First Track Pieces Arrive at Knoebels' for their Newest Coaster: Impulse

Adding to the mayhem of coaster construction, Pennsylvania's very own Knoebels! Last year, Knoebels announced their first all steel coaster in quite a while, Impulse, that will be debuting in just a few months.

While there has been plenty of site preparation and other work going on at the small Central Pennsylvania park, today marked the arrival of the first sections of coaster track! Now the real fun begins.

Built by Zieir, the newest coaster to the Knoebels landscape will feature a vertical lift hill and a 90 degree vertical drop down the other side and reach speeds of more than 55mph. For more on all the details, check out our coverage of the announcement.

Now, let's get down to the pictures that were sent on Twitter by the park. Not only do we have a couple from the grand unboxing of Knoebels' newest toy, but also a few other shots of the site being prepped as well!

Construction on Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Newest Coaster Continues

Well, construction is moving ahead more and more with each day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Their newest coaster still hasn't been announced by the park, but it's definitely impossible to hide that something is coming.

We've known for quite a while just what the newest addition to the park will look like and be, so it's a little weird they haven't announced anything by now.

That said, thanks to a ton of folks out there, there's a whole slew of video and construction of what is to believed as either Tempesto or Diavolo. First up, a little video look from the folks at In The Loop.


It really is hard to figure out why the park hasn't said anything as it's painfully obvious they're building something and it was extremely easy to see during their Christmas Town event. Who exactly do they think they're going to surprise with this?

Anyway, now onto a few photos from the awesome folks over at BGWfans.com. You can check out more on their site and forums right here too.

Six Flags New England Announces Wicked Cyclone!

Along with the rest of the Six Flags parks, Six Flags New England has announced that the classic Cyclone wooden coaster will be getting the Rocky Mountain Coasters treatment as well.

Not that much of a surprise for the coaster community, but it's definitely an interesting move and seems to be a trend with Six Flags as of late. So today's announcement of Wicked Cyclone for 2015 at SFNE is definitely an interesting one. Sure, it's not as big or crazy as what's happening with Twisted Colossus at Magic Mountain, but Wicked Cyclone is no slouch either!

“We take great pride in creating incredible, one-of-a-kind experiences for our guests here at the Thrill Capital of New England,” said John Winkler, Six Flags New England Park President. “This project has been years in the making, and the addition of Wicked Cyclone enhances our commitment to delivering world-class thrills to Six Flags New England every year.”

Wicked Cyclone will take riders up 109ft and reach speeds of 55mph on over 3300ft of track and feature a 200 degree stall, two Zero G rolls, and the world’s only Double Reversing Bank Airtime Hill.

Interestingly enough, this will be the first hybrid coaster of it's kind on the East Coast as well, which is a bit weird if you really think about that.

Curious about what it'll actually look like? Here's a rendered video showing just what to expect from the newest Rocky Mountain Coasters creation!


Stay tuned for more updates from Six Flags New England and the rest of the Six Flags parks as more announcements have been released about projects for 2015 at every park!

Twisted Colossus Coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2015!

One of two major Rocky Mountain Coasters conversions, the classic Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain is set to become a whole lot more insane. From the remains, RMC will work it's magic and by doing so create the world's longest hybrid coaster, Twisted Colossus. Featuring over 5,000ft of track and two lift hills, this one looks to be a great tribute to the original while making huge upgrades.

So, what can riders expect? Here's a breakdown of all the elements!

Top Gun Stall – an inversion where the train slows down upside down, the Western Hemisphere’s first “High Five” – where both trains pass through an overbanked turn facing each other with the illusion that you can reach out and “high five” other riders, a Zero G Roll, a 128-foot drop at 80-degrees, 18 airtime hills, two lift hills and four minutes long and nearly 5,000 feet of track!

Yeah, that's a lot to take in right there. “At Six Flags, innovation is in our DNA and with Twisted Colossus, innovation will go to an extreme level with record-breaking elements, faster speeds and steeper banks.  This cutting-edge technology marries the best of both classic and modern coaster designs. It is definitely a twist on a traditional wooden coaster experience,” said park president Bonnie Rabjohn.

