^ But the resulting ride would be even MORE painful than it was previously...they could set a new standard for pain, now that Herc and MBP's Hurricane are no longer in competition for that (dis)honor... ;)
Not necessarily if they regauge the track and put in the track ties that holds the track in the proper gauge that GCII is known to do on their current models that they built. It is definitely plausible. However I would still hedge my bets that the spare 2 will end up at Hershey...even that ride would likely require tweaking of the blueprints for the trains in order to fit if I am not mistaken. I do believe GCII Millenium Flyers are a different gauge than PTC's are.
^ Fair enough. I just remember that first trip to Dorney getting one lap on Herc, feeling somewhat beaten and not *entertained* in the least. Then I found my way down to the 'Hawk, and becoming SO enamored I never made it back to Herc that day...or ever.
If Herc had run at the design speed, it would have been pretty brutal....given the "slow-age", it was tolerably painful. I've certainly gotten beaten up worse though...prob should have said Psucklone and MB Hurricane... ;)
Back to GCII, though, they build NOTHING that is remotely painful...they're aggressive and FUN. Maybe a little lacking in what I call "vertical airtime" due to the twister nature, but NO ONE builds a twister as smooth...
*** Edited 1/25/2007 9:03:10 PM UTC by rollergator***
I had the same unexpected jolt this year, except it actually made the ride experience better.. and I actually willingly re-rode several times... She was definitely kicking that night in the rain!
Gator, do you remember what year you rode Herc? When it opened in 89 it was an amazing ride.. it beat you up, but in that awesome-woodie way. I actually got a slight nose bleed on my first ride that's how much I was tossed around, but I was in no pain at all!
Edit: the word is 'woodie' not 'wodie'... darn xT9 input :) *** Edited 1/26/2007 9:18:07 AM UTC by dannerman***
If I recall correctly DanLinden, GCII relies mainly on Mike Boodley's preliminary calculations for all the track's curves (which is basically a lot of numbers in a spreadsheet), which is then taken, and interpreted and converted into a height chart to determine whether or not the track will fit on the current topography, then translated further into individual bent structures which they can use in the field to survey the land, build the support bents, and track.
I believe the software for design (layout-wise) is all in-house, however I imagine that bend design, train design, and such is the product of drafting programs such as AutoCAD or Inventor.
jive2 said: How much testing will go into the new trains? Do they just throw them on the track and run them a couple of times or is it treated like a new ride?
Essentially, we will treat Hershey's Wildcat as a new roller coaster. It will undergo days of testing.
University of Louisville Speed School of Engineering
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