Magnum XL200 2.0

I went with a friend yesterday (good day, btw) and we made Magnum our last ride, at about 7:30. For a change, really for the first time in years, I put us in row 3. I promised (warned) my friend it would be a rock-em sock-em ride if we took that seat , and she was game. Boy howdy, was it ever!
I walked out of there with my ass kicked and a smile on my face. I rarely miss a ride on Magnum, and now I have a new appreciation as to why. Those who can't take it can step aside- I like it just the way it is, thank you very much.

Go Intamin said:The majority of the general public seem to agree on that.

Based on what? Facts please.

GigaG said:

Magnum does have some "rough" spots, but its a rather mild vibration. I think the sense of "roughness" you get from it is more of the violent and sudden transitions, which are a characteristic of almost all Arrow coasters. The transitions don't flow together, causing sudden airtime with no "lead-in" and some awkward laterals (the end of the turnaround is the biggest example of this.)

That said, the primitive track shaping works quite well for Magnum on its airtime hills. It generates some quality ejector airtime.

Interestingly, Magnum, like Gemini, is basically an oversized mine train (just using spined track instead of non-spine track and wood supports like Gemini.) In fact, Magnum originally used up-stop pads instead of up-stop wheels, which were changed soon after to the up-stop wheels today. (I have no clue whose idea up-stop pads were on a coaster designed with multiple high-speed airtime hills.)

If you want to see what an up-stop pad looks like, Gemini and CCMR still use them, and you can get an up-close look at them if you look at the wheel assembly on the Gemini car in the Town Hall Museum.

When Ron Toomer was at Coastermania in 1999, I asked him about the up-stop pads and the un-padded trains when it opened. He said up-stop pads were used because he felt it was just a large mineride and didn't need wheels. As for the padding, he stated that they had a date that the trains had to be delivered to CP and they had not yet received the padding from their supplier. So, Magnum opened with no padding, which was added 2-3 weeks later.

Talking about track, the transition from 3rd hill into pretzel was pretty brutal at times, as it was not properly banked. Trims were quickly added to the top of 3rd hill due to stress of that drop, which dropped down farther. They replaced that entire transition for the second season. Then in 1994, the entire pretzel was replaced and had a larger spine.

The one good thing about the up-stop pads was that they provided a great light show at night! I loved walking back in Camper Village and watching sparks shooting out from the trains as they passed over the hills! :)

As I've ridden Magnum over the years, the laterals in the pull out of the pretzel turnaround has become one of my favorite parts of the ride.

Pete said:

All management would do by "fixing" the ride as you suggest is destroy Magnum. What makes Magnum great is the character it has. It is by no stretch of the imagination "rough", it is forceful which made it a number 1 ride back in 1989 when it was built. The ride has not changed, it is not rougher or more painful than it was from day one and it is still one of the very best rides anywhere IMHO. Changing the trains would also take away from the ride, it doesn't need modern gimmicks like "floorless" or "open" trains, etc. The classic Arrow trains are beautiful and help make Magnum what it is. The ride has not gotten rough, people maybe aren't as tough.

You're probably right; it is rough though. It feels to me like the center of the train is the smoothest. Fun ride!

noggin said:

Go Intamin said:The majority of the general public seem to agree on that.

Based on what? Facts please.

Listen to anyone after the ride ends on the brakerun.

"Ow, my legs hurt, they got crushed"

"That was the worst ride in the park, it crushed my legs"

I usually hear, " can we ride that again dad?"

Yeah, hearing people with an opinion that matches your own does not demonstrate that "the majority of the general public seem to agree on that."

I think Magnum's ridership numbers (historically among the highest in the park) suggests the ride is fine the way it is.

Are you serious? I have never, ever heard anyone say anything like that, let alone the "majority of the general public".
Nice try, there.

Every time I have ridden it so far this year, I have heard at least one person complain about the ride. I love it personally, but from what I've heard, it's straight up not true. Another one I've heard is "that's gotten bad since I last rode it"

Ok, then.
But I'd expect at least one person more than half of every train, all day long, every day of the season, to say that to you in order to constitute a majority.

I adore Magnum XL-200, but I'd vote yay to give Morgan a whirl with Maggie. Look at what they managed to do with Steel Phantom! Phantom's Revenge is a top 10 coaster.

Keep the trains, add restraints that dont guillotine your legs, reprofile the track at the turn around and take off the trims. Sounds like a winner.

RCMAC said:

Are you serious? I have never, ever heard anyone say anything like that, let alone the "majority of the general public".
Nice try, there.

You know what I typically see? I observe people in a little bit of shock and awe over the final bunny-hill run. In fact, it's pretty typical to hear people exclaiming how much it hurt.

But there is something else I have observed; these claims of pain are nearly always accompanied with laughter and smiles; one of those, "I just got my ass kicked in the best possible way" type-moments.

Magnum has character. Magnum is a landmark, and deservedly so.

If you want a forceless smooth ride, go next door and take a spin in Millennium. Better yet, Cedar Point offers both this and that!

Now get off my lawn.

The issue with restraints that don't "guillotine your legs" is that it would probably be a tighter restraint that doesn't let you come off the seat at all. That's part of the fun of Magnum - intense ejector with relatively minimal restraints.

I do hear a lot of complaints about hurt legs, but the ride still is fairly popular. Perhaps it could use some return springs to keep the bars from self-stapling? (If that would be safe.) That'd get rid of the stapling followed by pain that some people experience.

Again...tighten your seatbelts

Or do squats & lunges, get those legs built up.

Take your pick ;)

Sure, tightening your seatbelt might save your thighs. But, then it feels like it's cutting you in half! I would rather take the bar-on-thighs. If you don't like the thigh-pain, sit near back of train where there is no ejector-air. My best friend always rode 6-2 because he could not handle the intense airtime up front. Occasionally, he would ride 1-3 with me and I would ask "are you lost?". :)

On Sunday Magnum was a walk-on most of the day so I decided to take some of the advice given here and in other threads to see if I could achieve a more enjoyable experience. Unfortunately that didn't happen. I walked away feeling as though my lats had just been smacked a dozen times with a stick.

I won't be riding Magnum anymore but I can appreciate the fact that some people really enjoy it and want to keep it as-is.

We appreciate your sacrifice to keep the line shorter for the rest of us. ;-)

I must have ridden it so many time that I've become immune to the pain. I never expierence discomfort on that ride. I used to, but not anymore, which is why I think I'm immune. It's one of my favorite coasters.