The 3rd edition of this thread, as it seems I completely forgot to do 2009. Whoops.

For the uninitiated, I enjoy roller coasters. I ride lots of them. This is where I keep track of the new ones being built.

COMING IN 2010:

Flying Turns - Knoebels - Elysburg, PA



http://www.flyingturnsproject.com/

This ride was in the 2007 thread. The 2008 thread. It would have been in the 2009 thread if I made one. They started building it in January 2006 hoping to open it by October 2006. Then Spring 2007. Then late 2007. Then Spring 2008. Then late 2008. Then 2009. Will it ever open? Who knows.


Intimidator - Carowinds - Charlotte, NC

http://www.intimidator.carowinds.com/
http://www.carowindsconnection.com





It's the biggest ride in the history of Carowinds, and the tallest, longest, and fastest roller coaster in the southeastern USA. Think Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens, but bigger.


Intimidator 305 - Kings Dominion - Doswell, VA




http://intimidator305.com/

One of the tallest roller coasters in the world. 305 feet tall, and 92 MPH, which is about the same height as Millennium Force at Cedar Point.


Unknown - Kennywood - Pittsburgh, PA



They haven't come up with a name for this yet, or released too much concept art, but it will launch from 0 to 50 in 3 seconds, and have at least one 90 degree drop plus a few inversions.


The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL




http://media.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/index.php

Not a new coaster at all. Islands of Adventure has been the last couple of years working on retheming their Lost Continent area into a very immersive Harry Potter area. There will be a recreation of the Hogsmeade village, and Dueling Dragons and the Flying Unicorn roller coasters are being integrated into the area with new names and themes. They are building a recreation of Hogwarts with a ride inside called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, but have been very tight lipped about what the ride will be. It's Universal, and they are pouring big money into this, so it will probably be something amazing.


Wildebeest - Holiday World and Splashin' Safari - Santa Claus, IN




http://holidayworld.com/rides/wildebeest

Again, not a roller coaster, but still worth noting. This new slide will be the world's longest water coaster. 1,710 feet long, 64 feet tall, with 7 drops and 3 tunnels at one of my favorite parks in the world.



That's all for now. There is a bunch of stuff going in overseas, but I am not really up to date on any of it.

I will add more as things are announced as I know you are all RIVETED to stay connected to this very important and serious topic.

10/1/2009 2:45:00 PM

So much to say about Intimidator 305 . . . . LOL

LIM-LAUNCHED WATER SLIDE

[Edited on October 1, 2009 at 2:48 PM. Reason : .]

10/1/2009 2:46:39 PM

The new six flags water park in Atlanta is pretty cool from what ive seen

[Edited on October 1, 2009 at 2:48 PM. Reason : lpl]

10/1/2009 2:47:32 PM

The lift is starting to go up at Carowinds

10/1/2009 2:48:13 PM

Topped off at Carowinds

10/13/2009 4:29:42 PM

yeah i wondered where your 09 thread was. I didn't make it to carowinds this year so i'll have two new coasters next year with Intimidator and Carolina Cobra

10/13/2009 4:32:29 PM

Coasters are fun, but this new one at Carowinds doesn't even get a second glance from me. Ditto Kings Dominion.

10/13/2009 4:38:16 PM

That doesn't make any sense at all

10/13/2009 4:40:29 PM

Intimidator 305 looks scary as shit, but then again just thinking about Millennium Force makes my stomach drop

I want more fun twisty coasters like the Maverick on the east coast prz.

10/13/2009 4:55:03 PM

11/4/2009 10:56:02 AM

that Intimidator ride isn't very authentic

where's the wall for you to crash into?

11/4/2009 11:01:37 AM

flying turns reminds me of avalanche at king's dominion.

intimidator 305 looks freaking awesome!

11/4/2009 11:24:02 AM

I can see that trim brake from here . . . . heh heh

11/4/2009 7:23:15 PM

if they are going to put a new roller coaster up at carowinds, it needs to be a launch coaster. honestly i'd rather go to kings dominion than carowinds for this reason alone.

11/4/2009 7:29:52 PM

Actually, what they need, and have needed for 10 years, is exactly what they are building. I would be willing to wager that it will be the best roller coaster in the southeast. No way to know until it's open, though.

11/4/2009 7:33:44 PM

As long as it's not an Intamin launch coaster. You could die on those.

Is the flying turns ever going to open? Haven't they been building it for 3 years already?

[Edited on November 4, 2009 at 8:01 PM. Reason : .]

11/4/2009 7:58:30 PM

the layout for the one at carowinds looks better than the one at KD, even though its not as tall.

