Texas Tornado being removed from Astroworld

It's pretty depressing how many Schwarzkopf coasters have been eliminated in recent days...

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-Vater
Track Record: 117

I'm still dying to try out that first drop. Let's pray it finds a good home somewhere. I wouldn't mind it staying in the states but I know quite a few of our buddies in Europe would love to have it back!

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

That's awful. I hope it doesn't go the way of Drachen Fire, TTT is the most intense coaster in the world after all! (parallel loops)

The big rumor on the street in Houston is that this Coaster is going to another Six Flags park located on the west coast but in an area with a cooler climate.. gee- that kinda' narrows it down a bit doesn't it ????

You know, as great as the first drop on this coaster is, it puts 6.5 Gs on your spine because of the near-circular layout of the inversions. This is the most any ride puts on you.
I myself needed to visit a doctor and needed to do special gymnastic exercises because of how strange my back felt after riding it, actually when it was first assembled on the fair in my hometown, Freiburg, in south-west Germany. I know that i am not alone with this, as this coaster has been in the German newspapers for a while at the time. It was named "Thriller" then.
Some people blame it on the OTS-restraints that lock you even harder during the ride because of the G-forces, but I think it's not a question of the restraints, it's the ride itself that shocks the rider's spine too hard.
I still remember the pressure that this ride delivered when you enter the two small loops in front.
I thought it would have been put to rest already, until I found out that it had been sold to an American amusement park (Six Flags Astro World).
I actually hope that for the sake of peoples health, even though I know many people were able to ride it without problems, this engineering transgression will be put to rest.
May another ride emulate the cool first drop (That really felt like you're about to fall right out of the car). *** This post was edited by superman on 11/12/2002. ***

So did the ride at one time not have the OTSR's?

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
"Climbing as we fall, we dare to hold on to our fate, and steal away our destiny to catch ourselves with quiet grace" - The Stairs, INXS

Actually, the longer I think about it the more sure I get that it only had Lapbars when I rode it. I remember riding the straight bit between lift-hill and first drop and feeling very free talking to the person next to me. I'm almost 100% sure there was no OTSR then, but it was back in 1986. It was the first time the thing was ever assembled and running on a fair. *** This post was edited by superman on 11/12/2002. ***

If it's going to a cooler climate in the west coast then I'd have to guess it would go to Enchanted Village.

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#1 Steel-Nitro
#1 Wood-Shivering Timbers

*** This post was edited by Rockrc480 on 11/12/2002. *** *** This post was edited by Rockrc480 on 11/12/2002. ***

The Thriller did not have OTS restraints when it opened... I don't think that they were added until a couple of years later.

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-Rob
Don't forget to vote for your favorite wooden coasters @ http://www.geocities.com/wcoasterpoll - the polls are open until November 30th!

Yummy! Bring it on! WW/EV needs something besides the new S&S woodie;) Seriously, I would love to have this ride here. A classic ride for a "sidebar" SF park. We may certainly end up being treated like SFAW up here, but I will take what I can get.

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www.tripowered.com - The future of music.

The first year it had lapbars but clearance issues caused them to retool the trains, after that year it had some curious strange "accordion restraints" that ratchet down on you from above. These had a nasty habit of ratcheting down further during the ride and killing your shoulders unless you actively pushed up against them in the loops. It operated about 12 years with these. In 2001 Astroworld debuted some new Schwarzkopf OTSR style restraints that were bad, amazingly worse than what they replaced. Schwarzkopf has thankfully not sold any more of these.

*** This post was edited by Fierce Pancake on 11/12/2002. ***

Let me guess...

http://www.coasterbuzz.com/features/iaapa2000/gallery/img.asp?img=ia00schwthrill.jpg

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
"Climbing as we fall, we dare to hold on to our fate, and steal away our destiny to catch ourselves with quiet grace" - The Stairs, INXS

WOW...are those supposed to be restraints or medieval torture devices. Oh wait...sorry...the medieval torture devices were designed by TOGO.

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Take a Virtual Ride:
http://badnitrus.coasterbuzz.com
Mike "Viper" Semtak

Those are the largest restraints I've ever seen! (Guess they expect a lot of McD & Burg K's friends to ride it ;))

That's the offenders. Astroworld ran the ride for the public only one day with those new restraints before shutting it down again.

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Let me guess...

http://www.coasterbuzz.com/features/iaapa2000/gallery/img.asp?img=ia00schwthrill.jpg

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Having been one of the (very) few people who rode it the four hours it was open in 2001, those new restraints were god awful painful. I swear, I thought I was on a vekoma!

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Panther Modern
SixFlagsHouston.Com
An Astroworld Tribute Site *** This post was edited by Panther Modern on 11/12/2002. ***

I should also add, in the four hours it was open, about 40 people went to first aid because of those harnesses.

Way to go, Weiland!

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Panther Modern
SixFlagsHouston.Com
An Astroworld Tribute Site

It would not bother me if EV/WW got this coaster. I might actually stop at this park on my way to Vancouver.With the current Arrow looper it has been a big pass for me.With a classic Schwartzkopf and a new woodie on the way I would definitely check it out.When the new woodie is open,I'll be there with ya,Rob!:)

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Lets' save the Vancouver PNE Coaster before its'too late!

Why were the new restraints so bad? Also for those of you who were there that one day...what made park officials finally pull the plug in the middle of the day?

For most coasters you have to do test rides and block checks to open them...did you think the operating crew thought it was too rough?

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"ok everyone go ahead and pull down on your shoulder restraint so you feel nice and stuck!"