To RMC all 9,300 feet of track and turn Eagle into a hyper, it would cost $40 Million minimum. That would be a massive Capital project that the current corporate strategy can't sustain.
JackGlass wrote:I'm for it, but it will cost ALOT of money!
To RMC all 9,300 feet of track and turn Eagle into a hyper, it would cost $40 Million minimum. That would be a massive Capital project that the current corporate strategy can't sustain.
They did redo Colossus at SFMM. Is that remake shorter than the original? Going by RCDB it looks like they may have cut the length in half overall since you get to ride both sides each ride, making the ride just about as long. I know Eagle was longer than the original Colossus. Wonder what that cost to convert.
Would prefer they just do whatever needs to be done to get the trains racing again. It does seem that the partial painting that has been done is a sign that converting it isn't imminent.
Personally I like the way it is. We have Goliath and especially someday if they add a Raptor that's enough RMC at our park in my opinion.
No doubt with the right budget it could be transformed into something amazing.
I say just refurbish it, or the trains, or fix whatever it is that is preventing it from running both sides at the same time.
I hoped SFGAm would RMC the Eagle. I was there on Media Day for the Eagle in 1981 and it's fallen into such disrepair. An RMC conversion would be a complete restoration and make it a high capacity, top attraction again. Funny to think the tented kids section adjacent was built for Eagle's original queue. What I heard is structurally the helix can no longer support the weight of both trains at the same time and the coaster can't race. I also heard that RMC is consulting to restore the Eagle, not converting it. Also.. HS doesn't want to loose the 'most wooden roller coaster track' record the park holds. This is ALL speculation... can anyone confirm? I'd love to see RMC Eagle, imagine what could be done with the massive barrel structure of the helix.
This will be on on going discussion until it happens. It is def an interest the park has but clearly, not a priority.
My opinion? I’d both be stoked & heartbroken. I love AE red side. It’s a must ride on my visits. However after riding TC at magic mountain with multiple duels, it’s one of my fav rides I’ve been on, ever. So to see AE with all that twisted red & blue steel track upon fresh white wood, I’m here for it. You know it would be incredible. We all do. Can’t doubt that (especially if you’ve been on an RMC conversion). I think It would add life into the park & also adding a new dynamic we lost with an added bonus. That being racing with near miss interactions. Again, 2020, 2021 or 2030, bring it on. All I ask is they do a similar tribute to what Colossus has/had.
JackGlass wrote:Yes! Twisted Colossus is substantially shorter than the original Colossus!
That’s what I thought. According to RCDB, each track of the original was 4325 feet, or 8650 total. The RMC version is listed as 4990, which I assumed was the combined length of both sides. So, a bit more than half. An RMC of Eagle would have to shorten it to make it a reasonable price. If it was a quasi mobius loop like TC, I would be okay with that.
Last edited by ilrider on March 18th, 2019, 7:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ernstwhere wrote:I hoped SFGAm would RMC the Eagle. I was there on Media Day for the Eagle in 1981 and it's fallen into such disrepair. An RMC conversion would be a complete restoration and make it a high capacity, top attraction again. Funny to think the tented kids section adjacent was built for Eagle's original queue. What I heard is structurally the helix can no longer support the weight of both trains at the same time and the coaster can't race. I also heard that RMC is consulting to restore the Eagle, not converting it. Also.. HS doesn't want to loose the 'most wooden roller coaster track' record the park holds. This is ALL speculation... can anyone confirm? I'd love to see RMC Eagle, imagine what could be done with the massive barrel structure of the helix.
Well, I can confirm that we've already lost the 'most wooden roller coaster track' record, that's back at Kinds Island. I don't particularly believe any rumors like 'the track can't support two trains', if that was true I highly doubt there's any chance they'd run it still all...
JackGlass wrote:Yes! Twisted Colossus is substantially shorter than the original Colossus!
That’s what I thought. According to RCDB, each track of the original was 4325 feet, or 8650 total. The RMC version is listed as 4990, which I assumed was the combined length of both sides. So, a bit more than half. An RMC of Eagle would have to shorten it to make it a reasonable price. If it was a quasi mobius loop like TC, I would be okay with that.
