Millenium Force Fiberglass Trains

Yeah, the rattling of the steel bodies was starting to get annoying and it seemed to get worse as the trains aged. The ride had a much nicer, more solid sound to it without all of the rattling.

This is unexpected news. Any idea why the park would have done this? I never really thought of how MF's metal-bodied trains were different than newer ones (TTD, Maverick, and Intimidator 305 are all fiberglass, correct?).

When S:RoS was transformed into Bizarro at SFNE, what happened to its trains? Are they fiberglass? (I know the restraints changed and on-board audio was added, but I can't recall if the ride got completely new trains or not...)

Just a guess of course, but the metal bodies seems to have areas where they were welded and they were rattling a lot. Probably suffering from metal fatigue and requiring a lot of maintenance. The fiberglass bodies should be more durable and less fatigue prone.

If only they had thought of this years ago, the green train likely could have been saved before the "incident".

Was there really a green train?

Kevinj said:

If only they had thought of this years ago, the green train likely could have been saved before the "incident".

Oh you had to bring up the green train!:)

Hopefully the yellow train doesn't end up with the green train...

I haven't ridden it with the new trains yet, but I heard that the "Intamin Giga Coaster" tags are gone. :(

I hope the new trains don't take away from the speed or intensity of the ride. Did anybody (besides CoasterFreak94) notice a difference or similarity?

I suppose you would have to notice at least one of those.

It felt exactly the same to me.

They don't have new trains, only new bodies. Most of the weight is in the chassis, there is no difference in the ride.

I still think it's going faster at the end. Aerodynamics, weight ratios, whatever it is, I feel speed that wasn't there before.

Rode today and the trains do look nice, shiny and new. No engravings or graffiti yet.

Of note, the yellow padded portion of the lap bars have also been completely replaced.

It's not even the bodies; it's the 'space filler' panels on the front and back of each car. Remember how the noses used to be stainless steel, but were quickly replaced with Fiberglas? Same thing, but for the rest of the train. In some ways it is a slightly more finished look...

Red train
Blue train

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Rode Sunday. It did seem a bit quieter and my ride felt faster maybe. Not sure. I thought something seemed different. Was the old blue train body a slightly darker color?

If the ride is ever faster or slower, it's likely because of the wheels used.

Pete said:
Why are you assuming that changing the bodies was a last minute decision? Seems to me something like that would have to be planned for, not done at the last minute. What I'm kind of curious about is if the bodies are supplied by Intamin or if they were designed and built by another vendor?

Because the yellow train was not ready. It doesn't take 6 months to change a train.

You don't know anything about the maintenance procedures and schedules to rehab a train in the off-season. There are a hundred factors in that process, not the least of which are budget, number of qualified mechanics you can hire, availability of parts and materials, etc.

The fact is, none of us know why the train wasn't there, and the park isn't likely going to tell us. That leaves us at a point where all we can legitimately do is say, "That sucks, I wish they would have done more to make it happen on time."

What if the train came back green. That would be hilarious.