Son of Beast, If only a couple years Later

With the way SOB is designed leg room is not desireable. The hump keeps your knees bent which totally eliminates the possibility of slipping upward out of the lapbar.

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- John
Dag, yo
Support Rob in the Great DDR Challenge!

I have ridden Colossos and found it to be one fo the most incredible wooden coasters I have ridden.

Yes it is very smooth.

Yes, at times it does feel like a steel coaster, but I see nothing wrong with that at all. Some people may not like to be tossed around on rides.

What I did find humorous was those that were complaining about Colossos being too smooth, were a few of the same people that complain about Son of Beast being too rough. No complaints from me as I like them both.

How, if you have ever seen the GC animation of Son of Beast when it was first announced, you may or may not have noticed something.

I am not sure if the animation is still available at www.pki.com or not, but if you ever get a chance to take a look at it again, check out the track. The design looks almost identical to that of the Intamin "Plug-and-Play" design.

However, the park assures me that the "plug-and-play" design was never a part of the design of Son of Beast. Count the animation up as just coincidence.

-Sean

RideMan corrected me about how the track is not really the problem but the trains. With that being said I still think if they were to build Son of Beast a year or two later and decided to go with Intamin, the ride would be much better. The intamin trains have to track better than the premier trains they have on their now. Also the low maintence would have saved countless dolars and time. Obviously replacing the track with intamins plug and play system is not a likely option because that would be way to costly and perhaps be of very little benefit. However the trains seem to be the problem and need to be replaced with a train that can handle the banking and curves on the ride.

I would hope they would replace the trains with something similar to the millenium flyer trains used by GCI, which are articulating and can handle very twisted track designs. However GCI is not likely going to put one of their trains on not one of their rides, especially a ride as large as Son of Beast. I think the reason they went with the premier trains was because very few manufactures wanted to put one of their trains on this enormous looking wooden coaster.

I think Shaggy made the point that part of the problem with Intamin's track system is its to much like a steel coaster. I think that general public would not really care or notice. The ride would still appear to be a huge looking wooden coaster. This would still be marketable and if the ride gave a fast and smooth ride I think most people would enjoy it. Only a select few would actually know or care that this track system is different than a traditional wooden coaster.

*** This post was edited by David Siegel 3/7/2003 9:05:13 PM ***

Whoa! Try deleting all those multiple posts. Remember, only click the post button ONCE. It may take awhile to load, but it prevents multiple posts.

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Intelligence is a God given gift: Know how to use it.
*** This post was edited by CoasterKrazy 3/7/2003 9:03:36 PM ***

Get a little "Fresh" with the reply button David?!

Michael,

Yes, the hump holds you in, but couldn't a restraint system be added on the new trains, where it wouldn't be needed?! That's just as much of a possibilty as having new trains designed.

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-Charlie Weingartner
"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."

Little birdies are telling me that SOB has new restraints of some type.

Chuck, who could be totally wrong but it is Testing now.

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Charles Nungester.
I previously announce Lesourdsville as Confirmed. I now change that to POSSIBLE as I can get NO NEWS :(

Chuck, I have also heard those little birdies singing about some improvements to Son of Beast's trains ;)... hopefully this will be one outstanding year for Son of Beast.

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-Aaron D.
Webmaster of PKI Unlimited.com
http://www.pkiunlimited.com

My oh my, the secret is out. Some birdies have been a talkin' to me about SOB's restraints too ;-)

Shaggy

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Shaggy

Proud A-lister!

As long it's not OTSRs, I'll be happy! (Hmmm, I do recall a long time ago a woodie having OTSRs for a brief period. What was it? Was it the Riverside Cyclone? FOr some reason that sticks out in my mind...)

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- "I used to be in the audio/visual club, but I was kicked out because of my views on Vietnam........and I was stealing projectors" - Homer Simpson

I sure would like to have a crate or two of those old SOB restraints as souvenirs. Well maybe just one retraint.

