Voyage was running great at the end of last season. It was faster than it was during HWN and the rough parts were better, but there was a little washboarding at the bottom of the first hill. It was not much and hardly an issue, but certainly something new that was not there at the beginning of the season.
Interesting. I was there on closing day, rode practically non-stop, and actually rode on the last "public" train of 2006. Other that a slight shuffle going in to the last tunnel (before the final brake) and a small, very minor "bump" going into the fly over hill in front of the station, the ride was *remarkably* smooth.
Personally, I think too much has been made over the 1,300 or so feet of track that received work. Yes, that sounds like a bit of work, but considering how well Holiday World takes care of their rides, I'll bet that most of it was preventive in nature. Besides, how many parks out there actually *tell* us how much trackage is being worked on?
Kudos to Holiday World for building such an amazing, and yes agressive ride, yet knowing how to properly maintain it!
I don't think anyone is insulting Holiday World, as their dedication to keeping their wood coasters in top shape should be commended. A few of us (myself included) are just wondering what would result in the need for so much track to be replaced in the ride's first offseason, perhaps a greater problem that is going to need to be addressed in the near future... if it hasn't been addressed already.
Hey at least they arent going to let this thing decay like the Rattler and if they need to replace that much track they are doing it so I say "high five" Holiday World.
Bolliger/Mabillard for President in '08 NOT Dinn/Summers
1,300' is slightly over 20%. That's on the high end of *normal*, but in medical jargon, WNL. As we've said, wooden coasters generally get "re-built" about every 5-7 years. That means 14-20% of a ride will be replaced every year. The Voyage is on the high end of average, esp. taking into account that it just had its first year of operations, but it's also a *little* more aggressive than most woodies too. OK, a LOT more.... ;)