Waldameer post major revision of Ravine flyer layout.

By the looks of the photos it sure seems to be right on target, if not slightly ahead of schedule. The biggest piece and likely most time consuming will be the bridge over Peninsula Drive.

The bridge aside, this ride is much shorter than Voyage and it got completed in plenty of time for opening day at HW with a similar construction timeframe. I think it will be ready, but the bridge could be an issue.

Anyone notice something familiar about the photo on the new RF2 website? ;)

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Rob Ascough said:
^^ Yeah, that's true. It just seems that tunnels fell out of fashion for a while and it's nice to see them making a return. They really add something to a ride.

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I still like the tunneled approach to the lift, though that is way out of fashion. Nothing wrong with a tunnel at speed, but something about going from the bright sunlight and riding in sheer darkness up to the click-click-click of the anti-rollback is just neat, especially if one sits in the back and hears the lift well before being on it... Conneaut LP Blue Streak fits this bill perfectly, though Mich. Adv. does pretty well on Wolverine Wildcat.

Santa Cruz Giant Dipper's tunnel is my favorite pre-lift tunnel.

Great White and Phoenix come to mind for me, and they're both great.

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Walt S said:

I still like the tunneled approach to the lift...

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You mean like this one?

http://rcdb.com/ig557.htm?picture=16

*to* the lift, not *on* the lift. ;)

Heh heh. Couldn't resist. :)

One of the best pre-lift tunnels was on the old West View Park Dips. It did a 450 degree helix under the loading station.

The CLP Blue Streak tunnel made a great start for that ride too. This is the one that was known as the "skunk tunnel" because of incidents where the trains collided with the stinky beasties. *** Edited 10/18/2007 8:17:22 PM UTC by Arthur Bahl***

Don't forget Lakeside Cyclone, Belmont Dipper, and Great White all have pre-lift tunnels too!

phoenix?

Mentioned above...I have a soft spot for Blue Streak's tunnel myself. Someone mentioned it above, but back in the day it would get moving through there and you would hear the train hit the up stops before you saw light again. Good times.

As for pre-lift tunnels don't forget Wolverine Wildcat.

I've been trying to forget Wolverine Wildcat for about 8 years now.

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Ensign Smith said:

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Walt S said:

I still like the tunneled approach to the lift...

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You mean like this one?

http://rcdb.com/ig557.htm?picture=16

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I love tire launches!

Scanned 3 articles at the library today. One from 1990 and two from 1938 about the original Ravine Flyer accident. As for the tunnels on R.F.2 they were asked/told to use them to cut down on noise. Still looking for the list of 17 conditions stipulated for construction.

Didn't find them in the newspaper archives. Guess I'llhave to go to millcreek township bldg. to find those.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsscbell/collections/72157602526413961/

LOL! "The coaster will have no loops because those can be constructed only in steel." Right from the 1990 article. I seem to remember a wood coaster having a loop somewhere....Son of a...I can't seem to remember.... :)

Thanks for the scans Rss, it's a tragic read for the most part but it gives more insight into what has mostly been a mystery for many years to the rest of us.

Tom

Not only that, Some bird from a wood coaster co. told me that they could easily build a corkscrew and go to 122 degrees of bank in turns with the use of steel structure.

They don't wanna have to change restraints so they aren't doing it.

Chuck

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LdScotsman said:
LOL! "The coaster will have no loops because those can be constructed only in steel." Right from the 1990 article. I seem to remember a wood coaster having a loop somewhere....Son of a...I can't seem to remember....

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Yes, the loop structure was steel.

More pictures are up: http://picasaweb.google.com/Waldameer/RavineFlyerIIConstructionPhotos