As soon as Texas Giant’s redesign was announced I, like many, wondered two things. First, I wondered if it would be successful? Having ridden Texas Giant last week, I can say with first-hand experience that it was a massive success. I gave it a 10 out of 10 and it entered my Top 10 list. Read my full Texas Giant review.
Secondly, I thought about which other woodies should get the steel track overhaul. That question is even more pertinent now that the Giant’s transformation went so well. Once other parks catch wind of the Six Flags Over Texas’ 2011 attendance numbers, rave reviews from park guests who had written off the ride, and all of the buzz on the Web, I’d have to think that they’ll start looking at their old rough woodies with low ridership and complaints as an upcoming project. They could bring in Rocky Mountain Construction and have them revitalize a park landmark and turn a weakness into a strength.
Anyway, I figured it’d be fun to pick the next wooden coaster to go steel. I’ll start the list with first three that I came up with.
Nominee #1 Son of Beast at Kings Island
Why Son of Beast? Son of Beast has been plagued by incidents and closings for years including a lawsuit that was recently settled. It was involved in an accident from 2006 that injured 27 people. The record-breaking woodie was closed in 2010 and will remain closed in 2011. I’m no engineer and I haven’t even ridden Son of Beast as it was closed when I went to Kings Island, but I’d have to think that an-all steel track redesign would make its layout less dangerous.
Should Son of Beast get the new Iron Horse steel track?
- Yes (84%, 42 Votes)
- No (16%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 50
Loading ...Nominee #2 Mean Streak at Cedar Point
Why Mean Streak? To me, wood has been a weakness in Cedar Point’s celebrated lineup mostly thanks to the enormous, but rough and head ache-inducing Mean Streak. Scan my review and the 30+ comments below it and you’ll see words like: “rough”, “head-ache”, “downright painful”, “intense pain”, “sore”, & “craptitude” over and over again. Well, that last word is only in there once, but you get the point.
Should Mean Streak get the new Iron Horse steel track?
- Yes (78%, 31 Votes)
- No (22%, 9 Votes)
Total Voters: 40
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Nominee #3 GhostRider at Knotts Berry Farm
Why GhostRider? At only 13 years old(!) GhostRider’s a textbook example of how woodies can go bad pretty fast. I don’t remember a whole lot from my ride other than it being painful and just too rough to be enjoyable. Knott’s seemed to be a bit limited on space for expansion and renovating GhostRider would allow them to add a new attraction without having to deal with the space constraints.
Should GhostRider get the new Iron Horse steel track?
- Yes (51%, 18 Votes)
- No (49%, 17 Votes)
Total Voters: 35
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Nominee #4 Grizzly at Kings Dominion
Why Grizzly? My old favorite has definitely seen better days. The ride’s signature tunnel with that swooping turn is quite painful now. I’d be all for a steel makeover, I’m just not sure if it’s enough of a ‘main attraction’ for Kings Dominion to put that much money in it.
Should Grizzly get the new Iron Horse steel track?
- No (61%, 20 Votes)
- Yes (39%, 13 Votes)
Total Voters: 33
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Nominee #5 Wildcat at Hersheypark
Why Wildcat? Riding Hersheypark’s Wildcat back in 2006 was one of the roughest rides I can remember. I was familiar with similar woodie Roar at Six Flags America, so after realizing how rough the ride was going I braced myself for the rides most intense transition and still paid the price. I gave it a 3.5 (Bad) and many of the 20+ comments agreed. But, others have said that the ride has gotten smoother in recent years. Read my full Wildcat at Hersheypark review.
Should Wildcat get the new Iron Horse steel track?
- No (62%, 21 Votes)
- Yes (38%, 13 Votes)
Total Voters: 34
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Nominee #6 Boss at Six Flags St. Louis
Why Boss? I can’t say that I know much about Boss and I’ve never ridden it, but it received enough nominations from the readers so it’ll be the sixth and final nominee.
Should Boss get the new Iron Horse steel track?
- Yes (53%, 16 Votes)
- No (47%, 14 Votes)
Total Voters: 30
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UPDATE – Nominations are now closed. Thanks to the readers for nominating the last three roller coasters. I’ve added Yes/No polls to each of the nominees and voting will be open until 5/15. So, let’s see which of these roller coasters will be voted most and least deserving of an Iron Horse makeover.
What’s Your Take?
Which woodies deserve a steel reboot like Texas Giant’s? Nominate another woodie and be sure to state why you think it could use a similar upgrade. If a minimum of three commenters agree, I’ll add that coaster to the list. Once the list is done, I’ll create a poll and we’ll vote for the most deserving woodie to go steel. Images courtesy of CoasterImage and Naystin
April 26, 2011 at 21:19
I haven't been on SOB or Mean Streak, but those seem like obvious choices.
