RWildman424

The reason there are no stairs is because it would make more sense to build a bride over to the existing path at that level. And since there are no stairs leading out of the exit there is no need for an elevator. If there was an elevator that was going to be installed, we would already see the shaft. If that doesn't convince you, why would there be two doors leading to an elevator that would be capable of lifting two people at most? And I know that there are coasters I'm the world that exit right beside the control booth, but that doesn't mean that it's not a safety hazard for riders and the crew. B&M designs their roller coasters to perfection and that means that "little" issues like the operators view of the station are not overlooked.

I'm pretty sure the box is the rider exit and the path you have highlighted is another maitainance staircase. Would they really make everyone file past the control booth to leave. I would think you would want as few people in that area as possible so there aren't any obstructions for the operator. Plus it is the same door setup as the entrance you have shown.

^The only energy thats going to be lost on any roller coaster is due to friction (Wheels on the track, wind resistance, brakes, etc.). If that particular section of track reached the ground, it would have a higher kinetic energy that would be converted into the same amount of potential energy at the top ot the turn.

I thought about it harder...no need to post.

As long as they do their job, I like them all.

In one of the Podcasts of Mavericks construction they show a small portion of the pull through. I can only assume that the same technique will be used for Diamondback. Its video #3 Maverick's Podcast Site

When you refer to the "wooden cart", its an actual car from one of the trains on which they place a wooden piece to simulate rider's hands. The pull through is not just to find spots where the riders might be able to hit supports, its to look for any spot where the train might be in danger. For example, a place where the wheel assembly would hit something under the track. This most likely will not happen, but sometimes things are overlooked, and its better to find those in a controlled stiuation instead of when the train is moving 80 mph. So to answer your question, they pull through the entire track. Plus the fact that its just easier to cover the entire thing instead of taking it off and moving it to a possible problem spot.

If the track and supports are made of the same type of steel (I assume they are) they will expand and contract the same amount. Plus, these rides are made to be able to bend and move a little bit. Wicked Twister is an excellent example of this. If I am wrong someone please correct me. And if someone else can describe it better than I can, feel free to do so.

Has the re-tracking of Mean Streak been confirmed yet, or is it still hopeful speculation?

I know you weren't accusing anyone of lying, I was just stating one of the possible causes for stats being changed. Typos and things of that nature. A footing being off wouldn't change the angle of the track, it would put a gap a few feet wide where the footing was placed wrong. The track isn't manufactured to fit the footings wherever they happen to be placed, the footings are placed where the designer says they should be. If they aren't, the track won't fit right, and the footing(s) will need to be redone.

No I did not follow the Behemoth progress. Point well taken. Somebody get me a protractor! Stats on a ride don't just cange over night. Once the track has been fabricated, it would be very complicated and expensive to make a change. Thats not saying that they might have told you wrong multiple times, but the official coaster stats that the ride was manufactured to probably didn't change once manufacturing began. They've told us that the angle of the drop is going to be 74 degrees. Unless they are lying to us, which I highly doubt, thats what its going to be.

Then the website needs to say height and not lengths, so really nobody knows the length or the angle of accent because the figures are not there. I guess it is just time to wait and see. The website says height and length. Thats why I used height and length. That being said, I agree that it really doesn't matter. I just felt the need to go more mathematical that a drawing on top of a picture. Then I shared.

To end the dispute on how steep the angle of accent for the lift hill, I did a little math. Using numbers from the Diamondback site you can draw this triangle. (Its not to scale...i drew it in paint) I didn't really need to find the hypotenuse, but I did anyways. using trig, you can find the angle. arctan(230/222)=46.01 degrees That angle is the angle in the lower right corner of the triangle, and the angle of the lift hill. Edit: that isn't going to be exactly right due to the curves at the toop and bottom of the hill, but its going to be as close as you can get without KI just stating it.

Wouldn't that have been decided atleast a couple of months if not a couple of years ago? If it did end up having a cable lift, that would be a new thing for B&M (as far as I know) and that would include designing the new system and actually manufacturing it for this ride. Seeing as the first piece of the lift hill is alreay in place, I would assume that they have already decided which to use. I agree that it would be very cool to get a cable lift, but I'm pretty sure its already been decided.

I spy something yellow. After I posted this, I noticed the smoke coming from the begining of the splash down, any thoughts on what it could be?

I don't remember being nervous for a roller coaster since my first ride on The Beast. I got a little anxious during the first trip up the hill on Maverick. I didn't realize how fast we went up, and I had never experienced a past vertical drop, but as soon as we crested the hill, it was gone and I fell in love with my new favorite ride. Drop Tower always gets me on the first ride of the day. Then if I ride it again that same day I'm not nervous for it.

Sorry if this has been mentioned earlier, I've been busy with school, and I don't have time right now to check the threads because of school. There are now construction pics in the photo gallery of the Diamondback site.

On Millenium Force, my 3 friends and I acted like we were beating the crap out of each other. Someone had their hands around my neck, the person behind him was pulling him off, and the guy beside him was about to punch him. If that made sense, great. I don't have the photo with me, but it would have to be my favorite. My second favorite is my first ride on SOB in winter jackets, hats, and gloves.

In the POV animation, I see only one trim brake. Its on the hill after the u-turn right before the helix into the mcbr. I'm really glad, that there aren't any on the bunny hills after the mcbr. It makes me happy.

I once went with a group to a place in Kentucky, I don't remember the name, but it was a place with a large amount of smooth rocks on the side of a large ravine. They had been formed from a large amount of water moving around a long time ago. Thats about all I know about the place, sorry I don't have a name. Anyways, you were free to do what ever you wanted anywhere in the place. The were many places where one slip meant death. No rails, no fences, no nothing to keep you alive except your own common sense. There were multiple times that day where I knew that one wrong move meant that I would fall to my death. There was one place in particular where you could look hundreds of feet down a crack between 2 rocks. It wasn't very far, but far enough that you could fall if you didn't get a good jump. I made it with plenty of distance to spare, but never the less, it was still a scary moment just knowing there is a chance you could slip. Much more exciting and scary than any coaster I've ever been on.

I've done 11 rides in one day. I'm pretty sure it was in 06 before the accident. The only reason why I stopped is because my friend was bored of the ride after 11 times. I could have ridden that thing 20 more times if I was alone. I love SOB.

^How would that make a difference. I can see how only one train running would reduce the wear and tear on the track, but what does that have to do with whether or not its been raining?

I went last summer, and I loved everything I did. I rode every roller coaster and lover each one. Storm Runner would be the mini-dragster, but its much more than that. Its an actual roller coaster after the initial launch and hill. Farenheit is the new coaster for 08 which opens tomorrow. As far as guides go, I don't know of any. rcdb.com is always a good resource for coaster pics and stats, but other than that, I don't know of anything. Lightning racer is an excellent ride. I only got to ride it twice, but I enjoyed both rides very much. I really have nothing bad to say about the park.

I don't remember much about my first trip to KI. I was around 6 or 7 and very tall for my age. I rode The Beast, Vortex, and Racer, but I have no idea which order I rode them in. I hated them all, but it was more of a love hate relationship. I'm glad I rode them though.

Those restraints made my rides very unenjoyable. There was an incredible amount of headbanging the entire ride everytime I rode it. I'm am very glad they made the switch over to the lap bars. EDIT: Like he said^