Terminator Salvation trains arrive at Six Flags Magic Mountain

I don't think I've ever seen Millennium Flyers off the track. Is it me, or do they look ridiculously heavy and over-built?

Those look kinda cool. The onboard audio is going to bulk them up a bit, but yeah, they look like they have some weight to them.

Jeff, I thought the exact same thing too when I saw those pictures. It seems like all that additional steel (strictly decorative and serves NO function) mounted to both sides of each car and instead of a "fence" like front to each car, they have a solid piece of metal mounted there...which I'm assuming should lead to a significant increase in weight to each train in comparison to your everyday GCI. Not to mention all the audio equipment and electronics wired to each vehicle...I wonder if all that additional weight will play a significant role in altering the ride dynamics (for better or for worse?).

No matter how underwhelmed I think the ride looks, I'm just glad it's not Psyclone. And given GCI's track record, they have yet to really disappoint.

Knowing Six Flags, it's probably just plastic panels bolted on. Perhaps GCI used the "lighter" version of their trains (like they did on Hershey Wildcat) to compensate for the additional weight from the add-ons. Or are they using the lighter design of their trains on all of their coasters now?

Actually, I was just thinking in terms of the frame, all of the underside bits you don't see when it's sitting in the track. That surprises me.

kRaXLeRidAh, that "solid piece of metal" is nothing new. Only the lead coach gets the bannister. I know this doesn't respond to your original post, Jeff, but for others looking at everything above the track, perhaps comparing the cars to Prowler's will help identify how much is actually different.

Wow, such language in the article: "...Psyclone, a reviled wooden coaster mercifully removed from the Valencia amusement park in 2006." Definitely not vetted by Mr. Six!

That undercarriage is a lot of steel, even though it is drilled full of lightening holes. But it is not a whole lot different from the way the PTC trains are built, with welded square tubing. There is more hardware in the back because of the long wheel axles and the wheel carrier suspension box.

Jeff, you should see those trains when they are torn apart for seasonal maintenance. They break down into LOTS of little pieces. Of course, it doesn't hurt the overall impression that the park where I got to see this has seven of those trains.... :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Well gosh, which park could that be? :)

Those seat side applications are indeed acrylic not steel. They came to us and we bolted them on. We had nothing to do with them other then that. We have been using our lighter trains since the Wildcats. Two MF coaches weigh the same as one 4seat PTC. One train is stitting in the transfer building now and the other will join it there soon. :)

Well there you go, that sounds like a good weight trade. Better tracking and comfort with less suck! :)

Who has seven MF's? The only park I can think of that has that many GCI's is Hershey but how are the trains distributed among the rides?

Just a random question for Punk and pardon me if it's a "trade secret."

What's the difference between the regular and the "light" versions of the MF's?

The trains look amazing. some of the best trains I have seen on any coaster. Still don't get the terminator name of a wood coaster though.

^^^To Andy's first post - I'll guess four for LR (two on each), and three for Wildcat. As for your second post, interesting question but I kinda suspect the answer is..."trade secret".

Wait, the trains have on board audio? How loud are those speakers going to be to be heard over the ride itself?

^^ I would say loud enough for you to hear. How are we supposed to know, the train just got mounted on the track the other day

There isn't much of differance between the original and lighter trains. When I saw the new ones I had a tough time seeing the differances, some things when you picked them up you could tell they were lighter.

I believe Ride Man was off on his count by one train, Hershey has 2 on Wildcat and 4 for Lightning Racer. Hershey runs both heavy and light MFers!

The sound, lets just say, it THUMPS! People who have been to the Sunbury office know how small our shop is. With both trains playing the same song you could be standing next to the person and it was tough to hear them. These guys also did sound on X2, Medusa @ SFGAdv, and Superman @ SFNE , and the Simpsons ride at Universal. They told us our trains have had the best positioning of speakers of far!

Before anyone asks I have no idea what the soundtrack will be for the ride.

Yes, I was off by one train. The secret is out; I've been in the Hersheypark shops during the off-season. I was there with the Pennsylvania ride inspection school.

Their shop is a really nice facility, but they had coaster train parts all over the place...and it got a little confusing as to what parts went with what train. Remember, they have two rides with GCI trains, two rides with Intamin sit-down trains, a B&M inverted coaster (but it has its own shop), a Schwarzkopf looper, an Arrow Runaway Train with a Premier-built train, and another coaster that runs 3-bench PTCs. Playing "guess the ride" with the parts was an interesting project. It was the Tilt-A-Whirl sweeps that I had the hardest time placing, because I had forgotten that Hersheypark had a Tilt-A-Whirl!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Dan - any idea what the soundtrack will be?