Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Waldameer Discussion Thread


Recommended Posts

^or...you could OD on Tylenol

 

wasnt this topic about the Ravine Flyer construction? I watched it go from woodie inversions, to wheel tightness, to SLCs? not to be backseat mod or anything

 

anyone got some more recent pics of the construction? I would LOVE to see how it looks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The high cost (or in this case a comparable cost to Voyage) of RFII is due to building on the natural bluff, which is also one of the reasons that it took so long for this coaster to become a reality.

 

Waldameer had to purchase an insane amount of permits just to build on the bluff because of the many questions if the bluff was safe to build on. Then after the proprer permits were aquired, many neighbors opposed the project with noise concerns because when the coaster comes down the bluff, it does come rather close to some homes, and on the turn around after the bridge the ride is close to the campground.

 

The water table was never an issue with building the ride because land Waldameer sits on is close to 150' above Lake Erie. Even when the ride comes down the bluff, it is still a good distance above the lake. There are numerous houses along the beachfront as well as the condos that the ride is still well above.

 

As far as the tunnels going under the road instead of the bridge, there is no way it could be accomplished without closing Peninsula Drive, and that is the only road to get on Presque Isle State Park itself. Closing off that road would prevent people from getting to their homes & condos, businesses, and there would be no way to maintain Presque Isle State Park for the winter. Aside from that, there is not enough room on either side of the road to allow the type of slope necessary to go down under the road back up, turn around, and do it all over again.

 

This is Paul Nelson's dream. The original Ravine Flyer went over the road. If this one did not, it would not be Ravine Flyer II.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can't really compare RII to Voyage and BB though.

 

BB had major issues with the construction.

 

And Voyage is much larger, faster, and aggressive then RII should be. So I wouldn't think the same amount of wear and tear is going to be encountered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Update from GoErie.com:

 

The bridge is going to be installed tonight.

 

By 6 a.m., you'll be able to see workers installing the bridge by going to

 

GoErie.com/video/waldameerbridge

 

 

When I was a kid and heard terrifying stories about Waldameer Park's Ravine Flyer roller coaster, this was the amazing part: It carried riders right over Peninsula Drive -- over the road, the traffic, everything.

 

It seemed almost too much to comprehend. Right over the road. Apparently, I wasn't the only one impressed by that detail, because for more than a decade, Waldameer Park & Water World owner Paul Nelson has been cutting his way through a 10-foot layer of red tape to build the new Ravine Flyer II. Right over the road, of course.

 

The next big step for the $6 million wooden coaster, which is rapidly taking shape and on schedule to be completed in April, takes place tonight and in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Workers will stretch a 165-foot arched steel bridge over Peninsula Drive, which will eventually support the coaster's track.

 

The important work is supposed to start at about 3 a.m., which is when an Erie Times-News crew of reporter Cody Switzer, photographer Rob Engelhardt and videographer Matt Mead will report to the scene for duty.

 

It's fitting that Waldameer's new coaster, which is state of the art, will be covered by a cutting-edge team that will gather the news, snap the pictures, and record video and audio. By 6 a.m., you'll be able to see workers installing the bridge by going to GoErie.com/video/waldameerbridge.

 

 

Time was, newspaper readers would have to wait a full news cycle before getting the story about events like this. But this is no longer just your father's Times-News. Thanks to GoErie.com, you can read the news, see the pictures, and get video and audio from the scene.

 

It's only the beginning, too. What it means for news junkies is, you'll no longer have to wait. The breaking stories will appear on GoErie.com, and then, experienced Times-News reporters will continue digging deeper to provide you with more layers of coverage for the next news cycle.

 

I've been in the newspaper business all my life, and I can't tell you how exciting it is to see this type of coverage coming together, and to know your news organization is now able to cover the story more completely than any other group. Brand-new technology and a commitment to serve its customers as completely as possible enables this newspaper to deliver the news immediately.

