Vertical Construction Has Begun!

I like the idea, but I don't think it would work well.

SSL488 said:
I like the idea, but I don't think it would work well.

Yep. It doesn't even have Windseeker. lol

And WindSeeker!

Dive loop is going up!!!

Progress moving fairly quick too.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when they were building maverick, they didn't go 'in order' did they? With Gatekeeper, they are building it in what I like to call the roller coaster tycoon style. They seem to be putting it up piece by piece in order of the way the train will travel.

When they were building Maverick, it seemed like they just started in a random spot.

How do they determine what pieces they put up first, second, third... Etc.

^ You're right, and if I remember, the seemingly arbitrary nature in which they put up Maverick led to an awful lot of speculation and assumption about the ride's layout since if I recall correctly they started laying track well before they officially announced the layout.

I definitely seem to remember someone claiming that Maverick's first big hill after the lift was a tiny bunny-hop for a 500-footer or something like that.

It might just be the angle, but dose the dive loop look taller than the 0groll?

I think it's just the angle. I think those 2 elements are relatively close to the same height.

Will they complete the majority of the dive loop today? If they do the track is about 70 percent complete

I'm surprised at the way they are doing the Dive Loop. I didn't think they'd put that last track piece up until after they had finished the exit of the dive loop. Now that piece will have to be held up by a crane until pretty much the entire Dive Loop is finished due to there being no support.

SSL488 said:...When they were building Maverick, it seemed like they just started in a random spot... Etc.

Maverick was built from the ground up. Keep in mind the difference between building a twisted layout vs an out-and-back. I was TL at Thunder Canyon in 06, and it was very cool to watch the ride start to go up. I remember being told Intamin was incredibly specific regarding the entire construction process. Not that B&M isn't, just what I was told.

SSL488 said:

When they were building Maverick, it seemed like they just started in a random spot.

How do they determine what pieces they put up first, second, third... Etc.

I'm not sure how they determine in, but I know it just depends on the manufacturer.

It also probably relates to accessibility for the construction vehicles and equipments such as cars, trucks, and most of all, cranes. For an out and back coaster I don't think it matters quite as much where you start and go along since access to the track can be pretty much anywhere, but for a twister coaster you have to be sure not to trap the contruction vehicles and cranes. Think of mopping a floor. You start at the back of the room and then work around the edges and slowly move backwards. If you start at the doorway of the room, you'd have to walk over the washed surface in order to reach the rest of the room. Or if you start in the middle without moving and just mop around you, you'll be stuck in the middle.

Looks like there doing the whole dive loop today, or at least till they get the support up. I wouldn't want to leave that track just hanging there overnight.

^Yes, they're going to stop when they get one more support up for the dive loop. Tomorrow they're going to finish it and will start putting up the track that will return over the main entrance.

How do you know? :)

You must have a magic crystal ball. ^^ ;)

^ Maybe he has a hunch about the construction progress or he is guessing. ;)

They definitely seem to be trying hard to make that connection to the support so that crane can let go for the night.... darkness descending fast .