Beast in the beginning??

I was wondering what The Beast was like when it opened? Where were the trim breaks if there were any? Was the break shed part of the original design or was it added later?Did the trains have one non-ratcheting lap bar? If anyone has some pics of The Beast on the first season could you post them??? I was also wondering how The Beast was back then compared to today?

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"O'Doyle Rules" Billy Madison

While I can't answer all your technical questions I can tell you this: I first rode Beast in June of 1983, and it was an amazing, out of control experience. I don't recall the brakes in the shed slowing us down one bit. While the ride has been tamed its still fun [although a bit overrated in my opinion].

If you have not ridden The Beast, do so with an open mind and no expectations. Just because its not my cup of tea doesn't mean you won't love it.

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N.U.T.S. - National Union of Thrill Seekers! Be a member and tell everyone you're NUTS! [Brought to you by the maker of LoCoSuMo! NOTE: NUTS is not a real club; void where prohibited; your mileage may vary; where's the beef?]

jeeze, another case of a monster becoming tamed by hearsay.

I was a first night rider, 5/13/79. I will tell you right now, THE BEAST NEVER RAN FASTER THAN IT DOSE NOW!. Sorry for yelling but it is 100% true.

Opening the shed brakes were on but not real hard and the train didn't even make it to the phone booth. I remember this as if it was yesterday. The two connected tunnels were not connected and the helix only had a roof but no walls. It was a increadible experience then and it still is.

I rode papa last thursday and the train went to the fourth car to the phone booth on the second lift. I repeat. It never ran faster on a normal operating day than it dose now.

Things like this lead me to believe the Traver Trio were not nearly as bad as people brag em up to be.

Chuck, who knows and has gotten (Almost brakeless) Rides on beast and it is not much faster (If any) at all than it runs normally now with the magnetic braking The farthest I have seen a train go was the fifth car to the phone booth at last years fearfest

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Charles Nungester
Lesourdsville Lake, The great American amusement park opens the season June 6th Thurs-Sun every week. Park phone is (513)539-2193

my dad rode when it was opened and sais that it was insane but its even better and feels faster now then when it was opned.

I wish that I could tell you objectively how different the Beast experience was in the early days. It certainly seemed much faster (and taller) when I rode it in 1981, but then I hadn't ridden a 300 foot coaster in 1981 so my perception has probably changed over the years.

Chuck - I can definitely see that being the case. I rode the Beast for the first time in many, many moons last April, and I was a tad dissapointed after the first ride. It just wasn't as exciting as I remembered it being as a fifth grader. But the ride probably wasn't any different, just my perception of the ride was off.

I will say this, though. Last year I rode the Beast 7 or 8 times total, and it was the most unpredictable coaster I'd ever been on. One ride would be ferocious, and the next would be a dud. And that was on a reride! I'm really curious to see if the new breaking system has made it a little more consistent.

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"drop rides, not bombs."

*** This post was edited by chris on 7/3/2002. ***

It might be faster now, but the new pinch-style brakes really mess up the flow of the ride, IMO.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

Why do they need any of those trims, I mean could it really be that bad. At least get rid of the ones on the second hill and just keep the ones in the shed and on the second lift hill.

Originally, the Beast had no head rests and only single position buzz bars for restraints. I think the configuration of the trains (as in how many seats per car and how many cars) may have changed as well. I've always loved the 3-D logo on the front of the trains.
I can't wait to get some near brakeless rides--just a few weeks from now.
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-Matt in Iowa
Just 15 miles from 2 CCI's.
193 coasters ridden -- #1 Shivering Timbers

No brakes pinch though except for the brake run and the station. Its all magneteic, nothing touches anything.

I beive the Beast was designed to have all the trims it does now. The ones in the shed were surely always there and as out of control as the final helix is I would hate to see it without trims. The only question is why the first trims. But I honestly don't think they change the ride much more then if they weren't there.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

I was thinking there might be some nice air if the first trims weren't there.

