Woodie Newbie

I've been a steelie enthusiast for years, and am just starting to pay more attention to woodies. Can someone give me a little info. to bring my woodie knowledge up to speed?

a) What are the different kinds of trains and what do they look like? (pix would be nice) Are all woodies the same gauge? Can they all use any kind of train? Do different manufacturers use different kinds of trains all the time or is it up to the park?

b) Can you tell the different designers/manufactureres apart by their track type or layout? For example Intamin has the latice track, B&M has the box spine, etc.

c) Who're the major players in the woodie industry currently? Designers and manufacturers, that is.

Thanks!

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The legend lives!

A) The main ones are PTC trains. Next would be Gerst? trains, and then GCI trains, followed by the very classic looking NAD trains. CCI will allow either the G trains or PTCs. Some parks change over time with their trains (Arnold's Park changing from NAD to PTC, I don't know how they avoided the Americana situation).

Pics of the NAD: http://www.coastergallery.com/2000/cam06.html

Pics of the G trains (best I could find in one min): http://www.coastergallery.com/2000/sfo51.html

GCI trains: http://www.coastergallery.com/2000/hp18.html

PTC trains(most popular): http://www.coastergallery.com/2001/SG1.html

Most track looks the same. Since Americana Park in Ohio demonstrated that a PTC will not fit on a track built for a NAD then there is some gauge difference (I don't know which is bigger)

B) Most tracks look the same. Most steel framed woodies are by CCI. Some like the Comet at Great Escape and Coney Island Cyclone influenced the CCI steel framed coasters. Most wood coasters really look the same. Sometimes supports are more beefed up than others.

C) Most designers work for the makers. The big guys are:

Custom Coasters International (CCI)

Great Coasters International (GCI)

The Coaster Works!

Roller Coaster Corporation of America (RCCA)

Hope this helps.

Have a nice day!

Kirby

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Off with the trims!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
http://www.woodencoaster.com

*** This post was edited by bigkirby on 3/4/2002. ***

"the never classic looking NAD trains"

You mean ever? ;)

What exactly happened with Americana?

Actually, I meant to say very

As for Americana, the Unofficial Guide says the park is being maintained and he hopes to open it for 2002. no matter what, I'd say this park is in no danger of closing for good and being torn down since he paid many millions of dollars to purchase it and liquidating the park would not equal what he paid for it. And the owner says his goal is to open the park So we're safe

Edit: damn sig

Edit: damn sig again

Edit: screw the url in my sig.

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Off with the trims!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
*** This post was edited by bigkirby on 3/4/2002. ***

*** This post was edited by bigkirby on 3/4/2002. ***

It's also worth mentioning that CCI is *the* major player as far as wood coasters go in America right now. Basically when you hear of a new woodie being installed it's almost *always* CCI which is run by Denise Dinn Something-or-other who's the daughter of maligned designer Charles Dinn (of Dinn and Summers fame) who are responsible for rides like Mean Streak, the Texas Giant, Thunder Run @ SFKK and so on.

CCI rides are almost universally recognized as the creme de la creme of new woodies...just look at this list of recent top notch designs the firm have worked on, you'll probably recognize most of them!

- Raven & Legend @ HW
- Shivering Timbers @ MA
- Tremors & Timber Terror @ Silverwood
- Ghostrider @ KBF
- Boulder Dash @ LC
- Tonnere de Zeus @ Parc Asterix
- Megafobia in Wales

This is really just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The other major thing to keep in mind is woodie fans usually are classic ride whores. While many of the older rides have long since disappeared or become rough with age some of the older rides like Phoenix at Knoebel's Grove, the Cyclone @ Coney Island and Coaster @ Vancouver Playland are also consistently ranked highly. (As a side note Coaster is the last woodie in North America (and the world?) running genuine Pryor and Church trains (single bench per car, one shared lap bar, no dividers...basically *the* old school train by *the* old school designer)

The well-known PTC trains (the very square ones) actually come in a variety of styles. Back in the day they used to come as long as 4 benches per car but most that operate today are the 2 benchers with the 3 benchers still around but becoming increasingly rare. Restraints are either the individual ratcheting lap bar (the ones that look like L's) or the classic "Buzz Bar" which is a shared bar for both riders that stays in a fixed position and offers insane airtime for people of average size. Most of the remaining PTCs have seat dividers but the trains also can come without.

Gerstlauers (or G-Trains) are either the best thing since sliced bread (according to me and other G-Train lovers) or the spawn of the devil himself (according to most others). The seats are molded plastic but have no dividers. The lap bars are upside-down U's which can bruise you pretty brutally when they take corners suddenly (ala the Legend @ HW) but a lot of people like them more for the feeling of freedom you get without the seat divider in the way. CCI includes these as the "standard" option with their new woodies (Villain @ SFWoA, The Boss @ SFStL, Cheetah @ WA and Legend @ HW all came equipped with them) but some parks still opt for PTCs instead like LC did with Boulder Dash and Indiana Beach did with the Cornball Express.
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* The Legend @ HW
* Superman: Ride of Steel @ SFNE
* Mondial Top Scan

I run the Scream Machine at SFOG, and it had the old PTC 3-row buzz bar cars. The solenoids (which lock and unlock the bars) still say "Philadelphia Toboggan Company) on the covers. As Colin said, they offer insane airtime. However, the solenoids are elctrically activated and are pretty cantankerous. But that's why we love them! ;)

Vekoma and Intamin are making wood coasters in Europe that are getting pretty good reviews, and now we get to add Pax Coasters to the mix. The new-style Intamin woodie is claimed to be as smooth as a steelie (whether that's a good thing is definitely a matter of personal taste).

MisterX, see you sometime around park closing at your fine ride...;)

Colin W. said:
"The lap bars are upside-down U's which can bruise you pretty brutally when they take corners suddenly (ala the Legend @ HW) but a lot of people like them more for the feeling of freedom you get without the seat divider in the way."

But how does that make a damn bit of difference? Even though there is no seat divider, there is still that honkin bar that separates the two riders. How is that bar less intrusive? Is it that the bar allows the *fat meat* to wrap around the bar rather than be pressed against the divider? In either case, I didnt notice a significant increase in space. But I *did* resister a notable increase in PAIN!

The Gerstlauers do track nicely though...
jeremy
--"Yeah I called you fat. Look at me I'm skinny!": Humpty Hump, Humpty Dance

Colin W.,in regards to the Vancouver PNE/Playland Coaster,those are not Prior&Church trains,although they are very similar to P&C trains.The trains,as well as Coaster itself ,were designed by Carl Phare and were built in house by the PNE under the direction of Leroy Walker and Robert Bollinger.At one time there was a P&C coaster in Vancouver.This coaster was torn down in 1947 to make way for a horse racing track.The trains from this coaster still exist and operate at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup,WA on the Coaster Thill Ride.Even though the Coaster TR was designed by John Miller,it operates with Prior& Church trains.

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I can fix anything.....where is the duct tape?

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