No race to build the biggest wood coaster?

Rollergator....about those turns on SOB.  Another (I think important) answer would be to get trains that can handle turns.  People much more educated than I on the workings of trains say they are a joke.  I thought they rode like one!  I can't imagine how wonderful it would be with a really nice set of trains like GCI's Millennium Flyers or those new Intamin wood trains like on Colossus.
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But didn't Premier get the gig with PKI for SoB trains because they could produce them cheaply and quickly in comparison to other wood-coaster train manufacturers?  I think I heard that the special track-gauge required a different train than they use on "normal" woodies...and that Premier came in with the "best" deal.  I work for State Gov't, and experience tells me the lowest price is NOT usually the best "bargain"...
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PoTP acolyte - remove fear to reply
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

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MagnumForce said:
How tall is ST? 125'?  Seems if ya made a bigger one the negative g's might be way too high at least it works that way on RCT but what do I know anyway LOL.

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Negative G is a combination of the speed going over the hill and the size of the radius of the curve at the top of the hill.  The size of the ride really has nothing to do with it. 

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Idle hands were orient to her.

Jeff has a good point. The larger structures would cost far more to build and maintain than a lot of parks probably want to budget.

Biggest isn't best, and it shows after the novelty wears off. If the ride isn't that good, it may cost more to maintain than the number of customers would justify. If the ride could potentially tear itself apart, the parks would not want the extra maintenance costs associated with them, such as the ones mentioned above.

CCIs and GCIs at the mid-size level give great rides and maintenance is fairly easy, so parks are more willing to spend their mooney on that. I'm sure someone is looking at making the biggest, but they're likely waiting for the reliability to be at a comfortable level. Intamin may have it, but someone will have to risk getting the first really big one.

I'm not sure the maintenance of mid-sized wooden coasters is all that easy either. Parks seem to be having a devil of a time keeping even those running smoothly. It's a tough job, which makes me respect Holiday World, Silverwood and Knott's Berry Farm all the more.
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Have you ever considered that maybe it's not the park that's the problem, but YOU?

I think building a coaster strictly for a record is foolishness incarnate.   Go with Gravity.......you posed a thought on CCI and a 160+ ft coaster.  Well, I haven't ridden Boss, but being a larger ride, and hearing the reviews, it sounds like they still kick even at a larger size.  Still, I could care less about the size of the ride.  I love Ghostrider and it is average at best.
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Check out my updated website!

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ColumbusCoaster said:
"What would a really tall out and back be like?"

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Probably like that Intamin coaster "Superman: Ride of Wood" (Colossus) Isnt that near so-called "hyper-height"?

Oh and it seems to me that the Intamin trains would be just as bad on Sonny as the Premier trains. I personally dont see the point in having 3-bench trains on ANY twister (I certainly doubt the judgement of 4-bench cars on MOM). But MFlyer trains sound intriguing (now if they only had springs to keep the bars from falling)

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"Nobody writes about the planes that land." Steve Salerno Washington Times 7-10-01

2Hostyl, I think you want the lapbars that they put on Knoebels' Twister, those things didn't budge.  Pretty sure they were specifically requested,  allowing for great air on the HOP out of the tunnel onto the brakes.  Alot of times anymore, all air at the end of a ride suffers from ratcheting laps
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Off-season coaster blues got you down, stop by the 'buzz and turn your frown upside-down...
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

DWeaver, good point on tallest and speed. I think they build alot of these tall rides JUST for the first drop (see Goliath @ SFMM) without taking advantage of the energy produced by it. Millenium Force is SO great because that energy is NOT wasted. It is harnessed and unleashed. Only brakes are at the end of the ride. Same thing with Ghostrider. The only point that it slows down is the mid-point turnaround, where it has slowed NATURALLY because of the ascent to what seems to be as tall as the first drop. Then its a relentless race to the finish. Another great ride! Disaster Transport could be an AMAZING ride if they extended its track and let it run the course without trims. WAY too many trims on that ride.

I understand the need for trims to REGULATE speed variances, but drastic changes and littering of trims seems to be the sign of a poorly desined ride. A good example of proper trim usage would be on Riddlers Revenge @ SFMM. There is one spot on the ride where it passes thru the mid-course brake run. The train is slowed just a small amount, barely even noticeable at times. A good example of poorly used trims is Goliath @SFMM. This ride hits the mid-course at about 70mph and is screached to a near halt before finishing the circuit. Apparently Giovanola realized how badly they underestimated Goliaths ability to maintain speed and added an ascending helix to the track design for Titan. I havent had a chance to ride Titan, but it looks a heck of a lot better, but probably still needs another element to hit that mid-course at a reasonable speed to continue on without massive braking.

I just hope that great rides like GhostRider dont get fitted with brakes as it ages. That ride is a VERY close #2 behind MF, both WAY above any other rides Ive tried.

blah blah blah.... ;)

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My other car is a Giovanola!

LoadedG - actually Goliath hits the mid-course going about 42 MPH according to a friend of mine who was a SFMM mechaninc when the ride opened [he has since move east].  But your point is still valid.

nasai, you beat me to it. Nobody has mentioned the Boss. It is a relatively new coaster (only two years old), built by CCI and has a first drop of 150 feet. I'm not sure if that counts the double down or just the first drop. Either way it is a modern bohemoth of a wooden coaster that IMO is a great ride. It's not rough in the sense that it's poorly designed, but it throws you around with high lateral G's. I think that Legend, a smaller, shorter ride, delivers an even rougher ride with all of it's changes in direction. Both of these rides would benefit from different trains (Lengend will this summer, woo hoo), I can't stand the G-trains. Anyway, back to the topic. As much as I love the Boss, my favorite woodies are all much smaller: Giant Dipper @ SCBB, Cornball Express, Raven, Screamin' Eagle and I just adore the Racer @ PKI (I can never get enough of the backwards train in the last (front) row, just watching the track trail out from behind you and wondering if you've got te speed to crest the hill). The vast majority of wooden coaster are and most likely will remain to be under 120 feet.

LoadedG made an excellent point.  With the way the modern coasters are being designed, there really isn't much need to have a tremendous amount of height, given the fact that most coasters (CCI for example) maintain amazing speed throughout most of the ride.  There just isn't a need for height, unless you want to break the collarbones of riders.
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www.tripowered.com

2Hostyl said:
Probably like that Intamin coaster "Superman: Ride of Wood" (Colossus) Isnt that near so-called "hyper-height"?

LOL - that's a great nickname for that coaster!  Anyway, yes, that is pretty much a hyper-woodie, but it uses Intamin's new track design.  Most people who have ridden it say that it's so smooth it feels like a steel coaster.  I was wondering what a typical woodie at this height and layout would be like after a few years.

This brings up another question, though.  A lot of rumors have been flying that CP might re-track Mean Streak using Intamin's new system.  I have no doubt that this would make the ride smooth and enjoyable again, but would it help on the maintenance side?  Would it still be shaking itself apart?
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Aaron
"If love is blind I guess I'll buy myself a cane..." - Guns n' Roses

*** This post was edited by ColumbusCoaster on 2/1/2002. ***