Talk:Iron Rattler/Archive 1

Archive 1

Video

I have a video of this ride, as was taken by me using a snuck-aboard video camera. It's too big to upload, and I don't have the bandwidth to serve such a large file, but it would be a great addition to this page. Any recommendations?

Email me at memqe@daqughterqsoftireqias.org (remove qs to despammify) for more info if you have any ideas. -- Rei 04:04, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

I would like to see a POV video of the original first drop. This is the second most painful coaster I have ever ridden; the most painful being Texas Giant. My back hurt for three days after Texas Giant. The Rattler wouldn't be so bad if the trains ran smoother; it could also use more speed through the helices. I just can't imagine riding Rattler before the first drop had been modified. Jay77tx 17:16, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Closure

I'm a little confused at what's going on, according to many articles, including this one, states that the Rattler is closing. I just don't think we should include anything on a renovation and go by the press releases that states it's closing August 5. I think this is going to be a little more than Texas Giant though, I think it might be completely torn down and rebuilt with a similar layout but different name and stuff so a different article might be necessary in that situation.--Astros4477 (talk) 16:34, 10 July 2012 (UTC)

I do agree that we have two distinct sources: one from the park saying it's closing, without stating why; and the other from a newspaper interviewing the company that has stated they're renovating it, without stating when or to what degree. We'd be making our own conclusions if we started putting two and two together ourselves. As Astros stated, it's quite possible the park will tear down Rattler and then Rocky Mountain will build a new Rattler in its place, or a new coaster with a new name in its place. --McDoobAU93 16:41, 10 July 2012 (UTC)

Just to put it out there, RMC previously confirmed that they would be building a new ride and doing an Iron Horse renovation in 2013. The article in the Spokane Journal of Business supports this stating that the company had two projects at Silver Dollar City and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Since the coaster being installed at SDC has been confirmed as being a RMC one and it is definitely being built from the ground up, that leaves the Iron Horse reno for SFFT. Since the Rattler is the only wooden coaster at the park, I'd be 99.99% confident that it will be receiving the Iron Horse treatment. In saying all of this, I have made a few jumps here myself. I might reword the article slightly to make sure it presents the facts exactly as reported in the sources. Themeparkgc  Talk  23:02, 10 July 2012 (UTC)

In this case, would it be more accurate while we're waiting for definitive news on the fate of the coaster to list it as SBNO? Dleav (talk) 21:31, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

I would say no because they have started demolishing sections of the ride.--Astros4477 (talk) 22:20, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

RMC refurbs

I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions about how to handle the RMC refurbs of both Iron Rattler and Texas Giant. Essentially once RMC is done with it, it is a new ride. The original statistics of the rides seem to be lost (although some appear throughout the articles). Would a comparison table work well? E.g.

Statistic	Rattler	Iron Rattler
Manufacturer	Roller Coaster Corporation of America	Rocky Mountain Construction
Height	179 feet or 55 metres	179 feet or 55 metres

...etc

Thoughts? Themeparkgc  Talk  23:14, 6 November 2012 (UTC)

I like the idea of having a comparison chart.--Astros4477 (talk) 23:22, 6 November 2012 (UTC)

You could have two columns in the Infobox, one for the new stats, and one for the old stats. The first one could be "Old" and the second "New".Xtreme2000 (talk) 23:35, 6 November 2012 (UTC)

We could do that but would it be too confusing for readers? It would be a lot like the dual infobox which indicates multiple tracks. Themeparkgc  Talk  23:50, 6 November 2012 (UTC)

Original ride statistics

@JlACEer: you might be able to answer this. Are there any statistics for the original ride available anywhere? By original ride I mean the ride which operated from 1992–1994. RCDB lists a 166-foot (51 m) drop, but no further information about it. I presume the longer drop would mean a faster top speed, a longer track length and possibly a different drop angle. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Themeparkgc  Talk  08:21, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

I have a press release/fact sheet issued by Showpark Management Inc., which was the division of Gaylord Entertainment Company that was managing the park. I can scan it to a PDF. Is there a place on Wiki where I can post PDF files? If not is there a way to email attachments?—JlACEer (talk) 21:47, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

I just sent you an email so you can reply with the attachment. Thanks for your help. Themeparkgc  Talk  06:31, 28 August 2013 (UTC)

Thanks JlACEer. Themeparkgc  Talk  02:04, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

I think that John Pierce should be the credited designer. I added this to the article but I was reverted. My thought is that the later changes were a renovation (yes, a major one), but not a complete rebuild. There are a number of books which discuss Pierce's initial design and cite it as being particularly noteworthy. Plus, he is the cited designer in RCDB. Thoughts? IronGargoyle (talk) 00:14, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

It's hard to say really. It's not a complete rebuild but I would consider it a pretty substantial redesign. I would say we should put both, but that would open it up to including RCCA and all the old statistics as well. If we were to do this, how would we display multiple statistics without it looking like a dual roller coaster? (obviously with just designer you could separate them with a break tag) Pinging @Dom497, Astros4477, and McDoobAU93: for their thoughts. Themeparkgc  Talk  02:04, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

I think Mr. Pierce's contributions should not be overlooked, and it should be discussed in the ride's history. However, I disagree with RCDB's assessment that he is the ride's current designer, unless he is now working for RMC. It should not be in the infobox either, to avoid confusion as Themeparkgc pointed out. The information can easily be presented in prose in the History section. --McDoobAU93 03:52, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

Which sources put Schilke as the new designer? Is is it the IAAPA 2011 interview? Are there others? I don't have access to that one. IronGargoyle (talk) 13:18, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

See the June 2013 issue of Amusement Today. Personally I think Rattler should have its own article. These rebuilds have drastically altered the design, and trying to keep both coasters in one article is causing confusion. The only thing left of John Pierce's original Rattler is some of the original footprint — everything else was changed: the angle of the first drop, all the bankings, turns, and added inversion, ride dynamics, etc. It is a completely different ride now.

This problem is going to continue. Medusa Steel Coaster at SF Mexico will bear little resemblance to the original Medusa Wood Coaster—JlACEer (talk) 15:09, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

Sorry for the late reply (I was at my cottage). I like the idea of keeping the original roller coaster as a separate article OR create an infobox that will distinguish stats from the original ride to the new version.--Dom497 (talk) 18:50, 31 August 2013 (UTC)

@IronGargoyle: For all RMC coasters, Alan Schilke from Ride Centerline does the design work with RMC doing the fabrication etc. In the 2011 IAAPA interview Schilke discusses his upcoming work on two projects for 2013 (which ended up being this and Outlaw Run). Sources such as Amusement Today (1/2) seem to support this also.

As for the information about the old ride, I have already tried my best to summarise the differences in the History and Characteristics sections. I think it shows all of the information that would have been in a separate article. Pierce is mentioned as the original designer along with all of the ride's original statistics. I have already started work on renovating New Texas Giant and Medusa Steel Coaster to have a similar format.

@Dom497: if we were to have an infobox such as that, I refer you to my original question: "how would we display multiple statistics without it looking like a dual roller coaster?". Themeparkgc  Talk  23:22, 31 August 2013 (UTC)

@Themeparkgc: To help describe my "idea", I'll refer to the infobox on Dragon Challenge. Pretty much replace Chinese Fireball with the stats from the original ride and then Hungarian Horntail with stats with the new ride. We could also move the designer parameter into a "split" parameter along with the needed adjustments with the infobox section above the general stats. Make sense?--Dom497 (talk) 02:39, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

My only concern with that would be that it would look too much like a dual roller coaster. Themeparkgc  Talk  02:54, 1 September 2013 (UTC)