I have been on Ghost Rider, it wasn't the worst but it wasn't the best either.
Can they run Timberliner trains on these new hybrids …
Some other candidates:
Hurler and Grizzly at Kings Dominion. Rebel Yell doesn't need it.
Both "Roars" at Six Flags (DC, SF).
Colossus at Magic Mountain (although that has been retracked a little, it was smoother a few weeks ago than it was last year) but it's not fun compared with SFMM's other wooden coaster.
Cyclone at Riverside, I mean Six Flags New England.
Hercules at Dorney would have been a good candidate, that's the tallest wooden coaster I've been on (in its early years, when it was still good).
April 27, 2011 at 01:47
I agree with ROAR and Cyclone@SFNE, but I've heard that ROAR@SFA was re-fabed. I've never actualy ridden it, but from what I've heard, Hades could use one.
April 27, 2011 at 11:06
I would vote for Grizzly at KD also. Rode it last year and it was very rough. All I've ever heard thru the years was how great it is and I know it's a very well thought of coaster so it would be nice for it to be restored to it's glory years. Rebel yell is already pretty fun and not very rough.
April 26, 2011 at 23:28
If that extreme makeover rides as sweet as you say and as smooth as it looks then, yeah, I can think of a few candidates. The Son of Beast wouldn’t be worth the effort, as it was rather boring BEFORE they took out the loop. The first drop was great, even with those painful trains and the loop was incredible. Unfortunately that was about all it had going for it. Helixes and huge, swooping turns didn’t make up for a lack of hills, airtime and a surprise or two. The only reason it’s less boring than its daddy, The Beast, is that it’s not as long. I said the year it opened that they should dismantle both of them and build three or four really good, smaller coasters with all of that wasted wood.
I do agree about Mean Streak. That puppy was a lot of fun during its first couple of years. I rode it when it was barely a month old. However, it’s suffered the same fate as most of the Summers & Dinn or Bill Cobb wooden beauties of the late 20th century. They didn’t age well, nor were they meticulously maintained. Smoothing out Mean Streak with that new I-beam rail could work miracles and wind up filling that giant queue in its belly again. It looks like a ghost town now and I’m surprised they didn’t drop in few flat rides to fill up some of that precious space on that already crowded peninsula.
Too bad Hercules (or Hurt-Your-Knees as it was not so affectionately named, even by park staff) didn’t survive the wrecking ball. That one had a great first drop to the water and several nifty elements, including an incredible head-chopper as it ducked under the station. That one got rough quickly too, unfortunately.
The Grizzly at King’s Dominion would be another prime candidate. That bear used to dash through the woods, with most of its trackage hidden by the trees in that then undeveloped area of the park. The sudden right turn into the tunnel made me yank my arms down for a second the first dozen or so times I rode it. Grizzly is still on my list of favorites, just based on past experience. It could be great again. That might also work on John Allen’s Rebel Yell. That was my first racer 35 years ago and I believe that layout would work well with that new track design. Lots of bunny hops!
I would add the Coney Island Cyclone, but I firmly believe that should be restored as a classic, multi-layered woodie. And too bad the Thunderbolt and the Cyclone as well as their great wooden-troughed Bobs weren’t left standing to be revived now during Coney Island’s renaissance. I rode all of them back in the day as well as that Harry Traver wonder over in Jersey at Palisades Park. Well, at least I have great memories.
April 26, 2011 at 23:31
I meant Tornado, not Cyclone referring to the old Coney coasters.
April 27, 2011 at 09:55
Definitely SOB. However, I wouldn't say Mean Streak, as Cedar Point already has a steel-tracked hybrid, and I think it would be a better idea for the Streak to be completely dismantled and replaced by a record-setting Intamin prefab. CP loves their records, and they need a good true woodie. Some other good candidates would be The Boss at SFSTL, American Eagle at SFGAm, and Hades at Mt. Olympus (but that would require the park to spend money).
April 27, 2011 at 11:11
All Hades needs is a Timberliner.
April 27, 2011 at 11:51
I agree with Boss at SFSTL, because I haven't once been able to ride it once with my hands up the whole time. Its very fun, you just have to hang on very tight or get bruised badly. Other than Boss, SOB, Mean Streak, and Hades deserve a re-tracking too.
April 27, 2011 at 13:36
The Boss is the best ride ever! Well, not exactly… My Mom rode it once, loved it, but couldn't go back on cause it was to rough. BOSS IS DA BOSS!!!!
