[arby]

Great sketch to put it in perspective, FamousAmos.

I don't feel the least bit sorry for Afterburn. Size doesn't always matter. Afterburn is still my favorite invert and it packs a punch despite any height or lack of it. Jerry shared a great story about Afterburn. It was purposefully put at its current location so that it is at one of the highest points in the park, helping it appear even taller than it is.

I'm excited that we have a park with three great coasters. Now we need a great wooden coaster and I'll be ecstatic.

Now for the boring stuff that most may not care about. To comment on the workers and their pace, it's apparent that many have never worked a construction job or been a worker on a job site. The general contractor (GC) is in charge. He/she has all the timelines, deadlines, etc., and is in control of all the sub contractors. Any GC that knows what he is doing factors in some weather delays, etc., but has contingency plans. Generally there is something going on every single day whether you can see it or not. Sometimes they are waiting for an inspector, waiting for something to dry, cure or settle, some supply got damaged, etc.... The variables are essentially endless but everybody involved in the job has a contract with deadlines. Getting paid for the job is contingent on making deadlines. It's easy to see the big things but construction has many little pieces that involve a lot of time and may look like nothing is happening.

[uscbandfan]

From what I can tell by comparing the layout plans on the pdf files and that which we see in the animation, I think that the architecture will be of a more contemporary design like what Cedar Point got. Which is a little heartbreaking in a way. I am hoping that the architecture will take us back to the old Carolina times like the Plantation House did.

This is something I wanted to comment on, especially since I've seen it mentioned several times that what was shown in the animation was just a 'concept'.

When Cedar Point announced Gatekeeper, at first, they did not announce a whole new front gate, but showed the old gate with the new towers for Gatekeeper to go thru (the keyholes, if you will, but I'd rather not since I always hear Alvey screaming 'Keyholing'). But a couple months after the announcement, and just before work started, they released a press release that they were, indeed, completely renovating their new front gate to what it ended up being.

Carowinds announced the new front gate from the get go, and showed us what it would be like in the animation. That wasn't just a conceptual placeholder. As things are shaping up, you're going to see that front gate at Carowinds that was shown in the animation. It's not just a concept.

And the new gate worked very well at Cedar Point, which was no surprise to me when they announced that the new front gate for Carowinds would be so similar.

Not trying to be shady, but I think it's time to realize that the front gate is going to be very close to what was in the animation.

I look forward to how open its going to feel. Espcecially since the entrance bridge over what was the old train station is going from a 35 (or so) foot width to a 60 foot width. It going to feel MUCH bigger through there.

However, I think one drawback is that it's going to make the park feel smaller (like Fury is already doing.) One thing about SFoG (even though it's not MUCH bigger) is that it feels so much bigger because of the trees. Hopefully, we can look forward to some expansion toward the south gate and maybe some better landscaping so that the park itself wont start feeling so small.

[kirkgun]

I don't know why I find myself impatient about this, but I hope they remove those temporary braces from the drop hill soon. Of course it doesn't matter if it is today, or in 2 months from now. I just think it'll look considerably cooler when they finally are removed. Anybody who followed Leviathan's construction know at what point they were removed when it was built?

and completely off-topic: @ DavidW, so who do you cheer for in tonight's game? (hawkeyes, for me)

[TheCoasterMan1]

The final support piece that connects the barrel turn to the track piece on the ground is going in. I expect the barrel turn to be complete today. Tomorrow construction is going to be interesting. I wonder if they are gonna keep on keeping on in the same direction?

[RollerBee]

http://themeparkreview.com/forum/files/gatekeeper.jpg
Hmm, this doesnt look like the gate to Cedar Point I went through in 2005 at all....
Cedar Point announced they are redoing the gate when they annouced Gatekeeper. Also note the basic same structure (minus the tacky keyholes) that is in the concept art for Fury. The rest of the plaza is impressive but the phsyical admission is lackluster and lacks architecture. As far as the new admission gate compared to the Plantation House, I agree to disagree...the new gate looks like a cheap steel structure compared to a grand house. However the rest of the plaza I am excited to see. Decorative columns, and a roofline similar to the original art for the toll plaza would make the gate shown in the concept art look alot better.

[Edwardo]

Did you actually read my post?

When Cedar Point announced Gatekeeper, at first, they did not announce a whole new front gate, but showed the old gate with the new towers for Gatekeeper to go thru (the keyholes, if you will, but I'd rather not since I always hear Alvey screaming 'Keyholing'). But a couple months after the announcement, and just before work started, they released a press release that they were, indeed, completely renovating their new front gate to what it ended up being.

So, yes, you're correct. The gate you went thru in 2005 didn't look like the initial image you posted because they announced they would be building a new entrance to the park, and then several months later they announced a completely new front gate plaza that looked like this:



Those images and the announcement of the full new front gate weren't announced till early Feb 2013. Carowinds, OTOH, released all of that information in the original announcement, so more than likely, again, based off of the actual construction photos, the main gate will look like the animation.

To comment on the workers and their pace, it's apparent that many have never worked a construction job or been a worker on a job site

QFT, Brother! I realize people are anxious, but nothing about what's going on says the construction has slowed or isn't on schedule.

[RollerBee]

Dont recall seeing that art before, but I see afew parallels between it and Carowinds.

[FamousAmos]

What would the dirt stockpile behind the Toll Plaza be used for? Right now they are just adding to it.

[bradbeane88]

I think we will see what they are going to do today, because at the pace they are moving today we may find out after lunch time.

[arby]

Nothing says grand house like metal detectors. I understand nostalgia and tradition, but it didn't look that grand to begin with. It was at most, a recreation of a 'low end' plantation house that was ruined by the two curved canopies on either side and the metal detectors that hid it. I liked it overall, too, but it would have looked much better standing by itself and not obscured. Maybe if they had made it look like one of the grand plantation houses of the time, I could see more push back, like the bottom shot of the picture.

plantation.jpg (205.67 KiB) Viewed 2791 times

I for one 100% support Carowinds and their embracing of the new contemporary south. This entry is going to look great for many years to come and is completely in line with the demographics of Charlotte, the 16th largest city in the U.S., the #2 banking capital in the country, headquarters for over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, and one of the faster growing areas of the country.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program of Fury 325 construction. It's coming along great!

[ilovecedarpoint]

Looks like this last piece will finish up the barrel turn. Wonder which direction they head next?

[arby]

I think they will continue to follow the path of Fury 325. That's my guess.

[Axel]

...stuck in the 1980s and 1990s...afraid to move forward...they get what it's all about...a crappy 1980s look...fed up with people resisting change everywhere...

Thank goodness everyone doesn't think alike. I'd hate to see how ugly this world would look like if everything (architecture, cars, etc.) was torn down that was over twenty years old and replaced by something new.

Feel free to live in that version of a world

[arby]

^valid point. In fact it your point was so valid that I went back and removed that section from my post.

But we strayed way away from Fury 325 and I helped contribute to it so I'll try to help steer it back.

[mark40511]

Wow! Thanks for those sketches.......

I wonder why MF and I305 by Intimain do the super fast lift, while B&M does not?........I can't decide in my mind which I would prefer for a giga - the slower typical lift or the fast lift. I know on MF, it's so fast, you almost don't have time to freak out before you're at the top..