Canada's Wonderland announces Behemoth

Can't imagine that they're not brakes. The bigger and faster the rides get, the more variation there is in speed and forces depending on conditions, right? So B&M designs the trims in so they can be used if they're needed. The first one I remember opening with a trim was Alpengeist, it's right at the top. The weight of the train, wind, and temperature can all combine to tell the brake what to do, depending on how they've set it. All of the hypercoasters I've seen have them (does Hollywood Dream, small as it is?), and the one I've ridden the most is Nitro, which has two at the bottoms of hills 2 and 3. It's got to be a pretty hot day with a pretty heavy train to set them off. The only one that seems to be on consistently, no matter what, is the 3rd hill trim on Raging Bull. I have heard that this is not Great America being killjoys, but because of a structural design flaw - if the train heads into hill 4 too fast (the banked hill), it puts too much pull on the inside supports and they could eventually be yanked out of the ground. The trim had to go on hill 3 because the force of braking a speeding train going into hill 4 could also cause stress. Supposedly this was discovered during construction or early testing. I heard this a long time ago, and it makes total sense, but who knows? Does it sound believable? I heard it from someone who really should know, but the story could have been total fabrication and I guess I should welcome all doubt and criticism. Fire away.

This is how I see it.

A two hundred an thrity foot drop on a eighty five degree angle. +
Almost or maybe eighty miles an hour for speed. +
A huge hill to follow with airtime. +
A nicely located and placed hammerhead. +
Three more airtime hills. +
Newly designed trains for unobstructed views, and, designed for two passengers with direct entry to the seats. +
Staggerd seating. +

The only problem I have with this ride so far, is the ending might be a little on the soft dull side. But, for myself, I never get to ride coasters like this anyways, so I'm thinking I will love every single second of it.

First let me say this looks awesome! I live in Ontario and its about freaking time we got a good coaster at CW.

Second, If those "brakes" on the hills actually grab, this coaster will be junk. I mean whats the deal with making coasters with brakes on them from the very start(that grab when the ride first opens too). This is the reason I'm considering giving up this hobby(not this paticular coaster, but in general).

Third, this coaster will have EVERYONE in the park in its line. This coaster will be so far and above all the other coasters in the park it will be scary.

It only took CW 15 coasters to get a top tier one.

Hey Jeff...when you post the news item about the next new B&M hyper [it should be announced pretty soon] can you just copy/paste the these posts into that news thread? They'll apply ;)

^ Is 34 days "pretty soon?"

Relatively speaking, yeah.

I don't consider it complaining, I consider it criticism. There is no denying that this is a pretty unimaginative and repetitive layout. I don't believe the enthusiasts are "disenchanted" but rather the new rides.

Just 5-7 years ago new rides were unique or demanded attention. Nearly all of them had something new to offer (if they were not clones) whether it be a new element, or a new height, or a new speed, or a new layout. But as I've observed and commented on in the past, most new rides today are the same as older rides, just set up to fit a different footprint, or perhaps the order of the elements are somewhat varied.

I criticize because I'm bored. I can't help but ride Raptor and think it's pretty much exactly the same as Alpengeist. I'm tired of the same old ride experiences. I don't pretend to know whether it is the park or the designers who are responsible for this redundant, boring expansion process, but I think the industry is less enchanted, not the enthusiasts.

Maybe it just happened to me more quickly, but if it continues as is, I can't imagine it doesn't eventually happen to everybody.

Note: I just went to Cedar Point for the first time on Monday, and Maverick is very inventive and fresh. I am not saying ALL new attractions are boring, just most.

Jeff, i never read anywhere that CW was 'confirmed getting an invert.' Another website has been saying hyper for a couple months now.

If that is the case SFGAMDie HARD, then you are diminishing the word enthusiast, and the only person you are putting down is yourself. Sorry to hear that.

DieHARD, I'm not following what you're saying. You're saying 5-7 years ago new rides were unique. But then you say the Raptor and Alpengeist are pretty much the same. Both of them are older than 5-7 years, so apparently building the same old, same old ain't so new.

For most of the people who attend parks anywhere, these rides aren't that boring because they haven't been to dozens of parks and ridden dozens of coasters that seem almost the same.

CoasterDiscern, you are exactly right, only I haven't CHOSEN to downgrade myself from an enthusiast, the industry just hasn't kept me interested. I'm glad to hear it hasn't happened to you yet.

RatherGoodBear, you're right as well, I chose an older example, Silver Bullet falls under the similarities with Raptor and Alpengeist for me. It's modified to fit the footprint, but other than that, pretty much the same.Another example would be Talon and Patriot. Goliath at La Ronde and Apollo's Chariot with the difference of a mid-course break and a slight difference in the turn around. Now we have Behemoth which is essentially Nitro with a SFOG Goliath flair.

There just seem to be more and more examples to add to the pile.
*** This post was edited by SFGAMDie HARD 8/31/2007 1:02:34 AM ***

OK...so what coasters do you like?

I would think that those brakes may not actually show up on the actual coaster, they may just be needed on the software that creates that video to actually show the coaster in real-time performance. I may be totally wrong on that, but it is just a guess.

On the topic of the trains, I agree with all of you. I really don't understand the seating other than the fact that everyone gets a good view. Isn't the idea of B&M coasters to increae capcity due to the four across seating?? Putting in this giant ride with only two across seating only makes the capacity the same as what it would be if they put in an intamin or something. I guess I was just hoping for CW to be getting the normal 4 across B&M trains like all the other coasters.

Hopefully this will bring more guests to the park so that CF will add more B&M coasters to the park like the much needed floorless looper they so desperately need.

For everyone complaining about the trains, at first I agreed it was a confusing design. But looking at it again, it looks like the people in the back row of a car will be able to just walk right in behind the first row. Maybe I am wrong, but I don't think it will be a situation like Deja Vu.

I'm also wondering if these trains will deliver a more intense ride - perhaps due to better aerodynamics, longer cars/trains, etc. Honestly I've yet to be blown away by a B&M hyper. I feel like Nitro, Apollo, Raging Bull, Goliath, etc all feel downright tame when riding them. I'm wondering if some of that is due to the big wide sofa trains. Just a thought.

I think this ride will be a big hit for Canada's Wonderland. That is a beautiful park with a big population close by, but their coaster collection has been less than stellar. I think this is the right choice for them.

DieHARD, how many of the GP have ridden both Talon and Patriot? Goliath and Apollo's Chariot, etc.? I have no idea, but it's probably a small percentage of the total number of guests attending those parks.

Not to pick on you personally, DieHARD, but I guess I just think it's funny that people will go to a park and ride the same ride a dozen times, but complain when they go months later to a park hundreds of miles away that certain coasters are "the same" as ones they rode before.