Tsunami now open? Park says YES!
In a nutshell (a very small nutshell), some small but significant changes were made to the Comet's profile during the 2003-04 off-season. A few hundred feet of track following the first turnaround (a section of track that includes the "kinked" speed hill) were reprofiled, resulting in a hill that offers neither the airtime nor the laterals that it once had. Seems trivial but this was long regarded as one of the Comet's best moments. To make matters worse, more changes are planned for the final section of track (leading into the brake run/station) for the upcoming 2005 season.
Not only a harsh slap in the face for the people that worked so hard just a decade ago to get the classic Crystal Beach Comet rebuild at the Great Escape fully intact but changes that will surely result in a ride that is nothing like the one that has made the Comet a top 10 coaster for years and years.
Moosh, I don't want to repeat the rumor here I heard about a certain wood coaster near Pittsburgh. But that will become another one of our efforts if it is true. You can list us as an ongoing preservation group for some of these coasters though. We are at least trying to do something about these recent ride closings/castrations!!
Wood Coaster Fan Club www.woodcoaster.org
I don't get it. Especially on what I consider to be one of the most comfortable yet thrilling coasters out there.
Yes, the Comet is getting castrated. A fine wooden coaster that has run flawlessly for almost FIVE DECADES suddenly needs alterations. Funny how the park feels the need to make the Comet "more comfortable" for park patrons while they have that POS Arrow Loop & Screw headbanger sitting right out front.
The work that was done this year was essentially retracking only, with a minor adjustment in the baking. In other words, it was retracked (and now it's wonderfully smooth!) but was not massively reprofiled. It has absolutely no effect on the ride experience.
To further invalidate the rumors, the Comet's structure is steel, meaning any reprofile would be a rather large undertaking. And as everyone has said, there's nothing wrong with the Comet, and there's clearly no need to spend money to "fix" a problem that's not there.
-Nate
*** Edited 9/15/2004 5:12:48 AM UTC by coasterdude318***
The park has made it clear that other changes are in store for the ride for 2005 that go beyond simple retracking. Besides, the retracking is being done with Douglas Fir and not the wood that was originally used... this means that the quality of the ride will deteriorate a lot quicker. Cheaper but you get what you pay for.
Steel structure has nothing to do with anything. It has been reported that you can see the weld marks on the structure that show the steel has been altered. The park spent a lot of money to fix a problem that wasn't a problem at all.
I've ridden the Comet before and after the *minor* reprofile. The change does not detract from the ride at all (in fact, I think it improves it).
If you haven't been there, ridden it, and seen it for yourself, I'm not sure what place you have complaining about it.
-Nate
Go over on RRC- there was a lengthy thread a few weeks ago that summarized this who situation quite nicely. I'm really not in the mood to sort through a hundred posts and find the one that confirms the park has more changes in store for the Comet but it's there... if you don't believe me, invest some time in a search and you'll see what I'm talking about. All I know is that the information comes from someone within ACE that I respect, someone that knows the Comet well enough to know that something is going on.
Yeah it's true that I have not ridden the Comet since the changes were made so I cannot comment too much... but when a dozen people who ARE familiar with the ride and ARE familiar with the changes come and tell me that the ride is different, I have no choice but to believe them. If you think the changes make the ride better, then that is great... it gives me hope.
*** Edited 9/15/2004 1:11:16 PM UTC by Rob Ascough***
The confirmation of what went on is posted in your own forums. Both the work and its effect on the ride was *minor*. People should be thrilled they're retracking the ride instead of letting it rot.
-Nate
I do know this, major theme parks do not have the best record when it comes to maintaining wooden coasters. Yet they have a spectacular proclivity towards "dumbing them down" so to speak.
And coasterdude...why are you so concerned that other people don't like the changes? Seems like you win either way so quit yer whining!
-Nate
I think it's obnoxious that you're always the troll rattling everyone's cages...
Certain victory.
-Nate
It's a sad day that has come to the Comet. That coaster has a great history. We aren't screaming about something that never happened Nate. It DID happen. A classic woodie from the forties is being castrated for no good reason other than lazy theme park maintenance mentality. The park will never admit that though. They don't have the b*lls!!
If you want to sit on your hands about this topic Nate...fine. But don't tell us we shouldn't voice our opinions about this ride either. This is a free country the last time I checked. We are letting the park know that we don't approve of the way they are treating this coaster. Many of us grew up riding the Comet at Crystal Beach. This is a battle we choose to fight...so to speak. We aren't being obnoxious, we're voicing our opinions to the park and letting the world know how this classic wood coaster is being neglected for laziness and the bottom line.
