SOB Accident at Kings Island

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Marky Mark said:
And you know darn tootin' that Cedar Fail WILL screw up the SOB ride experience with trims. I know you see that.

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You mean the way they fixed Blue Streak to make it the best it has been in two decades? The way they replaced and reinforced most of Wolf Bobs to make it not just easier to ride, but fun?

Again... stupid generalizations. A trim on Mean Streak (a crappy ride) and one on the defunct Hercules (also a crappy ride) make not a pattern.

Then again, there's TimberWolf and Wolverine Wildcat...and there's Ghostrider...

Yes, generalizations DO tend to blur the FACTS... ;)

AFAIK only the MiA woodies and Ghostrider remain trimless [in the pre-Paramount stable of parks]. Thunderhawk, High Roller, and Timberwolf also have trims however when I rode Timberwolf in early June the major problem was the excessive jackhammering and shuffling.

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crazy horse said:
Not if its cracking.

I thought that there was some kind of lawsuite involving the wood that was used.

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My guess is that it was one of the layers of wood that cracked... Not the structure itself.

My whole idea was if the wood in the structure could be re-used for another ride, then Intamin with their pre-fab track (or whoever!) could come along and build a ride with some bigtime savings... Yeah, it's a rediculous thought, but SOB is a huge ride and if/when CF rips that thing out, that is a lot of wood they could use for something decent.

C'mon guys... get it right, it's STENGEL

And re: the trains having shock absorbers? HUH? I have every single press release and the park never once mentioned anything about the train having shocks or shock absorbing wheels on it.

They did once toy with wheels that had a ployurethane core, but didn't "publicize" that.

The "special" wheels were actually tested on Beast in 1999. Rear car, train 3.

I don't think they made the cut, they made little to no difference to the ride experience.

Shaggy

Actually, Cedar Fail was a typo on my part. Didn't see it till' I was quoted.

Oops, the fanboys...the fanboys.

Anyway, I see a great deal of silly commentary on these boards but I didn't think I was really making any. IMHO I think that they will trim SOB, probably before/during the rose bowl as I feel this to be the most intense portion of the ride. The block before the loop trims now and then. There have been times when we have blown through that block and sometimes slowed to a crawl. After the loop the ride kinda' falls off for me anyway so any trimming, at least to me, wouldn't kill the ride experience.

I can't really comment on Blue Streak. I've only ridden it twice. Once to check it out and once when my wife twisted my arm. These times were back in the late 90's.

As for Raging Wolf Bobs, during my 1 and only wait in line for it, (Six Flags Ohio) era, I was nervous considering the appearance of the structure at the time. Decent ride, and I guess it's meant to compare to the Riverview Bobs. Probably won't ride it again as I am no fan of G-trains. Boss was painfull enough.

That's my .02...let the beatings begin.

The retracking of Wolf Bobs started under Six Flags, didn't it?

I was at PKI Tuesday night. The GP is already joking about Sonny. When the Beast came to a quick stop in the station, one of the people on the train mockingly asked if this was the Beast or the Son of Beast.

Weather closed the rides early. Walking through the parking lot, someone in a group ahead of me pointed to clearing skies in the west and remarked the rain would stop faster than Son of Beast.

The GP is already shrugging off the incident.

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Shaggy said:
"but I have to say that the whole woodie-with-a-loop thing always felt somewhat gimmicky--like that was this coaster's primary reason for existence..."

Well, that's because it WAS the coaster's primary reason for existence.

Initially Al Webber wanted a wooden coaster that would manuever a loop. Werner Stengel came on board and pushed for "taller, faster, longer."

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Marky Mark said:
IMHO I think that they will trim SOB, probably before/during the rose bowl as I feel this to be the most intense portion of the ride.

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But the reason that belief is silly is that you totally neglect to consider the reasoning behind it. And without that understanding, your suggestion that they'll arbitrarily do it on another ride makes it even more silly.

Think about it... if they trimmed SOB anywhere prior to the mid-course block, it probably would valley.

Fair enough...I guess my biggest fear is that they drop a trim after the bank to the right heading for the rose bowl. I don't know, in my mind, it seems like the train screams through there so they might want to tone it down.

My biggest hope...CF repairs whatever everyone complains about, (I don't have any issues that weren't taken care of long ago), and YOU add it to ERT! It just doesn't seem right without it.

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rollergator said:
Then again, there's TimberWolf and Wolverine Wildcat...and there's Ghostrider...

Yes, generalizations DO tend to blur the FACTS...

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Timberwolf is still be retracked and continues to get better as the season progresses.

^ Good, then it should be ready for my '07 trip.. :)

Don't think I didn't love the PARK ('02 visit), it was certainly the best STAFF of any CF park since KBF went away from the retirees...but that wooden coaster, well... :(

*** Edited 7/13/2006 7:35:02 PM UTC by rollergator***

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Marky Mark said:
Fair enough...I guess my biggest fear is that they drop a trim after the bank to the right heading for the rose bowl. I don't know, in my mind, it seems like the train screams through there so they might want to tone it down.

My biggest hope...CF repairs whatever everyone complains about, (I don't have any issues that weren't taken care of long ago), and YOU add it to ERT! It just doesn't seem right without it.

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The rosebowl orginally had a trim it was removed because the train valleyed there a few times and the trim was found to be a cause.

I never knew that. Was the brake there when the ride opened to the public? I don't recall any braking except the block before the loop and the station brakes.

Story- I was at Kings Island with a christian group and said that I wanted to ride that S-O-B. Some people were affended, unknowing about the rollercoaster. ;)

Really? i've never heard of anyone being affended. ;)

This ride was closed the last 2 times i have been there. Sounds like it could be a while before i get on it again.

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rollergator said:
Good, then it should be ready for my '07 trip..

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Where else do you plan on visiting during that trip? ;)