The Rockler 2

This is it... the coaster I've been working on for three years now, the coaster that has the most ridiculous terrain elements anywhere, the coaster that is over four hundred feet tall even though it's made of wood, and the coaster that I am finally going to finish, once and for all.

For anyone that doesn't know the story of The Rockler 2, here it is. Back in May 2003, I hyped a coaster caller "The Rockler" to death. The coaster was to be the world's first wooden giga-coaster, and it accomplished this feat by being built in the mountains, dropping off the edge of a 300 ft ridge. Also, it was the world's longest at over 12,000 feet. I hastily built it, as I usually did in that time, and it got beaten to death in the ratings. So, knowing that the coaster ended up nothing like I hoped it was, and seeing the potential that was still left in the idea, I plotted my revenge. I started building "The Rockler 2", taking all the suggestions and building the new coaster around them. Later that year, I hit a dead end and stopped. In summer 2004, I rode the coasters at Holiday World and learned a few things about how pacing should be done. With that new knowledge, as well as an advanced understanding of smoothing techniques, I resumed work. Then, work stopped again as it loomed in a state of non-completion.

Well, now I'm tackling this coaster for the third and final time. I'm re-building the entire track with 4-vertex hills and turns, and re-doing a lot of the elements to fit with the trends in wood coaster design. So, now I am adding 90 degree banked turns and outer-banked hills to the mix. Also, I have foregone the old wooden supports for steel ones.

Since pictures speak louder than words, here are some preview pics of the modifications to the coaster.


Here is a direct comparisign of the old version versus the updated work. As you can see, the steel supports are awfully snazzy, and the hills are steeper.



Here is something new... the second spiral drop. The train goes down a total of 145 feet, and hugs the terrain at the bottom while pulling some insane g's. After this track piece, the coaster shifts banking to the right and goes through a 90 degree banked turn.



For those of you who are new, these next two pictures are what this coaster is all about:

Now THAT is a lift hill... the train climbs slowly up the hillside, a total of 415 feet. The ride on top is quite distracting in an intense way, so you almost forget just how high up you are before plummeting off the edge.



This is what this coaster is all about... the big moment... one of the most insane plunges on any coaster... the 325 foot drop off of the hill. The train flies over it, with airtime all the way down, and hits a top speed of 98 mph at the bottom.



Here is another side-by-side comparisign, this time of the lift hill crest. As you can see, the first drop is now quite a bit steeper and less straight thanks to the new methods.



PROGRESS METER:
Trackwork: 10%
Supports: 1%
Terrain: 90%
Environment: 100%
Scenery: 0%

Estimated Time Remaining: 2 months

I would love to volunteer to be the first tester. If I remember you loaded this up before. If you want a check as you go feedback tester, I am your man.[:D]

I'm not quite ready for that yet... but once I have finished the section leading up to the drop I'll send it out.

go ravine turns!