Busch Gardens Williamsburg Announces Park's First Wooden Coaster for 2017

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has announced that in 2017, a brand new coaster will be coming to the park. This time, the park's first ever wooden coaster! Yep, that's right...at long last there will be a woodie within the confines of BGW.

There's not a ton of details out about this one just yet, as 2017 is a bit far off, but we do know that the coaster, built by Great Coasters International, will feature a few different elements and we know it's top speed. After a 74ft drop, riders will hit speeds of 48mph and will have 9 air time hills as trains cover over 2100ft of track. Sounds tame, but remember, some of the best coasters in the world aren't the fastest either.

Outside of that, the coaster will be going in the New France section of the park and will be themed around the idea of a Viking invasion where the settlers of New France will have to defend themselves against the invading hordes. Definitely going to be interesting to see just how that plays out with theming and other ride elements. 

Speaking of that, one of the more interesting things about this is that Busch Gardens Williamsburg is involving park goers and coaster fanatics alike to help with the decision making process. Yep, you heard that right. Not only is the name of the new coaster up for a vote right now, you can vote once a day here, but they're also going to be letting everyone vote on certain elements of the ride and theming as well!

And that's about all there is at the moment. Be sure to stick around as we'll definitely be covering the developments of this all throughout the progress, and check out the full trailer for the ride below!

Tayto Park's New Coaster Named as Construction Continues

It's been a while since we've taken a peek at what's going on over at Ireland's Tayto Park, and it seems quite a bit has transpired since our last look. Not only has their newest coaster gotten a name, but concept art for the trains has been released as well as a ton of construction photos.

The coaster, built by The Gravity Group, will be a true one of a kind and Europe's only wooden coaster to feature an inversion in the layout, for now at least.

Definitely interesting and should fit the theme of things pretty well. Oh, right the name. Earlier this month it was announced that it will be called The Cú Chulainn Coaster after the Irish mythological hero of the same.

Coming in at 4,593ft in length, Cú Chulainn, will be Europe's longest wooden coaster and in the top ten for height and drop as well. Sadly, it's corkscrew inversion will only keep it as Europe's only wooden coaster with such for a year, since Kolmården's Wildfire is set to open in 2016 with three. Still, it gets to be to be first, so that counts for something!

As you can see in the image above, the trains are going to themed pretty insanely and they're really something different all together. I don't think I've seen that much work on the front of a lead car in a very long time.

So, anyway, here's the real reason ya probably, came. Pictures of construction!

Busch Gardens Tampa- Gwazi Closing, Official Announcement

 Gwazi Closing for Good, Says Busch Gardens Tampa.

 Honestly, I'm not even the smallest bit surprised when I woke up to read this news. Gwazi has been a long-standing issue for Busch Gardens Tampa in recent years.

 Now, I could go into detail but I'm sure you've all read my opinions on the matter before, so I won't bore you with a litany of complaints in regards to theme parks not up-keeping their attractions. If you do want to know- Please see "This Link About Gwazi".

 Sunday, February 1st will be the final day and Gwazi will close for good. A sad ending for what was once the pride of Busch Gardens Tampa and an amazing roller coaster. The parks are citing 'budget cuts' which is likely true but at the same time this leads back to the checkered history of maintenance on the wooden coaster as well as an endless series of constant upkeep to maintain a wooden roller coaster in the environment of Central Florida.

 The proof for this lays in the fact Busch Gardens Tampa will not be demolishing the ride anytime soon. While no reason has been given for this, it's likely due to not having anything to fill the space in addition to the cited budget cuts. While the parks may be going through rough times right now, I doubt they have any hope of somehow saving this ride (not with how little they've done to keep it running in recent years). It's simply the final death blow for a coaster which has been unwanted since the Busch Family sold the parks.

 It's a sad day, what was once the show piece of a theme park is falling into a silent wooden shadow.

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.

Kennywood's The Thunderbolt honored as a Coaster Landmark

 

Hello peoples!!!

So in some exciting news, at least for us Pittsburghers, The Thunderbolt has (finally!!) been recognized as a Coaster Landmark by the American Coaster Enthusiasts on July 27th, 2014.

Read more below!

Six Flags Magic Mountain- Colossus Goodbye Party

Six Flags Magic Mountain- Colossus Goodbye Party

 Six Flags Magic Mountain and local radio station ALT 98.7 are hosting a 'Goodbye Party' for their famous and now doomed wooden roller coaster, Colossus.