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Chris Tyson
Photographer
www.pkiunlimited.com

Well, we`ll find out what changes PKI has made to SoB soon enough! The park opens five weeks from today!

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Coney Island (Cincinnati) ride operator

We have a name at work for people who *talk too much*....they're called "chirpy birds"...but considering that duo at PKI, I imagine the timing of the release of info went JUST as planned...;)

Haven't ridden SOB yet, but just wanted to say thank you to Ride Man for a well written, articulate argument. (No offense to anyone else; his was just particularly striking.)

Hope to ride SOB at "beastbuzz;" then i'll join in the conversation with y'all. =)

~me

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Frequency, for those that are too poor to buy DDR mats. :)

FreqNet tag: krim-Nasty

No birdies but I still think SOB is getting a tunnel or tunnels. Why drop a tool shed (Semi trailer full of tools) in the first helix and leave it all winter?

Chuck, who noticed new support bracing all over the structure on just about every visit last year and thinks that could possibly be why too.

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Charles Nungester.
I previously announce Lesourdsville as Confirmed. I now change that to POSSIBLE as I can get NO NEWS :(

I understand the reasoning behind raising the floor on Son of Beast two years ago, but I don't understand why they did it the way they did.

Hmmm...the birdies are talking about new restraints...I wonder if they flattened the floor and added the ankle bars as on Flight of Fear.

I suspect that most people who ride a coaster that is as incredibly rough as Sonny or Mean Streak and claim, "It's a wood coaster; it's supposed to be rough!" have not ridden really good, really good-running wood coasters. I suggest the Kennywoodies as a good example of how a wood coaster is supposed to feel. They aren't smooth-like-steel rides, but they are smooth-running wood coasters...

Just a few Friday night thoughts...I wanna ride a coaster!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Rideman: Do you remember a woodie being given OTSRs for a very brief time in perhaps the late 80s? For some reason I think it was the Riverside Cyclone. I just can't remember.....

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- "I used to be in the audio/visual club, but I was kicked out because of my views on Vietnam........and I was stealing projectors" - Homer Simpson

Dave, Gwazi and DBH are really nice, and open every day...

The ankle bars are fine with me, way better than OTSR's could ever hope to be...and they maintain rider postion just fine...Sonny used to be absolutely brutal (and I don't mind a little roughness at all), he was a lot better last year and hopefully will get even better. Will is be possible to make BeastBuzz...Magic 8-ball says "Try again later"...

bill, thinking he needs Maddy to be his "travel coordinator"...perhaps I just need to live near a BIG city like some of you guys with the absurdly low air fares...

First of all, it's not called plug'n'play.

Second, it's possible to have any woodie retrofitted with this new track system...when they have the original plans of the ride. If not, it's still possible, yet a very expensive project.

www.cordes-row.de -> the manufacturer of the tracksegments

Hey, I can handle the ankle bars. I sure hope they don't use that strap/seatbelt system that are all supposed to be the same but strangely arn't.

Chuck, who sees a ankle bar system on sonny as part of the bar as you step through SOB trains instead of stepping down into it like on FOF.

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Charles Nungester.
I previously announce Lesourdsville as Confirmed. I now change that to POSSIBLE as I can get NO NEWS :(

Two hardest trains to get into:

Cedar Creek Mine Ride and
Son of Beast!!

I actually think Son of Beast is the hardest coaster to get into on the planet!! First time wasn't to bad, but when they raised that floor!? You have to be able to pratically put your knee over your head! Mind you I do like that ride, but it's just so hard to get into and out of.

That's why the Travel Channel shoot was actually pretty cool, once we managed to get in we didn't have to get out :) By the way... I still think I have bruises from that ;) Anyone else still have nightmares/flashbacks while they are driving and see this huge bank to left while going 70mph?.....

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"The Future of Roller Coasters"
-RollerCoasterGod
Now enjoying the married life!!!