Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

Raptor used to be the same way (maybe it still is). My son and I rode it right after it stopped raining. Going up the lift hill we got dumped on. This was back in the day when they took video of you on the ride - we bought that one as it was hilarious to watch what happened to us.

Plague on Wheels:

It will be interesting to see the choice of material used in this reimagination project.

It's simple: they'll use whatever material sits the tightest on the supports... But not too tight.

Surely you..?.. nevermind.

(I think I just broke "rule #1" with this post)

What's in a name?

Plague on Wheels:

on the other hand was built in a highly humid Florida climate

The humidity is not materially different in Tampa, it's just warmer. And there's no winter weather. It's crazy, they have a steel coaster there that's over 40-years-old.

Plague on Wheels:

The Cedar Point ride operations management team is notoriously fickle in wet weather, if there is a slight drizzle even remotely possible, nearly every coaster in the park closes despite the fact there is no legitimate safety issue for operating modern roller coasters in the rain.

Fixed that for you.

Plague on Wheels:

Iron Gwazi, on the other hand was built in a highly humid Florida climate, so interesting to see they picked Iron down there, given the known issues with Iron Dragon and moisture up here in the north.

So you compare Iron Gwazi and Iron Dragon and treat them as similar rides because the name for both rides starts with Iron?

veritas55:

Finally, the most perplexing thing to me is why CF did not insist on better capacity on this ride

I think if the ride operated as designed it would have the capacity that a coaster of that magnitude at a park like Cedar Point typically does. But when you combined the current state of Cedar Point operations, the design of the seats and restraints, and the fact they can't dispatch as soon as the previous train drops off the lift and use the midcourse as a block (not that their current operations would have the train ready for dispatch anyway), it simply doesn't. But the actual design and length of the ride course should/does allow for "Cedar Point capacity"

With Steel Vengeance and capacity, I think it has more to do with the general lack of emphasis on capacity around the entire park than it does with the design of that particular ride. Look at Gemini. Back in '96 the ride had just under 2.9 million rides in one season. This was before Halloweekends extended the season. In 2014 (the most recent number I could find), Geimini had about 1.3 million rides. It could very well be less now. I have seen Steel Vengeance operate at capacity, where the trains fly pas each other, on one day for about 40 minutes. So it is technically, and physically possible to operate the ride at that capacity. I just think management doesn't make getting good ridership numbers nearly as high of a priority as they did back in the 90s.

Og raises a good point. Here are a few things lack of emphasis on max. capacity potentially accomplishes.

It satisfies the insurance/safety aspect that insists on Ride Ops following to the letter all those silly rules on the loading platform. The already hard-working employees will be less prone to errors while rushing through just for the sake of capacity.

Less cycles of the ride means less wear & tear on many components, lower maintenance costs and extends the lifespan of the ride.

Guests will still be lined up in the queue regardless, at any & all rides that are open at a particular time.

Guests will be weary of waiting and perhaps spend money at food/gift shops.

Guests may grow frustrated with all the long wait times and depart the park altogether which doesn't matter to park as they already have their paid admission.

A slew of frustrated guests is of minor concern as there are certain to be a slew more of potential excited paying guests to pack into the park.

Low capacity seems like it's bad for business if for no other reason than that it's difficult to purchase $12 beer from the queue. Then again, Fast Lane.

I have fond memories riding Gemini in the 80's where you basically didn't stop walking in the queue.

When it comes to Gemini, let's be realistic. Even if it could run at its original capacity, it wouldn't need to. The overall park capacity spreads out people enough that it isn't necessary.

I agree that the original capacity isn't necessary, but watching each train come to a slamming stop and stack every single cycle last year was just insane to me. I can think back to riding during the Coasting for Kids events years back and stacking was a rare event, however it seems today that's just standard operation. It would be one thing if the queue was empty, but I saw this same procedure happening when the ride had a 45 minute wait.

Cartwright:

So you compare Iron Gwazi and Iron Dragon and treat them as similar rides because the name for both rides starts with Iron?

They are both constructed with Iron. True statement.

Noticing on front web cam several truckloads of gravel heading toward what appears to be the Dragster site today. New video from LEL today and, as I suspected the foundation that was being built inline with launch track now has two very large attachment points for structure that I assume will take the forces for the transfer to vertical into the spike.

New LEL video just dropped showing the beginnings of two new footers in line with the launch track and the center of the other three new footers. This new queue they’re building is going to be insane!

Link to the new LEL video! I’m really starting to get a bad feeling that this might be our last year with Iron Dragon looking at the 2 new footers and proximity of the triangle footer(s).

The proximity is exactly because Iron Dragon is there. Do you think they would engineer around it if it wasn't gonna be around?

I could totally see this as last year for Iron Dragon and the plot being used for a much nicer family coaster in years to come. I have been wondering it the temp infill of the lagoon is for not only staging and access for the new TTD but also for the quick removal of Iron Dragon piers. I think that waterfront area with the jungle Larry history deserves a cool refresh. Iron Dragon though a nice family ride is a bit of a mediocre version of that type of ride.

To be fair we don’t know that they are engineering around it at the moment. Sure the footers (we currently see) don’t encroach on ID. But we don’t know if the super structure/track/train clearance allows for ID to run over/under whatever gets places there yet.

"Two" new footers? I only see one new on in the video.

I see one footer, two attachment points .

Don't forget that Yukon Striker at Wonderland literally dives underneath a section of their arrow suspended coaster. I think they can have both operating together. That's what engineering is for. In fact, if a spike is around the height or even taller than the top hat, the pull out for the spike would likely have to start in front of the old station area so I think the track would be high enough above Iron Dragon.

What if the curve into the spike actually goes above the station in line, AND the station is used for loading and unloading while being covered? The load track would be inside of the original line, then depart and tie into the original line with a switch track. This is my new theory.