Cedar Point says Top Thrill Dragster is done, sort of

Good for one free admission to Ohio State Day next year. That or CP&LE Railroad is going maglev next season.

They're relocating Dragster to Dorney Park.

Lots of new paint happening.

In case you missed it, this is per Tony today. The usual Breakers Express holding pin is now full of white track and grey supports.

Also, we're left with "PHP". The double P's match the magical keychain from Coastermania. The H is a mystery.

https://twitter.com/cedarpo...33251?s=20

TTD PHP: Pretty High Phallus

Isn’t that the bottom of a support column?

So I had some fun with ChatGPT, I'm wondering how close these could be to the actual name.

Me:
Dear ChatGPT-4, I would like to engage your imaginative capabilities as if you were part of the design, marketing, and development team for Cedar Point's future expansion. Specifically, I'm interested in your thoughts about the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster. As you might know, there was an incident in 2021 with the ride. Following the event, Cedar Point decided to redesign the ride, moving away from the hydraulic launch and launch track. Substantial support footers were added on the opposite side of the station, suggesting the possibility of a rear spike and shuttle launch coaster design to ascend over the top hat. It's rumored that the amusement ride company Zamperla is involved in the refurbishment. Hints have been dropped regarding the new name of the ride. At a recent event, a keychain was distributed. This keychain was roughly 3 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. It featured reversed 'P's back-to-back, with the back of each 'P' open from the top of the curve down to where it meets the base. The space was filled in black. One 'P' was gray, and the other was red. Recently, Cedar Point's PR representative, Tony Clark, posted a tweet showing a support column bottom to be attached to one of the new footers. The tweet read: "First shipment. Signed. ✅ Unsealed. ✅ Delivered. 🏁 #CedarPoint #CP24PHP". Rumors suggest that 'PHP' could be the acronym for the new ride's name, and that the ride's theme will still be speed-related. Given this information, I'd like you to imagine yourself as part of the Cedar Point team who brainstorms names for new rides and projects. Based on the acronym 'PHP' and the speed-related theme, what names would you suggest for this redesigned ride? Looking forward to your creative insights!


ChatGPT:
Dear Roller Coaster Enthusiast,

Thank you for your detailed input and the opportunity to engage with such an exciting topic. As part of the Cedar Point "dream team", here are some potential names for the redesigned Top Thrill Dragster, keeping in mind the 'PHP' acronym and the speed theme:

1. Pulse Hypersonic Propel: This name speaks to the rapid launch mechanics of the ride and the intense thrill that riders can expect
2. Powerful Hyper Pacer: Suggests the incredible force behind the ride's launch and the extreme speed that will have riders feeling like they're racing against time.
3. Phantom HorsePower: Alludes to the unseen power and velocity of the coaster, much like a phantom, leaving a lasting impression on its riders.
4. Peak High Performance: Represents the high standard of thrill that Cedar Point is known for, suggesting that this ride will be a pinnacle of their coaster collection.
5. Pinnacle Hyperspeed Plunge: Emphasizes the extraordinary speed of the ride and the thrill of the drop, catering to the adrenaline junkies among the park visitors.
6. Paragon of Hypersonic Power: Implying this ride is the epitome of rapid and powerful roller coasters.
7. Propel: Hyper Phantasm: Signifying the incredible speed (hyper) and surreal experience (phantasm) of being launched (propelled) on the ride.
8. Phoenix Pulse Power: Alluding to the rebirth of the Top Thrill Dragster as a new, more powerful and thrilling ride (much like a Phoenix rising from the ashes).
9. Propulsive Hyper Pinnacle: A nod to the speed and height of the coaster, suggesting riders will be propelled to the apex of exhilaration.
10. Pantheon of Hyper Pace: The word "Pantheon" suggests this ride is in a league of its own when it comes to speed and thrill.

I hope these suggestions resonate with your vision for Cedar Point's future expansion, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for the park. Let's buckle up for the ride!

Best regards, ChatGPT-4

Me: What about names that could be themed to height and speed? The rumor is the back spike will be almost 500ft retaking the record for the highest coaster.

ChatGPT:
Absolutely, I'd be thrilled to suggest more names that incorporate themes of unparalleled height and extreme speed. Here we go:

1. Peak Heights Propel: This signifies the record-breaking height of the ride and the immense speed at which riders will be launched.
2. Pinnacle Highspeed Peak: The name denotes the towering height of the ride and its rapid pace, with the ride itself being a pinnacle of coaster engineering.
3. Paragon of High Peaks: Implies that this ride stands as an epitome in the world of roller coasters for its stunning height.
4. Piercing Heights Pacer: This represents the coaster's breathtaking ascent that seems to pierce the sky, combined with a sense of swift pacing.
5. Peak Heights Phantom: Combines the height aspect with a mysterious, ghost-like speediness.
6. Pinnacle Hypersonic Plunge: It indicates the riders will reach extreme heights at incredible speeds before an adrenaline-fueled drop.
7. Prominence Hyperspeed Pinnacle: Denotes the ride's striking height (prominence) and extreme speed, placing it among the top (pinnacle) attractions.
8. Polaris Hyper Plunge: Polaris, the North Star, is known for its height in the sky, and this name suggests a thrilling drop from similar heights at hyper speeds.
9. Perihelion Hyper Peak: Perihelion refers to the closest point to the sun in the orbit of a planet or comet. It suggests a high-speed journey to incredible heights.
10. Pinnacle Hyper Propeller: Emphasizes the extraordinary heights and the speed at which riders will be propelled.