11/4/2009 8:16:01 PM

i miss hypersonic

psyched about intimidator 305 though.

11/4/2009 10:58:41 PM

Quote :

"The million-dollar question at Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pennsylvania, is "When is the Flying Turns going to open?" The answer, according to Dick Knoebel, is "When it's done.” Park World gets a progress report. “We knew when we took this project on that there would be serious challenges along the way," says Knoebel. But surely he can offer some insight as to when the ride will be ready? Maybe not: “We really can't give a definitive answer other than, 'As soon as possible’.” The Flying Turns is a ride of largely wooden construction first built in Dayton, Oho, in 1929 by visionary World I Canadian flying ace Norman Bartlett and legendary coaster builder John Miller. There were seven Flying Turns built by Bartlett and either Miller or Philadelphia Toboggan Company between 1929 and 1939. The appeal of this style of ride is that the "track" is less restrictive than a regular rollercoaster in that the train rides in a trough with no further guide than the curved walls surrounding it. The cars are allowed to freewheel to wherever in the trough centrifugal force guides them. The effect is like a bobsled ride, and also similar to the sort of daredevil barnstorming performed by aviation pioneers, hence the name "Flying Turns." Modern bobsled rides using a steel trough are available from Intamin and Mack. Knoebel didn't think his ride would take this long to complete, as he originally hoped to open it for the 2008 season, but he isn't surprised at the delay. Unlike a traditional coaster, the park didn't have any working models to observe. They did use structural support T- rail salvaged from Chicago's Riverview Flying Turns. As they worked through the project they learned more and more about the history of the Turns and the challenges this ride presented to those who ran and maintained them. Knoebel wishes he could have known everything at the start that they now know now. But even with the research that's been done they could not have known all that they do since they've seen a train run through the trough. In fact, they've seen several variations of a train run in several variations of the trough. Progress has been made as problems were addressed and fixed. Mike Boodley is now working as a consultant on the project. Portions of the trough have been re-profiled. The service track has been moved alongside the brake run, and lift three is changed. A new train has been designed and ordered, and delivery is expected before the snow flies. If the new train is successful, a 2010 opening is likely. "

11/5/2009 10:51:41 AM

I had no idea that there were roller coaster nerds on TWW! w00t

The key is that when Flying Turns is done, it's going to be done correctly, and there's no faulting Knoebels for that. I'm at least making it to KD, Carowinds, and Kennywood this year to get on all the new coasters. It's about damn time Carowinds got a new ride that wasn't recycled. Last genuinely new coaster was Top Gun/Flight Deck/Afterburn whatevs. And you can't go wrong with B&M as far as reliability and capacity, but their rides, hypers especially, don't really have any uniqueness from one another. That being said, I love Apollo at BGE and I'm hoping to get to KI next summer to ride Diamondback.

I'm most interested in Initimidator-305 just because of the drop into the helix. Intamin and KD are trying to change things up with it. There's a lot of lateral g's on that ride, rather than the standard big drop into a bunch of airtime hills.

I don't even know what to expect from Kennywood's, but it should be interesting to see what Premiere comes up with. Any new coaster is great since it's been since 2001 since they modified the Phantom. Though KW has done a good job of putting in new flats almost every year since then.

11/5/2009 11:14:12 AM

I was excited about Intimidator 305 until they announced it and showed that it will have over the shoulder restraints. That pretty much killed it for me. I'll still go up there to ride it, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I guess Intamin's only solution for preventing more people from being ejected from their rides is a restraint system that is uncomfortable and potentially ruins the ride.

11/5/2009 5:16:01 PM

i'd rather be a little uncomfortable than dead. that's just me though.

11/5/2009 5:17:26 PM

Well as long as you have the common sense to make sure your bar is down far enough, and you aren't 500 pounds and hanging out of the car, you should be fine.

The restraints on the Carowinds ride are the complete opposite, of course. No accidents ever, yet it is an insanely simple clamshell with no seat belt that pulls down gently on to your lap and allows for amazing freedom of movement and comfort.



vs.




[Edited on November 5, 2009 at 5:22 PM. Reason : .]

11/5/2009 5:19:23 PM

you right. i love roller coasters. i'm not as much of an enthusiast as you guys it seems, but i really enjoy the rides and will go out of my way to go to a park with more coasters.

i went into engineering specifically to be a coaster engineer actually.

[Edited on November 5, 2009 at 5:21 PM. Reason : k]

11/5/2009 5:20:51 PM

Quote :

"I was excited about Intimidator 305 until they announced it and showed that it will have over the shoulder restraints. That pretty much killed it for me. I'll still go up there to ride it, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I guess Intamin's only solution for preventing more people from being ejected from their rides is a restraint system that is uncomfortable and potentially ruins the ride."

