Cedar Point (not) announces TTD downtime

I just returned home from Cedar Point and boy is there some Dragster news to talk about. When I entered the park today, there was a sign posted at the entrance right next to the sign that says "Top Thrill Dragster will open today". The sign said that "Top Thrill Dragster will be closed from August 18th to August 29th for repairs" I asked some employees on the Dragster today and they told me that they are having a very advanced coolent system put in, a new sled is coming in with wheels, and the trains are having the last car removed and some sort of new "safe" theme is being put on them. WOW - I can't wait.

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Are you ready for some speed? Are you ready to go vertical? ~Top Thrill Dragster
*** This post was edited by CedarPoint_TTD 8/13/2003 3:03:45 PM ***

I think the ride should be taken down for the rest of the season to perfect the launch. When I was at the park last week, several times throughout the day I saw mechanics welding components to the track and such. It seems to me the launch is tearing itself apart.

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http://www.bgtguide.com

I hope this isn't true. My friend is making the trek from northern Michigan in hopes of a TTD ride on the 20th. Damn.

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Missing the Fallen:
King Cobra 1984-2001
The Bat 1981-1983

Hmmmm.

I don't understand why they just wouldn't wait for the offseason. These repairs must really be needed immediatly.

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http://said.uc.edu/students/oakleysd/cp/CP.jpg
Now tell me Cedar Point is running out of space.

It's not tearing itself apart. They are just revising it all the time. That sucks that it's going to be down. I think I am going to head over there tomorrow and see if this story is true.

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Keep your head back, arms down, and hold on...

Some of what he says is indeed true. Some of it isn't. The cooling system is being replaced, and I wouldn't be surprised if a new sled was coming in, seeing as how the replacement of nylon in the channel is apparently now a continuous process.

For the would-be thread hijackers: Can it. It's not cute or funny anymore and you're just coming off like a bunch of jerks.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?
*** This post was edited by Jeff 8/13/2003 3:51:13 PM ***

Thanks for the info. That will look good with the theming back on the trains. I wish CP would post this info on their web site for the people who are now making plans for a trip to The Point.

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I regret to inform you that Cedar Point's newest roller coaster, Top Thrill Dragster will not be operational today, or tomorrow or probably any day that you decide to visit our park. Please accept our apologies.

Rats...removing the last car? I was so happy to hear they were adding two seats to increase capacity. I hope that is part of the "isn't true" part of his post, Jeff. Here's to hoping we can keep the seats *and* get some theming.

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Top Thrill Dragster -- The most intense, unbelievable, and spectacular fifteen seconds on any coaster, anywhere, ever.

Dang, I was planning on a trip for the first time during this period, but I guess I can make 2 trips to CP this year, now that I'm moving closer:)

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Brought to you by mOOSH, the #1 name in family fun:)

That doesn't make much sense. Why would they post that up on the entrance, where most of the people at the park that day wouldn't really care whether or not Dragster is going to be open the next few weeks, and not post it on their website where people would go for this information? I'm not saying I don't believe you, but it seems odd that that would be the route they would take.

I kind of wonder why the launch dog didn't have wheels to begin with. Now, granted, I haven't taken an advanced thermodynamics course, but it just seems to "make sense" to put wheels on something moving at that velocity.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

Wheels create all kinds of other problems. For example, We all probably remember that Superman: The Escape has larger wheels to reduce friction. While I think modern wheels can take the heat (Dragster uses the same wheels as MF and WT) moving parts at high speed are more prone to failure. It's going to be tough to squeeze even smaller wheels into that little channel.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

You can see the "smoke" at the end of the launch when the sled goes by. My bet is it's a cloud of nylon.

So are they going to now install the cooling system that Intamin originally wanted them to install?

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If given the choice I'd choose a hamburger over a hotdog anyday of the week.

I was thinking the same thing GP, you'd have to imagine something just being "dragged" through the channel would create a great amount more friction than something on wheels. I think it's a good idea to take this brief period to try and work these things out, this way they can atleast finish the season strong (hopefully). My opinion may be biased though as I'm hoping for plenty of rides during HW.

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CP 2K3: 15
"What are you, a dentist? Or a hippie? Or some kind of hippie dentist?" -strong bad

So this is totally legit information... meaning if I am going on Tuesday and I am planning on riding TTD, I'm screwed? I guess I'll try for Sunday then and hope it's open.

Being at a park with 15 other coasters to ride isn't exactly my idea of being screwed.

The Schwarzkopf shuttle loopers used wheels on their launch dogs... and wheels prone to failure beats replacing synthetic track on a regular basis.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

And of course my visits are on the 19th and 21st. Lucky me. How did I know this was going to happen? Too late to cancel plans now.

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SFNE Central- Online Six Flags New England Resource

It sucks that TTD will be down when you (or anyone) goes, but if you let it ruin your visit, it's your own fault yo.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

I really hope they get the themeing back but what about the 2 extra rows in the station. I wouldn't think it would be easy to change.

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CP Coaster Guide Ride Count
TTD: 1; WT: 9; MF: 4; Mantis: 3; Raptor: 6; Mean Streak: 5; Magnum: 5