April 29, 2011 at 14:37
I tried to pick bigger woodies with reputations for being rough, because the bigger the drop, the easier it is to reconfigure it past 70 degrees. Hades isn't as bad as some, but the underground element could remain pretty much the same, but from what I've heard, the rest of the ride could definitely be smoothed out.
April 27, 2011 at 09:56
Definitely son of beast. As for my own:
Grizzly at kings dominion- was very rough and hurtful
Wildcat at hershey- was very rough and painful
The voyage- people say it is rough and it is too good to be rough, so with steel track it would be better. However, it may not win so many awards in the steel category. I am thinking prefabrication for this one. Its already half steel. (in the supports)
April 27, 2011 at 10:05
I agree with Matt that the Wildcat at Hersheypark would benefit from steel track. Wildcat has a great layout, but it's one rough coaster, even with the Millennium Flyer trains they began using a few years ago. I still won't go anywhere near the back row of this ride.
April 27, 2011 at 11:14
Son of Beast has had lawsuits against it. People on Mean Streak and GhostRider just have a rough ride. Besides, I've heard that Mean Streak's days are numbered for an Intamin pre-fab within the next 5 years or so.
April 27, 2011 at 16:21
I think Ghostrider could benefit greatly with just a retracking and topper track, but Colossus at SFMM (which I've heard is next in line for the treatment anyways) and Twister II at Elitch Gardens are prime examples other than the obvious SOB and Mean Streak. I would also say Grizzly at Great America but it may be better off in a smoldering pile.
April 27, 2011 at 20:09
I think it would be nice if colossus got a reno, especially since SFMM is my home park! It gets a bit boring around the turns and the camelback was replaced with breaks. It would be awesome to bring that back! None of the woodies at SFMM are that great. Terminator/Apocalypse is fun but too short. They had so much space to build an amazing coaster, but they had to keep it small to fit it in next to colossus. Then there's the stupid pre-show which is ok once, but to have to see it each time! Really? They also don't keep within their budget. So redoing colossus' track would make it way more fun and would be cost effective. Giving them the strong woodie they need.
April 27, 2011 at 21:56
Grizzly at CA Great America is not rough at all. But it doesn't "do" anything. Sitting in the front or back seat there is zero airtime. I didn't bother with a middle seat ride. In the back the train feels like it might "rollback" going up the first hill after the initial drop. It's a kid ride masquerading as a major ride. The nearby mouse coaster was more exciting. There's one part midway through where you can feel a slight amount of lateral turn (the fan curve near the station) but the other turns at the far end of the ride don't need to be banked at all, the ride is too slow there to require banking. The only good thing about the ride is it is not rough.
The only good coaster there is the inverted coaster, that was excellent. Vortex at CGA is the first B&M I've been on that I did not like, the corkscrew wasn't designed well and it's painful. I love Riddler at Magic Mountain (one of my favorites) but CGA's Vortex was awful. It won't surprise me if CGA becomes more office buildings.
If I ever go back there it's likely the only coaster I'd ride again is Flight Deck. Even their aging Arrow "Demon" is not as good as the sibling coaster in Illinois at the other Great America.
April 28, 2011 at 03:42
I think it's interesting that everyone is hailing this as a great success so soon after opening. Yes, the reviews seem good, but this wood-to-steel conversion has barely stood the test of time, which is what has plagued most of the "nominees" in the first place.
I know that the public barely cares about what goes into maintenance, but if the track starts fatiguing in places no one ever predicted, a subpar maintenance team that allowed the wood track to lose its integrity in the first place would not fare much better with this.
I'm not saying this will fail, but I think we should be cautiously optimistic at best. Most rides (with new track) are successful off the bat, given an interesting layout.
Plus, I'm not sure the "let's make these wood coasters steel because it seems easier" is a good mentality for the industry.
April 28, 2011 at 07:25
You make some good points. You're right in that we don't know the long term effects or possible maintenance issues. These are uknowns. I'm just going on what I know now.
And I'm not saying parks should turn all of their woodies steel instead of just doing maintenance and rehabing. I just think that a park might look at one of their aging woodies and see an opportunity to transform it into an exciting and enjoyable ride. They should definitely maintain and rehab, but for a few once marquee woodies that have fans calling for the wrecking ball this new i-box track COULD BE the answer.
Good points TF.
April 28, 2011 at 06:30
I will also say Wildcat at Hersheypark. It would be a great way to save such a great layout. I can barely get through one ride on that thing now.
April 28, 2011 at 08:16
Son of Beast, no question. The other coasters listed are still operable in their incarnation, with Son of Beast standing without operating for as long is it has, either a wrecking ball or massive overhaul is required for the ride.
April 28, 2011 at 16:55
Thanks for the nominees guys. I added Grizzly and Wildcat to the list. Like I said, I'll put up a poll soon and we'll see which coaster gets the most votes.
