TR: <=Kennywood=< 04/20/2002
Dave Althoff Jr
NOTE: An illustrated version of this report is available on the World
Wide Web at
http://capital2.capital.edu/admin-staff/dalthoff/adventures/tr2002
Trip Report: <=Kennywood=<
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania - 04/20/2002
=======================================
"Kennywood's Open!"
The weather report for the weekend looked downright lousy. I figured I
had two options. Either I could spend Saturday at Kennywood (40%
chance of rain) or Sunday at Kings Island (80% chance of rain).
Saturday morning I awoke to hear a steady rain outside. I rolled over
and went back to sleep. I got up to see the rain had stopped but the
clouds were dark. I turned on the computer to check my email. I turned
the TV to The Weather Channel. Is it my imagination, or is TWC
becoming less useful all the time? Things looked iffy at best and
didn't seem to be improving. I decided to gamble. But then you knew
that...you've already read the title of this report [Footnote 1].
Four hours and a couple hundred miles later I was parking my car at
Kennywood. For the trip I'd seen just a few light sprinkles, no real
rain.
Admission is $8 this year, $27.95 with P-O-P. Let me see...with ride
tickets at $0.60 each, subtract the general admission (call it $7.95)
that works out to a break-even point of 34 tickets on the P-O-P. The
task is set. I headed for the Jack Rabbit.
Jack Rabbit is my second retrofitted coaster of the season. Only the
pink train was running; the white train was sitting on the transfer
table and the blue train was nowhere to be seen. Each car now sports
two metal fins attached to the bottom of the chassis where the brake
pads once were. The old brake handles are gone, and a new doghouse has
been constructed Thunderbolt-style over the storage track next to the
unload station. It's a storage track I never gave much thought to, as
it was always concealed behind a plywood wall. That wall is gone now.
With only one train running there was no real hurry on the platform,
so we were able to sit wherever we wanted. I took my first ride of the
day in the lead seat so that I could see what had happened.
What happened to the ride is in fact not terribly obvious. The
operator presumably pushes a button and the train slides out of the
station. It shoots down the first drop, up the hill, and around the
first curve. Unlike most coasters retrofitted with brake fins, there
don't seem to be any obvious structural changes. There is a new prox
switch on the curve from the load station to the first drop,
presumably a station check-out switch. It's on the lift where the most
obvious changes can be seen, as the track ties holding the lift
channel had to be chopped out on both sides to accommodate the brake
fins. At the top of the lift, the train rounds the curve and starts
down the double-dip with the distinctive Kennywoodie Rumble. Halfway
down we are sent skyward as the train silently flies over the
double-dip. We rattle through the final curve and through the final
dip to the station (from which you can see the skids of Steel Phantom
shoulder bars sitting in the boneyard). The train shoots up the final
hill into the station, where the skid brakes used to be. The two
parallel magnetic brake calipers are a whole lot more efficient than
the old skid brakes, and they bring the train smoothly into the
station until it rolls to the unload point where two squeeze brakes
snap shut so we can get off. The performance of the ride is
qualitatively completely unchanged. The added weight of the brake fins
doesn't seem to make any difference in the action of a fully-loaded
train. It's particularly interesting in that they went with two brake
fins on each car. Initially there was speculation that one fin was for
magnetic brakes and one was for friction brakes, but in fact both fins
are used for both brake types. My guess is that because the Jack
Rabbit has a very short, very heavy train the double brakes are used
to get better braking performance in less space. Overall, Jack Rabbit
fits very nicely with Kennywood's obvious commitment to preserving the
look and feel of their rides as they make significant upgrades.
As I exited Jack Rabbit, I met Dave Sandborg, Tim Melago, and Greg
Legowski. We exchanged greetings and discussed the new Jack Rabbit as
we headed for the Thunderbolt.
There was one major change on the Thunderbolt this season, but I'll
get to that in a moment. Dave and Tim were muttering something to each
other that I didn't quite understand, and moments later I was riding
in the back of the train. Down the hill beneath the Phantom's Revenge,
back up to the turnaround, the second drop and the lifthill. At the
top...what happened? There was no grating or sliding noise. The trim
brake at the top of the first drop was OFF! We flew down the drop and
into the under-banked helix. That meant airtime on the first drop!
Yes! Airtime on the Thunderbolt! Twice around the helix, then over the
other trim brake for the plunge into the ravine. Tim says that brake
was light, but I disagree; I think the second brake was about normal
but with the first trim off, we went through it faster. The upshot of
all this is that when we took that final drop at the end of the ride,
I got launched from my seat with an unexpected force. Airtime on the
Thunderbolt. Who'd have thought it? Better still was that change I
alluded to a moment ago. They have reconstructed the transfer switch,
smoothing out the curve at that point so that nasty crashing and
banging on the final turn into the station is gone, much more like the
Thunderbolt rides I remember from ten years ago.
From Thunderbolt, the locals headed for Small Fry's for fries and
buffalo chicken strips. On local advice I tried the chicken strips
with the buffalo sauce, but decided I didn't much care for the sauce.
WAAAY too much vinegar and not much else. In hindsight I guess I
should have known, and I suspect that also explains the bad reviews I
have heard of a new-to-Columbus chicken wing place imported from
Western Pennsylvania...it's a local taste thing.
