Magnum Memories

And I still don't have problems with the Magnum or Gemini lap bars. Not nearly as much as I have problems with Millennium Flyer restraints.

djDaemon said:

And you can just tighten your seat belt if you don't like getting your legs bruised. :-)

Stop injecting common sense here, Brandon!!!

Where is Millennium Flyer?

He's referring to the restraints made by GCI, who builds wooden coasters and whose trains are called Millennium Flyers.

Here's a decent photo showing where the bottom of the third hill used to reside. Notice the double sets of I-Beams, the bottom ones are the original profile.

Then you'll also see the thicker spine on the pretzel turn.

The bottom of the third drop was indeed the ouchy part for me. It really slammed to the bottom and I remember on my very first ride on opening day cracking my elbow on the hard plastic arm rest. It hurt for days afterward.

This has always been my favorite picture of The Magnum. The second hill, for me, is the most iconic. I remember my first ride back in the early 90's and thinking we were going to go right into Lake Erie. I love how you see Raptor, Space Spiral, and Demon Drop in the background.

I think they should bring back the original third hill, but rather than have a tight pull out, widen the pull out so it goes all the way to the ground, maybe a slight trench. You'd have to do some reworking of the turnaround, too. Just my pipe dream.

Out of all of Magnum's sections, the third hill pull-out to the end of the turnaround is the part that I'd have reprofiled. Nothing else.

(ACtually, making the second hill a speed hill like the third hill would be awesome, but that's a bit excessive.)

Nah, i wouldn't want that second hill to be any different than it is right now. The ride opens with burst of speed, and then a pause at the top of that hill that allows you to take in the lakeside/beach view - I think it's wonderful.

Of the true Arrow Hypers (Desperado, Big One, Titan, that it?) Magnum easily has the best layout.

e x i t english said:

Nah, i wouldn't want that second hill to be any different than it is right now. The ride opens with burst of speed, and then a pause at the top of that hill that allows you to take in the lakeside/beach view - I think it's wonderful.

Yeah, I'd rather restore the third hill.

The new trains they put in for Titan Max are interesting. The ones for Steel Dragon look better, but that is Morgan. I wonder how it would be received if Magnum got trains like Titan Max.

^There's a guy who frequents /r/rollercoasters who has ridden 2,300+ coasters, and according to this trip report of his, the S&S trains on Titan MAX are complete garbage.

Magnum XL 200 was a game changer back in 1989.

The ride is so unique in so many ways, from the station design to the way the trains look like something from outer space. Without a doubt the coaster layout as well as the fact the ride takes you out of the park, giving its riders a peek of the area not normally seen when going to Cedar Point, makes the coaster that mor intriging.

Without a doubt, the pretzel turn adds to the effect. When you first ride Magnum, you don't know that the turn exists until you ride it.

With its views, layout and pretzel turn rides want to re ride to enjoy the experience all over again.

Next Macnum XL 200 anniversary, Cedar Point should give out Dixie cups of mini pretzels to passengers exiting the ride.

Go Magnum XL 200

GigaG said:

I think they should bring back the original third hill...

You're making me regret posting that pic of Magnum.

So let me get this straight. Your pipe dream is to reverse something the park paid for, someone fabricated, and someone engineered a solution? Are you really going to notice the drop being 10 ft shallower?

I try to inject some random bits of information because I think its kind of fun, but just 'let's bring back the original third hill' without thinking why the change was made in the first place, kind of takes the fun out of it.

Here's another fun tidbit. Lesourdesville Lake was open in 2002 after being shut down for 3 years. They had CCI come in and retrack the Screechin Eagle roller coaster. In their design, they made the first drop 3 feet shallower. It ended up translating into what I call the best wooden standup coaster in this modern day. Perhaps you could go and get the original drop back?

I see all this talk about changing Magnum. Here's an idea, DON'T! Magnum is perfect! :)

As a former Magnum crew member, I had the opportunity to get to know the regulars there. People who have ridden the ride tens of thousands of times since 1989. They all told me that the modification of the third hill made the ride better. Magnum's third hill has the best, most sustained airtime in the entire park. Don't mess with perfection.

Don't mess with perfection, except to put a random trim break on it going into the pretzel.

That doesn't make it any less perfect.

CPVet - what year did you work Magnum? I have been one of the regulars over the years. Only the past few have been less. I was there a lot with Randy and Chris. Of course, they always rode in 6-2 and I was always in 1-3.

I agree not to make any changes. The third hill was brutal the first year. The trims were added due to stress-cracks on that drop. Of course, upstop wheels might have helped in that department! :) The changes made following year was great! But the trims remained on top of the hill. I can't recall when they moved the trims to the valley. I felt that was a great compromise for the park. They could control the speed of the train going through the pretzel AND give us back the insane airtime on the third hill that we all wanted. I have always felt that Magnum has the perfect layout along with MF, as neither have a MCBB that ruins the pacing of the ride.