Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

Agreed that there are many suppliers on a contract, but with the lead and the major sub being direct competitors could make things a bit interesting.

Agreed. I'm not convinced it's the most likely scenario, just that it's plausible.

Tony tweeted at 9:55am! wHaT dOeS iT mEaN?!

I’m curious about these lightning trains and the idea of them being installed on a ride such as TTD. I did not attend IAAPA so I do not know how the trains look in person or how tall they really are, but they look like they sit significantly higher on the track than TTD’s original trains did. Would the idea of clearance issues come into play on the downward spiral of the tower? Obviously the engineers would have that figured out, but that is what would make me question the use of Zamperla’s lightning trains.

The old trains are still sitting beside blue streak. Is there any chance they get updated and reused?

I think that'd be a bad look. The accident was caused by a piece that came from a train. They do all this just to slap the old "problematic" trains back on it and still try to give it a new identity? Nah.

DJ- correct me if I'm wrong, but the main Manufacturer would still be responsible because they are the ones heading the project. They may contract to work out to different organizations but at the end of the day, it's their ride. I just have a hard time seeing Intamin go for using someone else's trains. Especially when the problem originally came from a piece flying off of a train. I just find it really unlikely. But that's just me.

Is there any limit to how fast a train can travel backwards regarding the train and restraints?

Pretending for a second that the spike is insanely tall - I’m assuming the net difference on launch 1 vs. 2 backwards would be like 20-30mph more than the rollback speed momentum? Say going from 75ish to 100 and then to 120?

Frog Hopper King:

I just have a hard time seeing Intamin go for using someone else's trains.

It could be as simple as CF saying to Intamin "we're going forward with a plan to modify Dragster with LSMs and Zamperla's new Lightning trains. Would you care to be involved in that project?" So if it was a choice of not being involved at all, or being a part of the project while potentially regaining the goodwill of and business from CF, the choice should be obvious.

JL42:

Mach 11 would be a good name for an air racing themed rollercoaster lol

"This ride goes to 11."

djDaemon:

It's not as if Intamin is providing Intamin-manufactured PLCs, sensors, AC motors, VFDs, cables, fittings, etc. Or even their own LSM tech, which comes from Indrivetec.

Not a great example considering that Intamin produces most of what they need. They build tracks, supports, trains, restrains, brakes, and they actually do own Innovative Drive technologies where they produce the LSM's and the energy storage solutions needed to supply power to their LSM's. Also, I'm not sure what connectors and fittings have to do with anything. If I buy a section of Eaton hydraulic hose for a project, that doesn't make Eaton a partner in the project. You can have suppliers and subcontractors(like Baynum Painting), but its still your project.

The argument was made that a Zamperla-Intamin partnership would be problematic because there would be finger-pointing when issues occur with someone else's equipment. My point was that if an Allen-Bradley PLC or a Schneider contactor or a Phoenix Contact relay or an ABB disconnect or whatever else fails, the responsible stakeholder is still on the hook for it, or is at least on the hook for determining the responsible party. In other words, a Zamperla train on an Intamin coaster is not some insurmountable issue.

Also, Innovative Drive =/= Indrivetec.

Found this floating on the Cedar Point subreddit. No clue on its accuracy and legitimacy.

I mean, what are we looking at?

Size of the base supports I believe and assuming in a way speculation on height of the spike.

I’d say the accuracy isn’t great. Someone posted these images a few days ago to give context as to the size or the supports. Either that man is significantly wider than he looks, or that’s the most narrow semi on the planet…or maybe the new supports are significantly larger.

I am guessing that it is an intermodal shipping container. They are 8' wide. Which makes them very wide supports.

Clearing has begun on the tall grass around the spike supports!

That blue lift in back is a Genie GTH-1056, which according to their website, is equipped with 400/75-28 tires. According to the specification for Firestone's version of that same size tire, it's outer diameter is 52.3". That guy standing next to the other lift, which appears to have similarly-sized tires as the GTH-1056, stands, what, maybe a foot taller than that? So that would put his height at about 64". Let's be generous and say he's a foot-and-a-half taller, so 5'8".

And that guy's height compared to the base of the support is:

There are a number of wooden coasters where one manufacturer makes the coaster and another makes the trains. Plenty of precedent.

Also, it is very common in a number of industries for one company to be the prime contractor on a project, with much of the work farmed out to sub contractors.

Not saying it's Intamin, but there is plenty of good reason for Intamin to rework their own track and launch, potentially at a substantial discount as part of a legal settlement with CF regarding the TTD accident and/or StR, as well as plenty of reason to simultaneously select another manufacturer's new trains design which happens to have significant advantages for this particular application.

For what its worth... I believe the track was shipped to Genoa Italy for refurbishment.