4-7-04 New Storm Runner Pics including Trains!

Is it just me, or do those trains highly resemble a togo sitdown looping coaster (ie: manhatten express)

hmmmmmmm......

^^ Dang i was just about to post about how much they look like togo trains.............was about to say i guess togo is back in business!!

It also appears there may be some sort of leg guard so people can't stick their legs out. Colossus at Thorpe Park modified their trains with custom leg guards a few months after the coaster opened if I am not mistaken.

-Sean

It's not really that they look ugly, more that they just look very plain. They don't have the same sleek and aerodynamic feel that the older hyper trains did (newer ones like Goliath SFH and Thunder Dolphin have newer boxier ones). I'd been quite curious to see what a normal non-themed rocket train would look like, and well it's a little dissapointing. Oh well, still looks like the best of all of the rocket coasters.

-Ride_Op

I actually like how the trains look. Sweet and to the point. Nothing wrong with that...

I agree with you Bullguy. They are nice & simple with a decent color scheme. I can't wait to see the logos on the front. Far from Togo. You know this coaster is going to kick.

I sooooooooooooo can't wait to ride it this summer sometime...my girlfriend and I are definitely making a trip to ride it (and the other coasters) and such...speaking of which, I'm going to Hersheypark this Friday for Springtime In The Park...yay for unlimited rides on Comet/Great Bear! :-D

Anyway, to get back on track...I like the look of the coaster trains...this will be my first "rocket" train, so to speak...and 0-72 in about 2 seconds? That sounds wicked! I can't wait! :-D

Now I am a little worried after seeing those restraints. To me they do not look as "roomy" as the B&M OTSR's... and after riding Talon at Dorney late last season, I found that I am a few pounds away from the "Big Boy" seats... and I think I've put on those few pounds over the winter. Oooops.

Guess I'll find out tomorrow with my first ride on Great Bear for the season. *** Edited 4/8/2004 1:25:26 PM UTC by SLFAKE***

What worries me is the thinness of the part of the restraint that actually comes over the shoulder. They look basically like steel bars with about ¼ inch thick padding wrapped around them. Now, I guess that'd be fine on a coaster with no laterals, but by design those first 1½ heartline rolls in the snake dive should produce ~1 lateral g everytime the car hits 90° of roll. That sounds like it could mean head into restraint... or in this case neck into thin steel bar. That sounds bad, no?

However, most of me believes that Intamin would not design a car and coaster in which such a thing could happen, given their recently stellar record in terms of creating nice, passenger friendly, comfortable coasters.

-BB

The train might look like a Togo, But the ride isnt going to FEEL anything like a Togo.

I was just by the park today for Springtime in the park, and it was packed. The parking lot was full. I decided not to waste the money to ride, and just decided to walk around to enjoy the atmosphere. If today was any indication of what the regular season will be like expect long waits.

I did get a good look at Storm Runner, and really can't wait to ride. Its going to be the coaster to beat this year. Dollywood has the wood, and Hershey has the steel.

Just replying to Sean's points about Thorpe's looper trains:

Yes, metal guards were added to the side of the trains after someone stuck their leg out of the train and hit it on the gantry adjacent to the final brakes.

They avoided serious injury, and although I don't think the park were in any way obliged to (the person broke rules by sticking their leg out of the train in the first place), the park termporarily installed metal guards to the side of the train.

This season, the guards have been removed (they really made getting in and out of the trains a palaver at best) and have been replaced by new restraints which are basically the same as normal restraints, but are shaped so that they push down on your legs more. This prevents even the most bendy person sticking their legs out of the train.

The Hersheypark trains look pretty decent, although I prefer the look of Thorpe's Colossus trains. If you're interested, Colossus gives a very earthy ride, and isn't smooth. This isn't to say it is rough, but it isn't as passive an experience as, say, a B&M coaster. I love Colossus because it gives you a kick up the backside, something not enough coasters do.

---

Heatherw said:
I was just by the park today for Springtime in the park, and it was packed. The parking lot was full. I decided not to waste the money to ride, and just decided to walk around to enjoy the atmosphere. If today was any indication of what the regular season will be like expect long waits.