 

I'd be willing to bet that the 74-year-old Nelson, who's worked at Waldameer since age 11, will be there tonight when they start to swing that long bridge across the road.

 

He'll probably think about the past, when the first Ravine Flyer was the most exciting ride in town. But this coaster will be longer, faster and even more thrilling. It will take Waldameer, which is about to enter its 112th season, to a higher level.

bilde.jpg.daa243d3812d231993a4a24d5dae358e.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's a new gateway to Presque Isle.

 

At 2:14 a.m. Thursday the first of two support arches for Waldameer Park & Water World's new wooden roller coaster, the Ravine Flyer II, was placed across Peninsula Drive.

 

The crew erecting the supports had hoped to put up both arches Thursday morning, but only completed the southern galvanized-steel arch before they had to reopen the road at 6 a.m., said Steve Reed, project superintendent for Mekis Construction, which is building the bridges.

 

"We knew it was a stretch," Reed said. "Everything went fine tonight, but sometimes you just don't get as much done as you hope.

 

"We figured it would take two nights, we just didn't know what we'd do the second night."

 

The arches are assembled from eight prefabricated galvanized steel pieces. The four pieces that contact the ground were set up and supported Monday and Tuesday. Early Thursday morning a crew joined the two center pieces of the southern bridge and hoisted them into position.

 

Video

Bridge assembly: http://www.goerie.com/video/waldameerbridge

 

Virtual ride:

http://www.goerie.com/video/waldameer

 

 

Reed said that the second bridge would be completed late Thursday or early this morning.

 

If the weather turns to freezing rain, the crew will have to complete the second arch Monday.

 

Together, both bridges weigh about 55 tons, Reed said, and are designed to hold a 300-ton load. The 165-foot-bridge will attach to the crossbeams on each arch, and a walkway will go along the main supports.

 

Crews will start work on that walkway as early as next week, Reed said.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like some new photos have been posted from this past weekend. Ken Jones has a really nice gallery of construction:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/kenjones08/RavineFlyer2

 

Here are a few pics below, but please click the link for more!

 

And here is the official Ravine Flyer II website:

http://www.waldameer.com/RavineFlyer2.html

rf2_05.jpg.aaf28e1b4cb248d73e3f5400d5cb366e.jpg

The bridge!!!

 

Please visit this link for more pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kenjones08/RavineFlyer2

rf2_04.jpg.650697c3c9c0920f9bf4331a24ad1b0f.jpg

First drop from the campground

rf2_03.jpg.e6987ef6362e78aca94b46298b50d517.jpg

The First Drop

rf2_02.jpg.232ea46b1ec8eaf1a1375ddead292870.jpg

Lift hill and some bunny hops

rf2_01.jpg.774a112d5ac8074203281a84a21357b2.jpg

Here's the layout rendering!

rf2_06.jpg.0d6b824fc134b73cb4611a0e418ffbb5.jpg

And here's a rendering of what it will look like when it's done!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like how drawn out it is. My only problem is the title. I hate coasters that have a 2 or 3 in the title.

 

Flight Deck II.

 

Twister II, and its real.

 

Anyhow, glad to see bridge construction has started, I seriously think the bridge may be the coolest element ever on a wooden roller coaster. I can't wait to see it finished!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For some reason I've always been a fan of when they stretch the coaster out and build it up over a road. It just makes the ride exciting, whether or not you can tell when you're riding.

 

Construction looks to be coming along nicely!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ You're not crazy. That happens quite a bit when a park needs to advertise a ride before it's built and the only way to do it is to take a photo from an existing, similar type of ride and apply the new logos onto it.

 

It's a very common practice.

 

--Robb

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The guy who owns the park seems like a really nice guy. He presented at NCC and he was telling us all kinds of funny stuff about all of the stuff he had to go through to get this coaster approved. Supposedly the campground owner is the one who kept them from building this coaster for so long. They originally started planning with CCI in the early 90's.

 

This coaster looks great. I can't wait to ride it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/