We finished our fries and decided to take advantage of the small crowd
and take a ride on the Exterminator. The line was backed up in the
queue house building, but didn't extend through the tunnel or the
outer queue. The Exterminator queue house is a hot, crowded, noisy
place. It got worse when the ride broke down. The queue house is an
uphill zig-zag in a concrete bunker with a whole wall full of
electrical power plant monitoring equipment on the high side of the
room. I realized that the place is kind of backwards, in that the
equipment, the stuff put there to look interesting, is at the high
side of the room, so if you're not standing in the top row, you can't
see it because of all the bodies blocking the way. Not that it's
exactly staging anyway. They got the ride running again, and the
loading attendant suggested that we should ride two to a car. Greg and
I entered one car, Dave and Tim took the next. Most of the theming
elements inside the ride were off and the building was mostly dark.
Unlike the last trip I took, this time the car actually spun, but the
light load meant it didn't spin nearly as wildly as on previous rides.
As we exited we noticed that Dave and Tim had been paired up with two
other people. They reported that they hadn't had much spinning,
either.
Dave pointed out that we had to comply with the Kennywood Law and take
a ride on the Whip. I pointed out that I'd already violated the other
Kennywood Law by not riding the Racer immediately after riding the
Jack Rabbit. Wipeout, Enterprise, Pirat and Wave Swinger were down for
the day. Surrounding the Pirat, the new "Pirates Cove" area is taking
shape, presumably including the boardwalk between restrooms, and
certainly including the new (but not yet ready) food stand. I agree
with Dave...the new stand looks like it belongs in Camp Snoopy at
Cedar Point.I noted that the Pirat is most certainly not ready to run
yet as there is no fence across the end of the swinging boat, a
situation which could be just a little bit hazardous. Nearby, a big
new sign has appeared identifying the entrance to the Phantom's
Revenge.
As if that wasn't enough, the Phantom himself has taken up residence
in Fiberglas form over the station's pedestrian entrance, making that
entrance just a little less pedestrian. We headed for the back of the
train; I actually took my first ride of the day in the back seat. The
obstruction in the track at the station exit that last year was
popping lap bars open as the train left the station has been fixed. A
closer examination suggested that it was in fact the prox switch that
counts the release wheels to make sure they all came down properly;
the top edge of that switch has been filed down. The ride is just as
amazing as it was last season, the headbanging inversions replaced
with body-wringing double-dips and the most extreme airtime I think I
have ever experienced on a recent coaster. You think Apollo's Chariot
has airtime? Visit Pittsburgh and learn what real airtime is about!
The ride has changed a little: First of all, the trench under the
Thunderbolt is now surrounded by concrete retaining walls, so that
it's almost a tunnel now...and I don't remember the three steel
I-beams through there from last year. Most significantly, there are
now magnetic trim brakes on the ride. One caliper near the top of the
second-to-last hill is barely noticeable in the front of the train,
and in the back of the train you're airborne when it hits so you can't
feel it at all. If anything, the "insane" airtime on that last hill
has become merely "ultra-extreme." It's the final rise into the brakes
that has the powerful magnets which slow the train very nicely.
Another caliper on the transfer table/brake run itself flanks the
traditional friction brakes and serves to hold the train at a slow
crawl as it comes into the station. I have a feeling that when
two-train operation begins (the second train was nowhere in sight)
they may want to increase the speed here just slightly to cut the
station cycle time just a little. That caliper is a good sample of how
magnetic brakes work, as the train reaches a particular speed, then
remains at that speed until the last fin pulls out of the caliper. The
ride is pretty much ready for two-train operation now; there will be
no problem at all stopping the train short of the station. Best of
all, the performance remains unchanged. And now that I have ridden six
different coasters with magnetic brakes [Footnote 2] I'm more
convinced than ever that these things are the best thing to happen to
roller coasters probably since the invention of the anti-rollback dog.
Expect to see more magnets incorporated into coasters; between the
Wild Mouse, Jack Rabbit, and Phantom's Revenge, Kennywood has lots of
examples of ways to do it right.
For reasons unknown, the Thunderbolt went down for the rest of the
day. We rode the Old Mill, where we noticed that there have been some
changes to the controls. The control stand has been relocated, the
(long disused) hand levers have been removed from the station brakes,
and the old brass air control levers have been replaced with new air
controls that look suspiciously like the controls that used to run the
Thunderbolt. Greg claims that security cameras have been installed
inside the ride. I didn't see any monitors or cameras (but then it's
pretty dark in there) but I did notice that there were no employees
inside sleepi...er...watching over the ride.
Rides on the Jack Rabbit and Racer were taken in accordance with the
previously mentioned Kennywood Law. On the Racer, the lead car of the
green train was mysteriously roped off, and the red train was not
quite ready to go yet as it lacks seat cushions. Hey, it's the first
day of the season. And the Racer was performing as usual in the area
where it counts.
The weather had turned warm and sunny. We noted that Kiddieland is
getting a bit of a makeover, with tinted, pattern-stamped asphalt that
looks like brick, some relocation of a couple of rides, and it looks
like the Kiddie Turtle is being reinstalled right behind the dining
patio, with new decking and fencing.
