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Have Wooden Coasters Really Evolved?

Hyde

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
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While riding Prowler, I realized that a lot of the "new" wooden coasters that have been built by GCI and Gravity Group are beginning to reach the 3+ year mark.

This would be nothing for a steel coaster, but as we have seen with previous CCI and Dinn Corp. coasters, they began smooth and awesome but decayed into rough, rumbling creations. I'm not saying Prowler was rough, but what if it eventually became rough, falling to the same fate of 10+ year old wooden coasters?

I guess what I'm getting at is, have wooden coasters really evolved, becoming more resilient and smooth, built to last. Or are wooden coaster companies teaching an old dog new tricks, not innovating on the longevity of woodies but simply designing more intricate layouts (Enter the metaphor you can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig).

Are GCI and GG wooden coasters different? Or are they simply bright stars set to fade?
 
Well let's focus on the early work of GCI and GG then.

Hades? Gwazi? Lightning Racer? Thunderhead? Voyage?

Has anyone noticed a deterioration of these 5+ year old woodies?
 
Hades was enjoyably rough when I rode it in 2007. I'm not sure how it's aged since. I rode Gwazi back in 2003 and it was awfully rough, but it is built in a fairly hot and humid region. I've heard that in recent years, it has been fairly smooth(pre Millennium Flyers). Lightning Racer is still smooth as butter, as is Thunderhead. Voyage was the same story as Hades. I've heard it's been getting rough, and the ride does kick your ass, but it's still enjoyable. Another ride to point out is Shivering Timbers. I first rode the ride in 2004 and the ride was very smooth and full of airtime. Unfortunately, the ride wasn't as smooth and full of airtime back in 2009 when CF went to ride it. I've heard it's gotten a lot worse since then as well, which is a shame.

I think it depends on the manufacturer and where the ride is located. I know that prelaminated wood(I believe that technique was first used back in the 80s) replaces painting a coaster every few years. General design and fabrication improvements probably aid in smooth trackwork(possibly more precise machines). Probably the biggest improvement is the rolling stock. Up until the new millennium, basically the only type of rolling stock were PTCs, which aren't the best for twisted track. With the introduction of Millennium Flyers, rides can run a lot more smoothly on twisted track due to their articulated design. Now that Timberliners have been introduced and feature suspension and spring loaded bogeys, wooden coasters will no doubt be smoother. The smoother ride will probably aid in the track's longevity as well.
 
Lightning Racer is still pretty smooth to be honest. The earlier stuff like Megafobia and Boulder Dash are still good too (though BD did have a little retracking and the trim). Yeah, they settle and develop a bit of character, but generally I think they're all pretty good - as long as the park look after the coasters and the trains.

As I discovered on Grand National the other week, one train was almost pleasant, a different train felt like I was being raped by a 300lb porcupine. Square wheels and smooth track are worse than round wheels and a bumpy track :)
 
Now for a practical and non-philosophical answer:
I rode Roar @ SFDK a month back and it was rough as hell on the bottoms of the hills, so far it hasn't aged at all well.
On another point I also think that the amount of care a park puts towards the ride makes a huge difference.
 
Well Hades is rough as hell so the future of GG isn't good. After all they are a branch of of CCI. As for GCI the fate of those could be in trouble as well. I mean think Roar (SFAm is reasonable because of PTC trains but SFDK has MF trains so that's not a good sign) Wildcat (HP) etc.

What about the future of Intamin Prefabs. Is their future bright???
 
^ I'd imagine upkeep costs with Intamin Prefabs matches that of a normal wooden coaster. Intamin Prefabs are a bit paradoxical really, as they offer the smooth ride of a steel coaster, yet are still made of wood, requiring arguably more maintenance work than steel. I know they give amazing rides, but there is still a fundamental disadvantage for building material.
 
Colossos, which at 10 is the oldest Intamin pre-fab, is still smooth as anything. So is Lightning Racer and Boulder Dash. On the other hand, Wildcat at Hershey, both the Roars and Gwazi are all gross, so it's down to the park. A good park can keep a 70 year old woodie smooth, let alone a 10 year old one.
 
So if the biggest factor is park then why hasn't hershey given the same love to wildcat that they have to lightning?

Not that I don't agree, but serious question. I couldn't believe how rough wildcat was when I rode it. Probably one of my least favorite rides of all time.
 
Ben said:
Colossos, which at 10 is the oldest Intamin pre-fab, is still smooth as anything. So is Lightning Racer and Boulder Dash. On the other hand, Wildcat at Hershey, both the Roars and Gwazi are all gross, so it's down to the park. A good park can keep a 70 year old woodie smooth, let alone a 10 year old one.
Click to expand...
I agree

I haven't ridden any of these coaster so i can't have much of an Opinion but Hershey has done a good job with the 65 year old Comet. Kennywood is doing a good job with the 91 year old Jack Rabbit the 87 year old Thunderbolt and the 84 year old Racer.
 
As long as any Splits in the wooden supports are re-enforced or replaced, the track is kept greased and the train wheels are replaced before they get really worn down I can't see any reason the newer woodies wont last as long as the older ones have.
If anything the new articulated trains (and guiding system on Timberliners) sould reduce wear and tear.
 
I felt like most recently, El Toro has a bit of rattle and wooden-type coaster feel to it. It was actually really awesome. I mean the drop and hills and straight bits and everything are still very smooth, but when it overbanks and twists it would have more of a wooden feel. Personally I loved it!
I reckon the coasters have definetly evolved. Look at Thunderhawk at DP, then rides such as El Toro and Mountain Flyer
 
^ Yeah the turns on an Intamin P'n'P are the bit that tends to be the rougher parts, both Balder and Colossos have a bit of bumpiness there, but the straight bits (hills) are smooth as glass...

The other El Toro, had developed a kind of a rattle when I rode it about a week ago, hopefully it's just a momentary thing that will sort itself out, or it's those square wheels again...
 
*looks at ThunderCoaster*

*shakes head*

An amazing ride has decayed into... well... riding it is a great way to develop a phobia for vibrations. Even a massage chair will make you assume a fetal position and cry your eyes dry after a couple of rides on it.
I guess I can blame the park for reprofiling everything that made the coaster awesome, and leaving the rough bits to become even rougher.
 
^ well thundercoaster opened in 2001. Thats 10 years ago and I guess it hasnt really been maintaned very well.
So thundercoaster isnt really a good example of whether or not wooden coasters have evolved. El Toro, Mountain Flyer and the new GG coasters
 
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