Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

Instead of heading back to the station we could just make Corkscrew proceed up the Dragster hill with a little extra push from an LSM ... CORKSTER! How hard could it be?!

We're trying to eliminate injuries not cause more

Not sure if this has been brought up yet but on Intamins website it says their LSMs can exceed 200km/h which is 124 mph.

Cool, but I doubt they make them. They're probably made by someone else.

Since I did my bet that it's just a LSM conversion, new theme, and no layout changes, I want to do my RCT (cheats enabled) pipedream as well like others.

Add 40 feet somehow to the structure to reclaim the world height record and a 200 ft zero g stall for world's tallest inversion. Use braking on the decline after the hill like Kingda Ka as well to put less stress on the brakes.

What about Linear Induction Motors??? The new LIM electromagnetic launch systems on US aircraft carriers can launch a 100,000 pound plane from 0-150mph in 300 feet.... over a period of 2-3 seconds. Dragster's trains are only 30,000 pounds and they have a longer area available for launch. Now going full military grade may be overkill and/or prohibitively expensive.... but I think that shows that an electromagnetic launch within the parameters of the existing track layout is not only possible but could provide the same (if not MORE powerful) launch experience vs. hydraulic.

EDIT: Wow.... the power use is absolutely insane. Just found this in an article on the USS Ford's launch system (Emphasis added):

One challenge is to scale a relatively new technology to handle the required weights and power. The EMALS motor generator weighs over 80,000 pounds and is 13.5 feet long, almost 11 feet wide, and almost 7 feet tall. It’s designed to deliver up to 60 MJ and 60 MW at its peak. In the three seconds it takes to launch a Navy aircraft, it generates an amount of power that could handle 12,000 homes. This motor generator is part of a suite of equipment called the Energy Storage Subsystem, which includes the motor generator, the generator control tower, and the stored energy exciter power supply. The new USS Gerald R. Ford Class carriers will require 12 of each.

1.21 gigawatts. Cue the lightning, Doc.

C Hertling:

...launch systems on US aircraft carriers...

All you need is a small nuclear reactor. Maybe the Navy is ready to retire one. They could just park it in the marina and run some power cables.

Hence the edit adding the power consumption and my amazement. Yeah, technically feasible.... but to go to military spec would be cost prohibitive to build and to power.

I don't know, I like that idea. Cedar point becomes their own power company and is also the first amusement park to operate a nuclear reactor. I think the cost benefit on that would actually be pretty good if they could find a good spot for the reactor. And then they wouldn't have to worry about power problems for their rides.

Here is an old Coasterbuzz thread with some fun math.

https://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/ttd-cost-per-launch

Hmmm… obviously speculation but intriguing

Capacity would be, what, maybe 400 PPH? Seems like a totally wise and reasonable investment of $50+ million.

I was really enjoying my day, everything was going my way, then came along …

...reality.

:-)

You can understand the reality and still enjoy the thought of the possibilities and be hopeful of something cool happening. It’s not one or the other.

And you can still enjoy those thoughts regardless of what Brandon, myself, or anyone else here says in response. What cannot be denied is the comedic timing of the "...reality" response.

Well yes it was haha and I will, but what is not fun is having any idea other than reality be poo poo’d 20 minutes after it is posted. That’s fine there’s other mediums for speculation. Just remember here being a good place for speculation and fun discussion but I must have mistaken. Have a nice day!

JL42:

You can understand the reality and still enjoy the thought of the possibilities and be hopeful of something cool happening. It’s not one or the other.

This is one area I struggle with. I'm sure we all want something cool, but our pipe dreams are just that....dreams. I look at things primarily from a financial point of view as it is the world I come from. Regardless of the record revenues and increased profits of late, this is a project that was not anticipated like most major projects are. Its not like the Cap Ex budget has $50mil sitting in it for a massive redo of TTD. Given its current and previous issues, the settlement for the most recent incident, and its operational and maintenance costs, I'm surprised there is/was any effort to save it. I'm not gonna lie, I labeled it as a goner when it didn't reopen for the remainder of the 2021 season.

That being said, I would much rather be here reading posts from y'all than those on social media sites who have no clue as to physical, mathematical, financial, or engineering restraints. Yes, we have a few crazy ideas, but for the most part I think we recognize and accept them as such.

Would it be cool to have a 555' spiral spike taken backwards? Absolutely, but it's not realistic, and ideas divorced from reality are kinda pointless. After all, if we're divorcing ourselves from the constraints of the real world, why stop at 555'? May as well enclose the trains in pressurized cabins and have it go to the moon and back. I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea.

I will say that the craftsmanship of the animation is very high, and deserves credit there. It's just not something that translates to the real world.