Didn't know that. Basically, I would bring in a company with a proven track record with their launch systems and make this thing work. Nothing is worse than arriving at a park and seeing a sign stating that one of the primary rides is down for maintenance. Yes, there are other rides but, when it is an anchor ride, it is irritating.
Power Keg at DDC is finicky as all get out. It has to do with the way it lifts upto the launch portion and moisture causing slippage. Seriously, it has seemed to be down about half of my visits over 10 years.
That was one of the huge variables back when they announced the ride, Dollywood and RMC admitted that they went with a supplier that had never installed a magnetic propulsion system on a theme park ride before. It would have been better to go with a proven winner, especially given how frequently that launch field needs to be fired up to operate the attraction. Probably would have been more expensive on the front end, but I'm certain that they wouldn't be having the issues they have with downtime had they invested more in the beginning.
.....Also rafting down the Pigeon River (Creek?).
Except more people have been turned away from it than have been able to ride it so.. not sure that helped.
Further, they can't add big coasters all the time. Dragonfly and that whole area sounds like a nice area to relax and walk. For me, I really enjoy parks that provide places to slow down a little. Then, I can rev back up after taking it easy.
Another engineer was working on Lightning Rod stuff. It's not actually currently down because of the launch! He said that they have that working pretty reliably now. A piece of track has to be reprofiled because of unintended forces present. The clamps for the magnetic fins on the bottom of the trains were also causing some issues (they work fine but don't last nearly long enough). The company who made the LSMs were very secretive about their design, so RMC has had trouble knowing exactly what forces are present, and there are a lot and they are powerful. At least you know that they share our pain of not knowing secretsHe had one of the clamps in his office, which I got to look at and examine.
First coaster in many years that just blew my mind. I like that they are not only expanding rides but also entertainment meaning my even older relatives would like this park. I have more confidence of this jumping to my number 1 park spot than anywhere else on this expansion path. I really hope they find a way to do a large nighttime show at some point.
Here’s some things you should visit...
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