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[BackInTime]

Still being presumptuous, in my view. The fact that they said it's going to be a "first of its kind" can be virtually anything. Why insinuate that "first its kind" is 100% related to the trains spinning? What little has been shared from the park relating to this being first of its kind could mean the first multi-launch coaster with inversions in the U.S., the first Mack vertical lift coaster with multiple launches and inversions, etc. Point being, clearly no one other than the PTB know what the definition of first of its kind means as it relates to this ride. The speculation is fascinating and fun, but I think its unfair and misguided to continue making making the assumption this claim is exclusively related to the technology within the train(s). If that comes to fruition, so be it. However, that's an unfounded POV as of now. Speaking of speculation, what about the idea of a vertical lift? They're obviously beefing up the support system right out of the station for a very definitive reason. Could a vertical lift be possible to give this coaster the height and/or drop to put it in some "first/tallest/fastest" category of its own? As it stands we haven't seen or heard anything suggesting this coaster will incorporate a significant lift hill or drop. Just throwing it out there for discussion. Seeing Cobras Curse and thinking about all of the work that continues around the station just got me wondering.

All that said, thanks Swoosh for the updates and pics you're sharing on the progress of the ride. Really appreciate all of the nuggets for someone who doesn't have the luxury of visiting as often as I would like.

[Dewayne]

Did a quick scan of the SDC thread on TPR today - first time I've been there in about a month - a couple of you guys seem to be transfixed on this "turntable" thing where there are spinning and non-spinning trains.  As cool as that might be, please explain where (with the current structure) they are going to fit that in the station. 

Sorry.  There's going to be one type of train.  They said this is going to be a first of its kind.  A traditional train has been done before.  I think we all know what that means. 

LaWayne, I'm still not convinced those are maintenance bays but it would make sense.  IMHO they will have a track that rotates 180° and then the small 4 car train can go on in the bays. There's probably going to be a curved track that connects then to this swivel track.

At first it sounds like you are saying there will not be a turntable. Near the end you say there will be a swivel track that rotates 180°. Please explain the difference.

[Tmboote]

^I think he means there will be a track that rotates 90 degrees to be able to get the trains into the maintenance area.

[Swoosh]

Still being presumptuous, in my view.

If that's how my post read, that was not my intent.  I do not claim to have any "backstage" information on the project.  What I do know has been gleaned from conversations and from reading.  There's a lot of information that's been put out there - unfortunately it requires a lot of reading between the lines and processing what's NOT been said.  It's tedious and half the time I don't have the patience or even gumption to care.  So again, if I came off as presumptuous - not the goal and definitely not a desired effect.

The fact that they said it's going to be a "first of its kind" can be virtually anything. Why insinuate that "first its kind" is 100% related to the trains spinning?

I think this has more to do with the notion that there are very few "first-of-its-kind one-trick ponies" left out there to flaunt.  We (the amusement community in general) seem to keep circling back to the notion that this is a launched spinning coaster with inversions.  That is certainly something that has never been done before and just as good of a guess as any at this point.

What little has been shared from the park relating to this being first of its kind could mean the first multi-launch coaster with inversions in the U.S., the first Mack vertical lift coaster with multiple launches and inversions, etc.

The first multi-launch coaster with inversions in the US title has been taken by Maverick at Cedar Point and the first with forwards and back launches with inversions in the US was taken by Full Throttle.  See what I meant above by the list of tricks is very slim.  I also do not think that the park would stoop so low as to taunt a first by a specific manufacturer.  No one outside of the amusement community (and even then with as well) is going to care about the manufacturer.  The General Public couldn't tell you who built what ride.  In fact most would probably be surprised to learn that they are not all from the same company -- and then proceed to not care anymore as they jump back in line for another go.  All they care about is 1. Is it fun? 2. Is it safe?

Point being, clearly no one other than the PTB know what the definition of first of its kind means as it relates to this ride. I think its unfair and misguided to continue making making the assumption this claim is exclusively related to the technology within the train(s). If that comes to fruition, so be it.