Elsewhere in the park, the Flying Carpet has been totally refurbished
and repainted, and is running very nicely, possibly even slightly
better than before. One thing we noticed is that the seat belts are
now color-coded, though I found the belt to be just a little bit
short. Speaking of short belts, I was almost not able to ride Pitt
Fall because the new-for-2001 safety belt is so short. The interesting
thing about that is that without the belt, the bar needs to be down
that far to keep riders from submarining out of the seat. But the
safety belt would itself prevent such an incident, so with the belt it
should be allowable for the bar to be somewhat higher. But since the
purpose of the belt is to measure the bar position...well, I could go
on about that for a while. Bottom line is I was able to ride, although
it required a little bit of shoulder-crushing for me to fit. We rode
on the side that faces the river, and from the top you get a really
dramatic view from up there. The tower is a couple of hundred feet
tall by itself, but it's another couple hundred feet down to the
river, so from the top it's a VERY long way down. I like the ride, but
I find it unaccommodating so I seldom ride it more than once per
visit.
Let me see...what else did I do. We rode the Gold Rusher, which
prompted shouts of, "NOW YOU WILL PAY!!!" from our car. The Log Jammer
was not yet functional, but the Roll-O-Plane was running very nicely
so far as I could tell. Next to the Roll-O-Plane is a new High Striker
game...a "real" High Striker, with a bell on top and a little metal
slug to send up the pole, replacing the electronic one. We inspected
the merchandise in all of the shops but didn't see anything
particularly amazing. Cheese-on-a-Stick has not returned, and the
cheesesteak sandwiches have disappeared from the food service menu. We
rode the Auto Ride which has new concrete and new decking in the
station, but quite frankly I don't remember it well enough to know
exactly how it was changed. The Kangaroo (Flying Coaster) remains one
of my all-time favorite classic flat rides. We noted that the side
padding on the Bayern Kurve is less effective than it should be
because the seat back pad is so thick. Early in the day the Raging
Rapids ride was running, but was shut down by late afternoon...people
wishing to get drenched would have to settle for the Pittsburg Plunge.
The Turtle is a good place from which to get some good views of
Phantom's Revenge, not to mention some interesting sounds that come
from the support columns as Phantom approaches.
Thanks to the light crowds we managed to get lots of rides on Racer,
Jack Rabbit, and most important on Phantom's Revenge. I was surprised
when the announcement came through that the park would be closing at
9:00 pm. Surprised first of all that they announced it, and second
that it was that late; I figured it might be earlier because of the
light crowd. In fact, I finished up with a quick carousel ride at
about 8:30. We swapped early season schedules and went our separate
ways. Because of the "early" close I stopped for dinner on the way
home, pulling into my driveway at about 2:00am. I'd had lots of fun,
and the only real rain I encountered all day was a five-minute
rainstorm near Pataskala at 1:30 in the morning. That ought to teach
me to pay any attention to the weather forecast.
Oh, I figure I used the equivalent of 52 tickets, meaning my $27.95
admission was a $39.20 value.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Footnote 1: "Trip Report: <=Kennywood=<, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania -
04/20/2002"
Footnote 2: Mad Mouse, Idlewild; Superman: Ride of Steel, Darien Lake;
Millennium Force, Cedar Point; The Beast, Kings Island; Jack Rabbit
and Phantom's Revenge, Kennywood.
--DCAjr
--
/-\ _ _ *** Closed for the season. ***
/XXX\ /X\ /X\_ _ /X\__ _ _ _____
/XXXXX\ /XXX\ _/XXXX\_ /X\ /XXXXX\ /X\ /X\ /XXXXX
_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX
Dave Sandborg
In article <aa2ahi$k0u$1...@acme.gcfn.org>, Dave Althoff Jr
<dal...@gcfn.org> wrote:
> Overall, Jack Rabbit
> fits very nicely with Kennywood's obvious commitment to preserving the
> look and feel of their rides as they make significant upgrades.
They're doing a very good job of this. I would much rather have a
braking system change (well, as long as there are no extra brakes on
the course!) as long as they preserve the restraint system on Jack
Rabbit.
> There was one major change on the Thunderbolt this season, but I'll
> get to that in a moment. Dave and Tim were muttering something to each
> other that I didn't quite understand, and moments later I was riding
> in the back of the train. Down the hill beneath the Phantom's Revenge,
> back up to the turnaround, the second drop and the lifthill. At the
> top...what happened? There was no grating or sliding noise. The trim
> brake at the top of the first drop was OFF!
This seems to be an early-season phenomenon. It's happened before, and
it definitely improves the ride, as you certainly found out.
> We flew down the drop and
> into the under-banked helix. That meant airtime on the first drop!
> Yes! Airtime on the Thunderbolt! Twice around the helix, then over the
> other trim brake for the plunge into the ravine. Tim says that brake
> was light, but I disagree; I think the second brake was about normal
> but with the first trim off, we went through it faster.
I'm not sure. I'd count it as light too. It can be heavier than that,
but I don't think I've ever felt the first brake off and the second
brake heavy, so perhaps your supposition is right.
> The upshot of
> all this is that when we took that final drop at the end of the ride,
> I got launched from my seat with an unexpected force. Airtime on the
> Thunderbolt. Who'd have thought it?
