Why does Top Gun need new trains? Why not just repair the one that was damaged? Seems like the much cheaper idea to me and remember, PKI is a business and the goal of a business is to make money.

The damage to the Top Gun train was irrepairable. It was like an explosion. Nothing was left but one of the supports that the train hung from. The park of course tried to cover this up until news of the accident leaked and they had to acknowledge what had happened. Most park employees (line and seasonal managers) knew nothing of the accident. Senior management were tight lipped and did nothing to explain to guests why 1/3 of the park was closed to the public. Action Zone, the Eiffel Tower, and Flight Team were all shut down so no guest could possibly get a view of the damage. The cost of replacing the train was reported to us in excess of $300,000. The boom truck and the landscaping vehicle that were hit were also completely destroyed. The cost for those were close to $200,000.

What's half a million, for a park that spends millions on flat rides each year? Crap, I'll bet the landscaping bill for one season is more than that. I hope they at least go ahead and use to money for a new train. That hour long wait crap all the time for TG is for the birds, and is gonna greatly undermine the popularity of that coaster.

I am sure they are going to turn that $500,00.00 into insurance. That will not cost them a dime! Don't let them fool you, they probably took the money and put it in something else. It would not surprise me if they did not replace that train and take out Top Gun at the end of the 2003 season. They Ran it with one train for a long time and could do it for the whole 2003 seaon! I would be shocked but not suprised! -adam12

yeah, but one can only hope that the insurance agency, is only willing to pay it out for the repair of what was damaged, not just a generalized check.

Yea, one would hope! But Viacom probably owns the insurance company as well as PKI, so it would not do them any good! LOL, just kidding. -adam12

Why does Top Gun need new trains? Why not just repair the one that was damaged? Seems like the much cheaper idea to me and remember, PKI is a business and the goal of a business is to make money.

The damage to the Top Gun train was irrepairable. It was like an explosion. Nothing was left but one of the supports that the train hung from.

Just a touch on fiberglass..

Fiberglass is a ..... to repair. It it itchy to the skin and can cut easly. Then it is broken it shatters. Making a mess to clean up. Plus, when it gets wet in its broken, it is like putty, stick putty. Fiberglass is also dangerus to breathe. The fiberglass enters the air passage and can and will cut it up. The same goes for the eyes.

Monster trucks use fiberglass because they are cheeper to repair than a alluminum or steel body. And fiberglass is very light.

"The damage to the Top Gun train was irrepairable. It was like an explosion. Nothing was left but one of the supports that the train hung from."

That is an exaggeration. I saw the train, and although heavily damaged, it was not in tiny bits and pieces like it exploded. You make it sound like someone threw a dynamite stick in it. Obviously the fiberglass shell was destroyed, and there was significant harm done to the front chassis, but the bulk of damage only affected the front half of the train. I am sure the entire train was replaced, but good parts from the un-damaged train sections were more than likely kept for replacement parts.

Don't forget that there were also pictures that appeared on the web at the time of the accident that showed the train stalled in the collision area with only the front half covered by a tarp.

Shaggy

Wonder where those pictures are now. I would love to see what it looked like, since I only heard about it weeks after it happened and I work in the park.

PKI guide used to have a link to them posted on their site. Check there and you might get lucky and find them again. I can believe the part about killing the fiberglass. I once saw a corvette wreck with a minivan, and most of what was left was splinters and dust.

PKIGuide got their pictures from Coasterempire and right now, Coasterempires picture directory is COMPLEATLY messed up.

Actually, I found that out last night when I went looking for them. Anyways, for those that don't know, the pics didn't show much, just some things behind fences and weeds covered in tarps. You couldn't really tell where on the track the accident occurred. I was trying to figure out what supports you are looking through though, in the one picture.

Yea the picture wernt anything good. All it was was supports, tall grass, and little spec's of blue tarp. So to anybody that hasent seen them, your not missing much.

I saw the pictures about a month ago and they were not worth the time it took to post them! -adam12

instead of fixing the fiberglass, they could replace it with polyurethane or whatever it is that they use on saturns and new corvettes... dent resistant, more than likely easier and safer to work with, and i have no idea about the price, but it cant be huge because saturns are obviously not luxury cars.

The cost of polyurethane is actually a bunch more than fiberglass, especially in the form of car parts and accessories. In general the cost of urethane can range anywhere from 50% to 100% or more than the cost of fiberglass. Not to mention, I don't even know if there are any coasters around that use it. I think fiberglass is probably what they'll stick with since they know of its properties, and as long as it stays in one piece, and doesn't splinter off, things are fine.

saturn plastic is Noryl GTX and is a Nylon blend

I hope this is in the right topic but this is a email that I recieved from my communications peep (sorta) at PKI:

Matthew,

Thanks for your continued interest in the park!  We will announce one more

new attraction before the park opens on April 12.  It will not involve the

land Jeffrey mentioned.  Unfortunately, that's the only other info. I can

provide at this time.  Stay tuned!

Have a great day!

-David Mandt

So, it's not going to be by Beast or SOB. Now I'm really thinking it'll be a mouse

Both of them always say, "Have a great day!'

Do mice like Cheeseburgers in Paradise?

It amazes me that David and Jeff remain so upbeat and pleasant. They get BOMBARDED by hundreds of questions sent by enthusiasts ALL OF THE TIME. Remember that the more time they have to spend answering relentless emails speculating about some obscure areas of the park, the less time they have to work on ACTUAL attractions.

Shaggy

You, shaggy, of course, would know better then I, (no sarcasm intended), but do they answer all the emails? or is it their secretaries or interns? and even if they do, i doubt they would type all that out.... i would assume its a form letter of sorts.... if they take that time, then... thats cool... but i doubt it.

I don't think marketing manages have to WORK on rides.

Now back on topic. Even if marketing managers do not have to work on rides, think of all the publicity stuff they have to do, and also all the unneccessary emails people send to them. Obvciously, they just aren;t gonna come out and tell someone some intricate details about the next season, face it they are marketing managers. I also think its impressive staying upbeat like that, especially since media people can be complete buttholes sometimes.

I don't think marketing manages have to WORK on rides.

Ah but they do Dane. Myself and Mr.Siebert have checked bars together on Vortex.

I guess I sit corrected.

Mr. Seibert was also at Monster in Aug working exit

I also recall Jeff Siebert working Tomb Raider one day.

He sounds like a neat person to meet and to work with. I would like to do what he does some day! -adam12

Interesting discussion here 

On 1/2/2003 at 6:19 PM, adam12 said:

It would not surprise me if they... [took] out Top Gun at the end of the 2003 season...I would be shocked but not suprised! -adam12

I'm happy to say that Top Gun is still here in 2024!