I think the whole spinning launched concept came about when the PTB were invited by Mack to go check out the factory and then were treated to a private showing of Blue Fire with the spinning seats.  While there is an outside chance that all of that is a coincidence - I'm having a very hard time writing it off as so.  For one thing, you don't travel halfway around the world to visit a company's plant just on a vacation.

Speaking of speculation, what about the idea of a vertical lift? They're obviously beefing up the support system right out of the station for a very definitive reason. Could a vertical lift be possible to give this coaster the height and/or drop to put it in some "first/tallest/fastest" category of its own? As it stands we haven't seen or heard anything suggesting this coaster will incorporate a significant lift hill or drop. Just throwing it out there for discussion. Seeing Cobras Curse and thinking about all of the work that continues around the station just got me wondering.

While I won't rule out anything until the final layouts are released so that we can stop relying on the line drawings that someone posted on another site a long time ago (don't ask which one, I don't remember, I thought I had saved the image on my phone but I cannot find it and it is frustrating the heck out of me) I just do not think there will be one.  Now I totally see a launch up onto a platform like structure that ends with a near vertical drop down, but we will just have to see.  I still do not think that that would be enough to be a "first of its kind" though.

All that said, thanks Swoosh for the updates and pics you're sharing on the progress of the ride. Really appreciate all of the nuggets for someone who doesn't have the luxury of visiting as often as I would like.

You are quite welcome.  I officially came on the amusement industry scene 20 years ago with my coverage of MAMBA's construction at Worlds of Fun.  Since that time I have been blessed to meet a lot of people in the industry and make a lot of connections.  I do realize I rub people wrong at times, which has never been my intent.  I think people like to jump to conclusions about me and read emotion into my text when there was never emotion intended.  I can be straight to the point at times, though in my defense I work in education and have to put up with teenager stupidity and most of the time we don't have time for that - so you shut down the behavior and move on. 

Truth be told, other than 3 posters on here, I have no ill feelings towards any of you.  I don't know most of you in real life, how could I possibly hate you?  Those that have met me in real life will tell you I am one of the nicest people you could meet.

 

At first it sounds like you are saying there will not be a turntable. Near the end you say there will be a swivel track that rotates 180°. Please explain the difference.

I can understand your confusion.  Let me see if I can explain what I meant better. 
What I am saying is that there will not be a turntable in the station to allow for two different types of trains.  Ever since the IAAPA video came out with the pretzel Mack coaster, this has been a big "hope" for a few posters that there could be more than one type of train.  Ignoring the logistical nightmare of having to create two queues to accommodate the different styles, there's just not the room for this system in the station.

Now to the "other turntable" - What I am saying is there will be a a piece of track that swings 90° degrees or less (sorry I put down the wrong degrees above - that might explain the confusion) to line up with the track that would go into each maintenance bay.  This would only be for the bays and not to accommodate different train styles.

I hope that makes more sense.

[shavethewhales]

I agree with Swoosh - once they came out and said it was going to be like nothing else they actually narrowed down the possibilities quite a bit. Then when Mack presented at IAAPA it just kinda confirmed it. While I will concede that there is a small chance the "like nothing else" statement refers to something other than the style of coaster, I'd give it like a 5% chance at most. A lot of the vague "firsts" that used to seem so extreme like multiple launches, inversions on wooden coasters, and even launched wooden coasters have now all been done. There's not much left except to put launches on spinners, flying coasters, and standup coasters.

I'm kind of surprised at how few enthusiasts seem to be following this project. It's a huge undertaking and it will be a major ride for 2018 and even beyond. I feel like we see a lot of the same initial gut reactions everytime someone finally takes notice of what's happening. The good news is that before too long all the details will be confirmed anyway. Can you believe that there's just a bit over two months left?

[Swoosh]

I too am bewildered at the lack of interest by other enthusiasts outside our little realm right here.  Other than the Mean Streak conversion there's not much out there to discuss.  Shoot even the Boomerang removal at KBF got more attention.  I guess we'll see once it gets officially announced. 

[Dewayne]

Swoosh - Ever since I saw that video, I said "No way. No F'n way! The land clearing is way too big and they know we deserve something better than this little piece of $#!+!. I also knew there was no way we would ever get a station turntable."

