Topper Track Takeover

[nitrofan]

ADMIN EDIT: This thread is for general topper-track discussion.

[SFNE Expert]

Rattler AND Cyclone at Six Flags New England are getting Rocky Mountain Construction topper track!

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/acquaz10/0305111715-00.jpg

To view more pics of the track at SFNE go to SFNE Online!
http://sfneonline.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4341#p4341

[nitrofan]

Has anybody ridden a coaster with this topper track yet? It sounds like the Rocky Mountain Coasters did a good job with Texas Giant, but I don't really like the fact that it appears a majority of the Six Flags wooden coasters will recieve topper track when we don't really know how it rides yet. Right now, the possibilities are Rattler, Viper, American Eagle, Cyclone, Colossus, and Screaming Eagle. That's a lot of coasters considering very little is known about the ride experience these deliver.

[SFNE Expert]

Haven't been on Cyclone yet, but from what I've been told IT'S FREAKIN AMAZINGLY SMOOTH and it actually rides a bit faster. Cyclone has started to actually get lines, not just because of it's usual one train op, but because the word of mouth. People are really enjoying it.

They're redoing most of Thunderbolt at SFNE with topper track also, 70 years old baby.

[DejaVu2001]

I do not like topper track at all. I am sure it rides very smooth, but IMO it should only be used in extreme cases like SOB, Mean Streak, etc. Hearing of them possibly putting it on rides like Viper, American Eagle, Screamin Eagle just seems like Six Flags taking the lazy way out. Most rides, a regular retracking is just fine. Thunderbolt is the worst though, a 70 year old classic, having new track installed that is pretty much steel coaster track. Maybe I'm just old, but I like my wooden roller coasters to be wood. I don't want to have to think, "well, the lift and brake run are wood but most of the actual layout is steel".

[Austin]

Yeah. I mean it should never be used on classics. Ever under any circumstance. It's sacrilegious.

[David]

While this will offer a different ride, it still is WOODEN, Woodies have always run on steel plates, this is only adding more steel, and anyhow, American Eagle and Viper have had steel beams added here and there for structural integrity.

[Austin]

It entirely voids its status as wooden. It makes it a hybrid like Gemini at Cedar Point. And to even think about doing it to a 70 year old classic is unacceptable. To actually even do it, just smh. I don't think Rocky Mountain intended for this to be used for almost every coaster rehab project.

[DejaVu2001]

^^ I have never seen steel on Viper, and American Eagle has what I refer to as "Inverted Topper Track" where the steel is on the bottom with 2 boards of wood on top for the running surface.

To call a solid steel beam the same thing as wood with steel plates is crazy. It is NOT the same.

[SFNE Expert]

It entirely voids its status as wooden. It makes it a hybrid like Gemini at Cedar Point. And to even think about doing it to a 70 year old classic is unacceptable. To actually even do it, just smh. I don't think Rocky Mountain intended for this to be used for almost every coaster rehab project.

I don't think you know what Topper Track is like. I doesn't "void" it entirely of it's wooden coaster status.

[Austin]

It does. It removes the top section with pure steel.

http://amusementparkauthority.com/forums/showthread.php?t=717

That voids it. Its almost the same as Texas Giant except its cheaper and less extensive. Texas Giant they remove the entire stack and replaced it with the steel support beam and the track. This they take half the stack off and put the track on it. There is almost nothing about the track that makes it classify as wooden. No its not tubular steel as Gemini but if Texas Giant got the more extensive version of this system and it was classified as Hybrid then any coaster getting Topper Track would have to be classified as a Hybrid.

[Shayne]

Aquaz, I have ridden the new topper track. It is a huge improvement in ride quality and smoothness. I do however think of it as a new hybrid type of coaster. And to answer somebody's statement about Cyclone riding faster, it was riding the slowest I have ever seen it. I don't think it was due to the topper track however.

Also, Thunderbolt it not being converted with the rocky mountain topper track. It is a standard retracking being done.

[Austin]

Thats great. I think Rocky Mountain should point out some guidelines on what should and shouldn't be eligible for the system. Which I know some will hate that idea but it protects classic woodies that shouldnt get this system. Classics should just get re-tracked if they are that bad and the trains re-built.

[nitrofan]

Is this track metal track like what Texas Giant has or is it track like El Toro? El Toro track would be good, but Texas Giant track would be bad to take over. El Toro is rough enough that it has the out-of-control wooden coaster feel, but it's not so rough that it ruins the ride.

I still think that whatever Carowinds is having GCI do to Thunder Run, this needs to be done to a long list of wooden coasters! It's still traditional wooden coaster track, but the ride is very smooth (but not too smooth) on the parts that have been replaced. The rehabbed parts are perfect!

[DarienLake:D]

Is this track metal track like what Texas Giant has or is it track like El Toro? El Toro track would be good, but Texas Giant track would be bad to take over. El Toro is rough enough that it has the out-of-control wooden coaster feel, but it's not so rough that it ruins the ride.

I still think that whatever Carowinds is having GCI do to Thunder Run, this needs to be done to a long list of wooden coasters! It's still traditional wooden coaster track, but the ride is very smooth (but not too smooth) on the parts that have been replaced. The rehabbed parts are perfect!

El Toro is defiantly not rough. Its just forceful!

[Austin]

Its metal track like Texas Giant, just a less extensive version.

[nitrofan]

El Toro is defiantly not rough. Its just forceful!

When I called El Toro rough, I mean't that it delivers an experience like a wooden coaster should. It's forceful and like a hyper coaster, but it has the "rough" feel of a woodie. The ride is not by any means a ROUGH coaster like the old Texas Giant, but it is not like a steel coaster either. It's kind of hard to explain what I mean.

[David]

It's not rough, it's WOODIE. that's the only way I can describe smooth woodies. lol

[nitrofan]

It's not rough, it's WOODIE. that's the only way I can describe smooth woodies. lol

Exactly what I mean. They need to find ways to make woodies feel like a brand new GCI or El Toro.

[mrceagle]

Is this track metal track like what Texas Giant has or is it track like El Toro? El Toro track would be good, but Texas Giant track would be bad to take over. El Toro is rough enough that it has the out-of-control wooden coaster feel, but it's not so rough that it ruins the ride.

I still think that whatever Carowinds is having GCI do to Thunder Run, this needs to be done to a long list of wooden coasters! It's still traditional wooden coaster track, but the ride is very smooth (but not too smooth) on the parts that have been replaced. The rehabbed parts are perfect!

El Toro is a completely different style. Toro uses a wood laminate and is shaped with wood like a wood coaster track is set up. but that's not what Rocky mountan coaster offers

Texas Giant got a steel track take over. so it's really not a wood caster any more. I hope this dose not continue onto other ocasters.

RMC also offers topper track which they installed on both Cyclone and Thunderbolt at SFNE. the coaster is built like any other wood coaster but a larger thicker steel track is installed. It is basically a traditional wood coaster track with more steel. there is also some extra bracing for added support.

here are 2 images of thunderbolts work: (click to see a larger image)
http://photos.newwhalom.com/Trip%20Reports/SFNE_GCG_MD/IMG_1296sm.jpg (http://photos.newwhalom.com/Trip%20Reports/SFNE_GCG_MD/thunderbolt6.html) http://photos.newwhalom.com/Trip%20Reports/SFNE_GCG_MD/IMG_1286sm.jpg (http://photos.newwhalom.com/Trip%20Reports/SFNE_GCG_MD/thunderbolt5.html)