SDC's 2013 Project

[Ozark Outlaw]

Great pictures Tiff! Although, boy is that construction site an eye sore for the train ride. They should rename the train from the “Scenic Railway” to “Silver Dollar City's Back Lot Tour.”

[shavethewhales]

Wow, thanks for the photos everyone!

I do believe they stated it would use a wooden frame in one of the interviews, but I'll have to look again when I have time. It wouldn't make sense for them to use a steel support structure here I would think, not only due to aesthetics but also cost and purpose. It's already a hybrid wood/steel coaster, if they used steel supports why bother using this kind of a deign at all?

This is the first I've heard of pre-cast footers as well. Seems like a very strange process to me, but maybe I'll understand more when I actually start taking soil foundations classes next fall.

[chittlins]

The shear number of footers spaced so close together says wood. Maybe they have a unique piece that the wood attaches to the footer that gives more flexibility to maintain a smoother ride.

[MissinTheGreenTrams]

another video (short) but good of construction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdoDg8V05eE

[tiffanylynnt]

Great pictures Tiff! Although, boy is that construction site an eye sore for the train ride. They should rename the train from the “Scenic Railway” to “Silver Dollar City's Back Lot Tour.”

That's kinda what it felt like!

[joshblakebran]

It seems like they pretty far along on the construction for a 2013 coaster...at least if it is going to be a smaller coaster, of course I'm not an expert on this type of thing. Does the progress that we are seeing indicate this could be a good size coaster which explains why they are so far along? Or is this typical progress for a coaster that would be opened a year later, even a smaller coaster?

[BackInTime]

I was wondering the exact same thing. Is the fact that they started more than a year in advance in any way an indication of the coaster's size? Perhaps they started this early because they wanted more back end  time for testing the ride before opening day 2013. Based on Shave's last overhead indicating progress, the current footer placement leads me to believe this coaster could wind up being the biggest (in terms of overall footprint) coaster in the park.

If any of you had to guess, what percentage of the footers do you think are already in place? I'm hoping only about 15-20%, but it's very hard to tell from the photos we've seen thus far.

[rubedugans]

I could have missed this one aomewhere in here while being off, but does anyone else think that this will alter the R/R tracks?

[shavethewhales]

^^It's unusual in this industry for construction to begin to this extent this early, but it's no secret anymore that this ride was originally intended for 2012, so from the contractor's perspective it's quite a delay already. HFEC does get things started early though so rides are almost always ready for park opening. A lot of other parks don't even try to do that. One of the Six Flags in California is just now starting vertical construction on their new coaster for THIS season.

^It won't alter the train tracks, otherwise we would have seen evidence of that already. It's unnecessary with the right design anyway, I don't see why they would even bother.

[Ozark Outlaw]

I can remember vividly seeing the construction of PowderKeg during the Spring of 2004 (while on the train ride no less), and it opened the following year in 2005. So everything seems to be right on par with this newest coaster.

[chittlins]

I can clearly envision this being part of a step that completes a new loop around Lake Silver that meets up with Grand Exposition. It will force the relocation of that large parking lot and maintenance area but still allow as much of a buffer as GE has. SDC would have to move lots of that parking across 76 where they have a lot already. They could theme some of the maintenance buildingss into the park itself, just fronted with shops and concessions.

I think if that's the case the train stays put and the park just blends in like it does elsewhere with maybe wrought iron pedestrian bridges over it or new crossings or tressels.

[rubedugans]

Only if they renovate and change the look of GE! I can't go past Red Gold without feeling like I entered a different park/ fair/ carnival with moveable rides that were set up the night before by carney-folk.  I think it would be too large seeing that they would need to design the facade for the backside of Red Gold...this would be too large when they are already setting up a new coaster and theming.

[BackInTime]

^^ I don't see that happening based on limited real estate and the potential complications with existing infrastructure.

If SDC was ever going to entertain park expansion with a totally new area, I would like to see them do it in the west area between Wildfire and the front parking lot. There is tons of untouched land there. And if terrain were ever an issue, I would love to see them add some sort of themed people mover that could aid in helping people get to and fro in a leisurely fashion. Pie in the sky, I'm sure.

[chittlins]

I don't think adding a facade to the back of Red Gold would be all that difficult I'm the midst of amakor expansion. You could even use the queue of a new ride to help. I think if they do a loop behind Lake Silver they'll do about the same as they did with the other side a couple of game booths. I just don't hate the theming like some of you do.
what I see is more and more places mixing their rides together to get the most out of the space. May start to happen here.

As to limited real estate. I don't know what SDC owns on the south side of 76 going west from the light. But seems that they could build a new maintenance area there. They could also use some of that excavation spoil from the parking lots to form an earthen berm along the boundary with 76 to shield the park.  Its no more narrow than where they stuck GE. A loop from the Wilson's Farm to the new ride to GE from Google Earth just seems like a natural thing to do. What of does do would force the relocation of some catch all sheds and workshops and a parking lot. That's the one thing I don't like about the train ride, the view of the maintenance area! Yuck.

[rubedugans]

Would ADA compliance allow them to create another hill street type setting? If so, it is as simple as expanding to add a few shops and a ride. I am fine with an expansion that does not include a ride, as long as it is themed well.