Shave - I am extatic about this coaster. Have been ever since the speculation started. Once I heard the word Mack, my head turned with eyes popping out. This could be the thing that fills my broken heart that broke when CC closed and the best coaster ever was never going to be rode again. Ive just been trying not to act like a psycho and get kicked off. That is why you cant see it. I have been trying to keep up the only way I know how, with forums like this. You say theres more I could do? More sites to keep track of this? Please tell me more because I dont know how.

[BackInTime]

^^^Thank you for the thorough response, Swoosh. Appreciate the insight and answers to my own questions and speculation. Totally understand the process of elimination theory in terms of what may or may not set this apart from everything else. Since spinning still seems to be such a major source of that speculation, do you have in reason to believe spinning could be optional for some, versus a you're spinning or not riding at all standpoint? 

Lastly, can you shed any light on the comparative scope of the footprint for this thing? The station seems enormous, but the aerial view we've all seen doesn't offer much context in terms of scale for me. Do you envision this being a potential lengthy ride, or is this going to be a classic SDC "it's great, but over quick" ride? With the amount of clearing that's taken place, I pray to God there are major plans for man made elements and on-ride theming touches to compensate for the expanse of nothing that's surely sitting out there right now. 

[sdcfan88]

Coaster is officially on RCDB, let's keep an eye on this as it gets updated. https://rcdb.com/15168.htm

As for the postings above, thanks again for the detailed photoblogging thats been done on the site. I have been sharing the updates quite a bit as I too am surprised by the lack of interest in the project minus a few YouTube video bloggers. I did discover recently some of my content made it on MIG as well. I have been doing a few progress videos of the project along with photos. If there is anything else I can provide I am glad to contribute since I visit the park fairly frequently.

[sirwillow]

Very nice comprehensive reply Swoosh.  Appreciate all of the input.  Just wanted to say in response to this:

I do realize I rub people wrong at times, which has never been my intent.  I think people like to jump to conclusions about me and read emotion into my text when there was never emotion intended.  I can be straight to the point at times, though in my defense I work in education and have to put up with teenager stupidity and most of the time we don't have time for that - so you shut down the behavior and move on. 

Truth be told, other than 3 posters on here, I have no ill feelings towards any of you.  I don't know most of you in real life, how could I possibly hate you?  Those that have met me in real life will tell you I am one of the nicest people you could meet.

I totally, completely understand that!!  Now take what you get as a high school teacher (been there done that), add in the guff that a substitute gets, top off the crazy stuff that a pastor gets to deal with, and I completely understand where you're coming from.  It's why on forums I also tend to get blunt sometimes, then start kicking myself when I realize how it came out (usually to late to edit or do anything about it)

Hope I'm not one of the 3.  :-)

Thanks for sharing.  Really do appreciate your insight, information, and all the posts.  Been loving your trip report photos!

[shavethewhales]

Coaster is officially on RCDB, let's keep an eye on this as it gets updated. https://rcdb.com/15168.htm

As for the postings above, thanks again for the detailed photoblogging thats been done on the site. I have been sharing the updates quite a bit as I too am surprised by the lack of interest in the project minus a few YouTube video bloggers. I did discover recently some of my content made it on MIG as well. I have been doing a few progress videos of the project along with photos. If there is anything else I can provide I am glad to contribute since I visit the park fairly frequently.

We appreciate it! With even just a few of us sharing a couple photos each time we visit, it makes a nice progress log.

RCDB lists coasters whenever an official announcement is made or track shows up. Duane is typically good about only adding confirmed info, thats one reason why he/rcdb is so respected. Thats not where your going to get breaking news about the coaster though.

[Swoosh]

Progress as of this weekend:

[Swoosh]

One thing I'd like to point out is that there are trees on BOTH sides of the installed track.  So not a full clean cut of the area after all.

[joshblakebran]

Thanks for the update...getting excited about this for my visit next year.

[mhguy77]

One thing I'd like to point out is that there are trees on BOTH sides of the installed track.  So not a full clean cut of the area after all.

That helps!