It can happen! I really wish I could get a completely brakeless ride
someday. I've seen footage of what appears to be a brakeless ride, and
the final drops and turn look quite amazing.
> From Thunderbolt, the locals headed for Small Fry's for fries and
> buffalo chicken strips. On local advice I tried the chicken strips
> with the buffalo sauce, but decided I didn't much care for the sauce.
> WAAAY too much vinegar and not much else. In hindsight I guess I
> should have known, and I suspect that also explains the bad reviews I
> have heard of a new-to-Columbus chicken wing place imported from
> Western Pennsylvania...it's a local taste thing.
Yeah, vinegar on potato chips, vinegar on fries, we like vinegar here.
I personally didn't mind the sauce at all, but I can see your
objection.
> Surrounding the Pirat, the new "Pirates Cove" area is taking
> shape, presumably including the boardwalk between restrooms, and
> certainly including the new (but not yet ready) food stand. I agree
> with Dave...the new stand looks like it belongs in Camp Snoopy at
> Cedar Point.
I think it was actually Tim who made that observation...
> For reasons unknown, the Thunderbolt went down for the rest of the
> day. We rode the Old Mill, where we noticed that there have been some
> changes to the controls. The control stand has been relocated, the
> (long disused) hand levers have been removed from the station brakes,
> and the old brass air control levers have been replaced with new air
> controls that look suspiciously like the controls that used to run the
> Thunderbolt. Greg claims that security cameras have been installed
> inside the ride. I didn't see any monitors or cameras (but then it's
> pretty dark in there) but I did notice that there were no employees
> inside sleepi...er...watching over the ride.
You can see the monitors to the right at the very beginning of the
ride, just before you hit the lift.
> Rides on the Jack Rabbit and Racer were taken in accordance with the
> previously mentioned Kennywood Law. On the Racer, the lead car of the
> green train was mysteriously roped off,
And later they had to clean up a mess on one of the trains, I think the
same one.
> and the red train was not
> quite ready to go yet as it lacks seat cushions. Hey, it's the first
> day of the season. And the Racer was performing as usual in the area
> where it counts.
I'd say it was in about average form. I've ridden it when it's been
better, and I've ridden it when it's been worse.
> Elsewhere in the park, the Flying Carpet has been totally refurbished
> and repainted, and is running very nicely, possibly even slightly
> better than before.
It's hard to compare it from year to year, particularly since it wasn't
open much at all last year. There is a bit of a "hitch", but not as
much as I recall from years past. The forces of the ride did feel a
bit more intense.
> [Pitt Fall]
> We rode
> on the side that faces the river, and from the top you get a really
> dramatic view from up there. The tower is a couple of hundred feet
> tall by itself, but it's another couple hundred feet down to the
> river, so from the top it's a VERY long way down.
I was thinking what a coaster drop of that length would be like.
Hmmm...no mention of Noah's Ark? Your memory of the sequence of events
that day is very good (this is why I take notes, so I don't have to
remember!), but I think you missed that one.
--
Dave Sandborg
Remove Spam-away to respond via e-mail.
Koaster Kiwi
"Dave Althoff Jr" <dal...@gcfn.org> wrote in message
news:aa2ahi$k0u$1...@acme.gcfn.org...
> For reasons unknown, the Thunderbolt went down for the rest of the
> day. We rode the Old Mill, where we noticed that there have been some
> changes to the controls. The control stand has been relocated, the
> (long disused) hand levers have been removed from the station brakes,
> and the old brass air control levers have been replaced with new air
> controls that look suspiciously like the controls that used to run the
> Thunderbolt. Greg claims that security cameras have been installed
> inside the ride. I didn't see any monitors or cameras (but then it's
> pretty dark in there) but I did notice that there were no employees
> inside sleepi...er...watching over the ride.
I don't know if the cameras are still up and operating this year, but just
before the boat goes up the ramp you may have noticed a window, or maybe a
split in the panels, on your right the person used to sit there and watch
the monitor, I think the screen was split two ways/ showing four cameras.
the cameras had red led's on them and that's how I noticed them last year.
They have one in each of the larger indoor scenes...or so I remember.
Michael Houghton
In article <220420022245408054%sand...@Spam-away.ix.netcom.com>,
Dave Sandborg <sand...@Spam-away.ix.netcom.com> wrote:
[snip]
>
>> The upshot of
>> all this is that when we took that final drop at the end of the ride,
>> I got launched from my seat with an unexpected force. Airtime on the
>> Thunderbolt. Who'd have thought it?
>
>It can happen! I really wish I could get a completely brakeless ride
>someday. I've seen footage of what appears to be a brakeless ride, and
>the final drops and turn look quite amazing.
>
A guy I used to work with told of an exciting ride on the Thunderbolt
once (must have been fifteen years ago, I'd guess). A light rain started
as they started their ride. The station brakes got slippery and they just
plowed on through. It took something like a half dozen circuits before they
could corrall the train in the station.
yours,
Michael
--
Michael and MJ Houghton | Herveus d'Ormonde and Megan O'Donnelly
her...@radix.net | White Wolf and the Phoenix
Bowie, MD, USA | Tablet and Inkle bands, and other stuff
| http://www.radix.net/~herveus/
Greg Legowski
> From Thunderbolt, the locals headed for Small Fry's for fries and
> buffalo chicken strips. On local advice I tried the chicken strips
> with the buffalo sauce, but decided I didn't much care for the sauce.
