Modified Track Layouts

Fake Cyclone at SFNE. They torched that coaster, and now it's TAERable. At least that's my humble opinion.

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-Brian, who enjoys long walks on the beach, wooden coasters, avoiding being called a "jobber" while keeping it real in the 9Quad.

Wasn't Magnum modified somewhere just before the pretzel turnaround?

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I am not who you think I am.

If you can count current/future modifications , Shock wave is being modified where the turn up into the mid course brake is.

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I'd like to thank the academy , and my mom , and my fans,and.....oh forget it , I hate you all.

The Great American Scream Machine at Great Adventure's turn into the brakerun was already modified.

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--Maddie--
What do I Listen-To?
Hot stuff.

The original Mr.Twister at the original Elitchs Gardens was reprofiled after it's first season. Seems the contractor misread the blueprints and they had to make several corrections.

The Big Dipper was modified many years ago. There was a double dip on the hill right before the far turn around. (I think it's the thrid hill). Now that on top of that same hill sits a flat section that's slightly down hill. If I remembered right, they modifed BD a few times in a few differents spot.

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Zero g Network

Big Dipper @ SFWoA was modified at least once. It use to have a double dip on ,I think, the thrid hill.

Rageing Wolf Bobs, all tho the layout wasn't modified, the banking on the turns on the second half of the ride was modified last offseason.

Wasn't Blue Streak at CP modified slighty?

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Zero g Network

Daidarasaurus at Expoland in Osaka, Japan was modified to the point of turning 2 complete dueling/racing coasters into one HUGE curcuit. I have ridden it both ways. I can assure you that neither way is better, nor is the ride really worth riding either, that is unless you have hearing protection. Talk about loud!

It used to have 2 sides. (1) Super Speed Type, and (2) Many Curves Type. Both sides just kind of meandered around, but were at least interesting, and radically different. Admittedly, I can't really tell where they combined the sides, but you do go through the station twice now. It is quite bizarre, and again, very very loud. It also runs on a very unique track type. One I have no idea who built, but it almost seems like railroad track. There is very little banking, and I can't tell where the upstops are catching to prevent your death. So much for lack of OSHA in Japan. ;)
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Between Dill pickles and Donuts, my secret awaits.

Sansei Yusoki built Daidarasaurus according to RCDB. Here's some more info if anyone is interested:

http://www.sanseiyusoki.com/amusement/arconsole/daidara_e.html

Fire in the Hole at SDC had a section of track removed at some point I believe, if you can evan call that a coaster.

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"The Mountain Slidewinder. Voted The #1 Non-Rollercoaster Ride in America Amusement Business Magazine, 1991"

To me, the original question was more about layout (footprint) modifications, rather than profile modifications (elevation changes).

Immediately, I thought of Thunderhawk at Dorney, which was changed from an out and back to a folded figure eight. Hercules, on the other hand, had profile work, but never had the footprint modified.

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PUSH the gates open! Exit to your LEFT! Oh, this ride has seatbelts? (Duh) Never underestimate the supidity of people in large groups! Thanks for the memories Hercules! 9/1/03

Actually Wild One has had it's layout changed numerous times during its long life. The first major change occurred when it was still in Massachussets. The original helix was destroyed in a fire and was short circuted to save money on the rebuilding .

Kennywood's Racer was reprofiled. They remodified the last drop somehow. The Thunderbolt, you could say was modified twice. It was modified from the old Pippin, and they took out a little bump around one of the bends, I think the year after it opened.

Yes, there was apparently a small hill in "the bowl" the year Thunderbolt opened. With the strong laterals in that section, such a bump must have been insane. I wish I could have ridden it.

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--Greg, aka Oat Boy
My page
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CedarPoint_Mark said:
Wasn't Magnum modified somewhere just before the pretzel turnaround?

Magnum was modified in a few places. The second drop was reprofiled a little bit, the third hill was changed so it wasn't so steep and sudden, and the track just before the pretzel was changed. I've heard that the track shifted or banked to the right and left really quickly and violenty in that area. It must have been like trick track, only awful.

I talked to a guy who rode it opening year, and he said from the back seat you could see people jerk left, then right. Now the entrance is one fluid banking process.

The pretzel has been retracked a few times. I think they lowered the second half of it so the train wouldn't roll back in it either.

Did you know that when Magnum first opened it didn't have wheels as upstops? It had the metal fins that Gemini and other older Arrows have. All the hills would spark when the train achieved negative Gs. My friend said it was like a fireworks show every two minutes.

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2003 Raptor Rides: 246
Raptor Rules the Sky!

thepinkdoomofmonkeys said:
You can add Hurcules to that list.

Hercules saw no changes to its layout during its tenure at Dorney. Thunderhawk, on the other hand, was extensively changed for the 1930 season. Its straight out-and-back design was basically cut in half (keeping everything from the station to the second main hill on the "out" and "back" runs) and redirected to the Green Grove picnic area, where some swoop turns were added.

DorneyDante: Yes, it was originally called the Coaster, but some sources suggest that it was originally called The Joy Ride before that.

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-Rob
A.C.E. member since 1990
Posting @ Coasterbuzz since 2000
E.C.C. member since 2002

The Racer at PKI -- The last bunny hop was taken out.

The same goes for the Beastie. And Thunderhawk.

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-Rob
A.C.E. member since 1990
Posting @ Coasterbuzz since 2000
E.C.C. member since 2002

Probably. Although most people consider Comet to be a "new"ride because it shared nothing besides materials with the Cyclone. It was almost like building a new wooden coaster with a pile of treated lumber that had been lying around for years.

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-Rob
A.C.E. member since 1990
Posting @ Coasterbuzz since 2000
E.C.C. member since 2002

Hurculees' drop under the station was changed. It used to be taller, but must have been lowered due tothe trims on the first drop slowing the ride down, thus prohibiting it from making it all the way up to the top of the drop under the station. When I was there, I recall there being traces in the superstructure of the original profile of that drop, much like how you can still see the double dip on Colossus and the original drop on SFNE's Cyclone. But I remember reading about the drop being lowered before the ride opened as it tended to roll back, so maybe that's the story behind it, or maybe it was lowered twice.

Other coasters modified....
Valley Fair's Excalibur had a bunny hop removed, as did The Coaster/Legend/Giant Coaster at Arnold's Park and the Racer at PKI.

You might say Elitch's Twister was dramatically modified when it was "rebuilt" at Knoebel's.
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-Matt in Iowa