The first piece of track on the 230-foot lift hill of the new Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island was installed today, September 16. The tallest and fastest roller coaster at Kings Island will be 5,282 feet long and reach speeds in excess of 80 mph. The $22 million steel roller coaster opens in April 2009.

I assume they will install more track pieces later this week?

Edit: This is why:

RAVINE TRACK!!

Taken earlier in the day, but does anyone have a clue to what this piece might be?

A Giant Amp to keep guests entertained during the 2 hour wait.

It looks like they are getting ready to add Drop Bottom Track:

It looks like to me that the lift hill is going to be steep like milly's but maybe not as steep.

I've heard stories of both a chain lift and a Millie-style cable lift for this ride. Of course, that's something that wouldn't absolutely need to be decided right now. I'd like to see a cable lift for this ride.

The first piece of track on the 230-foot lift hill of the new Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island was installed today, September 16. The tallest and fastest roller coaster at Kings Island will be 5,282 feet long and reach speeds in excess of 80 mph. The $22 million steel roller coaster opens in April 2009.

Seems like the stairs/catwalks will be on the opposite sides of the lift hill that the animation showed.

I've heard stories of both a chain lift and a Millie-style cable lift for this ride. Of course, that's something that wouldn't absolutely need to be decided right now. I'd like to see a cable lift for this ride.

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.

With the ride barely constructed, I imagine that now would be as good a time as any to be able to make modifications of that type. I'm not saying it's going to happen but anything's possible. The animation portrayed a chain lift, so I'd say that's more than likely the case.

There will be no cable system like millie, that system has a patent from intamin i believe. (plus there is a chain in the pic lol) As for the angle of the slope looks like its about 35 degrees. Possibly 40 but no more.

Even if so, patents are often used by others under license...or INTAMIN could even be a subcontractor. Note, for instance, that Hulk at IOA has a launch system that B & M typically does not use. . .that's what the park wanted, and that's what the park got. Customers usually get what they want. . .and if vendors can't accommodate that, they sometimes are no longer vendors any more....

There is clearly a chain in the Picture in Dane's post.

But is anyone in that post wearing a Spongebob shirt? That's the question of the day.

^True that. Maybe, if they retheme the NU to Snoopy, all the people will hate it, The new Snoopy Land will be abandoned, and I will finally get some Kiddie Credits!

I miss The Beastie....

Now, just to make sure you aren't making the same mistake I did...

There is a chain in the picture Dane took, however it is part of the man lift. It took me a couple of minutes to realize this when I was first looking at the picture.

Sometimes it is important to note what Terpy doesn't say or doesn't respond to.

Terpy, feeling charitable, and wishing that sometimes he followed his own advice.

O wad some Power the giftie gie us, To see oursels as ithers see us!

Besides, wouldn't a chain lift be ideal for max dispatch intervals?? I'd imagine gauranteed stacking like on Vortex (or Medusa) with a cable lift...as cool as one would be!

But the chain lift for Behemoth seems super charged and a lot faster than Nitro or AC, for example...unless the lift is super steep then maybe a cable will be necessary?? But I think a chain will still fine.

Millennium Force is 310 feet high with a lift angle of 45*.

Diamondback is 230 feet high with a lift angle of about 38-40*.

I do not see the Need for a Cable Lift, Behemoth's lift is similar and it has a Chain.

Check the Webcam they are delivering the third piece of track to the area behind the Crypt.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I think the lift will be 45 degrees. Look at the 2 pictures below. The circled area in the first is showing where the track will attach to the support. If you look it has a very steep angle and some basic geometry tells us that a triangle with a 90 degree angle and 2 equal angles is a right isosceles triangle. Meaning that the other 2 angles are 45 degrees. So in the second picture I connected the 2 supports following the angle and it lines up pretty well. Im going 45 degrees on the lift folks.

Chain or Cable is decided before the track is manufactured. Last minute decisions that concern the infrastructure of the ride happened months ago. The lift mechanism be it cable or chain is built into the lift track and any modification from one to the other would be costly. I think its below B&M's standards to do this kind of mod on site.

As for the Hulk's launch system, it was designed by the park and B&M had/wanted nothing to do with it.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I think the lift will be 45 degrees. Look at the 2 pictures below. The circled area in the first is showing where the track will attach to the support. If you look it has a very steep angle and some basic geometry tells us that a triangle with a 90 degree angle and 2 equal angles is a right isosceles triangle. Meaning that the other 2 angles are 45 degrees. So in the second picture I connected the 2 supports following the angle and it lines up pretty well. Im going 45 degrees on the lift folks.

Hopefully when the first drop is finally constructed you can break out the protractor and confirm the 74 degree angle too....because ever since the Behemoth controversy last year, I am a little a paranoid the first drop won't be 74 degrees (if not maybe even a wee bit steeper).

Heres the same pic again just with the triangle drawn in. Geometry is a beautiful thing.

Umm look close that is the chain the lift that is sitting right there. not the chain for the ride.

There is clearly a chain in the Picture in Dane's post.

They are currently installing track at the Bottom of the First Drop.

This afternoon

^Nice.

Heres the same pic again just with the triangle drawn in. Geometry is a beautiful thing.

The base might not be 100% accurate though and the picture is at an angle.

Heres the same pic again just with the triangle drawn in. Geometry is a beautiful thing.

The base might not be 100% accurate though and the picture is at an angle.

Does anyone notice how small the man on the track looks.