Former Kennywood Laser Loop headed to Niagara Amusement Park

That would bring back the total of Schwarzkopf launched shuttle coasters to two, until Knotts pulls the pin on Montezooma's Revenge for a scheduled year long overhaul. I haven't heard the specifics involved, other than rumors flying around of a new launch system. The weakest part of these rides were the clutches, which by the nature of how the system works, do not last very long.

Weird. I didn't realize until just now that Kentucky Kingdom retired theirs...9 years ago, apparently. That's the only coaster I've ridden in two different locations.

...And Kentucky Kingdom's ride was a weight-drop model, not a flywheel.

I wonder if a different *clutch design* would allow for keeping the flywheel launch, but making it a more reliable ride. Could it be done with a fluid clutch or torque converter design? Or maybe a magnetic clutch of some kind...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Glorious. I will travel there just for that ride. The weightless pause of the train on a Schwarzkopf shuttle as it reverses direction on the high spike, looking at the end of the track, is one of the best coaster moments in existence.

I momentarily forgot this is CoasterBuzz, I probably shouldn't have flippantly mentioned another Schwarzkopf shuttle loop without differentiating between the launch systems.

I've only ever ridden weight-drop models, King Kobra and Viper/Greezed Lightnin'. I was looking forward to trying a flywheel version in 2013, but Montezuma's Revenge was closed the day I visited Knott's.

I think I've ridden a bunch of different models (CGA's, SFAW's, and KBF's) and never noticed a difference between the systems (maybe they were all the same? I don't even know). I also never got the love for these rides, so....

I have to wonder how this ride will actually end up debuting. I know New York has had some "different" safety regulations on rides over the years, and given this is a 40+ year old ride, I wonder how much the trains may need to be modified to meet modern safety standards. Will they need OTSR's or something like that to open as a "new" ride in New York state.

Why would it need OTSRs?

Most States, yes, even the People's Republic of New Jersey*, adhere to the ASTM F-24 standards. One issue may be whether the new installation qualifies as a "major modification" to the ride, in which case the ride would need to meet F2291, but odds are that the ride is already largely compliant provided that it meets the original manufacturer's specifications.

In the F-24 world, the Manufacturer, and ultimately the Designer/Engineer, is the ultimate authority of how the ride is supposed to operate, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction mostly respect that. The only real exception is when the AHJ has experienced a problem with a ride that the Manufacturer (or substitute Designer/Engineer) has refused to address. Which is particularly annoying for Gravitron owners who play inside and outside of California (California requires the access hatch in the floor to be welded shut; some states require that it be functional).

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

* Technically, New Jersey copies a particular version of F2291 into their State law and makes modifications, so it doesn't exactly match the current standard. But at least their law is based on the ASTM standards.

--DCAjr