It would be alot harder to shorten Eagles length, because it's an out and back! Colossus wasn't.
A 200+ foot, Beyond 90 degree, Mobius RMC Eagle would undoubtably be one of the best roller coasters in the world. If not the best! It all comes down to price and corporate strategy! Great America hasn't recived a $30+ Million dollar investment since 2005, when Hurricane Harbor was built.
Back in those days, they didn't give every park something new every year and focused on higher quality assets. Unless the next CEO reverts back to the old strategy, I don't see a truly bad ass Eagle conversion happening unfortounately
If RMC Eagle were to happen, this is what they likely will have to do to keep the budget from going through the roof, while also making the ride as different from Goliath as possible...
- They got to keep it a dueling coaster. Whether it remains two separate tracks or mobius loop style like Colossus, it don't matter. As long as they don't completely remove one side like RMC Gwazi and Storm Chaser.
- Lift hill height must stay under 200 ft. My guess is that It would be 130-150ft tall. Angle of ascent would remain the same, but the drop becomes steeper. The drop would not be beyond vertical tho.
- The giant 540 degree helix turnaround would be removed and would become a 180 degree turnaround to lower costs...less track to replace. Same goes to the grand finale helices at the end of the ride.
- Assuming it would be a mobius loop coaster....Blue side station will act as the new station, while red side station will be walled off and be converted into a "mid ride show", much like West Coast Racers. This should be done to ensure the trains duel every time.
I was on AE twice last year when it was dueling, so unless it happened towards the end of the season, the helix can still handle the weight of 2 trains.
Twisted Colossus was pretty disappointing. It was the typical generic RMC layout with 1/2 of the layout chopped off. So if that does happen to Eagle, you would basically have the same ride (Goliath) right next to it.
The GCI refurb of Ghostrider was a huge success. It was pretty expensive, though. It would really come down to park management valuing quality work...which, lets be honest, will never happen.
If any kind of RMC work happens to Eagle, it wouldn't surprise me to see the entire racing/dueling aspect of the ride compromised. I could see a single track, all helix's removed, with minimal elements.
ernstwhere wrote:I hoped SFGAm would RMC the Eagle. I was there on Media Day for the Eagle in 1981 and it's fallen into such disrepair. An RMC conversion would be a complete restoration and make it a high capacity, top attraction again. Funny to think the tented kids section adjacent was built for Eagle's original queue. What I heard is structurally the helix can no longer support the weight of both trains at the same time and the coaster can't race. I also heard that RMC is consulting to restore the Eagle, not converting it. Also.. HS doesn't want to loose the 'most wooden roller coaster track' record the park holds. This is ALL speculation... can anyone confirm? I'd love to see RMC Eagle, imagine what could be done with the massive barrel structure of the helix.
Well, I can confirm that we've already lost the 'most wooden roller coaster track' record, that's back at Kinds Island. I don't particularly believe any rumors like 'the track can't support two trains', if that was true I highly doubt there's any chance they'd run it still all...
Had that same exact thought. I'm no structural engineer but common sense says if there were any concerns about the structure they wouldn't run either train at all. Wonder why as the season went on it was most often one side open only. Maybe by chance I only went on days they were running one side but it seemed like at some point in the season they stopped racing the sides.
^Probably to save money with only half the crew needed. I am tired of riding the blue side. Miss the extra airtime hill due to going under the red track coming back.
^It would just depend on the day. Every once in awhile we would get the red side, but it has been a lot of blue side in recent years. Maybe last year was more red. It is all a blur to me. I miss the racing.
ernstwhere wrote:Funny to think the tented kids section adjacent was built for Eagle's original queue.
Not totally correct. The tent originally hosted a Circus show in the Marriott days. I remember the line for Eagle being SO much longer. While it didn't fill the entire space of the tent, there were a few switchbacks that led over the bridge. You can see the sawed-off supports for the railing once you reach the other side of the street. Definitely shortened the queue over the years. While I would hate to see it go, something needs to be done to make it a star attraction again.