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Will the New Mean Streak Layout Feature a Launch?
Cedar Point hosted it's annual charity event, Winter Chill Out, earlier today. In this event, those attending get to see behind-the-scenes attraction maintenance, construction, and more. Attendees also get to tour a lot of the park, and some very talented enthusiasts snapped pictures of the new Rocky Mountain Construction I-Box track on the defunct Mean Streak's support structure piercing the skyline while they were at the park. The most notable photo is one that is zoomed in on the recently topped off hill that followed the former first drop, which has been the most photographed portion of the new layout. This photo I have, taken by Instagram user jantzen73, shows that this hill will be very interesting. This is because both the entrance and exit of it shape a top hat-like element.
Top hats are typically featured on roller coasters with launches. So, that begs the question, "Will RMC Mean Streak have a launch?" Though very possible to be utilized in the new layout, a launch won't be featured on the lift hill. This is because, as I have mentioned in a previous Mean Streak RMC conversion update, there is no flat section of track before the new lift hill, which is required to handle rollbacks in the case of complications of the launch system.
A launch could be used in another part of the layout. The photo (above) I have provided shows us that the first turn of the previous Mean Streak layout has been turned into a hill, possibly a top hat, that is shaped like it should be traversed by a launched train. Even though a launch could precede this hill, there are a few things to point out that possibly could contradict this.
The first would be that this hill followed the main drop in Mean Streak's old layout. The only way a launch could precede this hill would require the company installing the new track, Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), to alter the entire layout (by changing the sequence of elements, not literally changing the whole layout) because ledgers absent of track can be seen on the new lift hill showing an incline steep enough that it supports the theory of a lift hill very high in the air. That means that there would not be enough space between the bottom of the first drop and the beginning of the pictured hill for a launch. RMC usually does its best to use as much of the previous support structure as possible when converting wooden coasters to steel coasters or hybrid coasters, so this seems to go against RMC's standards.
The second would be that another coaster at Cedar Point, Top Thrill Dragster, has a launch that is followed by a massive top hat. If the new Mean Streak layout would feature a launch, it would most likely precede the hill I've been discussing, meaning that both coasters would have notable similarities. Cedar Point isn't the type of amusement park to install coasters that are very similar, or ones that have common or cliche layouts (with few exceptions).
The final reason is probably one you expected. Remember how successful Lightning Rod at Dollywood was last season? Yeah, me neither, because the launch was not operational for a long while and it had many complications throughout the 2016 season, which caused the coaster to delay its opening time after time, and caused serious and lengthy downtime. Cedar Point has sat back and watched Lightning Rod, and other coasters from RMC, as the park waited a long time (at least when speaking of the amusement industry) to begin building the new Mean Streak, and has taken its time constructing it.
Though it may not be the opinion you wanted to hear, I believe Cedar Point will not include a launch in the new layout. I really want this coaster to have a launch, but I don't see Cedar Point taking the risk after what happened with Lightning Rod. Also, Cedar Point has been very cautious in its spending after a few wasted investments, such as the $10.5 million Shoot the Rapids, a defunct water ride that had many, many problems that was recently torn down only after five years of operation.
We'll never truly know if the layout will feature a launch or not until the park announces the new Mean Streak. As to when the announcement will come, I have heard from many sources, who shall remain anonymous, that it could come in August. No matter how reliable these sources may be, take the possibility of an August announcement with a grain of salt.
And, remember, I didn't design the new layout, so I don't truly know what it will contain. I'm just a coaster enthusiast, not a coaster designer.
Have questions about that flag at the top of the hill in the picture above? Click here to read my recent article about it
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