Next on the chopping block ... Corkscrew ??

Yeah, I don't buy that we can't find parts because such and such company that made said ride is out of business. In our technological run society if you want something made you can get it made, just depends how much money you want to spend. Where I work sometimes we have to design a program for our CNC's based just on a broken part from our customers.

Picklesthedrummer said:
Actually the ride I see going next is Iron Dragon. Not because of it being a bad ride or not being popular because it is popular enough. However it is because of the fact the manufacturer of the ride is no longer in business. This makes getting replacement parts really difficult as the years go by.

I hope not. Iron Dragon is still a fun ride even though a lot of people think it's lame. Then again, the coaster world said goodbye to the Big Bad Wolf. Did that end up getting scrapped or is it sitting in storage somewhere?

Picklesthedrummer said:Actually the ride I see going next is Iron Dragon. Not because of it being a bad ride or not being popular because it is popular enough. However it is because of the fact the manufacturer of the ride is no longer in business. This makes getting replacement parts really difficult as the years go by.

Arrow's parts division is still open as a function of S&S. Even if it wasn't, roller coasters are not terribly complicated machines; manufacturing replacement parts is rather simple.

Unless it is Intamin.

Intamin created my beloved Maverick, therefore I am physically unable to negatively comment on the company, though I'm curious as to why there seems to be a negative feeling surrounding it on the site? Is it something to do with maintenance?

Even thought I love Maverick more than I love life itself, I do notice that it tends to break down at least 50 times a day (give or take).

...and that's why they are the punch line to many jokes. Dragster was closed more than it was open its first three years of operation. (Slightly exaggerating) Maverick had one of its main elements taken out and redesigned before the ride even opened. There are many more problems with their rides. (Shoot the Rapids, anyone?)

Do they make awesome rides? Hell yeah they do. Do they make silly engineering mistakes? Yes again.

It's all good fun until somebody loses an eye...

I love me some Intamin rides. In fact, I love our Intamin's way more than our B&M's, and I think most of our Arrow's (except Magnum) are pretty boring (but they are old so I give them a break). But I still love taking pot shots at them because they do make silly mistakes. I was at the front of the line for Maverick (fastlane line, so I was only there 10 minutes) and Maverick had something wrong, so they sent out about 5 empty trains to test the launch or something. Fail. And I love LIM launches.

While manufacturing of the parts is somewhat simple, the liability is extremely high. I am friends with someone who owns a machine shop and never manufactures amusement ride parts.

...and that's why they are the punch line to many jokes. Dragster was closed more than it was open its first three years of operation. (Slightly exaggerating) Maverick had one of its main elements taken out and redesigned before the ride even opened. There are many more problems with their rides. (Shoot the Rapids, anyone?)

Do they make awesome rides? Hell yeah they do. Do they make silly engineering mistakes? Yes again.

Gotcha.

I was at the front of the line for Maverick (fastlane line, so I was only there 10 minutes) and Maverick had something wrong, so they sent out about 5 empty trains to test the launch or something. Fail. And I love LIM launches.

It's terrible when you're literally the next one to ride and it shuts down. This has happened to me so many times on Maverick it's almost unbelievable. If I didn't love it so much, I may not have the patience to put up with its constant breakdowns.

I don't have as many issues with Millennium, it seems like Maverick and TTD hold the titles for the most likely to break down each day.

Because they are launched coasters, not traditional lift hill coasters

Shawn Meyer said:

Picklesthedrummer said:
Actually the ride I see going next is Iron Dragon. Not because of it being a bad ride or not being popular because it is popular enough. However it is because of the fact the manufacturer of the ride is no longer in business. This makes getting replacement parts really difficult as the years go by.

I hope not. Iron Dragon is still a fun ride even though a lot of people think it's lame. Then again, the coaster world said goodbye to the Big Bad Wolf. Did that end up getting scrapped or is it sitting in storage somewhere?

I actually really enjoy Iron Dragon. You can actually experience some good forces if you sit in the back.

As pointed out before, Intamin over-engineers most of their rides. Is it really necessary to have a whole ride lock out because one of the station alignment sensors went off? Intamin does push the limit on the rides though, so even if they are low capacity and unreliable, they are still really fun. All of the older B&M rides used to be really forceful, but it seems like now once you ride one, you have ridden them all (of each design).

I think in CP's case, a B&M is a nice change considering they don't have any modern B&M's, like KI and CW.

I sure do love me some Diamondback and Behemoth <3 (and soon to be leviathan come next summer). I had early ride time on Diamondback this past summer, and was able to ride it 6 times in a row before the crowd finally got large enough where we couldn't just jump to the row behind or in front of us.

That ride is smooooth in every sense of the word.

i they take the hotel down thats next to it, keep the corkscrews and improve the rest of the ride.

Agreed.

coolkid said:
...All of the older B&M rides used to be really forceful, but it seems like now once you ride one, you have ridden them all (of each design).

I totally agree with that. Intamin coasters push it that step further to make each ride so lovable and interesting in its own way.

Here are my thoughts on the ride removal issue:

- The Corkscrew is a dramatic and unique part of the midway. They should keep it running as long as possible.

- A lot of kids who won't ride anything good are willing to ride the Iron Dragon. It's important for families to have a mild coaster like that to share, especially now that Disaster Transport is gone.

- The Soak City parking lot is a huge waste of space. They could build a parking garage to maintain the same capacity in a smaller footprint and then build out the area behind the Gemini over a few years. They wouldn't have to remove anything except an ugly parking lot.

We probably have four or five years before they feel the need to put in another super thrill ride, so enjoy it all while you can. As someone who enjoys extreme thrills (including skydiving), I have to say that losing the diversity of rides and experiences is not worth it. I'd rather have a park with a balance of high thrills and family stuff, and classic rides, and nature, and history, than a heart pounding record breaker every few years.

Tod said:
- The Soak City parking lot is a huge waste of space.

Except that the park's customers park their cars there.

Yes, but he did say they could build a parking garage back there so that the park's customers could still park there. When the parking garage issue comes up repeatedly on this site, the soak city lot and Breakers lot is the only one that I think would be feasible to do. Do I think it'll ever happen? Nope.