You can say that again, but like Six Flags Fiesta Texas' announcement, there's more to this one as it seems the whole area of the park will be getting a bit of a make over as well. Twisted Colossus will be the focal point of the newly themed area, Back Alley, where guests can expect the unexpected through whimsical experiences in entertainment, food and retail.

No clue what that means exactly, but I'm sure we won't have too long to wait. Definitely seems like an interesting move, but that area of the park wasn't themed much at all so it should be an upgrade.

In the meantime, check out the rendered video of what to expect from Twisted Colossus!


Stay tuned for more updates from Six Flags Magic Mountain and the rest of the Six Flags parks as more announcements have been released about projects for 2015 at every park!

Six Flags Fiesta Texas Announces the World's First Free Spinning 4D Coaster, Batman: The Ride

Well, it looks like our hunch was right and while not a B&M Flying coaster, Six Flags Fiesta Texas is getting something truly unique out the mess that is the chain wide 2015 announcement this morning. We've been following this one for a while and while we're not sure what else is changing, we do know that a Batman themed ride is finally coming to SFFT in 2015.

Similar to it's bigger cousin at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Batman: The Ride will feature a spinning motion but unlike X2 the spinning will be completely unpredictable. The seats are free to flip and roll as they will as the trains make their way through two raven drops, and spin at least six times upside down after climbing vertically to the top of the floating track.

“Every year we continue to provide more and more innovative technology and excitement for our park guests and season pass holders. BATMAN™: The Ride is an entirely new concept in ride engineering and will provide a sensory experience like no other coaster. The unanticipated tumbling will add even more thrills as riders travel along the dipping and swirling track,” said park president Martin Bozer.

Batman: The Ride will feature a 120ft vertical elevator style lift hill, at least six inversions due to the spinning of the seats and of course the two over 90 degree raven drops. One of the interesting things is that the trains only seem to seat 8 people in an inward facing set up. This means that riders will face each other and that capacity is absurdly low. Not as bad as Green Lantern at SFMM, but still low.

 But that's not all, it seems as if the entire Rockville area of the park will also be getting a make over too. Not sure if it will be Gotham City or just a general DC theme, but the theming elements going around the new coaster seem to point to either possibly happening. A full-scale Batmobile, the Bat-Signal, plus cutting edge special effects throughout the ride make this the ultimate way to experience the world of Batman.

Curious as to just what this thing can do? Well, here's a video rendering of the ride in action!


Stay tuned for more updates from Six Flags Fiesta Texas and the rest of the Six Flags parks as more announcements have been released about projects for 2015 at every park!

Carowinds Announces Fury 325, the World's Tallest and Fastest Traditional Coaster, for 2015!

We've been speculating for a long time now about just what Carowinds has been hinting at and today they finally made their big announcement. This new announcement for 2015 puts the cross-hairs on the park and definitely makes them a major regional park, as if they weren't already.
 
This morning Carowinds announced the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, Fury 325, as their newest coaster addition!

The new coaster will open in 2015 and feature 325ft tall lift hill, will be 6602 ft long, have an 81 degree first drop, and reach speeds of 95mph over the 3:25 minute ride length. The coaster will turn and bank completely sideways 190 feet in the air in a barrel turn, a 90 degree horseshoe turn, dive underground under a new guest entry bridge, and features an 111ft airtime camel back hill.

The park will be revamped from top to bottom to celebrate Carolina culture including new rides and attractions, signature Carolina food offerings and entertainment. Opening in Spring 2015, Fury 325 will be the centerpiece of a new 8.2 acre main entrance plaza that includes a state–of–the–art ticketing and season pass processing area and expanded guest service facilities.

Here's a look at some of the renderings showing off just what the newest record breaking coaster will look like, including the ride's full layout!

Not enough for ya? Here's the full rendered POV video of what to expect from the newest monster coaster at Carowinds!

First Piece of Thunderbird Track in Place at Holiday World!

Well, that didn't take long as just last week the first sections of track for Holiday World's newest scream machine, Thunderbird, arrived. Today, the Holiblog posted up a few pictures showing the first piece of track going into place for their newest and first ever steel coaster.

