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Beast Retracking
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Marshall
May 17, 2022, 11:00:02 AM5/17/22
to
Just tried out the new and improved Beast.
I have to say I'm both shocked and underwhelmed.
Its SMOOTH! Minimal shuffling, no jack-hammering. For the first time in ages I didn't get off feeling like a punch drunk boxer. Yay!
OTOH, I don't see why you would reprofile a drop to make it steeper and then just add more trim brakes to slow it down...
The brakes at the top of the second hill hit harder than ever and the damn mid-course shed is still just a straight flat track with a sudden brake at the end. The train c-r-a-w-l-s thru the mid section of the course and barely gets car 1 to the first stairwell of the second lift. The drop into the helix is still heavily braked... even tho its back to being the highlight of the ride.
All-in-all, its a just a pleasant family coaster on the thrilling side...
I have to say I'm both shocked and underwhelmed.
Its SMOOTH! Minimal shuffling, no jack-hammering. For the first time in ages I didn't get off feeling like a punch drunk boxer. Yay!
OTOH, I don't see why you would reprofile a drop to make it steeper and then just add more trim brakes to slow it down...
The brakes at the top of the second hill hit harder than ever and the damn mid-course shed is still just a straight flat track with a sudden brake at the end. The train c-r-a-w-l-s thru the mid section of the course and barely gets car 1 to the first stairwell of the second lift. The drop into the helix is still heavily braked... even tho its back to being the highlight of the ride.
All-in-all, its a just a pleasant family coaster on the thrilling side...
Ansley
Jul 29, 2022, 1:25:28 AM7/29/22
to
I rode it in June and was severely disappointed, was just like the old Beast but a smoother. Same braking, lack of airtime, and disappointment as always. Sad really, they had an opportunity to actually make the coaster good, but didn't.
Ted
Ted
Surf Dance Chris
Jul 29, 2022, 4:54:16 PM7/29/22
to
Haven’t been to the park this year (and won’t, hopefully next year). Lack of airtime doesn’t necessarily mean a bad coaster in my opinion, Beast to me is about the speed and the lateral g’s in the helix. I’ve heard mostly good things other than this thread.
BaSSiStiStiSt
Jul 31, 2022, 10:57:21 PM7/31/22
to
On Friday, July 29, 2022 at 1:54:16 PM UTC-7, surfd...@aol.com wrote:
> Haven’t been to the park this year (and won’t, hopefully next year). Lack of airtime doesn’t necessarily mean a bad coaster in my opinion, Beast to me is about the speed and the lateral g’s in the helix. I’ve heard mostly good things other than this thread.
Just rode it in June and, as a Beast lover, felt like it was doing everything I wanted it to do, and it was fucking FLYING in the big helix. Solid 10 out of 10 from me, but I'm one of those weirdos that really likes The Beast.
> Haven’t been to the park this year (and won’t, hopefully next year). Lack of airtime doesn’t necessarily mean a bad coaster in my opinion, Beast to me is about the speed and the lateral g’s in the helix. I’ve heard mostly good things other than this thread.
Heather Kendrick
Aug 3, 2022, 2:21:51 PM8/3/22
to
On Jul 29, 2022, Ansley wrote
(in article<7eef5176-571e-4f20...@googlegroups.com>):
> I rode it in June and was severely disappointed, was just like the old Beast
> but a smoother. Same braking, lack of airtime, and disappointment as always.
> Sad really, they had an opportunity to actually make the coaster good, but
> didn´t
"Just like the old Beast but smoother" is presumably exactly what they
were going for. I know coaster enthusiasts are very mixed in their opinions
of the Beast, but the locals love it and don´t want it to be something
else. And for what it´s worth, I feel the same way, though I have not had a
chance to ride it since its refurbishment so I can´t rate that.
Heather
--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit
(in article<7eef5176-571e-4f20...@googlegroups.com>):
> I rode it in June and was severely disappointed, was just like the old Beast
> but a smoother. Same braking, lack of airtime, and disappointment as always.
> Sad really, they had an opportunity to actually make the coaster good, but
"Just like the old Beast but smoother" is presumably exactly what they
were going for. I know coaster enthusiasts are very mixed in their opinions
of the Beast, but the locals love it and don´t want it to be something
else. And for what it´s worth, I feel the same way, though I have not had a
chance to ride it since its refurbishment so I can´t rate that.
