Dollywood Question

Okay the Tennesse Tornado is supposed to be the smoothest arrow looping coaster ever. What is so unique about the ride's construction that can make it that smooth? Is there a technical reason for this smooth-nomena.

Then agian I have never rode on a coaster that was to rough for me to handle, I mean if someone's head gets banged around I don't understand it. I mean we humans where born with muscles in our neck, weren't we? I just don't see how some coasters can be so aggressive to some people. But then there was that time I wanted to steal coins out of some church's wishing well that they had out in the front. My mom slapped me on the back of the head for thinking of that evil idea.

AH HA!!! That's what causes it! The reason people's head gets banged around is due to negative thoughts. So if a rider just thinks of happy thoughts, Peter Pan style, they will walk away from any ride unharmed. thanks James M. Barrie!

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green_raptor_6 said:
What is so unique about the ride's construction that can make it that smooth? Is there a technical reason for this smooth-nomena.

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Yeah, they took away Ron Toomer's wire hangers...

(/Joan Crawford) "No wire hangers" (/end JC)

On a slightly more serious note, the engineerng of TT is superb, and having the loops designed for the speed of the train rather than adjusting the speed of the train to a "one size fits all" loop makes a HUGE difference...

TT is one of the very few Arrow inverting coasters that I could easily marathon....perhaps the only one outside of Williamsburg...;)

The 'roughness' you find on certain coasters can be due to different things. On Vekoma coasters--SLCs for instance--the trains are the problem. The road and upstop wheels are not always in constant contact with the track, unlike the spring-loaded wheels on B&M coasters, which can cause you to feel bumpyness or jarring when entering different transitions. On most Arrow coasters, however, the trains are not necessarily the problem. The track's transitions themselves aren't as 'overengineered' as they are on B&Ms and even Vekomas. Tennessee Tornado has much smoother transitions than most other Arrow coasters. I don't know for certain, but I speculate that it was designed with a CAD program rather than via Ron Toomer's (arguably outdated) 'coathanger' method.

TT is one of the few Arrow looping coasters that has a single piece of curved metal for each track tie, instead of the multi-piece welded track tie typically found on their coasters. I think that helps keep the track gauge consistent and provides a smoother ride.

*** Edited 11/24/2004 2:54:56 PM UTC by Jeffrey Seifert***

The loop on TT has been called a "loop-screw" because of its' banked entrance and exit...it was a pretty smooth ride just too short.

Also has a hard stop at the end too.

To me, it's just *the Raven* of Arrow loopers, short, sweet, intense...:)

It also has the highest percentage of "upside down time" of any coaster I can think of...

That would be affectionally known as "hangtime". ;-)

Short, sweet, and intense. That pretty much sums it up!

The first time I rode TT was Dollywood's opening day this year. It just totally blew me away.

It was one of those coasters where I really believed it would hurt, let alone be a "check-off-the-list" type of thing.

I was wrong. :-P

It's not only my favorite Arrow (for now) but one of my all-time favorite coasters. That first loop is just.........blissful.

-Tina

I'd heard the rumors of TT being smooth. I did not believe til i rode it. i didn't even believe it after that, so i rode it 6 times that day. When we go back next year, i'll ride it a lot more. and that's the proof: it is the only Arrow i can say that about.
side note: i like the theming...

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coasterqueenTRN said:
That would be affectionally known as "hangtime". ;-)

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Kinda like 4:30am is known as "downtime", Tina? ;)

Its missing all the bang-you-up transitions.

If they could apply this technology to the current painful Arrows then you would see some different Top 10 Lists I'll tell you what!

Here's another reason why it might be so smooth:
after having seen a Dollywood Doc on Disc channel, if it were a rough Arrow, Dolly would've chucked; saying 'I ain't got no rough spots, why should my coaster...' or better yet, all tongue-in-cheek: My coasters Fast and Smooth, like me!'

TT came along about 15 years too late for Arrow. If they built everything like that everyone would rave about how good Viper @ SFMM, Shockwave (R.I.P.) @ SFGA, GASM @ SFGAdv, and Dracken Fire @ BGW are.

It may not be B&M or Intamin quality but it is pretty damn close.

I agree, it just came too late. By this point, pretty much every park that wants a looper/mega looper has one. Heck, some have 2 or more. Floorless coasters pretty much take the place of MegaLoopers, so if a Park dosen't have one already, then why not get a floorless, which is the same thing, just with a different train design.

I'm glad S&S Arrow are doing decently with wood and Powder Keg. I hope that soon they can prove their 4D design, and that since we're in a launch coater phase as of late, more Air Launched coasters along the lines of Powder Keg(is it considered a TA2K?) are built. I'm sure we'll eventually see inversions, if PK is a hit.

If they focus on more mice, the air launch, wood, and fixing the 4D, I'd be happy. Let them come up with new concepts, or sell some of the concepts both companies had (ArrowBatic...), and now that we see a screaming squirrl, I hope for more of those.

I'm sure parts and such for the older Arrows will keep them in business, whatever they do.

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john peck said:If they could apply this technology to the current painful Arrows then you would see some different Top 10 Lists I'll tell you what!

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Before Arrow went under, their website offered a re-design service where certain track pieces would be replaced using current technology and design specifications.

Too bad they went bankrupt though, because most of their coasters could have been revitalized with only two or three replacements.