At one time, the railroad used to be a ride all to it's self. A really neat one, at that. I was very disappointed when they decided to use it as a transport to WaterWorks. It used to make you feel like you were actually out in the wilderness, and when you came upon the outpost, there were even robbers who would stop the train and point fake guns at you. I still think they need to totally re-route the train to make it more like a ride again. People can walk to and from WW - it won't kill them. It could even give them a chance to dry off.
As for Rivertown, before (and for a short time after) the opening of the Beast, there used to be a peaceful nature trail that looped around for about a mile back through the woods. You had to walk all the way back past the original canoe livery and island (where the Beast's lifthill now is) just to get to the entrance to the trail. They closed the trail after a lady got raped back there one time.
The whole point to Rivertown wasn't so much that it was supposed to be some peaceful place in the park. It was created to mimic a yesteryear feel that recalled the Ohio wilderness of 150 years ago. The towns and villages of the Little Miami valley, as well as the Ohio River valley, were all built because of the rivers. The whole theme of Rivertown was supposed to revolve around the incorporation of water, and the wilderness, in the rides. Therefore, you had KCKC, and the original canoe livery, and the log flume, and the railroad. Putting in Whitewater Canyon was an EXCELLENT fit for the woods of Rivertown. When The Beast came along, the canoe livery went. And the fact that the Beast is a wood coaster fit it better than a steel one. (Actually, even though it is technically a steel coaster, Adventure Express should have been placed in Rivertown, because it is a mine car-type coaster. They could have themed it to an actual mine train, though.) The Beast still held the theme of going out into the wilderness to face a terrible beast that was out there roaming around.
I was terribly saddened just to see the bridge over the lake was taken out. That was one of my favorite walkways. I think what we are beginning to see in Rivertown is a modernization of the water theme. That is why I don't think we will see a steel hyper or giga whatever in that section of the park. It will more than likely be another water adventure.
PKI is going through a transformation, and it will be a much better park in the future. Personally, I think Paramount is doing a great job of retheming the whole park. They are basically keeping the original themes, just modernizing them a bit. The kids area is still a kids area, only larger, and now it is modernized with Nickelodeon and RR theming. Very modern for kids. When I was a kid, Fred Flintstone and Scooby Doo were the big things for us kids then. But they aren't anymore. When PKI takes something out, it usually replaces it with something better. So let's not get too upset about what is transpiring in Rivertown. 'K?
