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mmcirvinThe Penn State Theme Park Engineering Group visits Skyrush, Hersheypark's roller coaster under construction.
I've been watching this process for a long time via fan photos on Keystone Thrills and All-American Thrills, and it's fascinating seeing how they get a 200-foot-tall hypercoaster into as cramped and coaster-filled a place as Hersheypark's Comet Hollow, where its first hill has to arch directly over the Comet, the white 1946 wooden coaster. Most of the concrete footers for Skyrush are actually going to be right in the lake behind the Comet, which is currently temporarily drained (but it floods every time it rains, which has slowed down construction).
That yellow arch on the ground is the top of the lift-hill truss, which, weather and machinery permitting, may be lifted into place on Monday. They've been using lots of guy wires and cantilever techniques to hold the protruding ends of the incomplete arch in place before the crown goes in (I guess "Keystone Thrills" is a particularly apropos name at the moment). There's a large chunk of the track layout that they can't put up until they're done with the biggest crane, because they wouldn't be able to get it out of there otherwise.
Skyrush looks like a little brother of Intimidator 305, the infamous gigacoaster at Kings Dominion in Virginia. Intimidator 305 was known at least initially for causing riders' vision to grey out during its first curve (and for its tendency to wear out the wheels on its cars really quickly); various modifications have been made to mitigate this, though I've read conflicting claims about whether they helped any. There's been some discussion of whether Skyrush will have the same problem. I suspect not, just because, while Skyrush's first turn looks as wicked as I305's, it only goes around about a quarter-circle instead of three-quarters. But I suppose we'll see.
I've been watching this process for a long time via fan photos on Keystone Thrills and All-American Thrills, and it's fascinating seeing how they get a 200-foot-tall hypercoaster into as cramped and coaster-filled a place as Hersheypark's Comet Hollow, where its first hill has to arch directly over the Comet, the white 1946 wooden coaster. Most of the concrete footers for Skyrush are actually going to be right in the lake behind the Comet, which is currently temporarily drained (but it floods every time it rains, which has slowed down construction).
That yellow arch on the ground is the top of the lift-hill truss, which, weather and machinery permitting, may be lifted into place on Monday. They've been using lots of guy wires and cantilever techniques to hold the protruding ends of the incomplete arch in place before the crown goes in (I guess "Keystone Thrills" is a particularly apropos name at the moment). There's a large chunk of the track layout that they can't put up until they're done with the biggest crane, because they wouldn't be able to get it out of there otherwise.
Skyrush looks like a little brother of Intimidator 305, the infamous gigacoaster at Kings Dominion in Virginia. Intimidator 305 was known at least initially for causing riders' vision to grey out during its first curve (and for its tendency to wear out the wheels on its cars really quickly); various modifications have been made to mitigate this, though I've read conflicting claims about whether they helped any. There's been some discussion of whether Skyrush will have the same problem. I suspect not, just because, while Skyrush's first turn looks as wicked as I305's, it only goes around about a quarter-circle instead of three-quarters. But I suppose we'll see.