Six Flags Over Texas (SFOT) Discussion Thread

[CorkscrewFoleyReeks of Books]

That looks so unnatural, yet so completely awesome!

Agreed!

I, too, am relieved that they are installing a mid course. Can't wait to see the final product.

[Funky Cold MedinaDid the donkey fairy give me this title?]

^^Maybe it'll be like spaghetti bowl coasters and it'll just be a little straight piece of track, not necessarily brakes?

[texcoasterBonafide Donkey Expert]

OK, maybe I'm missing something.... but why all the love for the installation of the midcourse brake?

Opening season, the MCBR was barely used... just a little kiss of the brakes, hardly enough to notice. The train plummeted down the next drop into the structure (back seat airtime in spades!) providing a relentless finish with very little slowdown in the lift-wrapping helix and a flying carpet that was absolutely insane.

As the trains took their toll on the track (and vice versa) the brake was used more heavily and in some seasons brought the train to a complete stop. IMHO, this not only ruined the pacing of the ride, but also took the thunder out of the entire second half.

The brake run is needed for blocking if they're planning on running three trains.... but other than that, why all the love for this feature which has the potential for crippling the ride experience?

[Funky Cold MedinaDid the donkey fairy give me this title?]

^that's what I was thinking. Unless it is for running for three trains, why have it? It totally ruined the pace of the ride and I hated it. I'd rather have maybe another overbank or something, but if it'll make the ride capacity go up then that's fine with me.

[BrandonRI'm a know-it-all about donkeys!]

Don't count your brake runs before they're placed.
There is a flat section of track where the MCBR used to be, but none of the pics I've seen so far show any actual brakes.

Well not even the final brake run has brakes placed that I know of, yet. It's still a bit early. Judging by the looks of the ride, I doubt they'd add a flat piece of track that wasn't necessary to hold a midcourse brake.

And for capacity's sake, let's hope they plan on running three trains!

[SynshineI'm a know-it-all about donkeys!]

^^Maybe it'll be like spaghetti bowl coasters and it'll just be a little straight piece of track, not necessarily brakes?

But they are meant for mid-course brakes on the Premier spaghetti bowls; the FoF twins have them for additional blocks with the intention of running 4(or 5?) trains.

[ZingomanIndiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Donkey.]

I for one am not happy with the potential return of the midcourse ESPECIALLY considering that it is now a good 20 or 30 feet lower than the original. This means you will thunder into it at a VERY swift speed (like Titan) only to be grabbed by potential trims. This means several sad things to me. First the drop off the old midcourse was fantastic, but now we just have what looks like a banked curve to look forward to, and I'm sorry but all the overbanks in the ride thus far have officially killed the airtime factor on every single drop the ride had. Put this midcourse brake in and the trains have to be able to complete the course when they stop in the block. Considering the sluggish nature the helix had when the midcourse was higher, this really leaves me thinking the helix wont go over the lift anymore, and may not be a helix anymore at all. Maybe if they put some LIMS up there I'll be excited but right now my excitement has been heavily curbed by this new "midcourse" section.

[RailBlazerI Love Donkeys!]

Opening season, the MCBR was barely used... just a little kiss of the brakes, hardly enough to notice. The train plummeted down the next drop into the structure (back seat airtime in spades!) providing a relentless finish with very little slowdown in the lift-wrapping helix and a flying carpet that was absolutely insane.

As the trains took their toll on the track (and vice versa) the brake was used more heavily and in some seasons brought the train to a complete stop. IMHO, this not only ruined the pacing of the ride, but also took the thunder out of the entire second half.

It wasn't the mid-course brake that took the thunder out of the second half of Giant, it was the brakes at the entrance to the helix that did that. I had one ride in the first season that the helix brake slowed the train so much, that the train barely cleared the second turn over the lift. Just when it appeared the train would stop, it crawled forward and continued on. A friend that visited the park very frequently that season saw the train stopped there on the anti-rollbacks on one visit. After the re-profiling of "Curt's Curve" in 1993, I hoped the brakes would be removed, but no such luck.

While the new ride looks interesting/crazy and appears to have a much better drop (still unsure about the turn as it drops and how that will ride), a lot of what I enjoyed about Texas Giant has been removed from the new version.

[RailBlazerI Love Donkeys!]

I for one am not happy with the potential return of the midcourse ESPECIALLY considering that it is now a good 20 or 30 feet lower than the original. This means you will thunder into it at a VERY swift speed (like Titan) only to be grabbed by potential trims. This means several sad things to me. First the drop off the old midcourse was fantastic, but now we just have what looks like a banked curve to look forward to, and I'm sorry but all the overbanks in the ride thus far have officially killed the airtime factor on every single drop the ride had. Put this midcourse brake in and the trains have to be able to complete the course when they stop in the block. Considering the sluggish nature the helix had when the midcourse was higher, this really leaves me thinking the helix wont go over the lift anymore, and may not be a helix anymore at all. Maybe if they put some LIMS up there I'll be excited but right now my excitement has been heavily curbed by this new "midcourse" section.

I was thinking about adding some similar thoughts in my last post, but you summed it up pretty well.

[BrandonRI'm a know-it-all about donkeys!]

I for one am not happy with the potential return of the midcourse ESPECIALLY considering that it is now a good 20 or 30 feet lower than the original. This means you will thunder into it at a VERY swift speed (like Titan) only to be grabbed by potential trims. This means several sad things to me. First the drop off the old midcourse was fantastic, but now we just have what looks like a banked curve to look forward to, and I'm sorry but all the overbanks in the ride thus far have officially killed the airtime factor on every single drop the ride had. Put this midcourse brake in and the trains have to be able to complete the course when they stop in the block. Considering the sluggish nature the helix had when the midcourse was higher, this really leaves me thinking the helix wont go over the lift anymore, and may not be a helix anymore at all. Maybe if they put some LIMS up there I'll be excited but right now my excitement has been heavily curbed by this new "midcourse" section.

But at the same time they've added two new bunny hills/double-ups that should provide plenty of airtime where none certainly didn't exist before.