I cannot believe there was not ONE person in management or maintenance that was supervising the construction/destruction, or aware of what Kumbak was SUPPOSED to do ie removing track and literally stopped them the second they lit the torch near the loop. I mean there was NOBODY at the park that saw them start chopping the loop that went "Wait! STOP!" ?
This was a great ride for kids who wanted to break into the more thrilling roller coasters, but also just a great look back in coaster history as far as ride experience. The ride still had plenty of great forces, I loved that backwards loop, and that back spike in the very last row of the train was just fun.
I'm probably being dramatic, but this is an absolute travesty. Literally a historical ride, not only for coaster manufacturing, but the park as well. There was NO REASON any of this needed to be done, at all. A proper refurb to the mechanics and an investment in the ride for parts that could have been manufactured was all it needed, and it probably could have lasted another 10 or 20 years. They didn't even need new trains, they've always ran just fine. I mean, I can't think of a more reliable ride. If the park was open, for the most part, so was Monty.
From reading that linked thread, it sounds like people are thinking this may end up in litigation, and if true apparently Knott's can't touch the ride until it's finalized, which of course, will take years. So maybe not all is lost in the far future, but as far as the soul of the ride, that unique Schwarzkopf loop, and that noise it made that you could hear outside the park for decades, that will be gone forever.
Knott's and the manufacturer they cheaped out on to "re-do" the ride royally effed this up, and man it just does not sit well with me at all.