West Coast Bash 2008
March 10, 2008
While we were down in the off-limits area, we got a good, rarely-seen look at Viper:
The new paint jobs everywhere are just stunning; looks like they just built a lot of these coasters. During the day, we learned that this sort of attention will be ongoing, even though the tab for such a makeover is several hundred thousand dollars. Superman: The Escape, for instance, is indeed due for a new coat, though it will be a bit before that happens. And take a look at the repainted Gold Rusher station:
Very sweet.
Along with X2, another backstage highlight was the Thomas Town site. Not because there was much to see, other than a big field of dirt and a stack of wood:
But cuz there was a killer view of Goliath:
This coaster owns.
Heading to the far reaches of the park, we reached the former Psyclone site:
It takes one really crappy woodie to make me grateful for a sight like this. And I was really, really grateful. I mean, super-mega-grateful. As was any right-thinking person. Which was everybody.
Scattered around this boneyard were bits and pieces of neat wreakage:
See, ya, sucker!
Ah, this was harder to look at. But as also explained during the Q&A, a corporate decision was made to put all first-generation Intamin freefalls out to pasture. However, freefalling won't be an absent sport at SFMM for long... :)
"I will not be forgotten!"
When Astroworld met its untimely demise, some XLR8 vehicles were brought west to cannibalize for parts for Ninja. Seems fair and right to me.
Speaking of rides that are down for good:
Yet another fact we learned at the Q&A was that the Metro monorail will never run again. Seems the ride is so old, it no longer meets current structural requirements and the price tag to make it viable would be tens of millions of dollars. So there it will sit until the cash to demolish it becomes available. Sigh...
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