Thunderbird is not only the park's first all steel coaster, but also the world's first ever launched wing coaster as well.

Have to say, the orange track is going to be incredible to see snaking through the woods, and night rides are going to be insane. Anyway, the first section of track to be installed, as pictured below, is for the station and as they say "only 76 more to go!"

Check out the Holiblog, Holiday World's official blog for more pictures here!

Stay tuned for more updates on the construction of Thunderbird and we can't wait to get a chance to take flight in April of 2015!

Could a B&M Flying Coaster be Coming to Six Flags Fiesta Texas?

More clues have been coming out of Six Flags Fiesta Texas about their 2015 project in the past week or so. We now have confirmation that Motorama will be closing down for good soon too and we're pretty sure that Hustler is going as well.

Recently the messages at the phone numbers for Rockville Reality have changed a little bit and it's definitely sounding like something big is on the way. Additionally, new heights have been mentioned by the park in regards to their huge 2015 balloon that's been seen in the park the past few weeks.

From the sounds of things, it looks like a flying coaster is coming. So, let's get down to unraveling a few things here and seeing just where the clues lead us to, shall we? First up is the new message from Rockville Reality. In it we find the opening has changed to include a mention of "flipping", so something that loops is definitely coming at least.

Now, also in the message is the something that was pointed out by one of our readers. The words "Boring" and "Mundane" have been somewhat emphasized. Normally this wouldn't mean much of anything but considering they start with initials of Bolliger & Mabillard, it's a little more significant here.

So, where do we get the flying? Well this tweet sent out by the park mentions it in all caps, so that's gotta have something to do with things. So far we've had "dropping and diving" and "OUT OF CONTROL" and now "FLYING".

#SFFT2015 is FLYING at a height of 106'! I was surprised by something I saw on the balloon. @aceonlineorg @AboutThemeParks @TexasThrills
— Fiesta Texas (@SF_FiestaTexas) July 30, 2014

Now we've also got a new height to deal with as well. The first was 92.5ft and now this one is 106ft. I would imagine that we're seeing heights of different elements for the new ride. If it is a B&M flying coaster, it could be largest Six Flags has built yet. That of course depends on if the 106ft height is for the lift hill and not something else. Granted, if any element is 106ft and it's not the lift hill, it still would be the largest since it'd need a very strong start...unless of course they go crazy and try a launched flying coaster.

Indoor Spinning Wild Mouse or 3D Dark Ride for Hersheypark in 2015?

Well, it's no secret that Hersheypark is planning something for 2015, the clues have been slowly trickling out on the park's website and various other places. What we do know is that something is planned for the area around where The Whip currently is. Now, while we do have semi-confirmation that The Whip won't be leaving the park, it could be moved to another location as well.

So far all the signs seem to be pointing to some kind of dark ride, or at least an indoor attraction of some sort. The latest three only make things even more confusing though. Though, I kinda suppose that's the point of all this, isn't it?

UPDATE: Looks like we were right! Hersheypark has announced an indoor spinning "glow coaster", Laff Trakk, for 2015. Click here for all the details and POV!

Now, onto to the newest clues!

This is the key to the whole dark ride idea, and it seems like it's being telegraphed a good bit

The "only dark" has to be a sign of an indoor attraction. Just what that might be is anyone's guess but there's a few more clues that just might help out on this one. 

Now, what a crystal ball and the previous clue about a card deck of red, white and blue have to do with each other? Yeah, that's anyone's guess because I have no earthly idea what kind of link could be there.

The next couple of clues that have surfaced have +Carrie H.C. and I thinking that this is likely to be one of three things. But let's examine the clues first.

Here's the more interesting part. Not only is spinning mentioned, but also a distorted view. The first thought is an indoor spinning wild mouse, but the distorted view part kind of throws that out as it definitely sounds like 3D is going to be implemented in some form or another.

There's only one other indoor spinning wild mouse that I know of, Exterminator at Kennywood. Would be interesting to see another showing up in PA.