I hope these suggestions, oriented towards extreme heights and speed, prove useful in envisioning the new name for this remarkable coaster.

Best regards, ChatGPT-4

I seriously don't understand people's notion that the back spike will be close to 500ft to retake the height record. Under the assumption that we have some kind of 3-way swing launch, the back spike would be shorter than the main tophat.

I agree that if it’s a multi swing launch the back spike would not need to be higher than the top hat.

if the Zamperla rumors are true, I don’t see how this is going to be a reliable, or smooth coaster. Especially if it’s a Swing launch with a switch track

I think the biggest coaster that Zamperla has built a date is there a thunderbolt model. And it rides poorly I don’t see how they can jump from that to one of the biggest coasters in the world with a complicated switch and swing launch sequence and do it right They have no experience with switch tracks.

They don’t even make a comfortable flat ride. The Endeavour at Kings Island is very uncomfortable.

if this rumor is true, it would appear that Cedar Fair has chosen them simply for the lowest bid. That seems to be the reason they are installing their low quality flat rides currently. One gets want one pays for……

I don't suspect that there were a ton of bids to retrofit that ride.

The skepticism is pretty weird. Y'all act like babies will never walk because they have no experience walking. And yet they figure it out. Businesses don't start out doing anything at all, but unlike babies, they can hire people who know how to do the stuff they can't currently do. I mean, does anyone remember how much everyone hated Vekoma around the turn of the century? They're arguably making some of the best rides for the most expensive clients.

I think a fair bit of skepticism is warranted considering their history of rides. But you're right, that doesn't mean they can't or won't rise to the challenge. I'm most curious to find out if they end up using LIMs or LSMs. Their new Lightning trains boast great weight reduction. Considering refined LIM technology (see Big Bear Mountain), and its weight savings, I could see that being an important component of this project.

It is a bit disappointing to me that it doesn't look like they're adding a speed hill before or after the tophat.

If you think about it, other than maybe the reliability of the Giant Inverted Boomerangs (and even most of those are still in operation), the primary issue with Vekoma coasters back in the day was rider comfort. Their track designs are awesome, and they have some of the most cloned layouts ever: Boomerang, SLC, Invertigo, GIB, Family Boomerang, Roller Skater, etc. Put comfortable trains on any of the layouts with notorious reputations for headbanging and roughness and they become solid rides. I've always thought the SLC, as hated as it is, was one of the coolest multi-inversion layouts in existence.

Thanks for posting the ChatGTP comment. That's pretty interesting.

Everyone is trying to figure out themes and colors and names, while I'm still trying to figure out design and operations. I don't understand how the back spike could have a 500 foot height. Even just dropping from that height, without launching into the tophat, the ride would be traveling much too fast to be comfortable over the tophat. The launch into the tophat needs to be controled so that it travels at just the right speed.

And I've been thinking about capacity. A launch forwards, then a launch backwards into the spike, and then another launch forward to clear the tophat is going to take a lot longer then the previous itteration of the ride. I hope the trains can carry more people. Not even to mention how Fast Lane will affect the line.

LostKause:

Everyone is trying to figure out themes and colors and names, while I'm still trying to figure out design and operations.

I'm not trying to figure out any of those. I'm cool to wait until something's announced.

Babies learn to walk correctly before they run at the fastest speed possible without falling on their face. I just don’t think Zamperla has demonstrated that they can “walk” yet.

Vekoma was horrible and they have now demonstrated that can do a moderate coaster correctly. Zamperla just hasn’t demonstrated they can even do moderate well yet

It’s the huge jump to this coaster with unproven trains and elements such as the switch track that they haven’t used on a moderate coaster yet that is making people skeptical imo.. Plus experiences with their flat rides.

Zamperla manages Coney if they’re capable of building a great coaster maybe they should install something a Coney to demonstrate that like Mack does at Europa park Blue Fire demonstrated that they were ready for the next level and open the door for them at other parks

Cedar Fair is doing some top level theming at their parks now but it’s lipstick on a pig (cheaper rides) in many cases (Tumbili, the Zamperla flats, the low capacity mouse at CP).

What they are doing to Dragster isn’t cheap but are they cutting corners with this unproven manufacturer thst they money in this project won’t be well spent?

hopefully I am wrong. But I have never met a Zamperla ride that I love.

super7*:

unproven manufacturer

I have never met a Zamperla ride that I love.

I haven't loved any Toyota I've driven, but I'd hardly call them an unproven manufacturer.

My 92 Celica GT was pretty awesome at the time.

Let's be fair here, Intamin didn't exactly know what they were doing either. Multi-move system that never worked as intended, decorative tire falling off a train, horrific reliability issues...