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Mean Streak RMC Conversion Update #9: Meaner Than You Ever Imagined
The title of this blog post doesn't lie.
I've discovered some absolutely phenomenal pictures of the conversion progress on Mean Streak at Cedar Point, a defunct wooden coaster being transformed into a steel-hybrid coaster by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC). These photos show some elements in the new layout, including the outside banked turn, a new speed hill, and more! The odd thing about these photos is that they really haven't been seen by many, as they were posted by a small Twitter account, Mean Streak Updates (@NewMeanStreak), and they deserve all credit for the photos I will be using in this blog post.
Make sure after you read this, you go check out every Mean Streak RMC conversion update ever posted to the Roller Coaster Daily Blog, so you can see all of the construction that has occurred up to this point, by clicking here.
In this first photo, it is now confirmed that there will be a small ejector airtime-geared speed hill directly after the first drop. This small speed hill will lead into the very iconic flag-topped airtime hill on the left of the photo. Considering that this airtime hill has been estimated to be over 150 feet tall, the first drop (preceded by the lift hill) will be a minimum of 200 feet tall. Along with that, most roller coasters that are 200-230 feet tall have speeds of around 70-75 mph at the bottom of their first drops, this speed hill should provide some extreme ejector airtime. The same element can be found in the exact place as the one on RMC Mean Streak is, directly after the first drop, on Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
This second photo is perhaps the most exciting of the group. It shows the actual color of the new steel track, and the color very much resembles that of RMC's Topper Track wooden coasters (most like Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City). This photo really does make me think the color Cedar Point chose for the new track was absolutely perfect.
This photo shows the exit of the outside banked turn shown in the previous update. RMC coaster designer Alan Schilke did not hold back on the g-forces of this element, as you can see that the exit of the outside banked turn is right on the point in which the track begins to flatten out into the "dip" that leads into the next element.
The third photo shows the exit of the first airtime hill, seen in the first picture of this blog post. The remarkable thing about this airtime hill is that its exit has a very steep angle of descent, somewhere around seventy degrees. This is a sign that the first drop will be much steeper. If I had to guess, the first drop on Mean Streak will probably have a maximum vertical angle of somewhere between 85-90 degrees, based on the inferences that could be made by looking at the angle of ascent of the lift hill and the space between the top of the first drop and the speed hill.
In this photo, you can see new flat steel track along the fence line. Adjacent to the track you can see steel ledgers used to connect the track to the wooden supports. This track is most likely for the lift hill or for the brake run and station.
We'll just have to wait and see what crazy design RMC has in store for us when Cedar Point announces the new Mean Streak. Expect an announcement in late summer, most likely in August or September. Oddly enough, the coaster should have completed construction by then, so the official announcement of the coaster may be accompanied by a real life on-ride POV (point of view).
Expect more photos of the work on Mean Streak when Cedar Point officially opens for the season on May 6.
Are you excited for the new Mean Streak? Let me know in the comments below, and tell me what elements you think are going to be in the new Mean Streak layout!
Stay tuned to the Roller Coaster Daily Blog for more information about the Mean Streak RMC conversion by following us on Instagram (@rollercoasterdaily) and Facebook (Roller Coaster Daily), and following Chief Editor Caleb Keithley on Twitter (@calebkeithley). You can instantly follow these accounts by going to the social media logos at the top of the page.
