they are building a ride for the summer of 2003. In two weeks we've seen 200' of supports go up, but its going to take them 9 more months to build the rest of the ride? CP also said they are "building for the future." That would be quite a statement for just the L-TH-B that people are predicting. It certainly is possible that this is all the ride is going to be. I think the people who are making the statements about what the ride will be are also in denial. They think that somehow if they say it will be this pathetic little ride enough times, that some kind of "coaster gods" will hear them and decide to bestow more track, supports, land whatever to CP so they can make a bigger ride. All im saying is that it seems a little early to write this off yet, after only about a month of construction. As old Yogi said "It's very hard to make predictions, especially about the future"

The fact is... until the final hour people were saying WT was everything from a Impulse to a Rocket to a Hyper to a Tilt.

We don't know what it is going to be. We can't even agree on a height (some still think 200) and speed and we are already talking about layout.

We don't know yet. And we won't ever know for sure until they say something.

------------------
"Sit down right, hold on tight, and enjoy your flight on Shivering Timbers!!"

Speak for yourself.

However I think it is becoming clear what people will be disappointed about, as I've been saying for months.

------------------
Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP
Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure

Uh oh.

So we're getting our own version of Superman: The Ride but with a complete circuit.

------------------
Millennium Force Laps: 8
Wicked Twister Twists: 1
Hey, I'm from Florida.
*** This post was edited by thrillman 9/30/2002 12:14:00 PM ***

oh no...

*my flaming senses are tingling*

Hmmm...let's see. Just a guess, but what will Project2003 and myself have in common? :)

------------------
Scott W. Short, Rail Junkie
mailto:scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com

Draken LC..... maybe I should keep my mouth shut. Onto Area 51, I would be happy with just one element after the top hat, even just one hill, or one overbank. I really hope it isn't a launch, top hat, and your finished type of ride. This would make sense though with all of the hints and predictions that were made back when Area 51 was first found. No matter what this ride will look like, I will still try to get to the point and have a good time nonetheless which is what I hope everyone can do.

Everyone is so darn worried about what this coaster will be... Just let time tell the story... To get all rialed about this is nonsense... Let's just look at what we have at this point, and be safe tio say tophat for sure... but much beyond that, there is not a need to fret on what might not be there...

There has to be more to it than a tophat, and two turns. I hope so at least. If it's just that, I think I'm going to kill myself.

But it will be the tallest, fastest, single-element coaster on the planet!

Hypothetically speaking, if it comes to pass that the ride is only composed of the 400'+ tophat element, challenge yourself to think of it this way: What other element(s) could the ride possibly include that would not be a disappointment compared to the exhilaration of being catapulted to such an extreme height? In the words of Mies van der Rohe, "[sometimes] less is more."

We've seen straight, curved track with what looks to be areas for kicked wheels. So by what we've seen so far, there is evidence for a launch, tophat, and brakes. The area for the possible brakes seem so far away from the area that would have the stations. Unless it goes, station beside the lagoon, flat turn with kicker wheels, prep area and launch track, tophat, unloading station beside the lagoon.

(Once again, just thinking out loud)

------------------
June 28th: LocoBazooka Tour (Sevendust headlining)
July 11th: Korn, Puddle of Mudd, and Deadsy

You guys have to remember that the season isnt even over yet. So what parts are in the parking lots now could triple come the week following Sunday October 27th. They have to leave places for people to park. And do you honestly think CP would do all this work (i.e. removing 2 flat rides, draining and filling in part of the lagoon, changing part of the midway) just for a 400+ ft. tophat?. C'mon get real. There is TONS of space for other things. Someone brought a point to my attention last week. Does anyone remember when rumors started about MF, and people said "there is no way they can fit a coaster along side Frontier Trail"? Well they did, and look what it is. So before you go crazy about how much track they dont have to prove this is going to be big, wait till after the season ends thwn see what happens. ;)