Mean Streak - better?

I am in the minority from what I see in that I do not view Mean Streak as being too rough or painful to ride. I just think its a bad ride. To me, the second half of the ride is just incredibly boring and slow. First half is ok as long as the trim brakes are not applied which is pretty rare. If new trains would allow them to skip the trim brakes and would result in more speed particularly in the second half of the ride, I would be all for new trains.

CPcyclone said:
I'd say two solutions exist here...either reprofile Mean Streak (essentially rebuild the thing with a new design all together) or tear it down and build a new woodie.

Actually Mean Streak has been reprofiled, but that was to accomodate the first drop trim and make sure it doesn't valley on the 2nd and 3rd hills. It does have a nice footprint for another coaster to go in.

cbrendan502 said:
I rode it 10 times saturday closing weekend with Mean Streak Henry and about 5 of the rides they turned the trim brakes off.

I think the trim is actually controlled by the computer. I recall years ago hearing that some of the ride ops got into trouble for shutting off the trim, so maintenance made it so they couldn't. However, I'm not sure if it is controlled by the train intervals (like Mantis).

Upgrading old rides is not something that Cedar Fair seems to care much about, so I would wager on a new coaster with Timberliners before anything else.

We rode mean streak on closing day, and it had to be the worst ride we have ever had on it. Some parts of the ride were about as smooth as son of beast.

My insides felt like scrambled eggs.

I was also on it for closing day this year, and it was much worse than any other time I rode it this season. By the time we reached the mcbr, I just wanted it to be over.

Put the new trains on it. See if it makes it any better. If it doesnt, move them to Blue Streak or keep them in storage for a new woodie.

There wouldn't be any need for these trains on Blue Streak. These trains are designed for speed and turns, neither of which Blue Streak has...nor does Mean Streak for that matter.

Well then the only answer is to get a GG coaster. Everybody wins. :)

I always jump on MS if its a walk on but I refuse to ride anywhere but the front. The ride was its usually side to side mess, it was rough and after a while just plain boring.

I find it sad that even after 30 years The Beast kicks MS butt. I rode Beast in the last car (thinking I was going to die) a couple weeks ago and LOVED it! It was actually a great ride! :)

I know the likelihood of CP doing anything good with MS is doubtful (Bonfire anyone? ;)) and due to the economy I certainly dont see them investing in new trains any time soon.
You would have to show how new trains would up attendance and I dont see how new trains would get people to the park to ride that ride.

Jo
Lifetime Raptor flights: 2175 :)

Ah yes, but I certainly think there would be a return on investment if Mean Streak got the Steel Phantom treatment. As people keep saying, it's not really about the trains, it's more about the ride layout itself that needs to change.

Would new trains improve the ride experience?...probably as much as the new trains did on the Nor'Easter at Morey's Pier's. It may make for a slightly more comfortable ride, but the ride still won't be any more thrilling. C'mon CP, put the MEAN back in the Means Streak!

For as much money as it would cost to change the layout and add new trains, they could just build a new woody that would have a better reputation.

I don't expect anyone to answer this today, but here is another idea I wanted to throw in there. The thing though is, why waste all that wood? Mean Streak has a beautiful first hill and doing a Texas Giant kind of rehab on the ride might make it more fun to ride again.

I think Cedar Point is waiting to see how Voyages new trains and the Texas Giant Rehab does. They need a little somthing to go off of before they do anything.

I just watched the video of Voyage at H. world! That coaster looks amazing! I want those banked turns! I wish MS had those turns!

Save the trees, but let's not be quick to light this on fire either. The only solution would be to retrack the wood with steel tubular tracks, such as Gemini. Keep the wood supports but just change the track. Yes it's going to be millions of dollars of steel, but at least you won't have to keep buying more wood to constantly repair this shakey beast. We all know points of the track are wavy, shaky, jerky... Before we turn this into a giant piece of non operating wood, for example: Son of Beast at King's Island. We don't need boards popping up into our trains, please Cedar Fair. Retrack this for 2012!! I remember this used to be the best ride ever. It still can be, with a little makeover. And take off the trim brake on the drop like the 90's how it was fast.

As I said in the other mean streak thread, the ride is getting a lot of new wood over the off season. The first turn is tore up, and there is already a LOT of new wood in place.

New wood or not, it's going to always be a violent ride, unless they put in steel tubular track on top the wood supports instead. I think it would be a fabulous ride and popular attraction again, requiring less maintenance cost annually.

Wow! What a concept that CP would have three wooden supported steel tubular tracked rides by two different manufacturers. And, to boot only one true wooden roller coaster. I don't agree with the whole Texas Giant remake. If they wanna tear down have of mean strek then rebuild it in the style they are doing with TG it woul be cheaper and more beneficial for the park to build a brand new woody as prviously explained by people smater then me in other threads.

I think only if you have once loved this ride and layout, you would support the retracking such as Texas Giant is doing. I was thinking track more like on Gemini though.

I did once love the ride layout, untill it was trimmed to death. The mid-course holds the trains way up so the last half of the ride is boring and you are left thinking about your back from the first half of the ride. I have said in previous posts I truely loved this ride when it was first built. I personally think it needs to be torn down and a new woodie built in it's place rather than spending money on the coaster the way it is now.

Keith.Fox said:
Save the trees, but let's not be quick to light this on fire either. The only solution would be to retrack the wood with steel tubular tracks, such as Gemini. Keep the wood supports but just change the track. Yes it's going to be millions of dollars of steel, but at least you won't have to keep buying more wood to constantly repair this shakey beast. We all know points of the track are wavy, shaky, jerky... Before we turn this into a giant piece of non operating wood, for example: Son of Beast at King's Island. We don't need boards popping up into our trains, please Cedar Fair. Retrack this for 2012!! I remember this used to be the best ride ever. It still can be, with a little makeover. And take off the trim brake on the drop like the 90's how it was fast.

We don't need another Gemini in the park. I just think the ride hasn't had a proper re-track in a while, maybe it needs some new trains.