I was kinda pissed when I heard about that too, but there were rumors running around that the concept art is wrong and that the restraints are going to be soft shoulder straps like this:



Though it all seems rather unnecessary. To me, I think it's Cedar Fair being overly cautious (yet again) with their restraint systems. I'm surprised MF and TTD don't have the same OTSR systems to be quite honest.

Also, how about the supports for the lift on I-305. Those things are monsters.

11/5/2009 5:29:55 PM

Watch a 'video' of the Intimidator 305 as well as a hires gallery here:

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/21/dale-earnhardt-lives-on-as-305-foot-roller-coaster-at-kings-d/

11/5/2009 5:29:57 PM

Kennywood's coaster now has a name:

11/5/2009 5:41:46 PM

Kennywood:
The Master of Generic Ride Names

Seriously though, it's one of my favorite parks. I'm excited about this one and it was something that Kennywood needed, but I'm a bit concerned.

Ride Statistics:
Track Length: 2100 feet
Maximum Speed: 50 mph
Ride Time: 65 seconds
Number of Trains: 2
Number of Cars Per Train: 2
Number of Riders Per Train: 12

Two twelve person trains? Capacity is gonna be shit. Oh well, I hope that means that there's just less people waiting for Phantom's Revenge

[Edited on November 5, 2009 at 5:49 PM. Reason : talk about ejector air ]

[Edited on November 5, 2009 at 5:50 PM. Reason : too many edits]

11/5/2009 5:48:18 PM

Capacity really is going to be hilariously bad.

So there are at least 4 coaster whores on here. Interesting.

11/5/2009 5:50:54 PM

Also before I forget, this is from American Scenic who is working on the new HP ride at IoA. If anyone can decipher whats going on here, then you should tell the rest of us. It must be important though considering Universal had them take it off of their website a while back.



While I'm looking forward to Potter-verse, I have yet to be thoroughly impressed with Islands of Adventure. Maybe it's because I've only been there at peak times in the summer and it's been crowded as shit, but there's something I don't like about the place. I'm a big theme park guy, I love a good theme just as much as a good coaster, but I just think that Universal doesn't come close to the kind of theming that Disney does. At Disney parks, not only are you immersed in the experience that they want you to have, but they slowly integrate you into each land so that the transition is hardly noticed. At IoA, it's like your in Seuss Land then BAM! Lost Continent, then BAM! Jurassic Park. And some of the rides are not at all what I expected. The JP river boat ride's animatronics were poorly done and the whole thing could have been better executed. There were other things I didn't like but I'll spare everyone. Anyways, I think these pictures kinda illustrate my point:





Hogwarts just sits over top of Jurassic Park's museum thing. Maybe I'm being too nit picky, but it just doesn't mesh in my opinion. Also, that scafolding really throws off the forced perspective.

11/5/2009 8:14:12 PM

I am worried about the Potter ride because the robocoaster looks like an uncomfortable ride to me. I've never been on one (no interest really), but hopefully they will be doing some significant modification to the vehicles for it.

Can't say I'm with you on the park, though. I just went there last month for the first time ever and loved it. What surprised me though was how awesome Universal Studios was too; I hadn't expected much from it. In contrast to you, though, there seemed to be no one in the entire state of Florida when I was there. There were no lines at Universal (except for Rockit), Sea World, or Busch Gardens, and I did the 4 Disney parks in one day.

BTW I'm assuming you are on a coaster message board or two given your knowledge; I'd be curious to know which ones.

[Edited on November 5, 2009 at 9:14 PM. Reason : .]

11/5/2009 9:11:21 PM

We are definitely in agreement about the Studios. My family all agreed that it was the better park. I had such high expectations for Islands, but I really had none for US. I was pleasantly surprised.

I went two summers ago, so Rockit was still under construction the last time I visited. How was it? I've heard varying reviews. Some people have said that it was pretty rough, but Screamscape reported a while ago that it might just be a few trains that cause the problem and not the coaster itself. After watching the POV it seems like the multiple block sections kill the pacing of the ride.

As for message boards, the only one I ever post at is ultimaterollercoaster, but it's been so dead over there the last year or so that I haven't really been active. Otherwise I just get my news over at Screamscape and lurk at boards that are more affiliated with certain parks or regions to kind of get a better perspective of what's going on there.

11/6/2009 10:17:34 AM

I only got to ride it once, and my one ride was most definitely on one of the problem trains. It was rough as shit and totally killed the ride. I went into the hidden tracks menu and put in the code for Kermit the Frog singing "Rainbow Connection" though, so that was pretty hilarious. I think it would have been a pretty good ride had it not beat the shit out of me. There was some nice airtime, and the first drop was pretty awesome.