The final clue that's been released so far has them saying that it's "not the first", so whatever it is has been done before and that leaves us with quite a few options. 

As stated above, there's the indoor spinning wild mouse idea which has been done. There's also been a number of 3D dark rides that include a lot of spinning as well. Most notably; Transformers at Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando, Spiderman at Islands of Adventure and Curse of DarKastle at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Something similar to Ratatouille at Disneyland Paris or even Mystic Manor in Hong Kong could be possible too.

Of course, there's the possibility of getting into something like some kind of shooter where the cars spin as well. That could be getting into the "first ever" thing though and by the clue, it's not the first of it's kind. So, right now I'd be willing to bet it's going to be something like Exterminator or one of the other rides listed above.

We'll know soon enough though as the big announcement is coming in just 5 days so stay tuned and follow us on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the news out of Hersheypark and everyone else that's building in 2015!

Gardaland Dive Coaster Hype at Full Throttle

Construction of Gardaland's newest coaster, what is heavily believed to be a B&M dive machine, is underway and they're not wasting any time getting the word out there that something is coming. Not only is there a whole teaser website set up for the new coaster, but they've been tying it into displays in the park as well.

The display, pictured left, was empty for a while but that didn't last long. Once the teaser site went up, there was a strange orange glowing crater inside the structure as well as two uniformed staff standing outside of it. Weird, huh?

Now, this does make a lot of sense given what was shown in the video on the site in the form of a fake news report talking about some kind of otherworldly disturbance appearing over the park.

There's actually three videos, one of them going back to the beginning of the park's construction and the weird crater showing up then. Then, in the newer newscast, some kind of giant rift in the sky can be seen, taken from a "German tourist's cell phone". You can catch the videos here, if you don't understand Italian, there's a slider at the top for English subtitles.

Since then, another video has surfaced on the site as well. This one interviewing people who spotted yet another sighting of the strange vortex in the sky with hints that this happened back in the '70s as well and reports of seeing the beams of light coming from it as well.

Since we know it's a B&M coaster, the hints being given are a bit obvious at this point but it's still fun to follow along with the clues and all that. Then again, we have no idea what the ride will be called or it's theme and size either really. So, that's still a good mystery to try and solve. Stay tuned for more updates out of Gardaland and their new coaster for 2015!

Cyclone Already Under the Knife at Six Flags New England

The folks up at Six Flags New England aren't wasting any time with the deconstruction of Cyclone. It was only 10 days ago that fans and coaster enthusiasts bid the iconic coaster a final farewell, and today the dismantling project is already well underway.

While the park has not announced exactly what they have planned for their beloved wooden coaster, the consensus is that it will be getting the Rocky Mountain Coaster overhaul treatment.

This is the newest trend with Six Flags across all their parks it seems. Rattler turning into Iron Rattler, Texas Giant into New Texas Giant, and most likely Colossus into Iron Colossus. While many of the new incarnations have been critically acclaimed, it's still sad to see the classics go. Probably wouldn't be so much of a problem if Six Flags would actually maintain them properly, but that's another matter entirely.

In the pictures below, you can see that not only are workers carefully removing the track, but large portions of it are also missing just after the station and before the lift hill. If there's any clues in that, it's the same order of things that happened with Texas Giant and Rattler. Of course, it might just be the easiest way to do things as well.

For more images, check out SFNEonline!

One thing is sure though, they're being careful and that's definitely a sign that they're not completely getting rid of the ride. Also, according to SFNEonline, there's rumors of RMC crews on the site as well. Could be nothing, could be everything and until the park comes out and says what they're up to, we'll just have to wait and see.

More Clues about Six Flags Fiesta Texas' 2015 Plans

Six Flags Fiesta Texas is definitely up to something and recent observations, along with the park's own postings, have only confirmed such. There's also some rumors as to just where this new ride might be going in as well.

Now, I'm not nearly as familiar with the Texas Six Flags parks, so bare with me a little on this one. If there's any info you can give, please let us know in the comments!

So with that said, let's take a look at the newest clues. The first comes in the form of a tweet sent out the park saying that Rockville Reality was having a little big of a snake problem...

