Steel Dragon (Japan) gets B&M trains

I read that the ride has a 6'1" height restriction now... Pretty insane!

Yeah, I know the thought of new trains on Magnum / Phantom might not be popular here for some (including myself), but notice I said for "the average rider."

I'm sure some of us have stumbled upon this reaction at 1:42:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_306100&featur...X8aYe3D0MY

I don't remember any complaints like this in 1989. If Magnum is going to be at CP for the long haul, it might need to adapt to the changing rider expectations at some point. Whether that be new trains, restraints, magnetic brakes...

Millennium Force got new brakes this year. I'm not sure what all they changed, but I'm interested to find out.

I obviously like b&m's nice restraints better, but there are worse restraints than magnum. Have you been on a stand up coaster? They often bang your head around and mantis hurts your crouch bad.

Well, yeah - it's a stand up coaster, you're not supposed to *crouch*.

^^^Where did you hear MF got new brakes this year? If accurate, I hope little changed, as they already felt about perfect to me.

Came straight from John Hildebrandt at Saturday's offseason tour. He couldn't explain what was different about them, only that they were going to help with dispatch efficiency and capacity.

Yikes, the elusive green train is coming back, made possible by a new revolutionary MCBR half way down the first drop. ;)

I would actually love to see Magnum get B&M trains. I'm sure it's definitely possible but I have no idea if Cedar Point would ever consider it but I think it's a great idea. That ride would be so much more enjoyable if I wasn't holding onto my lap bar the whole time.

I hadn't thought of or about Steel Dragon for a long time so I went to you tube for a refresher. These new trains may help, but it looks like a clear example of where more is not more.

Magnum pro tip: Pull the belt as tight as possible. It's infinitely more comfortable to ride.

I never really enjoyed Magnum... I get some good rides on it, but mostly just "meh" rides... It is a dated ride with terrible trains, transitions and honestly the airtime is not that pleasant to me. I have tried all the seats, tight belt, loose belt, whatever. It is not a bad ride, but nothing special either. I don't see the appeal of it anymore.

I would be all for tearing it down and plopping a Leviathan type B&M along the lake to compliment MF... I think they could do something cool with that plot of land and pay respect to Magnum with a very similar (but smooth, more modern of course) pretzel turnaround. Low, fast hills... Plenty of air... OK, I will stop dreaming now :)

But yeah, I would not really miss the ride one bit if it was gone. I know many people would though.

"Not a bad ride, but nothing special" is EXACTLY how I feel about Magnum. I'll always ride it when I'm there, but I don't hold it with any sort of reverence like many do.

Jeph said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_306100&featur...X8aYe3D0MY

I don't remember any complaints like this in 1989. If Magnum is going to be at CP for the long haul, it might need to adapt to the changing rider expectations at some point. Whether that be new trains, restraints, magnetic brakes...

But she was laughing the entire time!

kpjb said:
"Not a bad ride, but nothing special" is EXACTLY how I feel about Magnum. I'll always ride it when I'm there, but I don't hold it with any sort of reverence like many do.

It's still one of my favorites there and I think it always will be. Some of that is nostalgia but some of that is that I still have a great time riding it.

Jeff said:

Magnum pro tip: Pull the belt as tight as possible. It's infinitely more comfortable to ride.

But then I don't get any aiiiiiiirrrrrtiiiiiiiimmmmmeee. (read it in the whiniest voice possible)

Seriously though, I can't think of a coaster where I don't pull the belt snug. Might just be me, but I enjoy staying inside the train.

Respect the machines. They're multi-ton monstrosities running at above highway speeds doing maneuvers that make jet pilots giddy. As inflated as my ego is, even I know I'm not better than that. If there's one thing I hope I've passed down to my kids in all our years of amusement park travel, it's this fact. Don't take it lightly just because you've done it a gazillion times. Respect the machines.

There's a happy medium between being stapled and being ejected. On Magnum, I like a little slack in the belt, such that I get perhaps 1" or so of physical float room. As for the restraints, they're not optimal for comfort, but I think they're integral in allowing the airtime to feel like it does.

What's the point of giving it B&M trains (other than getting lap restraints)?

But but but... Magnum may *bite* a bit, but it feels like a roller coaster. B&Ms are more of a flying experience. Nothing against B&M rides, just a personal preference thing. B&M are engineering marvels, a smart choice for parks; dependable, popular, high capacity, look great, etc... But I'll take a Magnum any day over a B&M.

ThatStrangeKid42 said:
What's the point of giving it B&M trains (other than getting lap restraints)?

I think the theory is that they would track better which would give a better ride.

I don't know if capacity is an issue for the park, but the B&M trains would seem likely to be much easier and faster in terms of load/unload/dispatch...