Heather
--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit
Heather Kendrick
Aug 3, 2022, 2:25:04 PM8/3/22
to
On Jul 29, 2022, Surf Dance Chris wrote
(in article<6d91ebf0-6a11-4451...@googlegroups.com>):
I agree. It seems like coaster enthusiasts have mostly decided the only thing
that matters is airtime, but I don´t subscribe to that philosophy. I
don´t think people used to be quite so convinced that airtime was the
be-all and end-all, back when I first discovered roller coaster fandom in the
early 2000s. Yeah, it was always one of the things people raved about, but I
don´t remember it being (just about) the only thing like it is now. I
sometimes think I´m the last person left who loves laterals and helixes,
but I guess not!
(in article<6d91ebf0-6a11-4451...@googlegroups.com>):
that matters is airtime, but I don´t subscribe to that philosophy. I
don´t think people used to be quite so convinced that airtime was the
be-all and end-all, back when I first discovered roller coaster fandom in the
early 2000s. Yeah, it was always one of the things people raved about, but I
don´t remember it being (just about) the only thing like it is now. I
sometimes think I´m the last person left who loves laterals and helixes,
but I guess not!
Marshall
Aug 5, 2022, 10:08:15 AM8/5/22
to
For sentimental reasons I'd hate to see it get RMC'd, but if it takes a Titan track or Topper track makeover to get rid of those damn trims, go for it.
Surf Dance Chris
Aug 5, 2022, 11:45:35 AM8/5/22
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Marshall
Aug 5, 2022, 1:15:34 PM8/5/22
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Dave Althoff, Jr.
Aug 11, 2023, 9:43:58 PM8/11/23
to
Marshall <dpdl...@gmail.com> wrote:
: Ideally it would be just on whatever portions those trims are protecting.
protecting, and the only answer I have ever been able to come up with
(since the park won't tell us) is that right-hand turn at the top of the
third hill, the entrance to the covered brake shed. Well, that shed is
there because it needed to be there as a block brake to support four train
operation, and it needed to be that long in order to bring those gigantic
trains to a full stop. But since the conversion to fin brakes, that isn't a
blocking point anymore, the train doesn't need to stop there, and even if
it did, the new brakes don't need nearly that much space to do it. Why not
fix it the right way: replace the third hill and quick turn with a much
wider, swooping upward turn that would be more interesting, would rejoin
the existing layout just before the trim brakes, and most important, would
allow for the complete removal of the trims on the second hill?
Not that I can really say that much about The Beast these days. I haven't
ridden it in years because between the way the trains are set up and the
way the ride is operated, the Racer and The Beast have the only seven
PTC trains in all of Cedar Fair that I can't comfortably squeeze into. I
think they really should fix that problem first. How about getting rid of
those electric lap bars and putting in the modern mechanical ones?
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
/X\ _ *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
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_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX
NEW! When emailing this account, include the 'canonical magic word' in
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: Ideally it would be just on whatever portions those trims are protecting.
: Maybe bottom of the first hill, top of the second, top of the third hill,
: thru the after shed tunnels(or just better banking). The train should be
: flying thru the middle third.
I've always wondered what those brakes at the top of the second hill are
: thru the after shed tunnels(or just better banking). The train should be
: flying thru the middle third.
protecting, and the only answer I have ever been able to come up with
(since the park won't tell us) is that right-hand turn at the top of the
third hill, the entrance to the covered brake shed. Well, that shed is
there because it needed to be there as a block brake to support four train
operation, and it needed to be that long in order to bring those gigantic
trains to a full stop. But since the conversion to fin brakes, that isn't a
blocking point anymore, the train doesn't need to stop there, and even if
it did, the new brakes don't need nearly that much space to do it. Why not
fix it the right way: replace the third hill and quick turn with a much
wider, swooping upward turn that would be more interesting, would rejoin
the existing layout just before the trim brakes, and most important, would
allow for the complete removal of the trims on the second hill?
Not that I can really say that much about The Beast these days. I haven't
ridden it in years because between the way the trains are set up and the
way the ride is operated, the Racer and The Beast have the only seven
PTC trains in all of Cedar Fair that I can't comfortably squeeze into. I
think they really should fix that problem first. How about getting rid of
those electric lap bars and putting in the modern mechanical ones?
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
/X\ _ *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
/XXX\ /X\ /X\_ _ /X\__ _ _ _____
/XXXXX\ /XXX\ /XXXX\_ /X\ /XXXXX\ /X\ /X\ /XXXXX
_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX
NEW! When emailing this account, include the 'canonical magic word' in
the body of your message for a quicker response.
Surf Dance Chris
Aug 19, 2023, 9:02:32 AM8/19/23
to
I got to ride the Beast this past June for the first time since the retracking last year. I enjoyed it, it wasn’t as rough as it was before but still felt like the Beast, in a good way. Got 19 rides on it over the 5 days I was there.
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