Timberliners not going on Voyage?

Just saw the PTC "thank you" ad- it has "Voyage, 7 new cars"- does this mean the Timberliners will not go on Voyage at all? Sorry if this has been answered previously, could not find a mention.

HW bought a few cars earlier this year to reinstate riding capacity as the Timberliners were not ready for opening day - but only Miss Paula can answer this one, if they'll be available for 2012.

Jerry is correct. The new train was solely for bumping the capacity back up this year. Testing on the Timberliners will resume this off season.

That being said, I thought they only bought 5 new cars. Holiday World sold 2 trains to Darien Lake. I thought they only sold them 6 car trains, leaving them with 2 extra cars. I don't know that for sure though.

The PTC ad is talking about this year and next year and lumping all the thank-yous into one batch. The Voyage mention is for 2011, not 2012.

^ Thanks, AV. Correct.

Instead of a thank-you ad, they could have just sent chocolates...

Happy Halloween! Paula

I bet PTC is loving! the timberliner delays, and troubles.

What troubles are those? They haven't run to the public on The Voyage, which is easily the worst-case scenario for any rolling stock anywhere, but they're running extremely well on a few other rides now.

They run like crazy on Wooden Warrior...that thing is a beast of a ride...."Pocket Cornball"... ;)

Hmmm.. Pocket Cornball sounds dirty.

Not as much as Pocket Cornhole...

Jeff said:
What troubles are those? They haven't run to the public on The Voyage, which is easily the worst-case scenario for any rolling stock anywhere, but they're running extremely well on a few other rides now.

It was once thought they would be good to go as off HWN's 2010. There is no certainty 2 years later they will be ready. There are questions now floating around that they may never happen. This is what I meant.

That being said the are pretty wicked on Wooden Warrior.

So... they're having problems because the prototype train wasn't completed when a bunch of enthusiasts speculated that it would be?

Are any of the 'they may never happen' questions that you claim are 'floating around' actually, you know, substantiated in any way?

That's a curious brand of logical reasoning you're subscribing to...

I'll take that one. The answer is no. :)

The park was expecting Timberliners in 2010 as well, not just enthusiasts. At HoliWood Nights that year, they gave us vouchers to come back later that season once the new trains were running. Of course, that didn't happen. Whether or not PTC is "loving it," I can't say. :)

They also sold off the old trains which they've since had to re-buy, so it's certainly not going according to the original plan.

I guess since Timberliners are currently in service on two (albeit smaller, slower) coasters now, performing flawlessly by all accounts, I don't view it with nearly the same level of doom and gloom.

As far as I can tell, the Voyage's Timberliner 1 was basically a production prototype. With it, TGG identified components that needed to be improved for a full production train. The Voyage is, after all, basically the most abusive possible environment for a wooden coaster train to exist in. If it works there, it works everwhere. I would idly speculate that the 'year off' that the Tims are getting this year is so TGG can actually go back and implement all the previously-identified changes, before delivering the finished-and-in-need-of-far-less-fiddling trains for testing this off season.

The *only* development in the last year that concerns me even slightly is the fact that the OTC Wuhan coaster is getting PTCs. Even that... it's only a slight concern. Having ridden the Tims at Quassy, there's no comparison. Timberliners > all.

What you said, in more detail than I hacked out. My understanding is that one season on Voyage is like running ten seasons on Raven for any given train. It's a brutal ride on the train.

As for the Chinese coaster, my understanding is that the change in trains has nothing to do with technology.

All I was trying to say is that PTC probably loves the fact that timberliners haven't been running flawlessly since HWN's 2010. No intention of arguing about it.

I forgot about those vouchers we got. I think I planned to E-bay them. Oh well. Were they only good for 2011, when they assumed they would be ready? Or could they possibly be used whenever the timberliners are up and running.

I believe this questioned was asked before, but I will ask it again. timberliners on the Voyage, or Flying turns? (the origional question included shoot the rapids)

Those vouchers were only good for the 2010 season. We got ours from HWN and used them at the Fall Affair, even though the Timberliners weren't running. We still had fun.

~Rob

BBSpeed26 said:

I guess since Timberliners are currently in service on two (albeit smaller, slower) coasters now, performing flawlessly by all accounts, I don't view it with nearly the same level of doom and gloom.

I'm not sure that accounts by enthusiasts of the trains "performing flawlessly" is the same standard by which parks determine how well they're doing. I don't doubt that the trains are carrying people and people are enjoying the rides, but who knows what goes on behind the scenes?

I'd be incredibly surprised if Quassy and Grona Lund can say with truth that the trains are performing flawlessly. For brand new trains running with people for the first time for a full season, I'm sure they're having their share of problems. The severity of those problems is the question.