Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

Or it could be a team of folks from one manufacturer.

Who/what currently holds the record for tallest spike?

I'm having a tough time finding that particular record, but I know SUPERMAN: Escape From Krypton is 415 feet.

Take Tony's advice and sit tight fellas. You ain't seen nothin yet ;)

Two new pieces of track today. Modified box track with tire drives and retractable brake fins (or LSM stators, hard to tell):

Interesting design for the retractable pieces - and from a design perspective, definitely more robust. Have we seen this style anywhere else?

CoasterLine:

Two new pieces of track today. Modified box track with tire drives and retractable brake fins (or LSM stators, hard to tell):

I’m more interested in the bottom part. First piece of switch track?

High Flyer:

I’m more interested in the bottom part. First piece of switch track?

It looks more like this track is going to go directly on a footer, not another support, with shear keys below the mounting plate. The horizontal beams would just be shipping dunnage in that case.

Actually, they look very similar to Cheetah Hunt: https://rcdb.com/9456.htm#p=33629

The drive tires would lead me to believe this is either station track or storage track maybe?

PKevin2004:

High Flyer:

I’m more interested in the bottom part. First piece of switch track?

It looks more like this track is going to go directly on a footer, not another support, with shear keys below the mounting plate. The horizontal beams would just be shipping dunnage in that case.

I've also been known to be wrong: https://rcdb.com/14947.htm#p=125501

Bottom steel I-beams are only for transport support. As you mentioned, the track connections have shear keys on them, with the beams mounted to allow the track to sit without force being put on the keys themself.

About 1/3 of the launch track was previously direct track-to-footer, and the final brake area directly behind the station being the same.

I would assume these are likely for the final brake area as both track pieces today have transitions to flat track on each end.

PKevin2004:

very similar to Cheetah Hunt:

Agreed. Which is an Intamin ride. I’m getting more confused by this ride by the day. Can’t wait to just have the answers in a week!

https://twitter.com/cedarpo...JsrPhXPV4Q

Well that’s a disappointing tease a week out

Two things I have learned in 229 pages of thread; cofferdams and shear keys.

CoasterLine:

I would assume these are likely for the final brake area as both track pieces today have transitions to flat track on each end.

I agree, pictures of TTD show brake run track behind the station was placed directly on footers. The track also has retractable fins and connects to the flatter track.

The retractable fin design we see with the TTD 2.0 track, could be a corrective action Intamin started implementing years ago to address trains colliding with fins. Having the fin pinned on one end and allowing it to pitot downwards is a more robust design for keeping the fins precisely aligned within acceptable tolerance.

Remember when TTD damaged a bunch of fins. A incident like that would catch a lot more attention these days, given all that happened in 2021.

^^Kevin, I also learned that Rougarou's colors are a coincidence.

I've learned that Lagoon Maintenance is a very, very complex undertaking. When will they finish?

Those retractable, pivoting brake fins sure are adding another check mark on the Intamin side of the equation…

I could easily see the new track work being done by Intamin, with new trains coming from Zamperla.