How many more will be taken away?

So far this year's announcements have been bitter sweet.
The first announcement was the removal of Stealth, a three year old ride, for a water park. Why couldn't PGA find a different coaster to remove, an older, less popular coaster to build the water park in its place?

Now, Dorney is losing its mega woodie for a B&M floorless coaster. This is ok because Hercules wasn't that popular, but it is still a loss of a coaster. My question is, how many more will we lose?
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2003 year of the fallen:
Stealth: 4/1/2000 - 9/1/2003
Hercules: 1989 - 9/1/2003

Well Stealth IS going to another park so really it isn't gone completely. Let's not forget Hershey's kick a$$ announcement this year as well. Now if only they would set a match to Mean Streak...

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Bob Hansen
Resident Airtime Whore

If you go onto rcdb.com and check out how many steel coasters ther are compared to wooden coaster ther are its very sad. something has to be done before we lose any more wood coasters. theres just not enough built every year to compete with steel. its not like wooden coasters cant do what steel does cause we all seen SoB. theres no limit to what we can do know I think us coaster riders need to speak up and say something. I would rather them leave the would coaster than to add another B&M floorless. If you want a floorless that bad go to SFWoA its not that far away.

thankx

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Kennywood Team Member Since July 2003

Lets not forget good old KC*sobs and curses Delerium* According to a topic a while ago, it was supposed to be the most confortable of the TOGO's...
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There needs to be a better word for weird...http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail54.html

One word can answer your sadness to the loss of Hercules (which, BTW, is/was a lousy coaster): Thunderhead

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Ask yourself; When was the last time YOU visited Conneaut Lake Park?

If it's a piece of crap, who gives a rat what it is. I woudln't shed a tear if Rolling Thunder, Hercules, Viper at GAdv, or Iron wolf were gone.

In fact I would gladdy praise the Lord as I use the wood from "Hurt me Please" and "Rotting Lumber" to melt down Viper and Iron Wolf. Hey bring out the marshmallows.

If we were losing Thunderhawk or Laser it woudl be a different story. But to lose a painful, poorly designed, maintainance disaster for a relaible, smooth, and what sounds like a unique thriller I am ecstatic.

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If given the choice I'd choose a hamburger over a hotdog anyday of the week.

Wow...we just can't have a rough wooden coaster can we?
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I am not who you think I am.

Hercules was an example of great engineering.

Safe to say modern-day B&M has coaster design down-pat... more than I can say for Summers/Dinn and whoever was involved in that disaster.

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Mike Anderson

Some people such as Magnum Force need to get real. Iron Wolf is history... the first B&M and is still one hell of a Stand-Up rather you want to think so or not. But I guess you forget that your one person and the GP loves the ride. I can tell you that, not mainly because it's my home park. But people still line up for it more than you can imagine. Guess what, SFGAm isn't going to tear it up because you don't like it. So my best guess is for you to go cry for what you don't like somewhere else. I've never been to Dorney nor have I ridden Hercules. But people like it and if you feel the need to come trash the topics about it than maybe you shouldn't have posted at all. Again you are one person. I agree with everyone though, I always go to a park looking for a variety and I always want to see wood just as much as I see steel.

Rough?

Thats not ough, that is a lousy piece of enginering.

You are talkign to a person who holds wooden coasters in a much much much much higher regard then any steelie except for Magnum.

Magnum is rather rough at times but the ride more then makes up for it, same goes for Timbers, Twister, Beast, etc, hell even LoCoSuMo which is VEY rough. Oh yeah and I am a sucker for Arrow Loopers.

Hercules is a plain and simple peice of crap whose roughness is only partially responsible with the fact that its a total and complete POS.

One ride on that thing makes Mean Streak feel like a ide on Legend.

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If given the choice I'd choose a hamburger over a hotdog anyday of the week.

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CedarPoint_Mark said:
Wow...we just can't have a rough wooden coaster can we?

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There are different kinds of rough, the good kind, like that found on THE Cyclone or the Raven, and the bone crunching, jackhammering, painful rough that can be found on coasters such as Hercules. I certainly want to be able to feel the forces of a coaster, and thus prefer wood to steel, but i do not want to feel it to the point of injury.

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Ask yourself; When was the last time YOU visited Conneaut Lake Park?

