For those of you who've complained of a rough ride on this coaster -- you weren't imagining it. State investigators blamed the crash on design flaws in the coaster. Specifically, a vertical wooden support cracked because its design subjected it to more weight that it could bear. That, in turn, led to the failure of two other support legs, causing a dip in the track. The quality of the wood was fine -- it was the coaster's design that was flawed.
The state's ordered Kings Island to hire an engineering firm to examine and redesign the ride's support structure before the state will consider whether to reopen the coaster, which has been closed since the incident.
Question 1) Does SOB reopen at all?
Question 2) If it does, when does it close for good, due to lack of rider interest in a non-loop woodie with a bad track record (literally!)?
I remember a walkback tour I took of SOB. It was simply astounding just how much the track and structure swayed back and forth when the train passed through the helixes. Quite honestly it looked like the whole curve would break off every time a train passed. No wonder they have already tracked it twice and sunk cash into the structure every year since open.
I for one am fine with the loop being removed if it means a smoother ride. Was it a fun element..yes, but I don't think it's a make or break element. It was novel having a wooden looping coaster, but really not worth the pain to ride. I also hear that GCI, the best wood coaster company around IMHO, may be tapped to fix design flaws and reprofile some track. That could mean that SOB gets the Millennium Flyer train, the most comfortable coaster train in the world. If that's the case, than there won't be anything to worry about. Ridership will come back and the ride will live on.
On the subject of Kings Island, anyone get a look at the large clearing by Flight of Fear? It's just about the right size for a new coaster....or perhaps an old one...
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