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Cedar Point's Mean Streak is Going Hybrid? Here's Some Proof You Have to See!
Just under a week after the infamous wooden roller coaster located at Cedar Point, Mean Streak, permanently closed, stripping of some of its wooden supports and track began. Even though this record-setting beast has had no other announcements made about it, steel track and ledgers have appeared in proximity of the coaster. Both of these vital coaster components are rumored to be from recently-famed coaster manufacturer Rocky Mountain Construction of Idaho, U.S.A. This company is renown for converting old and rickety wooden coasters into world class hybrid masterpieces that are considered among the best in the world. So, is this going to happen to Mean Streak? Read on to see some of the recent evidence supporting that it will.
Mean Streak closed on September 16, 2016, the first night of eminent amusement park Cedar Point's Halloween event, HalloWeekends. The coaster first opened in May 1991 as a game changer in the amusement park industry. Mean Streak thrilled riders for twenty-five years, but not all of those years were good for the coaster. Because the manufacturer of Mean Streak poorly designed the coaster, it quickly became a rough ride. The coaster received several retrackings, but nothing could save the now not-so "gentle giant." Age quickly caught up with Mean Streak, and Cedar Point decided enough was enough. The coaster then permanently ceased operation just four years after its most recent major retracking.
Rocky Mountain Construction of Hayden, Idaho first began converting wooden roller coasters in 2009. The company was founded in 2001 and has risen to amusement industry fame after converting Six Flags Over Texas's old wooden roller coaster, the Texas Giant, into a new steel hybrid coaster, New Texas Giant, with its I-Box track. Rocky Mountain Construction, commonly referred to as "RMC," has converted six other wooden roller coasters into steel hybrids, among them Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Wicked Cyclone at Six Flags New England. RMC has also converted Twisted Twins, a wooden hybrid coaster with wooden track and steel supports at Kentucky Kingdom, into a full steel coaster, a first for the company. These I-Box track hybrid conversions haven't gone unnoticed. Six of RMC's seven I-Box roller coasters were voted among the top forty-five steel roller coasters in the world in the 2016 Golden Ticket Awards, the most renown amusement industry awards. Now, even though RMC's coasters are renown for excellence and are commonly referred to as some of the best in the world, six of the seven I-Box coasters from RMC have been built at amusement parks owned by Six Flags Entertainment. Coaster enthusiasts agree it's time for RMC coasters to be purchased by other amusement parks, and Cedar Point is the leading park to be rumored to receive a wooden coaster conversion, and the coaster rumored to become the next RMC hybrid is Mean Streak. There is evidence to support these rumors, but more importantly, this evidence may actually prove that Cedar Point, the self-proclaimed "America's Roller Coast," is going to convert its not-so gentle giant into a ferocious beast.
Evidence #1: Rocky Mountain Vehicles and Cranes Are on Site
RMC's headquarters and manufacturing plant are located in Idaho. These vehicles and cranes would only appear at Cedar Point if the park had plans to work with them, as RMC's headquarters and factory are located so far away from the amusement park. These trucks actually appeared weeks ago. and are located adjacent to Mean Streak.
Evidence #2 and #3: Steel Track and Ledgers Identical to that of RMC's Past Projects Are Present in Proximity of Mean Streak
RMC's easily recognizable steel track and ledgers whom connect the track at various angles to the wooden supports have been spotted feet from Mean Streak's support structure. This steel track is straight and level, meaning it most likely is for transfer track directly out of the station (which can be viewed here back when Mean Streak was operating).
Evidence #4: Only Mean Streak's Wooden Track and Excess Supports Are Being Removed
In previous projects, Rocky Mountain Construction has stripped the track of wooden coasters they were converting, and they removed excess supports not needed because either the new layouts did not require them, the supports weren't needed because steel coasters require less support when supported by wooden beams, or both. The exact same is occurring with Mean Streak. Only track and excess supports have been removed from the coaster.
Evidence #5: Not Only Have Steel Ledgers Shown Up near Mean Streak, but They Have Been Placed on Wooden Supports
The ledgers are being placed on wooden supports used for the old Mean Streak track, which is exactly how past projects have been done. These ledgers will support the new steel track from RMC, and will be placed along the entire layout. The old supports are used as a way to save money and make conversions easier.
These are five pieces of evidence that RMC is going to make Mean Streak an RMC hybrid coaster.
Make sure to follow Roller Coaster Daily on Instagram for updates on when more information about Mean Streak's future becomes available, and when new blog posts are published. Also, sign up for our mailing list on the Blog page to receive a personalized newsletter!
Remember that no announcement has been made that confirms any of the above suggestions. Roller Coaster Daily and Caleb Keithley are in no way affiliated with Rocky Mountain Construction, Cedar Point, or Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.
Photos (all from Instagram.com)
1. Mean Streak cemetery: @belinda.short
2. RMC truck: @tedb077
3. RMC track: @amusement_park_outlaw
4. RMC ledgers: @globalthriulls
5. Mean Streak lift: @coasterchannel1
6. RMC ledgers on supports: @fourcloverleaves