So don't come crying to me (or anyone else) when something you are PASSIONATE about is slautered for no good reason. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about here Nate. Like I said earlier in this thread, most corporate/theme parks have no clue when it comes to wood coasters. Heck, they don't even operate them efficiently either. They're afraid of wood coasters at most these places. They really shouldn't be allowed to have them unless they are dedicated to preserving, maintaining, and operating them the way the engineers originally intended whether it's a new ride or not!
Wood Coaster Fan Club www.woodcoaster.org
My guess: shrinking maintenance budgets deemed that a one-time fix resulting in lower over all maintenance was better then leaving it the way it was.
Since the coaster ran for so long without incident for many enthusiasts -- myself included -- feel this reprofile is unnecessary. Granted we don't know the entire story but if this spot was such a problem why did it take 10 years to fix it? We want to know if SF investigated a way to fix whatever they felt was the problem while maintaining Comet's integrity.
Wood coasters require TLC. That's not an industry secret. If parks like Holiday World, Silverwood, Indiana Beach, and others can lovingly care for their wooden coaster why can't a big corporation like Six Flags? Why isn't that a priority for them?
YMMV.
mOOSH
Thrillerman said:
A classic woodie from the forties is being castrated for no good reason other than lazy theme park maintenance mentality.
Castrated? Please. As was posted to your own forums, what was done was little more than simple re-tracking of a 190' long section of track, including an extremely *minor* change in the banking in that section of track. This has resulted in a smoother ride and more speed throughout the rest of the ride. If that's your definition "castrated" and "slaughtered", then I'd like to know what you'd call the changes chains like Cedar Fair make to their classic wooden coasters.
The best moments of the ride are being removed and turned into boring flat track and excessive banking, with more changes slated for at least another third of the ride next year
It's statements like that I have a problem with. Not a single element has been removed from the ride. There has been not a single place where an element was turned into "boring flat track." And there's absolutely no proof whatsoever that there are any more changes planned aside from retracking. On top of that, what kills me most is that the most vocal people about this haven't even ridden the ride this year! What place do you have complaining about a "change" you haven't even seen or experienced for yourself?
The Comet has been kept in excellent condition for the past ten years, and continues to be excellently maintained. You're screaming about "cutting maintenance costs" and yet what's really being done is expensive maintenance to preserve the ride's condition.
Mamoosh mentioned Holiday World as an example of a park that cares for its wooden coasters. But by your arguments, rides like the Raven and Legend are "reprofiled" every year. Those two rides in particular are constantly being tweaked - changed - to provide the best ride possible for HW's patrons. I honestly cannot believe people are complaining about Six Flags actually taking care of a prized wooden coaster!
So no, there was no "neutering" or "castrating." 190 feet of the ride were reprofiled and changed so minorly you couldn't even tell if the welds weren't visible. There are much, much bigger fish to fry. TGE *is* taking excellent care of the Comet. The fact that you'd bother to write the park about not taking care of the ride when you haven't even ridden it this year is disturbing. Really, what a great way to portray enthusiasts.
-Nate
coasterdude318 said:
I've read the R.R-C thread (or at least most of it). Basically, it's a lot of people complaining about something they know nothing about.
So what you are saying is that a large number of enthusiasts that are very familiar with the ride and noticed a change in the Comet experience this year don't know what they're talking about? I suppose all those people are making this up because they forgot what the coaster was like since it was rebuilt at The Great Escape in 1994? I suppose the visible proof of the structure being modified is the result of an enthusiast with bad eyesight?
Well, since you are making it clear that YOU know what is going on while others don't, why don't you explain the real situation to the rest of us that are merely causing a big commotion over what you deem as nothing? We're all waiting to hear what you have to say...
The confirmation of what went on is posted in your own forums. Both the work and its effect on the ride was *minor*. People should be thrilled they're retracking the ride instead of letting it rot.
So the information was posted in our forums. What's your point? Are you telling me that the people that post in our forums don't know what they are talking about? How do you know who is posting in our forums and if their information isn't based on fact? Besides... who cares what forum the information was confirmed in? The fact that it was confirmed is good enough for me.
Thrilled that they're retracking the ride instead of letting it rot? What kind of a**-backwards logic is that? Just because work is being performed does not mean that proper maintenance is being performed. There is a big difference between good attention and bad attention and bad attention is obviously what this coaster is receiving from it's owners. The removal of one of the ride's greatest features while using inferior materials? How is that supposed to thrill people that find the Comet to be one of the best coasters around?
What is wrong with an effort to make known the fact that people object to these changes? How much bad press among enthusiasts did Cedar Point receive when they shortened the seat belts on MF so larger people could no longer ride? How many letters of complaint did the park's PR department deal with when the park made a change to the coaster that was recommended by Intamin? Why is it okay for enthusiasts to complain about that but it's wrong for them to complain about the changes being made to the Comet.
If CP were to slow TTD's launch by 20 mph, I'm sure there would be a fifty-page thread about it within an hour of the news being posted.
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