Hersheypark Wildcat (new trains)

Maybe I should give the new trains a little more time to get broken in, but I still say when it's all said and done, the matchbox trains are just better suited for the ride. Have ridden a few times now. The flyers, as awesome as they are, just aren't as fast. Atleast at this point.

Rob's right. The Flyers were modified for the Wildcat since the structure was designed for a lighter train. Since the trains were lightened Renegade and Troy also have lighter trains.

All the weight loss is simple stuff like changing some parts from steel to aluminium and shaving down some things and putting holes in others. It's nothing you would notice unless you work around the trains all the time.

Troy's trains had to be lighter too because the design is so phat! :)

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Superstew said:
I love the new trains .. But not on the Wildcat. The ride is now to much like Lightning Racer, which raises the question, if you ride one, why bother riding the other ? The part that really gets me is that the matchbox-style trains worked for 10 years and now all of a sudden they feel the need to change things up. My most famous saying around here is you don't fix what isn't broken. The idea behind the WC was to create a cyclone type twister, which they did perfectly. Now, with the new trains, you have a really tamed little kitty. This notion of coasters being to rough is something I just can't relate too. I want banged around a little bit, especially on a ride that's supposed to do such a thing. HP has made a lot of decisions that have hit the jackpot, however this wasn't one of them.

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Very interesting thread. I was BLOWN AWAY by the Wildcat on my first trip to Hershey since I was little, pre-Wildcat, last fall during the Halloween event.

I found it VERY addictive and re-ridable, to the tune of 40 laps or so during the 3 days I was there. (I could have done more but I wanted to give attention to the rest of the park as well).

Not only was it my Hershey fave, but it became my fave GCI, surpassing even Thunderhead, and entered my woodie top 5.

I LOVED the aggressiveness and out of control feeling, the pure PHYSICALITY of the ride, and unpredictable layout.

But what set it apart the most from other GCI's I've ridden (Lightning Racer, Thunderhead, Ozark Wildcat, Gwazi) is that while most have nice little pops of air in the front, and maybe a few spots in the back, Wildcat ALSO delivered a SOLID dose of air in SEVERAL spots throughout the ride in the back, often in combination with wicked headchoppers.

And the intensity seemed to INCREASE throught the ride.

It's younger sibling across the midway (LR), while another Hershey fave, just felt tamer and more "engineered" to me. I don't know if it's the trains or if the ride was simply designed to not be as agressive and "kick butt" as Wildcat, or a little of both. I also got substantially less air on it.

Thunderhead 3 weeks later at the Dollywood Chistmas event also seemed to lack the ferocity of Wildcat and felt more "engineered", and despite some awesome night rides, solid front seat air, and awesome nightime mountain setting, it lost it's spot as fave GCI, which it had earned a year earlier, to the magnificent Hershey 'cat.

I am planning a return to Hershey next fall and will be curious to see how much the GCI trains affect my preception of this incredible, classic layout. Hopefully the Wildcat has not become a kitty ;)

Frontrider

PS. The other GCI I've ridden with PTC's, Gwazi, is another pesonal favorite with great air, (esp in front) and being a Florida resident for part of the year, I do quite a bit of marathoning on it on low attendance days. I have had no problem whatsoever with the PTCs on either ride, even in the back axle seat :) *** Edited 5/15/2007 7:15:13 AM UTC by Frontrider***

Frontrider

You've nailed it .. The description and words you used to describe the cat couldn't have been more on the money. I may have been a little harsh by saying it's now a tame little kitty. It's not like the ride has been ruined, but at the same time, it's definitely not, (and if I may borrow a term from the late great Steve Irwin) the "little ripper" that it was. *** Edited 5/15/2007 7:39:00 AM UTC by Superstew***

When I was at the park in 04 I rode the wildcat 8 or 9 times. I really enjoyed the ride. My buddies and I were really surprised about the quality of the ride considering how everyone complains about the wildcat. I think it's a great coaster and I look forward to riding it with the new trains later this year.

After one season, are we really going to know if the MF Trains really make that much of a difference? Come talk to me in about five years after they have been broken in a little. In the mean time, I'll enjoy the new trains.

In five years, Hershey will have saved half of the maintenance budget they were putting into The 'Cat....if not more.

In five months, I expect enthusiasts to be posting here about how successful the change was and that the ride is as intense as ever, only MUCH smoother. Thinking the track gauging may have been tightened down a bit when the new trains came on. As the "break-in period" winds down, the 'Cat will be cranking up... :)

I sure hope so, as I am not liking what I'm hearing so far. :(

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coasterpunk said:

All the weight loss is simple stuff like changing some parts from steel to aluminium and shaving down some things and putting holes in others.

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Sounds a lot like what auto makers do when trying to trim weight from their car and truck designs. It's common for a lot of new cars to have a lot of aluminum parts instead of iron and steel (aluminum engine blocks are much lighter than iron) and "drilling holes" in non-structural elements is common practice in the car-racing industry.