Gravity Group tests coaster-train prototype at Holiday World

I think the thing a lot of people are waiting for is the actual seats and lap bars. The other features are certainly important to the owner of the ride, but I want to see that comfort! :)

Have any details been released about what type of lapbars will be used on the Timberliners?

(T-bars, please!)

The trains look like they have a lot of potential. I'm excited to see them running somewhere.

DantheCoasterman said:Have any details been released about what type of lapbars will be used on the Timberliners?(T-bars, please!)

Birdies tell me there may be some sort of fitting. I don't think the idea is a T Bar. I could be wrong. But from what I gather, Think more like X car.

It is not practical to use a conventional style of lap bar on a Timberliner. I won't get into why just yet, but it isn't.

The Gravity Guys have come up with something interesting, though. If you look closely at the design of the seat frame shown in the photos, you can get some clues as to what they're doing. Best hint is that any restraint used needs to attach to the seat frame, not to the car chassis.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Are you saying you expect side hinged lapbars ala Phantom's Revenge, Dave?

Velcro? lol

I think that the relationship between Gravity Group and Holiday is absolutely unbelievable. "Hey can we come out to your park and send our trains around on your ride?" Sure, no problem.

Plus I understand they built all those rides and such and yet I find it so weird that just come in and be the operator and know exactly what to do. Very strange but very cool.

Well, you can only do so much with computer sims. You need to get the prototype out to the "real world" and test it sooner or later.

I think The Gravity Group has a good enough relationship with all the parks that have their coasters that they could have tested their trains at any one of them. Holiday World makes the most sense because of its proximity to where TGG is located and the fact that the weather is likely to be better here than in Erie or Wisconsin Dells. Raven was a good choice because it is a shorter coaster with not many places where a rollback might occur.

No one is considering that a little money might have exchanged hands? Good relationship or not, Holiday World had to pay their maintenance people to get the ride ready for the day, plus electricity, wear and tear, etc.

Riiiiiight...because no one has been at the park these last few weeks getting everything ready for opening day.

To me, it goes like this. HW provided the means. Raven provided the opportunity. But The Voyage is the coaster that gave rise to the motivation for these trains - and I wouldn't be shocked to learn that it might be the first coaster to utilize Timberliners...as early as 2010.

Gator, They were thinking different trains long before Voyage. Trust me. And PTCs solution to the problem wasn't even close to what was needed.

^Agreed that they had to be in the works probably from the day TGG came into being - their hyper-aggressive layouts demand more "navigationability" than other coaster trains could provide. But until They Voyage, I'm not so sure parks were as convinced of the need. And a product that doesn't have customers seeing the need is a product without a market. MFlyers are excellent trains, very well designed to run on (frankly) much less aggressive layouts.

I couldn't help but think this comment from Paula on the blog about the testing was also a hint:

The testing went remarkably well and the train is now back in Cincinnati. We put our PTC trains back on the tracks for another season.

^And by hint, you are meaning...'another' season...?

Yes, although it may not be a hint at all. And I've got no inside info.

Neither do I. :)

Paula

...and if anyone were to have it, it'd be you! ;)