> WAAAY too much vinegar and not much else. In hindsight I guess I
> should have known, and I suspect that also explains the bad reviews I
> have heard of a new-to-Columbus chicken wing place imported from
> Western Pennsylvania...it's a local taste thing.
Would this wing place be "BW3" by any chance? I'd heard they'd spread to
the Columbus area. Far from my favorite wings, actually. I'd rather have
seen Wiggy's in Moon stay in business...
I like the Kennywood buffalo strips, but can see the complaint. That sauce
is also good mixed with the cheese on the fries...
--Greg
Keith Hopkins
news:Gv15v2.Jy...@news.jtan.com...
> Would this wing place be "BW3" by any chance? I'd heard they'd spread to
> the Columbus area. Far from my favorite wings, actually.
There's one o' them in Mankato, Minnesota. I liked 'em, but I always got
the barbeque version. Of course, I'm a Northern Plains guy, and our tastes
are not necessarily in tune with the East.
--
Keith Hopkins
suss...@blockvisi.com (clear the block to reply)
"Usenet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhea -- massive,
difficult to redirect, awe-inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind-
boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it."
-- Gene "spaf" Spafford (1992)
Dave Althoff Jr
: "Dave Althoff Jr" <dal...@gcfn.org> wrote:
: > From Thunderbolt, the locals headed for Small Fry's for fries and
: > buffalo chicken strips. On local advice I tried the chicken strips
: > with the buffalo sauce, but decided I didn't much care for the sauce.
: > WAAAY too much vinegar and not much else. In hindsight I guess I
: > should have known, and I suspect that also explains the bad reviews I
: > have heard of a new-to-Columbus chicken wing place imported from
: > Western Pennsylvania...it's a local taste thing.
: Would this wing place be "BW3" by any chance? I'd heard they'd spread to
: the Columbus area. Far from my favorite wings, actually. I'd rather have
: seen Wiggy's in Moon stay in business...
No...If you must know, Quaker Steak & Lube. I've never eaten there, but
the complaint: Sauce way too vinegary and not spicy enough.
I thought BW3 spread FROM the Columbus area...! Never eaten there either.
: I like the Kennywood buffalo strips, but can see the complaint. That sauce
: is also good mixed with the cheese on the fries...
It's purely a preference issue. I don't get the salt & vinegar on fries
thing, either.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Frank Czuri
brakeless.
Naturally the first lap was quite an experience, but they would often
take the brakes off for the last few rides each night! The real
thrill is what followed!
When we came out of the last drop and over what is the first set of
station brakes , we whizzed over and around that tight flat turn! You
could tell it was NOT meant to be taken at that speed....but it was
GREAT! The real thrill came when we left the station ....it was like
a second half of a double dip! We FLEW out of our seats! The
gnashing and crashing in the tunnel that followed caused us to bop
heads...and we considered ourselves season coaster-riders!
I will never forget it and will always be grateful to him...we are
friends to this day!
Thanks for letting me recall that sensational ride!
Frank Czuri
Janna Rasmussen
wrote:
>Greg Legowski (gre...@gNrOeSgPlAeMg.com) wrote:
>: "Dave Althoff Jr" <dal...@gcfn.org> wrote:
>: > From Thunderbolt, the locals headed for Small Fry's for fries and
>: > buffalo chicken strips. On local advice I tried the chicken strips
>: > with the buffalo sauce, but decided I didn't much care for the sauce.
>: > WAAAY too much vinegar and not much else. In hindsight I guess I
>: > should have known, and I suspect that also explains the bad reviews I
>: > have heard of a new-to-Columbus chicken wing place imported from
>: > Western Pennsylvania...it's a local taste thing.
>
>: Would this wing place be "BW3" by any chance? I'd heard they'd spread to
>: the Columbus area. Far from my favorite wings, actually. I'd rather have
>: seen Wiggy's in Moon stay in business...
>
>No...If you must know, Quaker Steak & Lube. I've never eaten there, but
>the complaint: Sauce way too vinegary and not spicy enough.
>
>I thought BW3 spread FROM the Columbus area...! Never eaten there either.
Yes, BW3 started in Ohio, by former Buffalonians, I think. The
original name was Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck which is where the
acronym BW3 came from. "Weck" refers to another popular local food,
Beef on Weck, which is sliced roast beef, dipped in au jus and served
on a kimmelweck roll with horseradish. A kimmelweck roll is just a
hard roll with some coarse salt and caraway seeds.
And that is where, dear readers, the "Yo Adrian's Custard and Beef"
comes in. Places that sell Beef on Weck and custard (soft ice cream)
along with a proper, charcoal-broiled hot dog (none of those boiled
wieners or roller wieners) are *very* popular around here, especially
in the summertime. The most well known of the "Custard and Beef"
places is Anderson's: http://www.andersonscustard.com/
As for BW3, I don't care for their wings (or any of their food for
that matter) but I do like to go there once in a while for a few beers
or Cokes and a few rounds of NTN trivia. In fact that's where we
wound up after Kennywood, since it was close to our hotel in
Monroeville. Only after it was too late did I discover that one of my
favorite bands (Wilco) was in town that night. I'm still kicking
myself for missing them.