---

Well then you might have reason to regret it.

I wristbanded myself , inspite of not strolling into the park until late afternoon; I still managed to get more than my money's worth in the four hours I was there. And that's with eating, and spending a good half hour taking photos. Lines weren't terribly long..and the only time I waited atleast 30 minutes was trying to get a front seat on Great Bear. All of the coasters operating (except of course Sidewinder) were running two trains rather briskly..dispatching not long after the previous train parks on the last set of brakes.

The crowds were really healthy, and I think that was a good thing.

Oh, and here are some in-park pictures of Storm Runner to indulge in..(be patient, the page is still a bit buggy, hitting refresh a few times got them to work for me.)

http://community.webshots.com/album/133120334nckemi *** Edited 4/11/2004 5:02:55 PM UTC by 13minutes***

Awesome pics 13Minutes, It looks like testing will be starting tomorrow. I cant wait for this ride, I will be running my A$$ off on opening day to try to get on one of the first trains.

I made the mistake of going to Springtime in the Park...my and my girlfriend could only spend a few hours there...when we got there around 11:30, only Comet and Sidewinder was open out of the coasters...so we got in line for Comet...that was a good hour-long wait...

While we were in line for that, SuperDooperLooper opened up, so we hit that afterwards...but they were adding a 2nd train while we were in line for that, so that was another long wait...finally we rode that, with no signs of Great Bear opening, and we knew we had to leave in about a half-hour...so we go and get in line for the Tilt-A-Whirl, one of her favorite rides...

Sure enough, Great Bear tests/opens while we're in line. So if you go, next year, go in the afternoon, when the other rides are sure to be open. I was a bit ticked that they couldn't get a ride like Great Bear open until 2:30, instead of at the park opening, which would have helped to cut down the Comet and other ride lines greatly. Oh well...a lesson learned.

The more I look at this ride, the more I realize how awkward it looks. There are some pretty wierd looking supports, like the one sticking into the side of the launch track, and some of the elements look distorted, like the exit of the first inversion and the twisted end of the ride. It should be a unique experience, can't wait to ride it in July!

No fences to ward off the gp yet over by the launch track. LOL if they don't install it during testing because that is the most unintelligent risk in safety ever. I can se eit now, some little kid will run over to ride the Storm Runner horse on the track..... sounds horrible...

It was strange to see, but they covered that base with a security guard that was posted to the area. That, and in my expereince, your typical Hersheypark guest is fairly well behaved anyway.

I was there around the same time yesterday as when 13minutes took the most recent set of pictures. Since this was my first time back in the park since the addition of SR I noticed the following things:As was noted in several of the pictures, the path from the Sidewinder down to the Trailblazer still exists and does not appear to be altered. The last time that I walked it around a SR car was parked directly over the path providing an awesome view of the undercarriage (naturally I forgot my camera).The steps leading down from the Lost Children’s Caboose to the Western Restaurant area have been removed. Those steps would've crossed over the track after it came out of the top hat element. The steps have replaced with nice new tanbark and shrubs. If you look closely you can still see the first step (painted yellow) at the top of the former path behind the Music Box Theater.In picture DSC00205 you can see workers working on the car. I could not believe how close the track is to the actual path. The picture does not give a good perspective. At its closest point it is probably about 20 feet away. You are right on top of this ride. Now that I have been inside the park I have mixed feelings about the location of the ride. As you stand down in the trailblazer area the ride consumes you. It's almost claustrophobic. Everywhere you look it is giant silver posts and bright red track. It just doesn't fit with everything in that area, it overpowers it. I'm thinking that over time it will grow on me. But for now, it just looks plan odd. Last, where are they going to fit the queues for this thing and where will everyone go? Yesterday afternoon it was a people log jam in that area and the ride isn't even open yet. From the construction that is going on it appears the queue will wrap around the back of the building, but it is hard to tell at this point.

The rest of the park looked great. Fresh paint in a lot of areas. The rides were running good (although I got a nice headache from Sidewinder, big surprise) and it looks like it's almost ready for opening day. I'm just ready for SR to start testing so we can see what it really looks like.

Can someone give me the exact URL? I can't find the page. Thanks.