SDC's 2013 Project

[MissinTheGreenTrams]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76324302@N06/?saved=1

Okay soo here are my few pictures that I managed to snap. I couldnt believe how much was visable.

[tiffanylynnt]

I'm not really liking it, but it will probably look a lot better when it's finished.

[Junior]

Yeah, don't worry, it will all look better on opening day next spring! Seems like the construction crew has been busy in the last week!

[krash9924]

So what is the future of the train? Has anyone heard anything? This seems like a great time to just simply make it disappear amid the excitement of a new ride. I think losing the train would be a major blow to the park but it seems as if little by little they are chipping away at it. 

[BackInTime]

The train isn't going anywhere. It's been a fixture at the park for decades. And as I pointed out in an earlier post, 2/3 to 3/4 of the current ride takes place in total seclusion within the woods. Development around the park is inevitable, but the train will simply go under, over, through or around it. Always has. Always will.

[DollarCityBoy]

I agree that it is safe to say that the train will always be there, however, elements of the train excursion have been lost over time. I would be surprised to see 'hobo junction' reappear somewhere else along the tracts, I hope it does, but doubt it will. Progress is give and take, new things come, old things go. It's exciting to see new attractions, but unfortunately we have to say goodbye to so many beloved ones along the way.

[cousin bubba]

New script for the train ride. " Look to your left and what do you see? Roller coasters. Look to your right and what do you see? Roller coasters. That's because your in an amusement park."

[chittlins]

The train isn't going anywhere. It's been a fixture at the park for decades. And as I pointed out in an earlier post, 2/3 to 3/4 of the current ride takes place in total seclusion within the woods. Development around the park is inevitable, but the train will simple go under, over, through or around it. Always has. Always will.

Maybe they can extend it out a bit and include a tressel over a ravine or something.

[BackInTime]

^^ Bubba, I don't think SDC will ever be considered an amusement park. But in order to stay competitive and profitable, they must develop new attractions, and offer a variety of them for a variety of interests. It's definitely fair to say many of us have a major distaste for some of the smaller, amusement park-like elements that have slowly oozed into the fabric of SDC's offerings over the years (midway games, lack of theme on some rides, vending machines, etc.), but they are few and far between. Just having a few coasters on park does not justify the label of "amusement park". Even Disney has accepted the reality that even "theme park" enthusiasts demand some excitement for their cost of entry.

If SDC was nothing more than shows, craftsmen and boutique shops (all great in their own right), it would have gone bankrupt and closed a long time ago.

   

[Coaster]

Wow! So much has happened since I've last been able to check in! I'm getting pumped for next season for sure!

I'm not expecting a record breaker by any means, that's never been SDC's way. I am expecting a GREAT theme and atmosphere, and a thrilling family ride. I want Wildfire's theme with Powderkeg's thrill.

Keep the pics comin'! 

[shavethewhales]

I'm going to have to bite my tongue to some degree until construction is complete and this thing opens next year. Only then will we know the effect it will have on the park atmosphere that we cherish so much. As others have alluded to, there are plenty of things they could be planning to add to the train tracks near this ride to add to the theme and make up for Hobo Junction. I just hope they don't decide to mess anything else up in the mean time...

As far as the ride itself goes, it's good to remember that SDC and HEFC in general actually does go pretty large with it's rides. I don't know if any one else has noticed, but Wildfire is a damn big ride. Most parks with just a couple of coasters (at the time) don't get big rides like that. PK is pretty big and innovative as well. Then at DW you have all these other big rides going in. These parks have reached a point where everything they do is pretty big and worth getting truly excited over. Especially since, as Swoosh pointed out, this ride will most likely have a gift shop for its self. That means its going to be big enough to really be marketable.

Btw, here's something to look at to understand why some of these footers are placed in four rows in some areas: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gavZoqY7kIE/TlRT6PUb9ZI/AAAAAAAAFJ4/Uc2pn01QhA0/s1600/6.jpg

For this ride, the areas with four rows of footers are almost surely curves, with 2 rows for vertical supports and 2 more rows on the outside to support diagonal supports.

[Junior]

As time passes, things like the scenes along the train route or in the flooded mine will change. It's just the way it is. Prior to the diving bell plying the waters of Lake Silver, a fun little "scene" on the train occurred as it rounded the lake. A "man" in a boat on the lake is fishing. The train conductor says something about how he has a new boat...then he sees the man in his boat on the lake, gets angry no one asked permission to use his boat, and then the conductor fired a shot at him. The "man"in the boat swings around a shakes his fist at the conductor. I remember that gag on the train ride from my first visit in 1970 until about '75 or '76. The diving bell opened in '77 and the man in the boat was gone...it would have taken attention away from the diving bell on the track that slid out of the cave and into the waters, bubbling as it sank. So as new attractions pop up around the train, expect the scenes to change. Maybe they will relocate Hobo Junction and use it elsewhere on the ride, or maybe it will disappear. We will see what happens over the course of the next year. Remember, there is still hope...even the treehouse is still on park, carefully preserved. Hopefully someday it will open again.

[MissinTheGreenTrams]

When I was there opening weekend we were sitting on the train waiting for everyone to board and take off. My husband pokes me and asks hey whats that? (refering to tom sawyers) I explained to him that it is just a closed down attraction that I pine for. He then says well it looks open to me look...(he then points to a lady in pink in the highest point looking down) She was there all afternoon. No visable point of entry.......

[shavethewhales]

^Tom Sawyers Landing is now used as a lookout post for the riverblast. They have to have someone watching in case somebody jumps overboard or something.

[MissinTheGreenTrams]

Clear over by the (above) the wax hand dipping??? Huh learn somethin new everyday! Thanks shave