Rockville Realty is having problems finding buyers due to a snake problem. Sounds like we need MK Bozer. #SFFT2015 pic.twitter.com/JJBRCGPOD3
— Fiesta Texas (@SF_FiestaTexas) July 26, 2014

Now, the park already has Iron Rattler so the snake bit fits there. However, diving a little more and calling the number in the picture that accompanied that tweet revealed a little more information. As it would turn out, Rockville is getting set for a "renovation and renewel project" and hints at a "thrilling challenge" as well as "making history". 

Not much to go on, but definitely hinting at a new attraction coming to the section of the park. So far it seems like it'll be a thrill ride at least, would imagine that it's going to be a coaster of some kind. However, there are many flat rides that reach the earlier mentioned height of 92.5ft at as well.

It's from here that things get a little more interesting. In another clue, they seem to be hinting at something that dips and dives, also why I believe this is going to be a coaster.

Holiday World Announces Thunderbird Coming in 2015!

It's been 66 Days of traveling with the crew and passengers of The Mayflower. Their journey has been a long and arduous one, filled with many curiosities along the way.

Now that journey is over and we finally have our answer to what Holiday World will be adding to their already impressive collection of world class coasters and rides.

Let us be amongst the first to introduce you to, Thunderbird ,the world's first B&M launched wing coaster! 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and have a total of 4 inversions as it hugs the ground and soars through the forest. This is the first launched coaster from B&M, ever and will be open in Spring of 2015.

Here's the official announcement video from the park:


Thunderbird marks the largest investment in the park's 68 year history at $22 million dollars and definitely is going to be a worthy addition to the park. Now for the animated POV to see just what it'll be like to ride Thunderbird!



The coaster will feature a launch, using LSM technology, an Immelmann loop, 125' Loop, Horseshoe, Elevated Spiral, Zero-G roll, S curve, 2 “headchopper” keyholes, a Carousel, a 360 in-line twist (barrel roll) and 2 Crossovers with The Voyage as it screams over 3,000+ft of track. In a nice touch, the pulley building will be named "Will Power" after Will Koch, who passed away a couple of years back. This was his dream to build and now it's a reality.

For those curious, here's what the layout of this ground breaking ride will look like after the break.

A Few More Hints Before Holiday World's Big Announcement

Okay, so yesterday I said it was the final hint, but apparently a few more interesting tidbits have come out from the HoliBlog, Holiday World's official park blog.

This time there's a bunch of messages from park staff that seem to be hinting whatever they're planning out there and even a little translation fun!

UPDATE: Thunderbird, Launched Flying Coaster Announced, click here for the details!

First up, quotes from the park's upper management that may have a few clues going on and a few odd little tidbits about shows and the like, but probably just to throw things off and be funny. Anyway, here's the full list of quotes:

"Bellyaching and moaning won’t get you any closer to announcement time"
“Still wanting that birds of prey show.”
“My clue was in the title. Try misspelling Bastille.”
“One mammoth of an announcement.”
“I’ll get you a clue as soon as I finish up these 22 million other tasks on my list.”
“I always wanted a younger brother.”
“They usually keep me in the loop for this sort of thing … guess I need to catch up on reading my emails.”
“I’m too busy mocking the birds of prey show to think of a clue.”

The key words to focus on here are definitely; Bellyaching, Birds of Prey, Bastille, Mammoth, Younger Brother and Loop.

Now, as far as the translation goes? Here's what Google Translate spit out:

"I believe that this key should be in German. (I'm sorry. I have not spoken German for a year.) Our designers designed our project in a German speaking country. Unfortunately, there are many good designers in German-speaking countries. One should remember that it is great. Very large. It is also unique. That's all! Have fun with Google Translate! "

The thing that jumps out immediately is the "German speaking country" bit and while most think that's only Germany, there's actually 6 countries that German is the official language for. So, what ride manufactures does this cover? A lot actually. The list includes Mack Rides, Bolliger & Mabillard, Gerstlauer, Maurer Söhne, and Intamin or even Vekoma as well. All of these could be suspect and leaving any off the table right now is hard to do. They all are big names but the biggest of them all are B&M and Intamin.