I can't understand all you people crying out for realism on one hand, and more wooden coasters on the other. No matter how much enthusiasts like wooden coasters, no wooden coaster that is built right and is actually a good ride will bring in the bucks like a big old Beemer or Intamin. The things that get people's attention and keep 'em comin back is height, speed, and loops. Can you get that on a wooden? Yes. Can the height, speed and loops on a wooden be matched by that of a steel? Well, just look at SoB ...

For those trying to make money, its a no brainer. I personally don't care if there was one wooden or five hundred, I still prefer the insane thrills that a steelie can provide any day over the nostalgic thrill of a woodie. The woodies have their time and place, but that time and place is not to cause parks to lose maintenance money or to cause a bad design of a big-draw steelie because they're trying to save the woodie.

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Brett
Resident Launch Whore

I'd have to say that enthusiasts are a bunch of sissies since they can't seem to accept the fact that wooden coasters are meant to be rough. If you want a smooth coaster...go on some new Intamin or B&M. Quit your whining.

Meant to be rough eh? Hmmmmmm shocker, lets go tell Jeff Hammersly that, I am sure he will get right on it.

There is rough, then there is POS........

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If given the choice I'd choose a hamburger over a hotdog anyday of the week.

CrAzedFaNaTiC said:

Iron Wolf is history... the first B&M and is still one hell of a Stand-Up rather you want to think so or not.Guess what, SFGAm isn't going to tear it up because you don't like it. So my best guess is for you to go cry for what you don't like somewhere else.

Again, LET MR MOURN OVER KC.

*First stand up in US(history)

*Had a much longer line than most other rides at PKI.(Popular)

You know what. They might come and detrack the first B&M standup next...*Goes back into mourning over the King*
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There needs to be a better word for weird...http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail54.html

How many more will be taken away? Just wait and see. Rides are hardly "permanent installations" in the grand scheme of things. How many stadiums and arenas built since the 60's have been demolished in the last five years? Times change, needs change. Remember, rides like the Coney Island Cyclone and Kennywood's Thunderbolt are the exception, not the rule.

And may I emphasize perspective... it's not like The Beast is being removed.

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Ask about my references

That looks like a great ride to me, and I'm sorry I will never have the chance to experience it for myself. I'm always sad when a woodie dies. Is Hercules for sure going to the wrecking ball, or is it being dismantled and moved to another park?
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Nashville needs a theme park!

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CedarPoint_Mark said:
If you want a smooth coaster...go on some new Intamin or B&M.

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I will. In 2005. ;)

Hey, if wooden coasters are supposed to be rough, maybe you'd like to start a bonfire beneath some of GCII's creations?

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--Maddie--
What do I Listen-To?
May the Schwarz be with you.
*** This post was edited by Chernabog 9/5/2003 12:33:12 AM ***

Yes, wooden coasters can be rough, but there's a big difference between normal shaking, and being in pain for a significant length of time as I experienced on Hercules and The Rattler. Remember, there's a large group of riders who started out in the 70's (such as myself), who are getting older. Walking off of a coaster and having your chest or back be in pain is not something that's desirable for the rider or the park. I applaud their decision.
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If someone makes a post and you post-quote it right beneath it, you're wasting bandwidth. Think before you press the button.

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Impulse-ive said:
No matter how much enthusiasts like wooden coasters, no wooden coaster that is built right and is actually a good ride will bring in the bucks like a big old Beemer or Intamin.

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Honestly, you don't know that because you don't have the numbers sitting there in front of you. I don't have the numbers right in front of me either, but I know that The Beast has been popular for nearly 25 years, and still hold's much of the public's attention, Ghostrider took Knott's from relative obscurity to a national attention getter, Boss drew huge lines at SFStL with three trains running, Hershey's Lightning Racer has been insanely popular but with short lines thanks to the huge capacity....

Like I said, I don't have the numbers right here either, but when you get down to it, the GP's favorite coasters are enthusiasts' favorite coasters, as well. The GP may not be able to explain why they like one coaster over another, but they can tell a bad one from a good one.

I think the main problem is that the parks that DO draw in the big numbers tend to have horrible woodies (for one reason or another.)

Here's a thought - a large portion of the GP just goes to ride "the new coaster" whether its wooden or steel, or whatever. An awful lot doesn't even realize that there's even a difference. They will know if they want to ride it again next year, though, and that's the whole key, no matter what the building materials are.