Iron Dragon Demolition

So... I was in the Pagoda gift shop today. I noticed they had patches for all the coasters except Iron Dragon. There's not even a space for it.

That seemed weird, so I asked Lemon Chill Guy.

He told me that the Iron Dragon is getting harder to maintain due to availability of the parts. Also, with the focus on live shows the Cedar Fair brass REALLY wants to expand Luminosity. Right now Iron Dragon is in the way of that.

So within the next couple years, as part of the transformation, Iron Dragon will be removed to make a bigger, better Luminosity. The new Dive coaster is expected to be considered its "replacement".

Anyway. We all know how accurate the Chill dude is. Thought I'd share. ;)

Honestly, as much as I hate to say it, that makes a good bit of sense. Suspended coasters are dropping like flies recently, all typically due to lack of parts or difficulty of maintenance. And with the two arguably best suspended coasters gone now (Big Bad Wolf and Eagle Fortress), I can't see Iron Dragon draggin' iron for too many more years.

That, and I always did find the placement of the Luminosity stage odd, even more so when you had it shoehorned in there with Wildcat originally as well. I do have to wonder though, if they had a master plan for that stage area to begin with and that the stage was always meant as just a pseudo-temporary holdover to introduce that style of live entertainment gradually.

I don't like this topic.

So according to the Lemon Chill Dude they're replacing a 46" height limit "family" coaster... with a 54" height limit world record breaker. that doesn't make sense. GateKeeper was certainly not billed by anyone as a replacement for Disaster Transport. Iron Dragon remains a popular ride to this day too, unlike DT. why not expand Luminosity towards Sky Ride/Coasters? then you don't have to demo anything. the stage can easily be expanded without removing anything. Although I'm not sure how much "bigger" they can take the production after how it is this year. Also, they had Iron Dragon patches a week ago. I bought one!

The Beaver Tail Girl told me it's all a lie.

Iron Dragon is going nowhere. How and why else would you need to expand luminosity?

That's an interesting scenario to think about. If suspended coasters are really endangered it makes me wonder why Kings Islamd bothered re-theming Flight Deck as The Bat. Would a dismantled Iron Dragon be used to extend The Bat's life?

Sheikra and Griffon both have 54" height requirements. Assuming this new rumored dive coaster is given the same restriction, that would mean that it wouldn't really replace Iron Dragon. If Cedar Point gets rid of ID It would be nice if they built something that would appeal to a similar audience.

It's also possible that they'll tear it down and add some trees. The park definitely has a shortage of those... ;)

In all seriousness though... I think it would be a multipurpose venue that would replace the GTT. It would not only house an expanded Luminosity, but other shows as well.

The Luminosity stage has always been weird to me. Why would a show that's so important to the park have a temporary structure?

Finally, CP does have Pipescream, which is a family roller coaster!!!

The Iron Dragon patches sold out. There was an empty space for them Tuesday evening when I was at the park. Here is proof that they did exist last week... hhttps://www.facebook.com/cprundown/photos/a.412467848846326.95497.3...=1&theater

Well... If the patches really did sell out, maybe it's because CP didn't order very many... Perhaps because they're planning on tearing it down?

You wouldn't want a lot of leftover product for a dead ride!!!

Luminosity was definitely not on the master plan. It was decided pretty quick and thrown together in one off season.

If it's so hard to find parts/maintain Iron Dragon, would that mean the same for Corkscrew, Magnum, Gemeni, and CCMR? I've always been told that the trains/parts are basically the same as other Arrow coasters that are not suspended. I don't see why Iron Dragon would be more difficult than the rest of the Arrows at the park.

Ian Tajgiszer said:
I don't like this topic.

I'm with you. I am denying this topic's existence.

Great. One more coaster that's not going to Michigan's Adventure. :-)

Uh oh. There are no Corkscrew patches. That one is dead for sure. #Aquatrax2015.
Seriously though, did it appear to anyone as maybe people just, I don't know, bought some of the Iron Dragon patches and they have none left in stock currently? It's an insane theory but maybe, just maybe, people like the Iron Dragon and buy patches for their kids.

Pagoda Gift Shop employee Madge laughs a low and evil laugh, every time she sees the stack of Iron Dragon patches she hid under the counter.... getting the enthusiasts going is so much fun....

Oh yeah Lemon Chill guy told me also Magnum is sinking too

http://i.imgur.com/9YoG4pf.jpg

...and if it was as easy as the other Arrows to maintain, why are its siblings getting ripped out?

I can't speak for those parks but a better question that I would like to know the answer to is why is it more difficult to find parts for a suspended when Ron Toomer said they are basically the same chassis with the same parts as all Arrow trains.

You guys are all missing the point. It's obvious that Iron Dragon is getting the RMC treatment.

The answer to why may lie in the "basically"; basically the same and the same aren't quite the same -- perhaps there's a slight difference, but enough to make some parts not interchangeable between suspended and other Arrow chassis? (Please bear in mind, what I know about engineering could be written on the head of a pin, with a Sharpie.)