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New trains for Gwazi!

Here's the video of the tiger side testing:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=227OQ4lRS9k[/youtube]
 
Just been reading reports and the coaster has now got the thumps up, its meant to be a lot smoother and a fun coaster.
 
From Screamscape:

Screamscape said:
Today I got the opportunity to check out the new Millennium Flyers on Gwazi, and all I can say is WOW. They are absolutely awesome. They are wide open, you don't feel stapled in, and your view is not obstructed by the heads in front of you or high seat backs and sides. Of course you will still feel the normal vibrations of a wooden coaster, but all in all, it is smooth as it can be.
There has been quite a bit of track work done in the past few years, and Busch Gardens decided to maximize on the improvements and migrate towards the GCI Millennium Flyers that they had tested on Gwazi about a year ago, replacing the the PTC trains that were previously running on Gwazi (and are now in storage in the maintenance facilities).
At the time the ride was being built for the 1999 season, the first Millennium Flyer trains were destined for Roar at Six Flags Marine World. Not wanting to risk any delays with Gwazi, the first and only wooden coaster in any of the Busch parks, Gwazi was outfitted with the standard PTC trains that were popular from the previous decade.
For those of you who were hoping that they would ditch the seatbelts and the lengthy loading process, sorry. The belts are in, and they check belts back to front and then bars front to back, and the process is as slow as ever. I had the opportunity to talk to a representative from Great Coasters International about the belts. I asked if they served any real purpose at all whether it be a necessary redundant back up safety system, or for the extra sense of security they might provide some, and the answer I got was, no. They serve no real purpose other than a way to cut down on the liability costs by offering a redundant, albeit unnecessary, back up system. So my question is, since they are not necessary and the lap bars are fail safe, why slow down the loading process and lengthen lines? I say check the belts and bars in one sweep and be done with it. (Editor Note: Yes, please do revise the loading procedure to make it the same as every other wooden coaster on the planet. I never understood how Gwazi ever got started with this slow loading procedure in the first place.)
Click to expand...
 
I'm hoping that because rides a lot smoother it means we'll see some dueling again. Though I doubt it, but that really would be the icing on the cake.

Though I love rough woodies, so I was quite the Gwazi fan anyway. But bring back the duel! Though I swear one of the reasons it stopped was because of the 'noise' when the trains were nearby. These trains won't eliminate that factor will they?
 
Oh my Gwazi actually looks good. Looks so much better with those trains. I really didn't like it when I rode it in 2009, but this should be a great improvement!
 
bezzzzzer said:
Though I love rough woodies, so I was quite the Gwazi fan anyway. But bring back the duel! Though I swear one of the reasons it stopped was because of the 'noise' when the trains were nearby. These trains won't eliminate that factor will they?
Click to expand...

I enjoy rough wooden coasters, I thought that was what they do best? Guess we are spoilt with super smooth wooden coasters now. I'm a Stampadia fan, love the roughness, adds to the ride (except the anal rape on the double up)
 
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzDq6KVu2lA&feature=feedu[/youtube]

That may answer your question as to duelling. From 00:10 onwards!
 
Ooooooooooo I hope it is going to duel and they weren't just done for promo pruposes.

Commmme onnn. I know I said I'm a fan of rough woodies, but making this glass smooth and duel again would be worth it by FAR.

Also, kudos to BGT for doing this the same year as Cheetah Hunt. They really could've spent a year marketing this almost as a new attraction. I've seen other parks market worse.
 
I know exactly what you mean about the marketing front. I like the face that they haven't gone all out and just done this for a year on it's own. I know for a fact when parks do things like that the general public even come out saying things like, "It's the same ride", "It's not changed". It's clever really, adding it to this year where all the promotion has gone on Cheetah Hunt. Like even if they advertise inside the park that they've done these changes, it's only going to be positive and provide people with different thought and how the park are improving year upon year, surely even the members of the GP can see that?
 
After lurking for months and months I've finally created an account because I for once can be of use to a thread. :)

on-topic: I went and rode gwazi many many times today, and I agree that it's MUCH better than it used to be, but it's by no means "smooth as glass". I figured it would improve significantly, but I was really hoping for it to be better. Decent first drop if in the back, but besides that the coaster still doesn't offer much to me. Very little airtime just like it always, and good god, with these locking bars you really got to make sure you trick the operators into leaving you some room...(of course, I understand that the credibility of, um, me, is rather low)

Thought I'd give my humble opinion.
 
No, michaellll, thanks for giving us your opinion, it's nice to have somebody on this actual site that has rode it and can offer us their opinion. It's appreciated :)
 
O yeah, and I'm happy to report that it was dueling, and most of the time it was pretty spot on. That definitely makes the ride quite a bit more enjoyable.
 
I was on it about a month ago and it already rode better than the time before that. I can't prove that they worked on it, but it sure seems that they made improvements between middle November and late December. :roll:

By the way, they ran both sides between Christmas and New Years.
 
To be fair, Gwazi has a CRAP layout ANYWAY, sooo...

Plus, Wildcat and Roar West are hardly amazing even with the Flyers, so I'm still not convinced.
 
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