Either way, just a little under 7 hours until we finally get answers to all the nagging questions!


Follow us on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook for all the news as it happens from Santa Claus, Indiana later tonight!

h/t to BehindtheThrills.com!

Six Flags Fiesta Texas Teases 2015 Project with Huge Balloon!

Not to be left out of the insane 2015 building spree that's going on, Six Flags Fiesta Texas has hinted at their next project as well.

Last night they posted a picture on Twitter showing off a huge balloon floating high above the park with 2015 written on the side of it. The interesting thing about it is that they mentioned the height of the balloon, 92.5'. Seems too short for a coaster, though some are only that height, but could be something entirely different as well.

Here's the Tweet that was sent out;

Wow... You can see #SFFT2015 from everywhere! If I were to guess, I think the balloon is flying at a height of 92.5'. pic.twitter.com/8X0UWM5EtX
— Fiesta Texas (@SF_FiestaTexas) July 24, 2014

Seems like a peculiarly accurate statement to make, so anything other than height I'd be suspect on. Some are thinking maybe drop angle if it were a coaster, but there's really no telling what this could be right now. We'll just have to wait and see what other clues come out of the park in the coming weeks and months and hope that we get an answer sooner rather than later!

Cedar Point to get New Dark Ride in 2015?

Okay, so it was rumored last year that Cedar Point may be getting a dark ride in 2014. Turns out that rumor was false, the dark ride ended up at Canada's Wonderland as Wonder Mountain's Guardian. It's not the first time that's happened either, in the past Knott's Berry Farm was to get a giga coaster and that ended up in Canada as Leviathan.

So, here we are once again with a rumor stating that Cedar Point may finally get their dark ride, assuming of course this one doesn't get shipped off either. However, there is a case for things this time around. As reported by Screamscape, this mainly comes in the way of something from Twitter and the name of a camp site. Doesn't get any weirder than that, but here we are.

First up, the tweet from Cedar Point's Tony Clark:

Currently working diligently on 2015. Did I spel that rite? More importantly, did I say it right...
— Tony Clark (@TonyClarkCP) July 15, 2014

The interesting bit there is the "Did I spel that right?" and "Did I say it right.." bits. Time for a little word geekery to get to the bottom of this one!

First off, "spel" is an Old English spelling for the word "spell", as in magical spells. Next up is the word "rite", which by definition is typically a ritual of some kind. So out of context it seems like nothing, but a little deeper look and we get a ritual spell out of it. Now, that last bit? Any fan of the Evil Dead movies should get the reference there to Army of Darkness, saying these things is important, just ask Ash how that turns out if you get it wrong. Remember, don't speak the Latin!

The other clue is that the temporary camp name during the Coaster Campout Event that was held over the weekend of 19th and 20th. The name was Camp Rou. On it's own, it seems rather innocuous. However, knowing that Cedar Fair has filed a trademark for Rougarou, the French word for Werewolf earlier this year makes it a little more interesting than normal. Interestingly enough, it also is an abbreviation for Romania (nice tie in there) and I doubt they meant it to mean Roué which is a man devoted to a life of sensual pleasure. It could be, but that'd be weird.

Silver Dollar City to Announce 2015 Expansion August 13th - Fireman's Landing?

The folks at Silver Dollar City have been busy putting up banners around the Geyser Gulch section of the park that give the date for their 2015 project announcement. The new area is suspected to be called "Fireman's Landing", based on a trademark filed by  Herschend earlier this year.

You guessed it, Fireman themed and by the looks of it, turn of the century fireman at that. If this sounds familiar, it should. Dollywood opened Firechaser Express just this year as well.

That said, we won't have to wait long until the "5 Alarm Announcement" as it will be coming to use on August 13th. So, just a few weeks away. What exactly will be going into the area is not entirely known, and construction updates from MidwestInfoGuide.com haven't shown any hints of what might be to come either.

Either way, here's the banners that have been spotted, courtesy of MidwestInfoGuide.com!