rwilliam62521

Quick question for Paula. Is the PodCast coming back sometime? I miss it.

I have a question for Paula or someone in IT. What has happened to the webcam? Everytime I look at it, it just shows a video of the coasters and park. Did it get hit by lightning again? Is there something we can't see yet? New addition visisble (new coaster?)?

This may be a long shot, but several years ago Thunder River was drained mid-season due to extensive work needed in the pump wells and on the impellers. Looked the exact same as the above photos and was down for about 2 weeks while being repaired.

Yep, now that I look closely at the photos, that's what they are.

Holiday World just posted on Twitter 3 photos of them unloading something (covered in plastic) from a truck with the caption "What's in the Truck?. Looks like a 2018 new addition..possibly the waterpark, but could be a dry ride.

It was near Christmas last year before they hinted about the Legend rebuild, so anything is possible.

Hey Paula. Thunderbird Cam needs a cleaning. Bird/insect doodoo

So, a desparately needed upgrade to the park's power system is not quick enough to keep up?? If they had not done that, would you have been silent when they had to close several rides so that nothing would short out and start fires or shower guests with sparks? I think they are doing what they need to get the park on track for better improvements. And yes, maintenance is needed to keep daily operations running. Or do you just wait until your car dies before adding gas, oil, or replacing tires?

I hve been watching this thread for a long time. I used to go to SFStL several times a year until 1993, when a job change make it necessary to drop my visits ( I had season passes since 1983). I returned to the park just recently and would like to give my opinion compared to the 80's and 90's. The park HAS changed, but not as bad as others have posted. It is not the same as before, but time moves on and things change. Six Flags has kept a lot of the charm of the early days, but time requires change and the economy is not the same as in the late 80's/90's. Here is what I noticed the most. First, they FINALLY got rid of Hannabarrels, but the replacement could have been better themed to the location. Ninja needs a good overhaul by either Vekoma, or someone who understands steel looping coasters. I don't remember the Ninja of the late 80's being this rough or loose (the train shuffles a LOT more than it should). The trains look to be the originals and they need a good bit of TLC, or replacement. River King has been somewhat neutered, probably due to the lawsuit tendancy of the public. The support system looks like it could use some new wood, and the lift hills are rougher than I remember. Tidal Wave is still a good, reliable, re-ridable ride, but looks stuffed in next to Boomerang because they stuffed Boomerang into a space that is really too cramped for the ride. Moving up to Screamin' Eagle...Well, to be nice, it is still a good woodie, but the banking and changes to the back end took away some of the original feel of the ride. The changes didn't really hurt Eagle, just changed it. I still consider it a real John Allen gem. American Thunder is a good ride, short, compact, and, the day I was there, not being run well. I don't blame the crew, but something was not working right with the blocking system and they could not send a train out until the previous one had totally stopped on the holding brakes before the station. I asked if they were holding the dispatch and the operators stated the system was having problems and Maintenance could not figure out why, but they were working on it. Acceptable knowing what I know about Process controllers. Justice League.... Well, considering the age of the old water ride this is an improvement. Some effects were not working but then the old Tom Sawyer/Time Tunnel/Castaway Kids (never rode Scooby) always had effects not working. My final review: SFStL has changed, but is still a good park with the same problems that all parks have with maintenance, upkeep, and improvement. If I lived closer to St Lous, I would still go several times a year. Do they need new rides? All parks can benefit from changes and replacements of rides. They don't have to be NEW rides, but rides in good condition with reliable history can benefit any park. I will state this in negative terms. Grand Carosel DOES look bad and poorly maintained. SF needs to get a good restoration expert in to work on it and make it great again. That's my opinion: mine alone.

I noticed that SplashCam is now MIA. Could it be that some work is being done for the 2017 announcement and the camera could see the area and they don't want us to see it until they announce it? Just saying.....

Sounds like an E-Stop was initiated. I know from previous experience on other coasters that when an E-Stop is in effect, a full safety check of systems is done to determine why the stop occurred. With HW's concern for safety, I assume that meant that the 'Cats' or a ride supervisor had to clear the coaster for restart, and that can sometimes take a bit of time, especially to reset the ride logic in the controller for the ride. A delay of 15-20 minutes is not out of the realm of possibility. As to looking at the brakes, it could have been that one of the trains exhibited some noise going thru the station brakes and they were checking to see if it also exhibited the noise in the block brakes before the station. Just my $0.02 worth.

I think I am correct in saying that Ledgend is NOT using LIM's but still has the chain lift. I didn't see anywhere Holiday World saying that the lift was being changed, just the drop final turns, and adding a new tunnel and a double-drop.

Noticed on the webcam that there are workers at the white building just below the exit of the launch tunnel. Looks like a small generator similar to those used in traveling carnivals or a smaller version of the generator trailers they used last year. I wonder if they are still having trouble with the flywheels in the Will Power building, or Thunderbird is just too far from the new power station to effectively use the new power setup. Workers seemed to be adjusting something in that bulding and both of the end doors were open, like is often needed for ventilation of a large engine or motor.

Back to Legend... Only about 30 days until opening, and the Legend drop has NO signs of being tracked. Is it possible that the coaster will not open when the season begins?? I don't know how long it takes to lay the wood, but with such a short time, I'm beginning to doubt Legend will be ready and fully tested. Just my $.02 worth.

Watching ThunderBird launching this afternoon and it looks like it is a bit slower than last year. Maybe I just don't remember last year so It may be doing fine. Nice to see the launch without the generators. Maybe the flywheels are now fixed and working.