Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

On Instagram today Zamperla did a fast forward walkthrough of there Shop. Noticed something that looked interesting. I believe it is the track for the 2024 project (Lightning) at Playland PNE that Zamperla is also turning from Hydraulic Launch (Formally Senzafiato) to LSM. Sorry for quality best screeeenshot I could grab since its in fast forward.

I doubt that resistance is anything more than negligible on properly gauged cables, even over a few hundred feet. But get a new 240 line in your house if you're curious about the cost. I did it twice for our electric cars when the breaker box is in the garage, and I was shocked that the wires cost way more than the labor.

^As a licensed electrician, can confirm.

You guys should email the park, they might not know and use the wrong hardware.

It was all those enthusiasts that reminded them not to mess up the heartline during the Mantis to Rougarou conversion

^^Nah...they know. You didn't though.

The aerial photos show that the unload area has been completely demolished. If all that's happening is an LSM retrofit, what would the purpose be of demolishing the unload area? I know a lot of people on here are very diehard with the LSM conversion being all that's happening--I just don't think that jives at all with those aerial photos and Cedar Point's earlier press statement describing the ride as being "reimagined." Plus, all Dragster merchandise was steeply discounted on closing day, which suggests that at the very least, the name is definitely not coming back.

If the new trains are wider, or more likely, the floor is taller, the concrete in the station and unload areas would need to be redone, along with all the ramps and stairs to access. With the remaining dragster theming elements, I would guess the the dragster theme is staying, but maybe they are going with a pseudo new name that still has dragster in it. Think wildcats revenge, or phantoms revenge…

The remaining Dragster “theme” elements are, what, the Christmas tree and finish line? Those could very easily be repurposed/rethemed into a wide variety of new themes while maintaining the current structural and electrical components.

I think dragster already got it's revenge.

I don’t know how else you could repurpose a drag race Christmas tree, but I’m sure it’s possible. In addition to the Christmas tree and finish line, the grandstand is still there, with just enough of the front removed to fit the excavation equipment. I think the term used was surgical precision. The flags from the top of the station were removed, they are stacked in front of the station, presumably so they don’t get damaged by the cranes. It appears all of these things are remaining, otherwise why not just scrap them. Is a theme change possible? Of course. Is a mechanical/electrical upgrade alone possible? Also a yes. Time will tell which way the park goes.

Maybe it's all going to Dorney where they'll retheme Demon Drop.

Before: Top Thrill Dragster

In 2024: Bottom Bore Dragster

FortMason:

If all that's happening is an LSM retrofit, what would the purpose be of demolishing the unload area

Maybe the new dragster will split the current station. Where the second train loaded will now be the unloading spot. Just a guess.

^I have the feeling it would make wait times slower than they already were.

It would make sense to not have the unload station to be able to run with less staffing, but I still think they'd load two at a time - more like a Maverick setup.

To the staffing point, I wonder if, since they're overhauling the controls system and the station, it would be feasible to have a flexible load/unload configuration. When they're not as busy and/or cannot find enough staff, they could run as mentioned above with loading and unloading occurring at the same location, such as with Maverick. When they're busy and/or can staff adequately, they could shift unload over where it has been, giving a small boost to capacity.

The real estate already exists, it would just take some extra controls infrastructure. Of course, after (presumably) finally being able to free themselves from Intamin's messy, overengineered complexity, maybe they want to keep things as simple as possible.

Loading station setup like Maverick’s?

Maverick clone in the infield confirmed.

Jeff:

I doubt that resistance is anything more than negligible on properly gauged cables, even over a few hundred feet.

Yes, you can increase the gauge of your conductors to combat voltage drop, but at a certain point skin effect comes into play and you need to add conductors, or use special conductors such as litz wire. And I don't know the frequency of LSM technology, but the higher the frequency the greater the loss due to skin effect.

And even if the loss is "only" 1%, if you plan of pumping a massive amount of power through these conductors over a couple decades (a necessity to launch several thousand pounds to ~120MPH many, many thousands of times), that 1% of loss adds up, meaning it may make financial sense to spend a few bucks to minimize cable length.

I suspect there will be capacitor banks or transformers along the length of the launch track. I would guess that the launch could pull 1000+ amps. There would be a significant amount of loss in a cable 500' long carrying 1000 + amps. In addition, my gut tells me that the cable would need some sort of active cooling.

Didn't Superman the Escape, the original 100 MPH LSM launch, have issues with the skin effect? I have some recollection of reading that somewhere, but in a 30 second google search, I can't find any reputable sources noting that.