-Janna
Brian
> > We rode
> > on the side that faces the river, and from the top you get a really
> > dramatic view from up there. The tower is a couple of hundred feet
> > tall by itself, but it's another couple hundred feet down to the
> > river, so from the top it's a VERY long way down.
>
> I was thinking what a coaster drop of that length would be like.
Hmmmm, let the rumors start for 2005! lol
Tim Melago
"Dave Althoff Jr" <dal...@gcfn.org> wrote in message
news:aa2ahi$k0u$1...@acme.gcfn.org...
> From Thunderbolt, the locals headed for Small Fry's for fries and
> buffalo chicken strips. On local advice I tried the chicken strips
> with the buffalo sauce, but decided I didn't much care for the sauce.
> WAAAY too much vinegar and not much else. In hindsight I guess I
> should have known, and I suspect that also explains the bad reviews I
> have heard of a new-to-Columbus chicken wing place imported from
> Western Pennsylvania...it's a local taste thing.
It was my first time trying the buffalo strips too. I couldn't figure what
it was until you mentioned the excess vinegar but I didn't care for the
sauce too much either. I'm no expert on buffalo wings and I can only handle
mild wings, but smelling the wings was pretty intense. I thought it was
strange because they weren't hot enough to get to my sense of smell. It was
the vinegar that acted kind of like smelling salts to me! Next time I'll
probably get the plain strips. My fries were only slightly warm. For some
reason you just have to go to *the* Patch for the absolute best Patch fries.
Idlewild and Compounce don't quite compare either.
--
Tim Melago - roll...@sgi.net
http://users.sgi.net/~rollocst/rc.html
Tim Melago
"Dave Sandborg" <sand...@Spam-away.ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:220420022245408054%sand...@Spam-away.ix.netcom.com...
> Just a few comments...
>
> In article <aa2ahi$k0u$1...@acme.gcfn.org>, Dave Althoff Jr
> <dal...@gcfn.org> wrote:
> > We flew down the drop and
> > into the under-banked helix. That meant airtime on the first drop!
> > Yes! Airtime on the Thunderbolt! Twice around the helix, then over the
> > other trim brake for the plunge into the ravine. Tim says that brake
> > was light, but I disagree; I think the second brake was about normal
> > but with the first trim off, we went through it faster.
>
> I'm not sure. I'd count it as light too. It can be heavier than that,
> but I don't think I've ever felt the first brake off and the second
> brake heavy, so perhaps your supposition is right.
It seemed lighter for sure. But we did have more speed and the brake was wet
too.
> > The upshot of
> > all this is that when we took that final drop at the end of the ride,
> > I got launched from my seat with an unexpected force. Airtime on the
> > Thunderbolt. Who'd have thought it?
>
> It can happen! I really wish I could get a completely brakeless ride
> someday. I've seen footage of what appears to be a brakeless ride, and
> the final drops and turn look quite amazing.
When the T-Bolt runs without the first trim brake, I am a big fan of the
ride. When it's running well, it probably would fit in my Top 20. It's
pretty amazing to ride with airtime going into the bowl section. But when
the brakes are all on I'd rather be on the Racer and I'd rank the T-Bolt in
the mid 40s out of 118 woodies ridden.
Tim Melago
"Frank Czuri" <fn...@bellatlantic.net> wrote in message
news:9641bc5b.02042...@posting.google.com...
Wow! Once during some rain I was on the T-Bolt when it skidded right through
the back brake shed right into the unload station brakes. Strange thing was
that I didn't realize it until we hit the brakes. Yes, the ride was DDW
after that. I've also gone over the first drop out of the station from the
unloading area. It's exciting for sure but certainly nothing like taking the
curve into the station before that like you mentioned. Man that must have
been insane! I'd love to get a totally trim free ride which wouldn't even be
as crazy as the non-stop ride you mention. I was able to get one solo back
seat ride once with light braking (it was a park the train run at the end of
the night). T-Bolt is awesome solo. The laterals are completly wild. Talk
about being thrown around like a rag doll. I'm grateful to have been able to
get that chance that only employees usually get. I'd sign a release form to
ride the T-Bolt that way again.
One other thing. I miss the fact that with the new brake system that it
won't be possible to "race" trains on the T-Bolt. They used to do it during
some ERTs and it was very cool. What I mean by racing is that both trains
are in the ravine section drops at the same time.
Cindy Stout
> "Weck" refers to another popular local food,
>Beef on Weck, which is sliced roast beef, dipped in au jus and served
>on a kimmelweck roll with horseradish. A kimmelweck roll is just a
>hard roll with some coarse salt and caraway seeds.
My sister used to live in Olean, NY (about an hour outside of Buffalo), and I
was forced to eat a Beef on Weck once when I was visiting her. I have to say,
I've never tasted a more bland sandwich in my life! So, I have to ask, are they
usually bland, or was Olean just not the right place to try one?
