I'm not nearly enough of an enthusiast to know the difference between types of coaster cars, but I'll echo the previously shared sentiments that those orange restraints are garbage. Not only are they uncomfortable, but their appearance is off-putting to say the least. Otherwise I think the ride is just fine as-is. I'm a pretty big wuss and I don't find it to be the least bit rough.

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I love The Beast the way it is! Please people, don't tear it down. I know that's what you guys want. The only thing I would change is get rid of a couple of the trims, for instance the first hill and the brake shed. Also the PTC trains don't bother me one bit. Plus If you alter this ride too much, that messes up the landmark status that you see when you enter the queue house. So If anything, you guys should be talking about how bad Mean Streak at Cedar Point is.

Getting rid of those trims results in unacceptable forces on the ride and the riders and unacceptable maintenance costs.

Terp, repeating himself.

Yeah, pretty sure it's always had trims. It's just more noticeable than the skids were.

Even when under different ownership, Cedar Point and Kings Island did a lot of collaboration on maintenance and operational issues. And Great Adventure has always admired and respected Kings Island--heck, Racer was the stand-in model in the days long before Photoshop when Rolling Thunder was being built. It literally had Great Adventure's placards put on the front of the train for brochure cameos.

And, I asked about Ollie at the park this year. He's apparently live and well.

Do you have photographic evidence that they used photos of The Racer in early Rolling Thunder promo's

If there is one person you can trust with what they say around here, it would be the man you quoted.

I've learned a lot from that man. He knows his stuff.

Hmmm.

http://www.greatadventurehistory.com/RollingThunder.htm

Millennium Flyers are like riding on a rolling couch.

The only wooden coaster trains I've ridden that are more comfortable are the PTCs on the Carowinds Hurler. The padding on those is incredibly plush.

Go to Kennywood and ride the Jack Rabbit, Racer, and Thunderbolt!

^ He's been there.

Many, many times. I adore that park. And yes, their coasters do have comfy trains as well.

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Hmmm.

http://www.greatadventurehistory.com/RollingThunder.htm

Quite clever how they just slapped Six Flags Great Adventure on the front of the trains and put the camera at an angle so that you need a real good eye to tell that it's The Racer. Still I wish The Racer had its color scheme from the seventies. Red White and Blue is way better than fading White

Yes I spotted it right away. I have club blood circled in the picture, but you clearly see the Wild Animal Safari fence in the background.

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There was no Club Blood back then...

Well duh! Lol [emoji12] just trying relate to the younger folks

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And CERTAINLY no such salacious thing was ever at Six Flags Great Adventure.

If anything was to be changed on The Beast. I would wish that the Trim going down the second hill ( after the first tunnel ) was moved to the other side before the turn and MCBR. It would really be nice to get a good pop of airtime going down it. ( But as Terp said it probably has unfavorable outcomes to the ride and maintenance. ) I would also like to see the coaster get a good wood stain like it received back then. ( Don't ding me if I'm wrong but wasn't water flowing out of the chutes back then? Maybe have that return too? ) and if they could change out the lapbars on the trains that would be perfect. That is the only issue in terms of ride comfort I have with the coaster it really eats up leg room. Last but not least I wish they never put the Slaughter House in its current location.

Yep. The chutes had water. There was even a lake.

^ Mosquito haven?

Not nearly as much as you might think. It was doomed largely due to guest activities on and near the, ahem, "Nature Trail."

I believe that it was posted on this forum somewhere, by Don if I remember correctly, that Beast's lake was removed with the addition of Vortex.

It was. For access roads that ride required....

I believe that it was posted on this forum somewhere, by Don if I remember correctly, that Beast's lake was removed with the addition of Vortex.

 

I'm confident the lake around The Beast was present well into the 90s.

You may be confident, but you wouldn't be right.

Found the exact post!

 

http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/25507-kid-on-beast-1985/?p=461728

 

The pond was removed after the 1986 season when Vortex was being built.

Yep. It was gone when Vortex opened.

You may be confident, but you wouldn't be right.

 

Won't be the first time, nor last, for me to be incorrect.

 

Memory is a funny thing.

Did the water feature near the station still work/operate after the lake removal?  I have memories of water flowing thru it during my youth, but I don't think I would have ridden The Beast prior to Vortex's installation, but I would have been 9 in 1986, so its possible I rode The Beast the season or two prior.

^ Mosquito haven?

Couldnt have been much worse than The Bat. Think it was a great rename for it concidering the amount of bugs you experience on it.

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Did the water feature near the station still work/operate after the lake removal?  I have memories of water flowing thru it during my youth, but I don't think I would have ridden The Beast prior to Vortex's installation, but I would have been 9 in 1986, so its possible I rode The Beast the season or two prior.

 

Ok, this is what I thought we were talking about. Is it one and the same or was 'the pond' something else?

The pond was a lake. With canoes.

Not the same.

At all.