Theme Park Discussion / Wooden rollercoasters 2.0

So now we're getting wooden coasters with inversions, wooden shuttle coasters, and wooden coasters getting a steel track. Anyone else who doesn't like these developments? I think it's just stupid and somehow not fun at all.

I like them. I think it shows how the industries growing and and technology is improving. I'm only not to upset about the changes for the fact that we all know they're still going to be making tha classic wooden coasters. And as far as putting steel track on a wooden coaster I think its brilliant. Just because I've been on some wooden coasters that have honestly gotten to the point of unbearable. Hades comes to mind. I was on it the first year it opened and it was mind blowing. Than 2 years ago I went and fuck. I rode it once and it wasn't even worth it for how rough it got. Adding steel to the coasters that need it is like fixing up an old car and giving it modern convieniences like power steering and air conditioning. Just things to make it last longer and provide a better ride for the rider. So I welcome these changes. When they're needed.

-Josh

I agree with you Liampie. I think that it's destroying the good, traditional feel that I think of when I think of a Wooden Roller Coaster. The industry is turning the woodies into steel coasters because they don't like what a wooden coaster is supposed to be about! If a park wants a wooden coaster that does barrel rolls and that isn't rickety, then why not just get a steel coaster? So I agree that this is all stupid, and I shall miss the classic wooden coaster.

If a park wants a traditional wooden roller coaster they can get a traditional wooden roller coaster, if a park wants a wood coaster with steel track that does a barrel roll they can get that. Don't judge a ride based off what it's made out of, does that really matter? Base it off of how good of a ride it is. A lot more goes into ride design than just wanting a wood or steel coaster or what you want the ride to do, and there is a reason behind everything.

There is a reason behind everything, but not always a good reason. The best coasters IMO are Cyclones and always will be. Most experimental rides sadly don't last long anyways.

Jag, have you ever been on the original Cyclone? I agree there is some American charm to the classic wooden coasters but today they just are painful. No one says, "Wow, I just break several bones in my body. That was the best coaster ever, let's do it again." And they're especially not saying that 80 years after its opening. Corkscrewy provides a great analogy and I completey agree with him.

Besides, there will still be "classic" wooden coasters. Look at GCI and Gold Striker coming this year. Nothing revolutionary about that, just a solid coaster like the oldies. Expect to see Cyclone, Wildcat (Lake Compounce), etc. for years to come. All these steel tracks and loops emerge from competition between parks and companies. Once people have had enough of the inversions, classic woodies will be popular again (just a hypothesis).

Just give wooden coasters with steel track the same wheel systems as a vekoma. It'll last longer and be easier to maintain as well as keeping that rickity holy fuck this hurts part of a traditional wooden coaster. Haha problem solved.

-Josh

I think that Texas Giant was an original idea...I do like the steel system, but just like the Batman coasters or the Boomerang coasters, once one is a big hit, they copy and reproduce the hell out of it trying to out do the last.

Call me crazy but I do too like the old style charm of a old wooden coaster, but technology must take it's course and advance us further

Jag, have you ever been on the original Cyclone? I agree there is some American charm to the classic wooden coasters but today they just are painful. No one says, "Wow, I just break several bones in my body. That was the best coaster ever, let's do it again." And they're especially not saying that 80 years after its opening. Corkscrewy provides a great analogy and I completey agree with him.

Besides, there will still be "classic" wooden coasters. Look at GCI and Gold Striker coming this year. Nothing revolutionary about that, just a solid coaster like the oldies. Expect to see Cyclone, Wildcat (Lake Compounce), etc. for years to come. All these steel tracks and loops emerge from competition between parks and companies. Once people have had enough of the inversions, classic woodies will be popular again (just a hypothesis).