 The wooden coaster made famous by being featured in several movies, most notably as the "Screaming Mimi" in 'National Lampoons Vacation'. The ride was built in 1978 and like many great wooden coasters from Six Flags Parks, has suffered a lack of maintenance in order to be made over by Rocky Mountain Coasters into something easier to maintain (we hope).

  Tickets are $36 per person and the event happens this Saturday, July 26th. The event will feature exclusive night rides from 11pm until 3am. No other details are available if anything else will be open during this time.

 You can purchase tickets though the Six Flags Magic Mountain Website (Click for link).

Ireland's Tayto Park to Build Europe's Second Largest Wooden Coaster for 2015

Image courtesy of The Meath Chronicle

The Meath Chronicle has reported that Tayto Park, near Ashbourne, has been given the go ahead from the local planning commission to move forward with a massive new expansion project for 2015.

The expansion to the park will include a new park entrance area, more parking and a whole new ride area. Of course, it's crowning centerpiece, a massive wooden coaster is also planned. The whole project is rumored to cost upwards of €25m, with €8m of that being the new coaster alone.

If the numbers are anything to go by, being the second largest may not not last for very long, due to Kolmården's Wildfire opening in 2016, but to get there this will be a beast regardless. Either they're going for height, which would mean it would have to be in the 120ft+ range, which is nothing to sneeze at. If they want to hold the record longer, it'll have to be taller than Europa Park's Wodan Timbur Coaster standing at 131.3ft tall. They could also shoot for length, but that's a tall order as it would have be in excess of 4,409ft of track that Colossus at Germany's Heide Park screams through.

Right now it's still speculation until they officially unveil their plans for this one, so until then stay tuned for more news out of Ireland's Tayto Park as we follow the story throughout the summer and beyond!

Update: Accidental misspelling of Tayto Park in a few places, all fixed now! Sorry about that one folks.

Six Flags New England to Close Cyclone July 20th

Photo by: John A. Hunt via ACEonline.org

ACE News Now has reported that Six Flags New England will be closing the iconic wooden coaster, Cyclone, on July 20th of this year to make way for a new attraction in the future.

The coaster, only 31 years old, has been a favorite for coaster lovers since it's opening in 1983.

To mark the occasion, Six Flags New England will be hosting a special Exclusive Ride Time on July 20th from 9pm-10pm for season pass holders only.

Additionally, from 10pm-10:30pm there will be a special, private ERT event for American Coaster Enthusiasts members as well. You'll have to present your ACE membership cards to gain access to the final farewell event.

At this point it's unclear what could be taking it's place, but there seems to be an alarming trend rippling through Six Flags operated parks with their wooden coasters as of late. While I doubt that Cyclone will be getting a Rocky Mountain Coasters update like many of their others, the chain does seem to be getting ride of their classic wooden coasters. Definitely not a good trend at all, but at least they are sending this one off somewhat properly. 

Six Flags Great America- Goliath Going Vertical

Image from ScreamScape

 Screamscape has reported that Goliath, the new Rocky Mountian Coaster going in at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois has finally gone vertical.

 Reports show that footers are in all over the coasters proposed area and the lift hill has finally gotten off the ground. It seems a bit late in the year for this to finally be gaining height, making me wonder about the opening date of the new coaster.

More Sad News- Saying Goodbye to Raging Wolf Bobs

More Grim News Today- Saying Goodbye to Raging Wolf Bobs

 This month has truly been a roller coaster of emotions. Good news is always peppered with the bad and this week is also no exception. We're loosing a modern legend, the end of an era and one of the biggest coaster mysteries to date.

 Raging Wolf Bobs. People speak of it in hushed whispers of reverence and then speculate wildly about one wooden coaster which as been sitting abandoned since the closure of Geauga Lake in 2007. 

 Now, I'm sure many of you haven't followed the odd history and the mystery of this ride so I'll refer you to to Geauga Lake- The Mystery of the Raging Wolf Bobs and a group of people with more mind-boggling knowledge about the park then I could ever have Geauga Lake Today and Forever.

 We know Raging Wolf Bobs was sold, we know it was being handled to Apex Western Machinery Movers. We know it was sold at auction for a reported $2,500 and a large portion of the track moved to an unknown owner.

 Not answers exist beyond those facts. No one knows for sure who the mystery owner is or if all the tracking was removed or only a portion of it. However,  today we're sorry to say what remains of the ride structure are being completely demolished.  This image spotted today over on Coaster Talk, No BS Zone seems to confirm the demise of yet another once amazing ride.

