Interesting Observation

I think the conversions look very visually appealing. I have yet to get on one though. I have heard very mixed reviews on a lot of them. I hear that some of them like NTG and Wicked Cyclone have pacing issues and tend to peter out towards the end. I would, however, take anything over Mean Streak.

We were told Mean Streak would be open by Memorial Day Weekend.

I would really like to see a RMC conversion, however I'm curious about the footer markings. Would the footers need to be marked if it was just getting retracked?

RMC conversions have involved more than just retracking. Many (if not all?) have involved significant structural changes, added elements, and course modifications.

Kevinj, that makes sense. Thank you for your reply :)

If Mean Streak were getting new trains then this would probably not have happened.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Rmc never uses all of the available wood structure so maybe the footers marked are the ones that would be removed. Why would they bother marking so many or bother surveying the area for a retrack. Clearly there will be a layout change. I think they should just tear the whole ride down and start over since the structure is so poor but rattler before iron rattler was a lot worse.

RideMan said:

If Mean Streak were getting new trains then this would probably not have happened.

I'm not saying whether or not anything is happening to Mean Streak. But, Cedar Point has been sending the Mean Streak and Blue Streak trains to PTC every off season for quite a while now. It has reduced the amount of in-house maintenance needed and allows the CP staff to concentrate on other things. At the very least, I'm assuming there are things that need inspected to be certified each year. Even if the park were planning to make a change, I'm not sure they would decide to save a few bucks by eliminating it's annual maintenance. Just my 2 cents.

... and Wildcat was ready to go, until the plug was pulled at the last minute.

RideMan said:

If Mean Streak were getting new trains then this would probably not have happened.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

As a side note - that's me in the 3rd seat (front of the second car) of the Ravine Flyer II train on the PTC website in the grey hoodie. I was there for a commercial shoot that day. I can officially say I'm in advertising ;-)

I think what Dave meant was if Mean Streak was getting new trains this year, as someone else mentioned, they wouldn't send the present trains out for annual maintenance because they would be retired. Because the trains were refurbished by PTC means that they most likely will run on Mean Streak this year, no new trains. I bet the person who thought Mean Streak was getting new trains confused sending the trains out for maintenance with the purchase of new trains.

Ah. That makes more sense.

Why would you want more steel? There is plenty of that at the park already; a major new wooden coaster (that is competently designed) would be a much more interesting and unique attraction.

Blue Streak notwithstanding, the 'Roller Coaster Capital of the World' having only one of the two types of roller coaster is rather nonsensical.

Yes, but...

...well-run parks don't build rides because they're interesting and unique. They build them because their research tells them what their market is interested in.

It looks to me like soak city will be getting an expansion next year. I think that the dirt pit will likely stay there for much of the summer. By next year, however, it will look great. The resort entrance will likely be improved as well. With some survey markings near it, and the front and marina entrances already re-done, the resort entrance can only be next in line in the near future.

I will be a bit surprised if Cedar Fair decides to give Mean Streak a Rocky Mountain Makeover. I think it will me much more likely for them to have GCI re-profile the ride, along the lines with what is happening with Ghostrider.

CF does seem to like GCI: It appears they built all 3 of CF's woodies since 2007. (Gold Striker, Prowler, Renegade). RCDB does not show RMC doing any work for CF

Noggin, would that be the same 'market research' that gave us STR?

Cedar Point most assuredly does build things because they are interesting and unique. That's why we have the tallest and fastest dive coaster & wing rider, only dual twisting launch coaster, largest giant Frisbee, biggest screamin' swing, only quad tower drop ride, etc etc. Not to mention the first rides over 100, 200, 300 and 400 ft. in height. Interesting and unique is at the very heart of the design paradigm.

Plus no one in a park survey or 'market research' is going to say "Give us more rides like Mean Streak". When the park is full of steel coasters to compare to, most guests are going to want more of that. The average park guest doesn't know coasters like El Toro, The Voyage, or Lighting Rod are out there. They also don't know what an RMC treatment is. So I wouldn't be surprised if park surveys all point to more steel roller coasters.

We-o-we-oooo said:

Noggin, would that be the same 'market research' that gave us STR?

Mind you, I'm not saying research or corporate decision making is infallible. All I'm saying is that parks don't build rides and then cross their corporate fingers and hope guests like them: they build rides their data tells them will entice guests to visit the park.

Cedar Point most assuredly does build things because they are interesting and unique. That's why we have the tallest and fastest dive coaster & wing rider, only dual twisting launch coaster, largest giant Frisbee, biggest screamin' swing, only quad tower drop ride, etc etc. Not to mention the first rides over 100, 200, 300 and 400 ft. in height. Interesting and unique is at the very heart of the design paradigm.

I disagree that interesting and unique "is at the heart of the design paradigm."

Cedar Point (and most any other park) builds rides because they will meet budgetary requirements, address capacity concerns, add to the ride portfolio, be promotable and satisfy what the park's market is interested in. Interesting and unique are, of course, very promotable, but not the "the very heart" of the process.

We-o-we-oooo said:

Noggin, would that be the same 'market research' that gave us STR

The market research said people wanted a water ride. It did not ask about a slow, boring water ride with water cannons and reliability problems.

A pity they didn't ask if people wanted a WWL-type water ride--or a Holiday World Wildebeast-type water ride.