What happened to Turbulence?

Rihard's avatar
Do I hear cricket’s chirping?

- R.A

Lord Gonchar's avatar
Ok, it's official.

Wow. Has something like this ever happened (announced coaster goes sour)?

I guess that east coast trip just got one day shorter and a couple bucks cheaper. :)


It amazes me that the story was released at 2:36, and within 15 minutes, its all over the internet. Good job of finding that.
rollergator's avatar
Gonch....yes. S;TE, X, and V:TBC come to mind immediately...of course, they were *eventually* running, and to specs even...
Lord Gonchar's avatar
Well, let me phrase it more specifically.

Has an announced coaster ever gone sour enough to eventually not be built?


Hersheypark is sueing interactive rides now...
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-12092004-414336.html
Usually I would think the ride creator would request to rewrite the contract, and if that fails, as it did here, you'd think IR would just eat the costs, since they have a contractual obligation to build that ride. Now they are going to be sued for the same millions they added to the cost. IR was becoming the best new rides designer, this might just destroy the company if they lose this suit vs. Hersheypark, as no one will want to buy from them ever again.
This could very well be the beginning and end of Interactive Rides, Inc. A company there size can't afford the kind of lawsuit that HP could dish-out. I wish them lots of luck and hope that they can come to some kind of agreement to settle on a price for the ride. If not, RIP Turbolence!

Kennywood Team Member Since 2003 Kennywood is CLOSED
Wow. This calls for a cliché or two!

The handwriting was on the wall.

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

That is a home run for the conspiracy theorists!

rollergator's avatar
Per Dan D McD...agreed, Interactive Rides *should* have worked this out with Hershey, and might even had to have eaten some cost overruns in the process, but who's going to buy from them NOW?

They're going to find themselves in a *torrent* of legal troubles now...and even when this case is resolved, IR will take YEARS to get out of this hole....if ever!


You still have Zoidberg.... You ALL have Zoidberg! (V) (;,,;) (V)

For a minute there in the article it looked like there was hope of maybe working things out but then Hershey flat out states that they don't think it's ever going to be built. It sounds like Hershey is just ready to wash it's hands of the whole thing. This does suck for Interactive Rides. I hope that they can get past this. Also, does anyone else think that $2 million seems like a somewhat cheap price for this coaster. For that price, a lot of smaller parks could had definitley have afforded one.
Lord Gonchar's avatar

Dorney Rules said:
Wow. This calls for a cliché or two!

The handwriting was on the wall.

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

That is a home run for the conspiracy theorists!


I still prefer to live by "Don't count your chickens until they're hatched" ;)


Well what do you know... the conspiracy theorists were right after all. I guess it happens every now and then.
The thing I really question about this: being in a business that prices steel all the time, the last I heard, steel price increases were actually levelling off or even reversing in the last few months. They were at their peak when I graduated from school about a year ago, but late summer, I believe I saw an estimate floating around here with steel prices actually down a couple of cents per pound. Now, that's bridge structural steel, not roller coaster steel, but still, something in even the argument that is presented by Interactive smells a little fishy ...

Edit: Sorry Interactive Rides! Upon speaking to a more knowledgable co-worker - seems that while the price of raw steel has leveled off, there's a shortage of steel itself, there's just not a lot being made. Especially for very heavily post-processed steel and fabricated, the prices have still doubled to even quintupled in the last year or so. Initial reaction, I thought IR was in the wrong, but now, unless they offered some sort of 50/50 split and IR rejected it, I think Hershey may be being a little nasty in this one. *** Edited 12/9/2004 9:04:23 PM UTC by Impulse-ive***


Brett, Resident Launch Whore Anti-Enthusiast (the undiplomatic one)
This could REALLY hurt Hershey. 2005 is going to be a highly comptitive year for the Northeast. Kingda Ka is coming to SFGAdv, Hydra is coming to Dorney, Tomb Raider is coing to PKD, BGW has their mystery dark ride, and SFA is planning something as well. With Hershey just getting the refurbishments for 2005, they could easily get swamped by the compitition unless they can ride the success of Storm Runner. What would be even worse is if SFI bought it and installed it at SFA along with the water park project, or even if it went to Knoebels.

If you can't stand the heights, get out of the line.

Best Group Overreaction!!! Can you believe that they made such a big deal over nothing?!?! I certainly will never question anything again, thanks to the lessons that I learned on C-buzz ;-) *** Edited 12/9/2004 9:07:46 PM UTC by freakylick***

No further explanation needed. I'm hopelessly lost.
How is Hershey going to get buried? Storm Runner is only going to be in it's second year, and I think Hershey "rides" on a lot more than just a new installation every year. Sure Kingda Ka will pull some people, but with all of the Hershey shirts I saw scattered throughout my coaster and non-coaster stops in Allentown and New Jersey, Hersey's got a devoted audience that will return regardless of what's new and what's not. And regardless of what we think of it, to the GP, Hydra's not going to be as big a deal to people as riding the "launch coaster" at Hershey that's probably still new to a lot of people.

Hershey may drop off the national spotlight for a year, but whatever they've got in store for '06 will bring them back, and I'd bet big money their attendance won't suffer one bit from this.


Brett, Resident Launch Whore Anti-Enthusiast (the undiplomatic one)
Nuh uh. Coasters are the only answer. If you're not building a coaster, you're wasting your money.

Only coasters can bring about world peace. If Bin Laden had a B&M in Afghanistan, he'd be too busy sucking gravy and standing in line to cause so much ruckus.

Coaster coaster coaster coaster coaster coaster coaster coaster.

-CO

*** Edited 12/9/2004 9:30:13 PM UTC by CoastaPlaya***


NOTE: Severe fecal impaction may render the above words highly debatable.

You know what makes *me* go back to Hershey?

Yeah, that's right...

Chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate!


Kristin ...Proud lurker, seldom poster...
Well, yeah. That and petting each individual horsey on the carousel should keep you occupied.

But otherwise....

-CO


NOTE: Severe fecal impaction may render the above words highly debatable.

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