 Watching any coaster comes down tugs on the hearts of fans. It doesn't matter if you never had the chance to judge it for yourself, because now you never will. However, with Raging Wolf Bobs- Hope still exists. With an unknown owner perhaps sometime in the future the ride will once again claw it's way up for the ashes to howl again.

With Raging Wolf Bobs now gone, I can't help but wonder something. What is the fate of it's sister coaster, Big Dipper?

GCI to Build their Largest Coaster Yet- In China

 Well it appears the Great Coasters International (GCI) has lost their marbles once again.  It appears they'll be building their largest wooden coaster to date- in China.

 "The Viper" will be built in Wanda (Nanchang) Culture Tourism City. Featuring a height of 146 feet tall for the lift hill and an impressive 4,921 feet of track.  Not much else is currently known about this new roller coaster right now but the POV animation released little pretty intense! 

  GCI are the people famous for some of the best new generation of wooden roller coasters on the market today. Such names as Gwazi, Lightning Racer, El Toro and more are their amazing handiwork.

Rumor Alert- New Coaster for Six Flags Great Adventure in 2015?

 Screamscape has posted a rumor today regarding Six Flags Great Adventure, one that seems interesting to those of us who know the park.

 Rumor has it that Six Flags Great Adventure may be building a new roller coaster for 2015. This will something to replace the loss of Rolling Thunder which is being removed to make way for the 2014 "Zumanjaro" drop tower that is attached to the back of Kingda Ka.  Apparently this rumor has been popping up since it was announced that Six Flags would be removing Roller Thunder. Screamscapes best guess is that this could be yet another Rocky Mountain Coaster, similar to Goliath which is being added to their Chicago park.

 However, they point out a very valid point which I fully agree with. By removing Rolling Thunder the park now lacks a basic wooden coaster, one that younger and new riders can 'get their feet wet' with before going after some of the bigger rides.  While I'm all for crazy and new things, the classic has a special charm and Six Flags Great Adventure is quickly loosing that as more classic coasters are being removed.

 More on this rumor as gossip filters in!

Six Flags Great America- 2014 New Coaster? UPDATE

Well we've got more news coming from Six Flag Great America today. It isn't official but it does speak volumes about what the park has in mind for the 2014 season and their newest construction project.

Rumor has it American Eagle may be up for an Rocky Mountain Coasters refurbishment. They are the well known builders of Wood/Steal hybrid coasters such as Iron Rattler and New Texas Giant. However, what is odd is that American Eagle is a Racing Wooden Coaster. It has both a Blue and a Red side. Rumor states that RMC will be re-building and re-tracking the blue side of the ride but no word on the red side yet.  I'm not entirely sure how this will work considering this is a racing coaster, could one side be going steel while the other remains wood? That would be a new trick for Rocky Mountain Coasters to accomplish.

 InSanity lurks Inside will keep updating as more information becomes available as well as when the park decides to do their reveal of what the plan is for 2014 and American Eagle!


UPDATE 8/29/13: 
Six Flags Great America Announces Goliath- Worlds Tallest, Fastest and Steepest Wooden Coaster!


UPDATE 8/22/13

Image from Screamscape

Well is Screamscape is to be believed, the new coaster coming in 2014 will be wood and built by Rocky Mountain Coasters.  One person there reported from somekind of meeting saying the ride will be 165 feet tall with a 13 foot drop underground, making the first drop a total of 178 feet. While this won't break a record for height, it's still remotely possible they could go for speed.

They are also reporting a weird 'track element' of the ride, something that could possibly be an inversion with a boost launch involved. It's the blue circled portion of the blueprints.








UPDATE 8/19/13

It looks like the rumors around American Eagle being the "New Coaster" for the 2014 season isn't true. Apparently the pictures have been faked (Gee Folks, you might have said so rather then name-calling cause that's really mature). Sources aren't exactly sure if that project is for 2014 or some others season.  Which leaves the question of "What is the 2014 New Coaster"?
We've got some more rumor news about the 2014 project for Six Flags Great America. Rumor has it that the "New Coaster" for 2014 will be wooden and that the park may be after some kind of record breaker. It may or may not be 'speed" which they are after, which brings in a host of problems. According to a meeting docket we found posted at Screamscape, the coaster may be 165 feet tall and in the location of the former "Iron Wolf".
Stay Tuned for More Updates!