Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

Rollback Coaster #1 - every train gets a rollback....... This Attraction is only available to FastLane Plus Prestige Rollback Edition Passholders and guests with a credit score over 825.

Dragster isn't dead. Its ... pining for the fjords.

Yesterday, I was quite confident that they wouldn't be making a LSM conversion. Today, I still think its unlikely, but to be honest, I'm a bit less confident in that opinion. Could the re-imagining of the ride be building a shed around the "high speed" section of the launch?

If you're Cedar Point, and you know that whatever Top Thrill Dragster becomes is still going to be a roller coaster-style ride that takes people to the top of the existing 420-foot-tall tower and then brings them back down, what do you gain by telling people that the ride "as you know it" is going away and then keeping the same basic ride experience there?

To me, this announcement isn't for people like us who are familiar with the differences between potential launch systems. It feels an awful lot like the intent is for people to read this and say, "Well, the roller coaster that goes that high and that fast isn't going to be a roller coaster that goes that high and that fast anymore."

Fully disagree.

I doubt seriously that once this attraction reopens it’ll even still be called TTD. This is an opportunity for better or worse for the park to completely close the book on TTD without completely removing it. I foresee an entirely new attraction that may have some callbacks to the original ride but slapping a new launch system on it with new trains and calling it a day is not re-imagining it.

I think that, much like the Wicked Twister diehards there are just too many folks wrapped up in the whole TTD isn’t going anywhere mentality. The ride is gone. Whatever takes its place is likely to be nothing like what exists currently. It’ll have similar elements sure, but it’s been proven over and over that an LSM conversion just isn’t the solution. Which means in its current form, the launch, overall height, and terrible up and down layout are going away. And the comparisons to Mantis have to stop. That’s not even remotely close.

Mean Streak? Maybe.

I think the odds of this thing opening in '23 are roughly the same odds of Steel Vengeance opening in 2017. I'd love to be wrong though.

This video by El Toro Ryan explores the potential for LSM Launch.

POLERCOASTER.

I would ride that.

So what weird sequence of events has to happen now to make the new wild mouse the 18th coaster? The dragster reimagining opens before their new ride?

^Not dismantling the structure ought to do it, in my mind. As it stands today, it's still a roller coaster, whether or not it operates.

Seems weird to include a SBNO ride among the ride count, but it also seems unlikely that whatever they're doing to it will be done for 2023.

If it were indeed coming next season I would have expected them to announce that before the end of the season pass sale, rather than the day after the sale ended.

Simple - just count Gemini as 2 and everything is golden.

Brandon, I agree it seems weird to include a SBNO ride in the coaster count but I think even RCDB does it. However, now that Dragster (in it's current form) has been officially retired, I wonder if that will change (on RCDB)?

mgou58 said:

Fully disagree.

I doubt seriously that once this attraction reopens it’ll even still be called TTD. This is an opportunity for better or worse for the park to completely close the book on TTD without completely removing it. I foresee an entirely new attraction that may have some callbacks to the original ride but slapping a new launch system on it with new trains and calling it a day is not re-imagining it.

I think that, much like the Wicked Twister diehards there are just too many folks wrapped up in the whole TTD isn’t going anywhere mentality. The ride is gone. Whatever takes its place is likely to be nothing like what exists currently. It’ll have similar elements sure, but it’s been proven over and over that an LSM conversion just isn’t the solution. Which means in its current form, the launch, overall height, and terrible up and down layout are going away. And the comparisons to Mantis have to stop. That’s not even remotely close.

Mean Streak? Maybe.

In my opinion, it is not comparable to Wicked Twister. Over the last few years, WT had a dwindling number of riders and was not very popular. If TTD opened tomorrow as it is, people would still come from around the world to ride it. Redesigning a ride that was initially designed with one launch system and using a different technology is certainly being imaginative. To re-engineer one of the most complicated rides ever created would require quite a bit of imagination and creativity. Also, how is an LSM conversion not a solution? Red Force is a great example of how LSM technology has come a long way. As well, you should definitely watch El Toro Ryan's video above.

How does an LSM Launch change what caused the accident?

By itself it does not, but you'd think if LSMs are a viable option and they want to keep the ride in some capacity this is a great opportunity to use more efficient and reliable LSMs.

Also, depending on how it would be engineered. The train would obviously have a redesign or new trains(highly doubtful because of cost), and I'm sure they would not use that plate again.

vwhoward said:

How does an LSM Launch change what caused the accident?

Sorry no offense meant but I'm confused why we keep getting these types of comments. It is safe to assume that CP is correcting the issues that caused the terrible accident. AT THE SAME TIME they certainly have the right to upgrade/change the ride as they see fit even if it has nothing to do with the unfortunate accident.

Maybe new trains to make them lighter so they could convert to an LSM? Just a thought. Yeah does cost more but if this is the target for 2024 then it’s next years budget for a new ride for 2024.

Frog Hopper King said:

This video by El Toro Ryan explores the potential for LSM Launch.

That video was pretty insightful as far as the potential for switching to LSM, and I'm less doubtful of the idea now.