I don't really post on any boards anymore, either. Occasionally I go to the ones at http://www.coasterfanatics.com/ since I know the guy who runs it, but it's not very active. Everybody posts at Theme Park Review now, and the guy who runs it is one of the biggest douchebags I have ever encountered in life, so I avoid it. If you've ever been to http://carowindsconnection.com, that's my site. chargercrazy is on there as well, and MCEscher is one of the mods.

11/6/2009 11:01:27 AM

Yeah I'll definitely check it out. I'll be visiting family in PA this weekend and my grandma doesn't have the Gore so I'll have to look next week since I'm on the way out the door now.

Are you talking about Robb Alvey? I've heard that about him but I never heard as to why. I would love to have some of the benefits he and other people over there at TPR get at parks though.

11/6/2009 12:31:50 PM

Quote :

" So there are at least 4 coaster whores on here. Interesting."

I refuse to be labeled a coaster whore. I'm not Jay you know

11/8/2009 12:20:40 AM

as far as IoA having definite transitions between sections it sort of makes sense in that each section is an island. IIRC the music does fade between each section though.

the hidden songs on rip ride and rockit are pretty awesome. i'll definitely have to check that out.

11/8/2009 12:23:03 PM

Carowinds does lack a good launch coaster.

Apollo's chariot is one of my favorites. I like big, long coasters, and I think both intimidators will give us that.

11/8/2009 1:33:54 PM

UPDATE TIME

Getting closer to completion at Carowinds:



The first drop and lift complete at Kings Dominion:

11/24/2009 2:26:43 PM

From the barrel monster guy's blog... http://nopromiseofsafety.com/2009/12/25/coller-roasters/

12/25/2009 10:14:49 AM

da fuck!

12/25/2009 10:21:53 AM

What was it? The post and pictures are gone now.

12/28/2009 5:29:01 PM

^

12/28/2009 5:32:29 PM

Good thing I anticipated that happening...

12/28/2009 5:57:06 PM

Bump

Everything is shaping up nicely for Harry Potter. Word is that the stuff going on inside the castle is also progressing quickly. A couple photos:

The scaffolding has come down from around the Three Broomsticks:




The castle still has a some work left to be done to it, but it looks damn good:





I was never really excited about this project until recently, but seeing the level of detail that Universal is putting into the whole project has gotten me to think about scheduling a trip to Orlando in the next year or so.

1/22/2010 2:42:59 PM

Intimidator at Carowinds is about to make its first test run! http://66.193.7.116/mjpg/video.mjpg

Sitting near the bottom of the lift right now.

2/4/2010 4:17:20 PM

Quote :

"The maximum number of clients are already connected "

2/4/2010 4:19:32 PM

Did it make it around the circuit?

2/4/2010 7:14:05 PM

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9jsFVrQsz4

2/4/2010 7:16:06 PM

This isn't relevant to any 2010 coasters but kind of made me lol..

Quote :

"Kentucky Kingdom Rejects Lease Park to Close Six Flags announced today that as it nears the scheduled end of its restructuring process, it has decided to reject its lease with the Kentucky State Fair Board relating to the Kentucky Kingdom park. In recent weeks, Six Flags had proposed a new lease arrangement to the fair board that would have enhanced the viability and future of the park. Unfortunately, those proposals were not accepted and the park will cease operations and the company will move expeditiously to re-locate employees and several of the more than 40 rides and attractions to one of its 13 other markets. "We are deeply disappointed to be leaving such a great fan base in the greater metropolitan area of Louisville and we are grateful to the thousands of employees at Kentucky Kingdom and the millions of guests for their dedication, support and loyalty over the years," said Mark Shapiro, Six Flags President and CEO. "This action relates solely to Kentucky Kingdom," Shapiro continued. "The substantial lease payment has been a significant hurdle for this park in recent years. Our other parks, which reside largely on company-owned land, will be completely unaffected and will open as scheduled for the full 2010 season.""

http://www.sixflags.com/national/footernav/kentuckykingdom.aspx

RCDB has Chang going to Great America but there is no indication yet of it actually being set up or otherwise opening this year. http://www.rcdb.com/8932.htm

[Edited on February 4, 2010 at 7:23 PM. Reason : chang.]

2/4/2010 7:20:14 PM

How did Wormy know to be there to film? Did Dani give him a heads up?



Good ole Kentucky Cut Your Feet Off Kingdom . . .

2/4/2010 7:33:56 PM