Great White at Morey's Piers getting Millennium Flyers.

https://www.phillyvoice.com...r-coaster/

This could be a great move just like the new trains on Nor'Easter were.

I think that's kind of a lateral move. Some of the folks that I've talked to suggest that those trains are pretty heavy, so the wear and tear on the track isn't dramatically improved. Granted, I don't understand why anyone uses PTC's anymore. The design is a hundred years old.

I really like Great White. It has a unique layout for a wooden coaster, and the views are awesome! It's always been noticeably rough though. Hopefully this helps.

The flyers didn't help Gwazi, so 50/50?

If I'm going to ride a rough ride I'd rather get beaten up in Millennium Flyers than an old PTC any day.

Chris R:

The flyers didn't help Gwazi, so 50/50?

Not really the trains... Much like Wildcat, if you are going to invest in new trains to fix things, you need to retrack the entire ride to give it a fighting chance. Put the new trains on old track destroyed over the years by PTC's you won't get much in return except a slightly more comfortable ride.

At Park Asterix, the same deal with Tonnerre 2 Zeus... They plopped new trains on and retracked/reprofiled a bunch of it, but the track that was existing was night and day difference obviously.

Then compare with Ghostrider that got a complete track overhaul with new Millennium Flyers... Huge improvement that has held up wonderful for many years now.

Jeff:
I don't understand why anyone uses PTC's anymore.

I do not see a whole lot of new PTC trains going into service. But, there are quite a few still running. For mainly straight coasters, they are fine (though the restrains and other things that have been added in the past 100 years make them less comfortable than before.) And they are certainly lighter than some of the alternatives (as I think of NAD trains which were oh so comfy and oh so heavy...)

Chris R:

The flyers didn't help Gwazi, so 50/50?

I had some amazing rides on Gwazi, in the PTC's. Iron Gwazi is cool, but man I miss the old ride as well. Why a small park like Knoebels or Holiday world can keep a wood coaster running near perfect and a giant park with far more resources cannot is a mystery. Well, maybe not really, I do have some thoughts on that one.

Will it be worse with MF's? I do recall many comments about Wildcat at Hershey being a better ride with PTC's than it was with the MF's. But that could also just be the age acting on the ride as well and lack of maintenance.

robotfactory:

If I'm going to ride a rough ride I'd rather get beaten up in Millennium Flyers than an old PTC any day.

I disagree, the 2 bench PTCs like Holiday World uses with those big comfy/cushy pads, are pretty comfortable.

A wood coaster running PTCs is better for traditional "wood coaster things" - Phoenix being the shining example of this. Addition of those ratchet bars (premiering with Thunder Run at Kentucky Kingdom) spelled the end of many a fun wood coaster. Note all the mini bents between main bents that have to be added to every woodie that gets those bars and their associated heavy assemblies. Look for those bents that will be installed on Comet at Hersheypark.

Holiday World does a great job with the most extreme of woodies, they set such a high bar. Ravine Flyer 2 is another one!

I misread this thread and was thinking Great White would get those Gravity Group trains. They sure are shrill loud, ouch. I suppose Great Coasters will re-sculpt some of the profile since this ride is getting their trains. Kiss the airtime goodbye.

Nothing like a good box car with wheels; they run great if the coaster is taken care of properly. Still rockin' Cornball at Indiana Beach - with traditional buzz bars no less; comfort and airtime can't be beat.

I'm with TheMilleniumRider, I loved Gwazi with PTCs. It was outstanding!

I'm not entirely convinced that it's a net win for riders. After the switch from PTC to GCI, "The Drop' in the middle of GhostRider was totally neutered. Don't know if that's because of the shorter cars or because of the reprofile, but I liked that moment better before.

I suspect that the difference between how a ride feels with 2- or 3-bench cars vs. 1-bench cars, as well as the difference between boxcars and trailers, is a big part of the reason the Voyage still runs PTCs.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Ghostrider I think is far, far better post refurb. It’s rideable again, and the miscourse is off. It’s very smooth and rocketed up my list. Not sure how much of that was the refurb vs the MF trains. First time I rode Ghostrider was only a few years before the refurbishment.

The great White has had a significant lighting upgrade during the last year or two. It looks GORGOUS at night.

Unfortunately, it lives in a hostile environment. The salt air...hot summers and harsh winters take its toll on the tracks, frame and supports.

I'm glad Morey's gives it the attention it deserves.

At least (I think) just about all of the Gerstlauer trains have been retired. I can't think of more than maybe Six Flags St. Lous that is still running them.

I may not be normal but I think the best trains were from Morgan! They were roomy, lightweight and were tracking pretty well. PTC trains are horrible on twisting layouts. They're fine on out and back layouts with a lot of straight track and flat turnarounds. Up in Montreal at La Ronde, Le Monstre was running fine with Morgan trains and ever since they switched to PTC's it's quite bad. In my opinion The Gravity Group builds the best trains for any older woodies.

Walt S:

At least (I think) just about all of the Gerstlauer trains have been retired. I can't think of more than maybe Six Flags St. Lous that is still running them.

I think Twister at Magic Springs still runs them and Mammut in Germany does.