Originally, the train consisted of 4-row cars, 4 or 5 cars per train, I can't remember. They were painted a orange-red spectrum color, no headrest, buzz lap bars, two person seats ( the last two being relevant to fun on the second lift drop into the helix... first you're squished up against the other person, then enter the helix and Slam! both people get pushed right!

I liked the late 80's trains, before the ratcheting lap bars. Better looking IMO.

What a cool ride, though! A favorite!

I doubt there would be air, there was no air when the brakes were on the first drop.

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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly

The restraints were similar to Beastie's lap bars.The ones that come down in front of you,yet not all the way to your lap.

There is one major difference I can tell you about from opening of The Beast, That second drop trim was not used like it is now. That second drop used to have airtime and now the magnetic brakes allow it to whip over the hill a bit and this has return a bit but not as much as it was in the begining.

I agree with manys opinions here on the magnetics. I actually find it almost painful in the front of the train to fly into it and come screeching to a slower speed, However in the back of the train it is far less noticable as the cars in front absorb most of the jerk action. I do not think the magnetic braking is slowing the train down any more or less than in previous years but I do think instead of staying on that they slow the train to a specific point and then allow it to accellerate again faster. The old brakes basically killed the trains momentum on the midcourse shed. I notice the main differnence being that the first part of the midway tunnel did not roar before but it dose now and that is clearly because the train is going faster than it used to by the time it reached that point.

One thing nobody can complain about anymore is first drop brakes! They are gone! :) Now if only we could get the buzzbar back and get rid of those hard high seatbacks :)

It is clear to me why they use brakes on this coaster. They have to replace track continuously in those three fan curves after the midcourse tunnel with the brakes on! It is purly a maintence issue to extend the life of the track. I have seen in several seasons where they have had to replace the same section of track at least 3 times. This is mainly due to the trains being non articulated. All for corners have solidly attached wheels.

Chuck, who also has had bad rides in the morning and awesome rides the next ride even. Nobody said beast wasn't tempermental.

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Charles Nungester
Lesourdsville Lake, The great American amusement park opens the season June 6th Thurs-Sun every week. Park phone is (513)539-2193

I think that the beast may be the same speed but I think it has been tamed slightly. With the magnetic fin brakes I think it slowed down gradually and you didn't notice as much. But with the new trims it seems to slow way down. Just a thought.

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CP, the best and always will be.

coastermaniacsteve said:
I think that the beast may be the same speed but I think it has been tamed slightly. With the magnetic fin brakes I think it slowed down gradually and you didn't notice as much. But with the new trims it seems to slow way down. Just a thought.
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CP, the best and always will be.

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CP, the best and always will be.

Charles Nungester said:

I was a first night rider, 5/13/79. I will tell you right now, THE BEAST NEVER RAN FASTER THAN IT DOSE NOW!.

I rode papa last thursday and the train went to the fourth car to the phone booth on the second lift. I repeat. It never ran faster on a normal operating day than it dose now.
While The Beast is going fast, I have had a few rides in the past that were indeed faster. A few of us probably still remember the 'rain rides' we got on opening day of the '98 (or was it the '99 season?) where The Beast was going so fast, the back car made it PAST the first phone booth on the second lift.
I remember the old shed brakes were not working very well due to the rain and snapping around that curve with mad laterals. As soon as we got off that ride, the ride closed for the rest of the day due to the weather.
As far as the new brakes, I don't mind them one bit. To me, they are much more noticable while sitting in the back rows instead of the front. Riders in the front car now get a nice moment of airtime while going over the second hill before the trims slow the train.

-Sean

Yeah i was there opening day in 1999, and it was raining, and we flew up the second lift past the phones.

Here are somethings that have changed over the years on the Beast:

New fin/ magnetic braking, headrest, seat dividers added, Buzz bars removed and replaced with individual ratcheting bars, New air gates added for the 1999 season. Also the trains use to have 5 cars with 4 rows each, they now have 6 cars with 3 rows each.

Yep, its still a great ride and I don't care if its tamed, if it was unbreaked it would be unbelieveably rough. Trust me, it would be hurting people and its saving wood too.