Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

How would they have removed more track?

They literally removed everything besides the tower and top hat. Any layout addition would happen before or after the launch.

IMO.. pre launch layout makes more sense.

With a bigger crane. And how exactly would a pre-launch layout change work? You need the launch to make it through the layout.

So you're telling me flying my drones is frowned upon, but High Flyer is totally encouraged and applauded? Double standards, anyone? Someone PLEASE inform me of the acceptable altitude threshold... /sarcasm winky face

Great pics :)

Augustmueller:

Must have been getting close to sunset?

Right around 2pm, actually.

Dvo:

So you're telling me flying my drones is frowned upon, but High Flyer is totally encouraged and applauded? Double standards, anyone? Someone PLEASE inform me of the acceptable altitude threshold

High Flyer, at 25k, was in a manned aircraft in class A airspace and not over the park (not that it would have mattered), Carry on. ;)

djDaemon:

Huh, you'd think if the layout were going to change they'd have removed more track by now.

Lol, dude, you are going to look so silly when they convert TTD to an inverted coaster. Just you wait.

I'm trying to remember how much of Phantom's Revenge is the original Arrow track, IIRC it's just the station track and lift hill. Assuming the remainder of TTD's layout remains unchanged, it'll be interesting as TTD 2.0 would basically have the inverse track replacement as Phantom's Revenge (de novo station and propulsion track, original layout track, versus original station and propulsion track, de novo layout track) if that made any sense.

Makes sense indeed. You are correct with the Phantom, only miss-mentioning the original transfer table and “parking” track also still exist.

Augustmueller:

and how far the TTD shadow stretches.

I dunno how you can possibly see its shadow with all the dormant trees in the way.

NextGen89:

IMO.. pre launch layout makes more sense.

So how does that work, exactly? Where are they going to fit in additional elements while maintaining enough launch track to get to ~120MPH?

If there is going to be a launch like what's on Pantheon (is it called a swing launch?), where it launches forward, backward, and then forward again, then all of the layout changes would be before the tophat.

I would imagine they would have to build a spike, maybe an airtime hill like what we see on Pantheon.

My brother and I have talked about it, This double launch may be necessary to get all the way up to 110-120 MPH depending on how powerful LSM Launches can be. Has the tech advanced enough to get the proper speed in the current launch track? (Personally, I'm more skeptical of this happening currently, but that's just what I think).

So how does this new swing launch track physically align with the station track (which isn't going anywhere) and also with the tophat track (which is also not going anywhere)?

And since the back spike of this swing launch track needs a radius between it and horizontal track, how many passes would be needed to get to ~120MPH?

And what impact will all of this have on capacity?

Iron Dragon is fully in the path of a theoretical back spike.. unless that back spike is moved forward of the current station within the layout.

(perhaps that’s not TTDs shadow touching lake Erie. based on Windseeker’s shadow, I’m assuming it is)

That Crazy Dan:
I'm trying to remember how much of Phantom's Revenge is the original Arrow track, IIRC it's just the station track and lift hill.

ORIGINALLY, the Arrow track extended from the uptrack end of the transfer table, through the station, up the lift hill, down the first drop, up to the top of the second hill, and a short way down the second drop.

More recently they replaced everything from the top of the lift to the original transition point, and in the process completely screwed up the transition at the top of the second hill. Then they came back and more or less fixed the top of the second hill, although it still isn't quite as fluid as the Arrow track was (?!).

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan:

and in the process completely screwed up the transition at the top of the second hill.

Ha! Yes, the second round of Arrow track replacement, as I recall, was outsourced to a local fabrication shop and not from Morgan. Something about the track rails weren’t attached to the cross ties at the appropriate locations. Which was “corrected” during the off season.

djDaemon:

So how does this new swing launch track physically align with the station track (which isn't going anywhere) and also with the tophat track (which is also not going anywhere)?

From my understanding, i thought that the track in the station indeed has been removed. It is possible that they could "move" the station to be slightly to the right from where it currently is. (Why else would they remove the track in the station and exit station?

As for the spike, I had heard that the old photo building had been removed (or rumored to be removed). If true, and if the station was moved over then we would have the space for a spike and transfer track. Moving the station may not be likely but it for sure is possible.

As far as capacity, TTD capacity was already fairly low.

(I still am in the camp of they are just going to put LSM's on the track, I'm just playing devil's advocate, maybe these theories don't hold water under scrutiny.)

Demolishing and rebuilding the station, while technically possible, is a pretty massive undertaking.

Frog Hopper King:

Why else would they remove the track in the station and exit station?

The same reason the launch and brake track was removed - to be fitted with updated drive/controls/launch components.

FOR SURE! Ripping out of the station would be a huge expense. It would require moving all of the electrical wiring components that run the ride and partially "redoing" the infrastructure of the ride.

One thing I thought of is, they could reconfigure the station a bit to potentially make the launch section longer. (maybe)

One thing that is still perplexing me is the idea of retrofitting the old track. I know we have talked about track having a shelf life. On some big past projects (Incredible hulk) they have completely retracted the ride with brand new track. My question is this: is there a way to retrofit the track while extending its life of the track? (I would love to hear from some of the engineers that are on here!)

Hulk was open almost every day, year after year. It reached the end of its service life in part because it was washboarding in certain places like a poorly maintained wooden coaster.

Dragster's service hours are a fraction of Hulk's. While I would assume that the launch track will be modified with diagonal members, given that the trains will be pushing off the track rather than being pulled over it, I'm sure it will last for a very long time.

@DJDaemon

Pre-Lauch layout would work exactly like it does on Maverick.

Compact inline twister layout.. out and back in the infield, which then results in a mid-course launch like Maverick up and over the tower as a finale.