Iron Wolf TLC

I don't know about all of you but I love Iron Wolf. It's intense and has one of the greatest corkscrews around (corkscrew, flatspin, whatever you want to call it.) Unfortunately it has aged pretty badly and while the track is still in good shape, it is giving a somewhat rough ride. So how could we fix this coaster and bring it back to it's former glory? I would like to see some of the newer B&M stand up coaster trains on it and possibly have the station redesigned to be more compatable with the crowds.

My question is, what could be done to bring back the smoothness it once shocked us with? And do the new Beemer trains cushion the head at all or would that be a poor decision? Please don't come back with some insane idea of tearing it down or putting some floorless trains on it, I'd like to see it in it's former glory not in some "new" glory.

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Tuesday's Gone With The Wind.
Elijah Rock.
Is it written in the stars?
La Vie Boheme!!!

I think about what they could do to possibly help out Batman: The Escape at SFAW sometimes too. Nice touch about the floorless trains...I hate that...

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Long live Six Flags Astroworld!! Ok, you can all laugh now...

Just leave it alone, it's fine the way it is.

Here's my idea. I think they should get new trains, which might help with smoothness. I also think it needs a paint job. That burgandy/purple color doesn't really catch your attention. It kinda oogly. I say, paint the track red, or blue, and have balck supports. And maybe retheme. Theme it like The Big Bad Wolf. Put like little village houses around it, and make the big blue tent that you go through in the queue line, like the town church, or like the mayor's house. I don't know, something different. As long as they don't knock down those trees in the second half of the ride. Iron Wolf, and Whizzer are the only roller coasters that are actually hidden at SFGAm.

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Anyone care for some roast beef?

What? How would re-theming Iron Wolf fix the roughness?

Last time I rode it, I found it very rough. The station doesn't need a redesign, either. They just need to get rid of FastPass. That line used to be for every row but front. Now, that there is no front-only line, people often stand at the entrance, not wanting to 'cut' in front of people waiting for rows 1 to 4. I don't remember it being nearly as crowded at the entrance of the station pre-2001 (year Fast Pass or whatever it's called was new) It's still a small station, but it worked for 10 years... To improve the way it looks, get new trains or new zero cars. Those blunt zero cars it has now are really... well, '80s looking. lol. I like the zero cars on ones like Manits and Scorcher. Those look cool.

Yes, but I actually like how there is no line for the front. That way, if your smart, you can go right to the back 2 rows and usually there is never a line.

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Cedar Point 2003, and it begins...

Well they did put in new restraints a few years back, so at least they are trying to improve. If anyone has noticed, the piece of track right after the turn through the loop and right before the drop into the corkscrew is completly straight and the spine of the track does lower (how just about every B&M mid-course brakes are) I think there was intended to be a mid-course brake there, but was taken out at the last minute. I think they should at least put trims there just to slow it down a little. Because the second half of the wolf is so complex and tight, it shouldn't be going that fast. I love it how it is now so I'm not complaining.

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There is no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid people.

The only ride that blew me away at SFGAm. It could use new trains, but the killer layout makes up for some of the shuffling.

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"Jessica, you're turning me into a criminal, when all I want to be is a petty thug." -Bart Simpson

OMG! You are asking for trims!!! Sorry that just completely caught me off guard. Yes I have noticed that and figured that was the reason it was that way but that corkscrew would not be so great if they trimmed before it.

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Tuesday's Gone With The Wind.
Elijah Rock.
Is it written in the stars?
La Vie Boheme!!!

I think Iron Wolf's problem, more than anything else, is the stacking, which seems to be a common theme among standups.

I think that they decided against the brakes when they realized that a MCBR wouldn't do much good, seeing as though they always stack the trains anyway. The extra one would just be sitting on the brakes longer...

I think it'd be nice if they went all out and replaced the trains, and maybe B&M could come up with a new restraint system that would make the current one obselete. Not sure how that would happen, but they're paid to do it, and I'm not... Yet... :)

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"Well, I'm sure I'd feel much worse if I weren't under such heavy sedation." - David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
http://www.loopscrew.com

Like I've always said when it comes to Iron Wolf, "I don't mind roughness, As long as it doesn't involve a bar sticking in my crotch" perhaps a new train with a more male friendly design is in order.

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I'm a Jay, Jay, Jay Jay Hawk!

yea they just got new restraints at the start of 1999(?) i think...

the "missing" MCBR was originally debated as B&M did not know if the second half would be too high in G-forces. so, they modified that piece of track as a precaution so that if the ride was too rough they could easily add the brakes. however, the public was so shocked by its smoothness that nobody complained about its relatively high G-forces in the second half, and so the brakes were never added.

now, the ride is rougher, and coupled with the G-forces, i'm sure most GP would not be incredibly opposed to a bit of slowage.

i, on the other hand, like it just the way it is.. to me, its more fun to say you survived a coaster than slept on it

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"It's like something out of that twilighty show about that zone"

*** This post was edited by JD on 9/2/2002. ***