Cedar Point | "GateKeeper" | B&M Wingrider

[Intricks]

Re: Cedar Point | "Gatekeeper" | B&M Wingrider

Well, for what it's worth(nothing more than internet rumors from around 2000). Cedar Point approached Intamin, Morgan and B&M for Millennium Force. Morgan's was pricey, and B&M pretty much said "no". And in the end Intamin was chosen. Also, Leviathan really goes above what B&M has already done. Silver Star was their largest creation prior (249' , 78mph). I'd say B&M stepped a bit outside their comfort zone with Leviathan. And it's no surpise that Cedar Fair was the one to do it. Hopefully CF doesn't manipulate them like they did Intamin. :cry:

One, Leviathan just goes above in height. It is a 300ft tall hyper. It does nothing special beyond their first 300ft tall coaster.

Two, B&M arent cheap....at all. While I give some credit to B&M saying no, I also believe they had a projected cost as well, and it was more than what CF wanted to pay. Didnt B&M come out and say that theyve had the technology to go above 300ft for a while now?

Dear lord.....I am literally going to punch myself in the dick for this.....but HOW is Cedar Fair going to manipulate B&M, when it is well known that B&M pick and chose their jobs based on how many they have coming up and if they can give the new job the same care and attention as the others?

Also, Shambahlah was built that year as well, although construction started later; HOWEVER, I think they stepped out of their comfort zone with the debut of Raptor@Gardaland.

Jus' sayin!

Now excuse me while I go punch myself for my own stupidity.

 

[ECG]

On CP's Facebook page...

 

[_koppen]

I'd say B&M stepped a bit outside their comfort zone with Leviathan

B&M never steps out of their comfort zone. Everything they do is very well planned & calculated, and it always works from the start.

 

[Ethan]

I'd say B&M stepped a bit outside their comfort zone with Leviathan

B&M never steps out of their comfort zone. Everything they do is very well planned & calculated, and it always works from the start.

No, they do. Raptor at GL was out of their comfort zone, and so was Air at Alton. Yes, everything they do is well planned and calculated, but there is always a little risk. Air breaks down more than other rides of the same type, was that coaster planned well? Yes.

With new things come problems, whether it's during the planning stage or beyond that. So yes, they did step outside their comfort zone, but I would say that Leviathan was not quite as challenging as designing say, a Wing Coaster or a Flyer etc.

Look at Baco as an example. I know it wasn't designed by B&M, but it shows that not everything goes right when you try something new.

 

[Taxi]

^^^Nice opinions. I also don't think raptor was anything too drastic, B&M is known for train modifications. However, this is the most extreme modification of them all. That much is true, next to invertes & flyers.
^Those pictures are great. This coaster is gorgeous in the snow.

^
what I meant by "stepping out of their comfort zone", was that they built something much larger than what their used to. Leviathan is the tallest, fastest, and longest project ever for them. I

 

[Antinos]

I did some quick, ROUGH calculations real quick to add to this airtime discussion. Don't take my numbers as law of the land, as friction and air resistance is neglected and speeds and train weight are estimated. I used Taxi's speed estimation of 60 mph for initial speed and estimated the train weight to be 5,000kg (11,000lbs). Using conservation of energy, I calculated a speed of around 21 mph at the apex of the hill. Knowing that it can get quite windy at Cedar Point, I doubt B&M would design the ride to go any slower than that over the hill. 11,000 lbs is probably a bit light for a wing coaster train, so I think it's safe to say that a range for speed would be 20-30 mph. We all have seen how drawn out the hill looks on the holiday cam, so I think it's safe to assume that we will be experiencing floater air over the hill. Also, remember that wing coasters dynamically cannot have extreme intensity and forces, they're designed for sheer fun instead.

 

[kadabrium]

I did some quick, ROUGH calculations real quick to add to this airtime discussion. Don't take my numbers as law of the land, as friction and air resistance is neglected and speeds and train weight are estimated. I used Taxi's speed estimation of 60 mph for initial speed and estimated the train weight to be 5,000kg (11,000lbs). Using conservation of energy, I calculated a speed of around 21 mph at the apex of the hill. Knowing that it can get quite windy at Cedar Point, I doubt B&M would design the ride to go any slower than that over the hill. 11,000 lbs is probably a bit light for a wing coaster train, so I think it's safe to say that a range for speed would be 20-30 mph. We all have seen how drawn out the hill looks on the holiday cam, so I think it's safe to assume that we will be experiencing floater air over the hill. Also, remember that wing coasters dynamically cannot have extreme intensity and forces, they're designed for sheer fun instead.

