Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

Discovery’s Thrills Chills and Spills is how I got to know about all the latest coasters and still associate many rides with certain parks that I’ve never been to because of that series. I can still here the announcer. I’d like to see it come back.

If there was ever a park more in love with itself and its own history than Europa-Park then I don’t know what is. They have several documentaries devoted to the place and particularly some of their latest rides including the conception, design and construction process. I guess for them it makes sense. Mack owns the place, the park is basically their entire catalog, and it’s where they often debut their newest contraptions. While there you get an overwhelming sense of self-promotion. And so the docs are available to potential buyers but are also sold around the park. They have fans, and how.
I like your idea, but CP would have to get on the stick very early on which seems unlikely. They’d also have to insure that any particular company’s trade or design secrets aren’t given away in the process- nothing there is ever particularly original to the park.

BleauxJays:

If indeed this construction is for some sort of swing launch spike it would seem to require some sort of re-profiling of that section of ID track at the very least.

Doing some halfhearted measurement via Google Maps, TTD's existing ascent to vertical is about 200' measured horizontally. And at about half that distance, it appears (using Street View) to have risen enough to clear ID's track directly behind TTD's station. ID's track is quite low at that point, so if a supposed rear spike has a similar profile to TTD's ascent, I don't see why any ID modification would be necessary.

And if a rear spike had a similar profile to the existing ascent, measuring from the old TTD station's south end, where a spike ascent would likely begin, 200' lands you just behind ID's transfer track. Which just so happens to be readily accessible via crane from the triangular pad that's been constructed.

Yeah, if this is a back spike, there is no reason why it cannot entirely clear Iron Dragon.

The trickier engineering issue is getting the support structure in place, but it looks like that enormous triangular thing will do the trick -- unless it's of course just a platform for "lagoon maintenance." Ahem.

There is another triangle shaped platform behind coaster dine maybe fro another support for the back spike

Something about the fill in of that coffer and then the areas down the side of the lagoon and behind Coasters really makes me think the gun was jumped on assuming it was for TTD. Really may be just lagoon maintenance after all…

djDaemon:

200' lands you just behind ID's transfer track.

Behind as in, where the stage is now?

Behind as in to the north, just in the lagoon.

At this point, it does seem likely that the area is being staged for heavy equipment, with a large crane being the most obvious use case. As stated by others, they may need to work during the operating season, and this may be the only way to get equipment close enough without using the Midway.

Some have speculated that it may still be used to drill for a footer. However, backfilling the area with loose aggregate typically makes it more difficult to drill. This doesn't make much sense to me.

Since we're forming teams, I'm officially joining the "staging equipment" team.

Disclaimer: I retain the right to change teams if I deem necessary. We all know that being correct about internet speculation on obscure topics is of upmost importance. Henceforth, I retain the sole rights to change my position regarding such topics.

This is essentially in jest since I know nobody in this thread is actually advocating for it, but for as many times as we've seen the "CP is running out of space!" argument cycle through here, I'm surprised I actually don't seem to ever recall anybody proposing to completely fill in the lagoons for more Record Breaking Coasters™.

The lagoons are a historic part of the park though! Might as well cut the rest of trees that are even left while they're at it.

Sure does look like they're filling it all in.

It’s probably a temporary fill to allow better access to the possible new tower. The Dwight Schrute Temporary Workspace.

It's most likely still for lagoon maintenance. It's common to drill to the core of the Earth like they're doing with that pile driver to manipulate the flow of water.

\s

I thought it was a Pile Driver at first but it's definitely a rotary drilling rig. And if they're drilling large holes in that area, then that explain those pipes.

But I'm skeptical those holes will be for any kind of future footer related to Dragster v2. Although I suppose anything is still possible. However, I'm just about convinced the triangle is only for the lagoon maintenance.

This is turning into the most expensive lagoon maintenance project in history

Since some are forming teams, I am firmly #Team Back Spike.

This could be a "kill 2 birds with 1 stone" scenario where maintenance on the lagoon is needed, and they are addressing it while reworking TTD, and we still see some added structure back there be it a spike, or something completely different.

GL2CP:

The Dwight Schrute Temporary Workspace.

It's not anything Dragster 2.0 related. It's a footer for Tony Clark to have megadesk right out in the middle of the park.