Note the bolded "clone" in the word cyclone. An example of a CyCLONE would be the coaster in my avatar, which although unoriginal, is among the funnest coasters I've ridden. The traditional wooden coaster will last as long as the concept of the roller coaster itself. What I was going to state is that like any experimental design (cars, houses, electronics), experimental roller coasters will fade away into non-existence or altleast obscurity. I can think of the Schwarzkopf Speedracer, the loop on Son of Beast, the TOGO Heartline Twister/ Intamin Spiral Coaster, the Virginia Reel, the Single Rail Rollercoaster, and MANY rides made in the early 1900s (reverser coaster, early looping coasters, Bisby's Spiral Airship, etc). What will prevent these new rides from vanishing in 30 years. Traditional Roller Coasters are pretty much the only kind of rides that have the potential to last indefinitely.

Ride NTG and you'll love them.

Wooden shuttle?

As much as we all "hate TPR" check out their IAAPA footage. Because yes. A wooden shuttle is coming to an amusement park near you.

Also jaguaradolescent, I completely agree with you. Its a fase, its a fasion trend. The only thing thatll stick is good ol' gravity, momentum, and hills.

While I accept these changes for the sole purpose all of those 'concepts' are interesting, I truely feel the classic roller coaster (in a sense) will prevail.

-Josh

Jag, my bad on misunderstanding you're point. But I think we agree that classic wooden coasters will always exist in parks. Just these new trends are what people want and make for good (if not better than the original) roller coasters. Whether or not the trend continues is beyond me.

^I echo that IAPPA video because:
a.) Robb doesn't say much
b.) S&S and RMC give a good look at future coasters and rides (some of which are really incredible)

I think they're great ideas. In my eyes a wooden coaster creates an out of control feeling that is different to a steel coaster, making this out of control feeling smoother by using steel track etc. is great because it still keeps the original out of control feeling that makes wooden coasters so good.

I look at the hybrid steel/wood coasters as a completely separate style, neither a modified woody nor a type of steel coaster. As long as there are companies out there like GCI , the future of the true wooden coaster will be safe. I do have to say though, inversions on a woody is just dumb.

Never quite liked the idea of hybrids, but this idea of a wooden shuttle is just silly to me. It doesn't add to the concept of a woody, nor to that of a shuttle, imo. It's not the type of ride for it, and it probably never will be. Now the inversions, well, let's say that they make a type of coaster I don't like all that much anyways just a little bit better. Better have a hybrid for a ''reason'' (do something a normal woody can't) than a hybrid for the sake of it being a hybrid, hmmn?


Then again, I still prefer nice old-school out and backs, twisters, or in the worst case racers/duellers, that's all the variation good woody's need. Thankfully companies such as GCI and TGC have shown themselves more than capable of creating woody's that are still interesting for a 21st century crowd. So let's leave the innovation op to the steel coasters.



@Disneylandian: It is GCI of all companies that came up with the shuttle woody...

Let's leave innovation up to the steel coasters.

Sorry but in this day and age you need to be top notch on innovation to have theme parks interested in your product. Even though most of these companies have all these great/unconventional ideas already under their sleave. Good example is I eatched the TPR interview with GCI and they said they've had the idea of building a wooden roller coaster with a heartline roll for many years in their arsenal. They said if a park ever said that's what they wanted that they would defenitly do it for them. They designed the millenium flyer trains to handle inversions if need be.

So its not like certain companis are pushing the barrier, they're just the companied the park pursued with the idea. I believe in this industry you need to be cutting edge. No one is ever going to deny the greatness of the traditional wooden coaster but its nice to have the option.

Its not that the shuttle loop coaster is cutting edge its just something different to attract guests to the park. Its meant to be a family ride in the first place. If your the only park in the world to have a certain ride it opens up so much for marketing.

-Josh

Well.. i don't mind modernization of wooden coasters.
The out of control feel must be maintained though ,it's what a woody stands for ,but riding a 'classic' woody can be rough on someones bodyparts, so the comfort of the 'modern' woody's is welcome i.m.o.

I'll withhold any final judgement until after I ride Iron Rattler next year, but for now it seems a bit overboard.

I think Hades 360 looks cool and I really don't like RMC calling Iron Rattler etc. wooden inversions, because technically they aren't.