The train's weight has nothing to do with the speed if you neglect resistance.
Anything falling ~60ft will get 40mph.
Even if you don't, the heavier the train, maybe the smaller the relative effect of (air) resistance.
but 20-30mph would be a close estimate derp I agree with you

 

[Colossus]

On CP's Facebook page...

This is literally the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

 

[Hyde]

I'd say B&M stepped a bit outside their comfort zone with Leviathan

B&M never steps out of their comfort zone. Everything they do is very well planned & calculated, and it always works from the start.

It would be fair to say that it is a 50/50 draw.

B&M pushed well past their normal height and speed specs for their hyper coasters, which could be considered a comfort zone.

However, B&M still used the same lift hill, braking, and train technology that they always have. A reasonable safe play given all of the technical misgivings other roller coaster companies coughIntamincough can run into with innovation.

Was B&M as innovative as Intamin with their 300 ft. coaster design? No - Intamin introduced magnetic braking, stadium-style seating, cable lift, and hydraulic lap bars with Millennium Force (and Superman: RoS) in 2000. But it still doesn't discount B&M's solid effort in producing a fantastic coaster.



FYI, I'm about to head over to CP for some GateKeeper construction coverage - photos to come soon!

 

[nadroJ]

I hate the colours.

 

[peep]

I did some quick, ROUGH calculations real quick to add to this airtime discussion. Don't take my numbers as law of the land, as friction and air resistance is neglected and speeds and train weight are estimated. I used Taxi's speed estimation of 60 mph for initial speed and estimated the train weight to be 5,000kg (11,000lbs). Using conservation of energy, I calculated a speed of around 21 mph at the apex of the hill. Knowing that it can get quite windy at Cedar Point, I doubt B&M would design the ride to go any slower than that over the hill. 11,000 lbs is probably a bit light for a wing coaster train, so I think it's safe to say that a range for speed would be 20-30 mph. We all have seen how drawn out the hill looks on the holiday cam, so I think it's safe to assume that we will be experiencing floater air over the hill. Also, remember that wing coasters dynamically cannot have extreme intensity and forces, they're designed for sheer fun instead.

The train's weight has nothing to do with the speed if you neglect resistance.
Anything falling ~60ft will get 40mph.
Even if you don't, the heavier the train, maybe the smaller the relative effect of (air) resistance.
but 20-30mph would be a close estimate derp I agree with you

This is the gooniest post I have seen for a very long time.

I like the colours, but it's just a bit weird to see something so dominating over the skyline in such a friendly tone of colour.

 

[Taxi]

Those colors do it well. It just shouts "majestic."

 

[Hyde]

I had the great opportunity to visit Cedar Point today and tour the GateKeeper construction site. Here are a number of photos I brought back. You can find high resolution photos on our Facebook page or Main Page.

The dive loop, immelmann, and first airtime hill have all been completed, with the corkscrew inversion currently going up. Transfer track construction was also a focus during our visit, with station structure supports already in place.

Headway has been made on the new entrance, with continued clearing of the old main gate/picnic pavilions and the setting of molds for the pouring of concrete footers for the new ticket booths. I am definitely looking forward to the "keyhole" towers going up.

GateKeeper certainly has a massive foot print - seemingly nothing has been left unchanged at the front of the park.

 

[Taxi]

Lovely! Thanks for sharing.

Wicked Twister's supports look dull against GateKeeper.

 

[Colossus]

Awesome set of photos there, I was wondering what the situation was regarding the construction of the keyholes, but these pictures answer that question

 

[Hyde]

Glad it could be of help.

More progress was made today after my visit: 1. The station roof supports are now in place 2. The corkscrew advanced another track piece.

They really do have a lot of track sprawled out on the parking lot - it is very reminiscent of my nephew's play room, littered with toys.

 

[ECG]

Great stuff bud! Kudos for getting to do this. :--D
Was it a private construction tour?
I also really like the comparison of the track sprawled out on the parking lot & your nephew's play room littered with toys.

 

[adam]

Great pics. Thanks

 

[Lofty]

Looking fantastic. Can't wait to see the videos once it's opened.

 

[CoasterCrazy]

Incredible...and it integrates perfectly into the Cedar Point Skyline.So far, this is seeming like one of the best inverting B&Ms in existence!

Let's hope it's even more visually impressive with the addition of the trains...