SDC's 2013 Project

[DollarCityBoy]

I still wonder if the new section of the park will 'dead end' like on Wildfire & Powder Keg, or if it will be connected to the backside of Lake Silver / Geyser Gulch.

[sanddunerider]

Well considering the location of the station (thanks shave ),

i would imagine it will dead end..

 you have tracks on either side of you, sooooo really no place to go.

[shavethewhales]

^^They'd have to do a terrific amount of work to build a path around the edge of the lake. It doesn't look like they ever plan to do that with the way things are situated. It's just going to be an add-on to the Wilson's Barnyard area from the look of it, it's not a new section. The entrance will probably be near the Hi-Lo silos.

I wonder if we could get the PTB to put up a webcam of the station area... I get addicted to construction webcams during the off-season.

[SDC#1fan]

Well someone should ask them Shave that is a great idea!

[sanddunerider]

MAN!!  that would be great!  Monitor the progress that way....

BUT I bet the construction workers would not like it..!!!! 

[danjankids]

Hello all, I haven't posted on here in some time.  I usually just monitor all of the exciting posts that everybody else has.  But I was thinking about the pictures of the construction progress and I have a thought that might just blow this forum wide open.  What if the picture of the "coaster station" is not for the coaster, but for the train instead.  And that the coaster will be an anchor for a larger development all together.  Now discuss that!

[Kentucky Optimist]

I never comment on these sorts of things, mostly because I'm not very good at coaster design or speculation...thus making it best for me to show up after completion, ride and say "isn't that nifty, I bet someone put a lot of thought into that."  I was thinking about where the track would run and it seems to head back behind Lost River and Lake Silver.  Did the removal of the River Boat spray area (Splash Harbor?) have something to do with this project or was it removed for another reason?  Just wondering if the two events are connected.  I was also thinking that if the entrance is in fact in the Wilson's Farm area that the area already seems cluttered or crowded.  Overall I think the final product that the PTB put together will be a great one, but I just hope that they work really hard to replant as many trees as possible.  I was a little disappointed with the final outcome of river blast and the train station...you can look past the train platform and see right down into the river blast area.  They feel like they are right on top of each other.  I think they could successfully cram a woodie, giant swing, wilson's farm, part of the Lost River and the train track into a close area, but it's going to take the right amount of theme props and trees to make it not feel crowded.  Ok, that's all, random observations complete.

[Zephon]

I really don't know any more about it than any of you guys.  I haven't seen an official (or even unofficial) layout of the ride.  But...shave, do you really think it will extend out beyond the mule barn and greenhouses as your drawing indicates?  That is really a very large area, much much larger than any of our other rides (except the train, or the trams [that was for you MTGT]) now encompass.  I'm pretty sure though that the second picture is indeed the location of the lift or loading station.

[shavethewhales]

^Well, it was a guess. I don't know the scale of the land myself having never been able to see back there before. I just really think they'll use that valley to do some interesting things. Hopefully a record-setting drop is included in that.

We've never seen RMC design their own layout before, so there's no telling if it will be a compact layout, out-and-back, or what. It could be really long and spread out like the Beast.

[BackInTime]

I personally hope it winds up being more of an out and back style than the compact variety. You can still incorporate some very exciting and interesting elements into a longer, faster ride. And this project just seems to beg for a longer circuit that utilizes the terrain. I don't know the first thing about engineering or construction, but I would guess a longer out and back would be much less invasive and disruptive to surrounding trees as well. Those types of coasters seem like they can be cut through terrain similar to the way power lines are run through tree-lined hillsides and mountains, versus having to wipe out a wide footprint to accommodate a smaller, compact ride.

On a side note, as much as I'm looking forward to welcoming this long overdue woodie to SDC, I'm equally excited about the impact it will likely have on the overall flow in the park. I would think it's a virtual certainty that PK's lines will be lighter in 2013 with the presence of a new coaster.

[Ozark Outlaw]

I personally hope it winds up being more of an out and back style than the compact variety. You can still incorporate some very exciting and interesting elements into a longer, faster ride. And this project just seems to beg for a longer circuit that utilizes the terrain.

Agreed. There is something about zooming off into the woods, and then back that is much more exciting that spinning around in a small circle.

[shavethewhales]

I personally hope it winds up being more of an out and back style than the compact variety. ...
...
On a side note, as much as I'm looking forward to welcoming this long overdue woodie to SDC, I'm equally excited about the impact it will likely have on the overall flow in the park. I would think it's a virtual certainty that PK's lines will be lighter in 2013 with the presence of a new coaster.

I agree about the layout. Boulderdash and the Voyage keep coming to mind. You can see some pics of Boulderdash here: http://rcdb.com/602.htm?p=10289 and Voyage here: http://rcdb.com/3231.htm?p=27872

As for the lines, don't count on PK ever having short lines. Parks always get big attendance boosts during new coaster years, and since PK appeals to pretty much everybody, everybody will want to ride it like always. At least on slower days people will be spread out more.

[BackInTime]

You're probably right. I was probably thinking more about the later, less attended period of the season when I typically visit. I'm usually able to ride WF with no wait at all, and usually no more than about 10 or 15 minutes for PK.

[Colby Cox]

Hmm, not sure what type of layout I want, I'm just hoping for three things: 1) smooth 2) fast, or at least somewhat forceful, and 3) tunnel.

I'm a huge fan of tunnels And SDC has a sad lack of them, except for Thunderation.

[Ozark Outlaw]

So what you’re saying is that if you could take Wildfire, PowderKeg, and Thunderation and mixed them together in a blender that would be the perfect ride?

This ride is supposed to introduce many new elements that are not typically seen on a woody. It will be interesting to see exactly what they come up with.