Why doesn't SF hire B&M for new X trains?

Is the X really in that bad of shape or maybe it just needs a little maintenance? Wheel tread could be worn and causing a rough ride. Or the wheels may need adjusted to maintain contact with the rails. Maybe a little TLC and X will be good as new. Six Flags may be deferring some maintenance to save some money.

With California's tough standards for safety, and X inspected not long ago before being put back into serve, I can't see there being much wrong with the trains or the tracks.

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The worst day at Cedar Point is better than the best day at work.

uhhhh.... I'm not sure what you all are talking about because X feels just like it did when it opened. It is rough, but it has always been that way. Seems to be doing pretty good to me.

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PLayerPunk said:
Mr G-Lix - If that is the case then hopefully X will have the same outcome. Remember how Bat was redesigned and then re-tried? Well, I think that if Arrow gets out of it's "troubles", and X doesn't work, then it will be re-worked to be fail-safe.
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LeWiS

Hopefully. Arrow is my fav. coaster designer, and I've been rooting for them to get out of troubles ever since it was announced they were having a hard time. Yes, I remember how the suspended design was perfected. I also remember how they took the Bat out of PKI and later replaced it with Top Gun. If X continues to have problems, I say take X out, and wait till Arrow fixes the design, then have them build a new 4D for SFMM. I know that may cost bundles, but the Bat costed bundles at the time, so did Top Gun, so why not do it now? It could work. I hope that X will be fixed though, so we don't even have to worry about stuff like this.

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"It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them."-Mark Twain
Formerly SFMMan.

Why not do it now? Because SF is cutting back and are not about to take out a coaster to put in the same model.

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Is there any indication that SFMM is not happy with the way X is running now? I mean, they've let flashback and psyclone run rough forever.

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You must be this dumb to ride Viper. -SFGAdv.

That's very true ApolloAndy I don't think anyone thought of it that way but Flashback doesn't run at all remember.

CP ismyhome said:

I'm not a legal expert, but I would think that because Six Flags owns the ride, they could hire who ever to maintain and repair the X train. B & M would be quite capable of taking the X trains and working out the bugs. Just because B & M trains do not fit the track does not meen that they could not make a train to fit it.
I would think it would be like taking an old Ford and putting a Chevy or Mopar motor under the hood.
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The worst day at Cedar Point is better than the best day at work.

B&M would be capable of working out the bugs on X, as would any other company willing to do it, but Arrow is also perfectly capable of doing it themselves. They have the original blue prints, computer designs, and calculations, and while I'm no engineer, I would think that Arrow would be able to do a better job fixing X than any other company. They are familiar with the ride, and I would assume could do a better and faster job than another company.

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What's wrong with the trains that are in there now?

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure

Exactly Jeff. I don't understand why all these people think there are major problems with the trains. The coaster operates day after day without any major problems. There isn't anything durasticly wrong with the trains.

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CobraRoller said:

I think part of the reason we are seeing a new coaster so soon is too take some heat off of X's wounds.
Not that it is really "so soon", but 5 coasters in 3 years is a lot.
Goliath-2000
X/Deja Vu/Goliath Jr.-2001
New B&M Coaster- 2003

There is a 2002 between 2001 and 2003. Just in case you didn't know. So it isn't even that bad. 5 in 4 years.

I think that SFMM may be preparing to take down X. Thats the only logical reason I see to come up with SFMM getting a new coaster. Or they maybe trying to get some heat off of X problems. I think thats just wrong to give SFMM that many rides in 3 years. Astroworld seems like the only neglected SF park. I cant seem to understand why SF doesn't put any investment into that park. That may be the solution to getting them out of debt.

Jeffs right. Do you guys ever stop complaining. At least you guys have a 4d coaster. The trains aren'y that bad, get over it.

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A sailor went to sea,sea,sea to see what hee could see,see,see. But all that he could see,see,see was the bottom of the deep blue sea,sea,sea!

It's probably the patent and principle situations... To say the reason B&M won't do the offer because the track is different or the wheel configuration is different is dumb.

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.:| Brandon Rodriguez |:.
http://www.coasters2k.com

I keep hearing here that coaster companies will build anything if you offer them enough money. As a practical matter, "it just ain't so." A manufacturere has to be careful that they don't take on a job that is beyond their capabilities. If you want proof, just look at Arrow and Vekoma. In addition to worrying about messin up building a particular coaster, you also have to worry about one job eating up so many resources that you neglect your other customers, sending them to the competition for future business.

Sure you can say that they could be suduced if the offer of money was large enough, but I haven't heard of anyone paying $100,000,000 for a coaster yet.

What makes you think that X's trains are in bad shape? And why does everyone think B&M or Morgan are the ONLY ones who can reprofile rides?

Do you all remember the Lightning Bolt at MGM? That was an Intiman design and Arrow reprofiled it to make the ride longer.

I think the weight of those X trains are their main problem. 20 ft off each side is definately going to cause stress on the rails and on the center of the trains. I wouldn't doubt that sometime (maybe in 15 or 20 years) the trains and rails are going to aquire major structural damage. So until then lets enjoy the ride and you Californians be happy you don't have to drive 3000 miles to ride a 4-D coaster.

jrhodes07 said:
I think that SFMM may be preparing to take down X. Thats the only logical reason I see to come up with SFMM getting a new coaster.

Yeah, that's perfectly logical.

Again... someone fill me in. What's wrong with the trains? If the ride is operating, it sure sounds to me like there is no problem.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure

FYI, X's third train is ready to roll. No word on when it will actually begin making the rounds as it valleyed on its first run recently.

Moosh

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I don't think anything is wrong with them now, but in the long run major problems will occur.

The_Lost_Phantom said:
I think the weight of those X trains are their main problem. 20 ft off each side is definately going to cause stress on the rails and on the center of the trains. I wouldn't doubt that sometime (maybe in 15 or 20 years) the trains and rails are going to aquire major structural damage. So until then lets enjoy the ride and you Californians be happy you don't have to drive 3000 miles to ride a 4-D coaster.

The trains on X are NOT 20 feet off of each side of the track. The entire train has a width of 20 feet, meaning from outside seat to outside seat, it is 20 feet.

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