Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

vwhoward:

Does it have the same dimensions/angles going into the tower as it does coming out of it?

If my photographic memory is accurate, it does not. I believe that if you were looking at it from the side, or from the Magnum area, you would see the return side having a more easy/less harsh angle towards the bottom. That is to say I think it angles back towards the station perhaps 25' or so higher than the launch side. By the way, my memory sucks.

I think you are right - because I remember getting annoyed that they weren't equal height... thank you OCD.

Shades:

Wasn't it the return side that had the incident?

Correct. Including (in the report) the vibrations/issues/sounds coming from that area of that ride leading up to the tragedy. The launch had nothing to do with the thing.

I'm not sure what switching sides would do to the experience. The "top thrill" was the launch, not anything that happened after it. That said, I always found the twisting on the return more annoying than anything. Being launched up into a pointless twist might be even more annoying than being dropped into one. Or equally so.

I do hope that they keep the midway close to the launch, or at least the start. One of the neat things about Dragster was being able to watch your friends as they launch. When the train is moving slowly, there isn't enough speed for loose objects to be an issue. It's only when the train is moving very fast that its a problem. I figure the grand stands are roughly where the dividing line should be.

Y’all are crazy- I have to disagree about the twist. Before I ever rode TTD I wondered how it could possibly add anything to the experience and it just seemed weird. But now I know. I especially enjoy it riding in the back of the train in the seat on the right. It seems like the seat is bottoming out, or being pulled away from me and there’s some definite floater time there. The sensation in the twist is totally unexpected and gets me every time.
wah…LEAVE TTD ALONE!!!…wah…

Crazy?

djDaemon:

So If the track has to be wider in the station, does that mean they'd have to alter the current track that's on the top hat then? I'm not sure what the dimensions of the Zamperla trains are like.

There's nothing to indicate the track needs to be wider, given Zamperla is apparently using the entirety of Senzafiato's layout for their install at Playland, and that much of TTD's track remains. So it's seems that the trains themselves are too wide for the openings in the floor of TTD's old station.

It may also be that the Lightning trains can't navigate the relatively tight turns of TTD's old turnaround. Recall that there were two tight turns with some straight track in between, rather than one continuous, wider arc. But this is pure speculation. If they had to remove the stations entirely, might as well remove the old turnaround as well, since trying to design around them would have been unnecessarily limiting.

I was thinking that Shawn meant the accessories at the top hat, namely the access platform/walkway.

Thought I just had…. Cedar Fair already has 2 racing themed coaster. Intimidator and I305. Both of which have red top track. 305 also has yellow supports. Could CF/CP decide now that they are doing a light retheme to make the parks more cohesive as a brand? Intimidator 420? (I promise this isn’t a long winded 420 lol joke). You could keep the red, white and yellow track AND the racing theme. Also if Zamperla is doing an LSM LIGHTNING rework the train they showed at IAAPA fits the them perfectly. The nose cone on it lends perfectly to stock car style “hood” decals. And the color scheme of the one shown at IAAPA is Intimidator black and red!

Super quick mock-up I did with the newly revealed Lightning train from IAAPA

Shades:

I was thinking that Shawn meant the accessories at the top hat, namely the access platform/walkway.

Yes I was actually. Thank you for helping me clarify that.

Intimidator means a lot more in the south than it does in northern Ohio…

To be fair, there is a racetrack in Michigan. And the Poconos. And Indy. But those are the closest.

But we do have a lot of rednecks!

Ride almost killed a person, so let's rename it after someone who was killed.

Wasn't Earnhardt also born just north of Charlotte? There's a legitimate tie to that area that would just seem random for CP.

Yes I understand why it is relevant in the south. No I don’t think we will get an Intimidator name. I just thought it was a cool idea and seeing the IAAPA pics of the lightning train with the black and red made me think of it. Was just trying to have some fun with it instead of rehashing the same conversations we’ve had a million times lol.

Well, there was this race track/airport I spent 30 years working at!

The blazin’ 420

Shawn Meyer:

Yes I was actually. Thank you for helping me clarify that.

Ah, that's an interesting question. If they are altering the station for the trains, then it stands to reason that the access walkway would also need to be replaced. If that's the case, I wonder if this will require a massive, expensive crane on site, or if it can be altered in place.