Cindy
Hurric...@aol.comPSYCHO
Quit being psycho to respond
Jacob Atkinson
We have BW3s here in Indianapolis, and there are some in Evansville,
IN. I am a big wing fan, and it is usually a hard choice between there
and HOOTERS. The difference for me is whether I want some variety of
sauces or breading. I am a big breading fan, and HOOTERS has nicely
breaded wings with great taste. I usually get multiple legs at BW3's
with different flavors. Either way, both offer a nice place to go
watch football games!
Jacob
not very good at the trivia game, but enjoys it nonetheless! I also
saw Tivoli Gardens on there once as an answer.
Dave Althoff Jr
: One other thing. I miss the fact that with the new brake system that it
: won't be possible to "race" trains on the T-Bolt. They used to do it during
: some ERTs and it was very cool. What I mean by racing is that both trains
: are in the ravine section drops at the same time.
Are you sure about that? The two ravine sections are in different blocks;
the trick would be to get the train loaded soon enough that it could be
dispatched as the other train comes out of the bowl. It might require
giving a double ride or something like that to get the timing right, but
who would complain about that? 8-)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Dave Sandborg
<dal...@gcfn.org> wrote:
> Tim Melago (roll...@sgi.net) wrote:
>
> : One other thing. I miss the fact that with the new brake system that it
> : won't be possible to "race" trains on the T-Bolt. They used to do it during
> : some ERTs and it was very cool. What I mean by racing is that both trains
> : are in the ravine section drops at the same time.
>
> Are you sure about that? The two ravine sections are in different blocks;
> the trick would be to get the train loaded soon enough that it could be
> dispatched as the other train comes out of the bowl. It might require
> giving a double ride or something like that to get the timing right, but
> who would complain about that? 8-)
By the time the one train made it through the brake, the one in the
station could never catch up to it. To "race" the trains, the station
train has to be dispatched while the other one is still in the helix.
Greg Legowski
news:aa4mak$72k$1...@acme.gcfn.org...
> No...If you must know, Quaker Steak & Lube. I've never eaten there, but
> the complaint: Sauce way too vinegary and not spicy enough.
Oh, them. Blah. Some of my friends love them, but I've started taking
great pains to avoid them. BW3 is alright, but not really "good" either.
> I thought BW3 spread FROM the Columbus area...! Never eaten there either.
That sounds right. I just remember that I've seen them in both cities ;-)
> It's purely a preference issue. I don't get the salt & vinegar on fries
> thing, either.
Me either, actually, but then I'm originally a Jersey boy. On a related
note, anyone actually buy salt-n-vinegar potato chips? As if putting some
on fries wasn't bad enough...
Wolf
> > thing, either.
>
> Me either, actually, but then I'm originally a Jersey boy. On a related
> note, anyone actually buy salt-n-vinegar potato chips? As if putting some
> on fries wasn't bad enough...
I do. It's a really nice way to ensure no one eats your chips. <G>
--
|\-/|
<0 0>
=(o)=
-Wolf
Janna Rasmussen
wrote:
Quality can widely, depending on the roast beef and the rolls used. I
couldn't imagine one without horseradish but I guess a sandwich with
poor quality beef and no horseradish could be bland.
-Janna
Tim Melago
"Racing" the T-Bolt was against normal operating procedures in the past and
I believe the ride is now set up to prevent "racing" in the system
automatically. A train doesn't leave the station until the other train is in
the back brake shed. But Dave S. is also right that the train coming out of
the station couldn't catch up anyway after the other train passed through
the trim brake.
Dave Althoff Jr
for vinegar, and the origin of BW3. This all got started because of the
lunch that Greg, Dave, Tim, and I had at Kennywood on Saturday, which I
described thusly:
: >: > From Thunderbolt, the locals headed for Small Fry's for fries and
: >: > buffalo chicken strips. On local advice I tried the chicken strips
: >: > with the buffalo sauce, but decided I didn't much care for the sauce.
: >: > WAAAY too much vinegar and not much else. In hindsight I guess I
: >: > should have known, and I suspect that also explains the bad reviews I
: >: > have heard of a new-to-Columbus chicken wing place imported from
: >: > Western Pennsylvania...it's a local taste thing.
Greg theorized that I was talking about reviews of BW3, thinking it was a
newcomer to Columbus. I confirmed that it is not:
: >I thought BW3 spread FROM the Columbus area...! Never eaten there either.
Janna explains:
: Yes, BW3 started in Ohio, by former Buffalonians, I think. The
"Buffalonians"? Is that a form of lunchmeat often favored by elementary
school children? Does it have a first and second name? Can you get it
fried for a sandwich at a restaurant in Waldo, OH?
: original name was Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck which is where the
: acronym BW3 came from. "Weck" refers to another popular local food,
: Beef on Weck, which is sliced roast beef, dipped in au jus and served
: on a kimmelweck roll with horseradish. A kimmelweck roll is just a
: hard roll with some coarse salt and caraway seeds.
Ah. Indeed, BW3 DID originate in Columbus, somewhere near Ohio State
University. In fact I remember the sign about "Buffalo Wild Wings and
Weck" and I remember having no idea what it meant. I was less than a
dozen years old at the time, so it really didn't matter anyway.
