Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

Where BGT lacks in the zoo aspect, it makes up for it with a botanical gardens variety. Where at BGT you can go to an enclosure area and watch some Hyenas panting in the heat, at BGW you can see the stable dog trainers interact with the dogs in the fenced in areas near the stable. Or you will walk by a random nicely set field with oxen. It's nothing attention grabbing like the hippo or cheetah display at BGT, but the atmosphere at BGW seems like it blends together much better to provide a scenic and relaxing feel.

And you'll see deer grazing near the railroad tracks, or along the Rhine River, too.

[JcoasterI poke manatees in the butt.]

Just went back through some of the InvadR construction pictures and it looks like this coaster may have some nice pops of airtime. I really like the way it looks now that it is going vertical.

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

Speaking of InvadR, how about we start the new year with another update? Yes, Christmas Town may be ending today, but coaster construction moves on. I was at the park yesterday and noticed that 1) they've been increasing the theming on the station and 2) the lift hill is now crossing over the railroad tracks.

Let's have a look.

[prozach626I prefer to mate with donkeys over humans!]

Thanks for the update, chuck. Does anyone know any reasoning for the decision to use steel supports, as opposed to wood, on this particular project?

[chickenbowlNothing beats Cali coasters]

Thanks for the update, chuck. Does anyone know any reasoning for the decision to use steel supports, as opposed to wood, on this particular project?

As an Engineer, I think one reason for steel would be the ability to construct larger spans. If you look here,



You can see that the lift needs to bridge both Le Scoot and two train tracks. That's a lot of distance, and I'm sure it's easier to built a steel structure that can handle those forces than a wooden one. And after that, they probably didn't want to leave steel just in one section like that, so they made it aesthetically consistent everywhere else, maybe? Zeus looks kinda weird with only a little bit of steel structure to span Cyclops.



I'm sure there's more reasons, (less bulky, but stronger structure and less wear and tear in a humid climate is why I think Fun Spot went with steel on their GCI and new Gravity Group) but I think the large spans would be the main one.

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

^When BGW announced InvadR, they mentioned that reduced maintenance was the main reason for going with a steel structure.

[Randomman295If the donkey is rockin, don't come knockin!]

As usual, we'll start this update with a train ride.

On behalf of the person in this picture (who is banned on this forum) I'd like to share this lovely shot of Chuck.

[JcoasterI poke manatees in the butt.]

^When BGW announced InvadR, they mentioned that reduced maintenance was the main reason for going with a steel structure.

Well this is a great idea since the last wooden coaster at a Busch park (Gwazi) didn't fair so well.

Im not saying its solely BGT's fault for what happened to Gwazi but it is a good idea to make life easier on yourself.

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

^Exactly. They're even using re-furbed/re-themed Gwazi trains.

[defrockerHave I mentioned how awesome donkeys are?]

In regards to the steel structure/maintenance points. I'm sure that a large part of the reasoning has to do with how many rides this crosses over and under. I feel like It would be more difficult to perform maintenance on the structure with everything under it.