April 28, 2011 at 18:15
My opinion? None of them.
I don't want to see a single coaster get the now-fabled "Texas Giant" treatment because I've never found a single steel coaster to ever compare to the feeling of a wooden coaster. I don't want to see any more parks destroying what could be a legendary wooden coaster if they'd just learn how to take care of it properly.
I don't want to see any turn into pre-fabs either: if they were built with traditional wooden track, they should stay traditional wooden track. My top 2 coasters are traditionally-tracked wooden coasters (Voyage and Hades) before you find the pre-fab El Toro sneaking in there at number three, only to be followed by more traditionally-tracked wooden coasters.
Son of Beast has tons of potential – if they'd let Gravity Group come in and reconfigure it's current boring, painful layout (who decided a gigantic, incredibly forceful helix right after a 200' drop was a good idea, anyway?), and if the maintenance department would maintain it correctly (sadly, something Cedar Fair has no apparent clue how to do: notice how many of the coasters recommended so far belong to this chain), then it has the potential to be as mind-blowing as Voyage, which is only 52' shorter.
Coasters I definitely would NOT want to see get the "Texas Giant" treatment because it would destroy a fabulous ride:
Grizzly (which is in my top ten)
Wildcat at Hershey (I found nothing rough about it at all with the MFs, plus it was GCII's first)
Roar at SFA (a little forceful, but not rough)
the Boss as SFStL (during the hottest months I'm sure it can get a little rough, but in pre- and post-season it rides smooth as butter)
Hades (my number 2 coaster – it would not be magical if it wasn't wood)
Voyage (it should be considered sacrilege to even suggest it)
I think the issue a lot of people have is that they are used to riding gentle wood coasters or super-smooth B&M steel coasters. A good wooden coaster is going to be turbulent. It's going to shake you up. You have to let it take you where it wants to go and not fight it. It will never ride like a steel coaster and you should never expect it to.
However, no coaster should ever be allowed to get to the point that Son of Beast and Mean Streak have. Cedar Fair should be disappointed in themselves for letting such marvels of engineering fall into disrepair to the point people don't want to ride them.
April 29, 2011 at 01:59
I think that you probably rode ROAR@SFA at a different time than the rest of us. When I rode It, I felt no "forces", all I felt was a HUGE headache from being relentlessley rattled and shaked for almost 2 minutes straight. I couldn't even enjoy the ride because al I could pay attention to was the Increadible speed at which this thing made my head feel like It was going to split in two.
April 30, 2011 at 20:32
totally agree with most of that, a lot of people complain about rough woodies but most are perfectly fine for a WOODEN coaster. I expect smoothness on a good steel coaster, however I expect to be thrown around on a wooden ride. Woodies that have been neglected could definately use a topper track treatment if the park insists on being lazy on proper upkeep, I'm fine with that. However if a ride's layout is subpar enough as to not warrant even a retracking as it would still dissapoint, bring on the Iron Horse rebirth.
June 29, 2011 at 07:32
Don't you realize that Yoyage is on steel supports. It is not traditional.
April 29, 2011 at 10:03
I agree with SOB- but ALSO think this could be a great treatment for the Georgia Cyclone at SFOG- the last time I took a spin on that thing it hurt far worse than the Texas Giant EVER did. Plus SFOG is one of my favorite parks and I would love to see them with something world class in place of that monster..
May 1, 2011 at 04:17
I haven't ridden any of these, but I voted "Yes" for SOB simply because of the lawsuit. I'm still suprised the SFNE Cyclone wasn't voted in.
May 8, 2011 at 07:44
The only one of these that I have ridden in Mean Streak, it was rough but not the worst that I have been on. SOB is obvious because it is just standing there, all of the others are still operating, but SOB is standing but not operating.
May 31, 2011 at 00:56
I'm surprised no one said the Rattler at SFFT. It's been useless since they neutered the ride by raising its record breaking drop by 40 feet. They did some retracking this year, but it's bound to get rougher again (poor build quality, designed in house). I can imagine it ever becoming popular again with a serious overhaul and its most prized asset back.
May 31, 2011 at 10:30
The Georgia Cyclone at SFOG needs this BIG time. Even more than GASM does and I'm so serious even though they are both fun.
But I think a good move for cedar point would be to remodel mean streak I've heard some bad reviews for it. SFOG could do that for Georgia Cyclone too.
June 29, 2011 at 07:28
If you sit in the front on both of those rides it isn't bad at all. Georgia Cyclone is one of my favorite coasters as long as I am sitting in the first 3 rows.
June 29, 2011 at 11:11
Thanks. I'll try sitting towards the front when I head back to SFOGA soon.