Janna continues:
: And that is where, dear readers, the "Yo Adrian's Custard and Beef"
: comes in. Places that sell Beef on Weck and custard (soft ice cream)
: along with a proper, charcoal-broiled hot dog (none of those boiled
: wieners or roller wieners) are *very* popular around here, especially
: in the summertime. The most well known of the "Custard and Beef"
: places is Anderson's: http://www.andersonscustard.com/
All I know is that in my travels in New York, particularly between the
Great Lakes, it seems extremely easy to get good custard compared with
other places. Get great frozen custard at or around Seabreeze or Darien
Lake, but as you head West the supply kind of dries up until you get to
Cedar Point.
: As for BW3, I don't care for their wings (or any of their food for
: that matter) but I do like to go there once in a while for a few beers
: or Cokes and a few rounds of NTN trivia. In fact that's where we
: wound up after Kennywood, since it was close to our hotel in
: Monroeville. Only after it was too late did I discover that one of my
: favorite bands (Wilco) was in town that night. I'm still kicking
: myself for missing them.
That's gotta hurt...........
That brings NTN back into the mix, which would reintroduce Dana and
Dooley, but that would require a visit to Friday's, which would be fine so
long as the franchise isn't owned by Cedar Fair.....
Funny how easy it is for ANYTHING to be on-topic around here!
Janna Rasmussen
wrote:
>: >I thought BW3 spread FROM the Columbus area...! Never eaten there either.
>
>Janna explains:
>
>: Yes, BW3 started in Ohio, by former Buffalonians, I think. The
>
>"Buffalonians"? Is that a form of lunchmeat often favored by elementary
>school children? Does it have a first and second name? Can you get it
>fried for a sandwich at a restaurant in Waldo, OH?
You've completely lost me here. Is this a reference to something I
should know?
What does one call a resident of Columbus, by the way?
-Janna
Dana Schwartz
summed up a whole bunch of seemingly unrelated stuff and junk, and
somehow landed here...
>That brings NTN back into the mix, which would reintroduce Dana and
>Dooley, but that would require a visit to Friday's, which would be fine so
>long as the franchise isn't owned by Cedar Fair.....
>
>Funny how easy it is for ANYTHING to be on-topic around here!
Oh, now I see! We're back ON-topic! :-)
Why am I having visions of a dropped bowl of sour cream that needed a
police barrier or cones to protect the innocent waiters (I mean
waitresses, I mean waitpersons, I mean servers, that's the one) from
sliding into the dining room... no Guinness at "the upstairs bar"...
and an entire restaurant staff paralyzed because "the computers are
down"?!? That was one night that NONE of us should have tipped the
waitress. I mean serverperson that brings the food. :-)
Speaking of NTN... Jacob mentioned earlier in this thread that he saw
'Tivoli Gardens' as the answer to a question once. Well, we can top
that one, right Joe S. and MCB? (Dooley wasn't at this particular "NTN
challenge" back in June of '98, at the ACE Con at Kennywood.)
The three of us played NTN at the TGIF's in Monroeville the night
before the event began and, actually, we were not doing all that well
(blame it on too many fries :-) ). We were ready to call it a night
anyhow when the last question to the last game appeared, outta the
"green" -- and we all new the answer before we even saw the choices.
It was "Riddler's Revenge"! We'd logged in to play as Vettel that
evening, which just seemed "right". Team Vettel. Guess it was that
ol' Pittsburgh magic in the air. :-)
Off-topic, on-topic -- whatever... It ALLLLLLLLL comes back around
eventually if you just wait long enough. ;-)
Dana Schwartz
doo...@ix.netcom.com
Paul Asente
Janna Rasmussen <jr...@acsu.buffalo.edu> wrote:
> What does one call a resident of Columbus, by the way?
A hick. At least if one comes from northern Ohio. Anyone south of
Canton is a hick.
-paul asente
to reply, make the return host the same as my last name
Dave Althoff Jr
: On 24 Apr 2002 23:25:10 -0400, dal...@gcfn.org (Dave Althoff Jr)
: wrote:
: >: >I thought BW3 spread FROM the Columbus area...! Never eaten there either.
: >
: >Janna explains:
: >
: >: Yes, BW3 started in Ohio, by former Buffalonians, I think. The
: >
: >"Buffalonians"? Is that a form of lunchmeat often favored by elementary
: >school children? Does it have a first and second name? Can you get it
: >fried for a sandwich at a restaurant in Waldo, OH?
: You've completely lost me here. Is this a reference to something I
: should know?
Just thinking about having a Buffaloney sandwich for lunch or something.
One of those random thoughts that comes to me at midnight or whenever.
: What does one call a resident of Columbus, by the way?
I haven't the slightest idea. And I live here! 8-)
Phillip Reuss
> In article <muvecuo38s8l4res9...@4ax.com>,
> Janna Rasmussen <jr...@acsu.buffalo.edu> wrote:
>
> > What does one call a resident of Columbus, by the way?
>
> A hick. At least if one comes from northern Ohio. Anyone south of
> Canton is a hick.
Heh, that's hilarious, coming from someone who gets upset when people
make fun of the PGA Grizzly. A little hypocritical, no?
--
Phillip (who notes that the dividing line is I-70, FWIW)
reu...@osu.edu
"Boy, let me tell you...this is some place." - Guy at Disneyland