Is the RMC Topper Track Dead... Already??
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- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
- Today we discuss the possibility of the RMC topper track being dead. It is one of only three RMC models and has always been overshadowed by the eyebox track. We haven't seen one of these for quite a while so it leaves a lot to debate. Big thanks to these channels for footage:
Kolmårdens Djurpark
Airtime Thrills
Silver Dollar City Attractions
Six Flags Great Adventure
Dollywood Parks & Resorts
ElToroRyan
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Californias Great America
Cedar Point
Energylandia
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Walibi Holland
Silverwood Theme Park
Six Flags Great America
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
Gravity Group
Coaster Thrills
Kings DominionTV
X Coaster
Songs Used in this Video:
Rogues Gallery (Mirage Saloon Zone Act 2) - Sonic Mania [OST]
Hydrocity Zone Act 1 - Sonic Mania [OST]
I do not claim ownership for any of the songs used in this video. All credit go to its rightful owners.
Thank you guys so much for watching and don't forget to subscribe
They are modifying Lightning Rod to give most of it I-Box Track so yeah the Topper Track is dead
When an rmc gets rmc’ed
Meh, do they really need it anyway? They have been killing it with the ibox and raptors are starting to take off plus, the upcoming t-rex. Also as you said Zadra being a ground-up hybrid and L rod having most of its track replaced with steel basically killed it. Yeah, basically I agree with what you're saying.
I dont really mind RMC ditching the topper. I'd rather them focus their attention on their hyper hybrids and hopefully t rex
@@Coastoons And now that Lightning Rod is getting RMC'd it shows that a wood track is still not going to hold up to hold up to the weather and stresses applied to it without the yearly maintenance that a wood coaster track would need to get anyway to stay smooth.
@@Coastoons agreed, RMC really showed that the 'wood vs steel' distinction was not really about material technicalities, and more about "height & inversion vs creative & fluid shaping", which modern computer-aided designed & manufactured steel coasters have easily combined anyway
Don't forget Dollywood announced that Lightning Rod is closed for "Major Upgrades".
Good time to do it though. Tourism unlikely to be back to 2019 levels until 2023 , look too the airlines. They have implemented an awful lot of changes on the back of this prediction too.
Damn you really did Goliath dirty
I did
Coastoons lmao
Rightly so
@@GCpov bro goliath is amazing wtf
This is an underated channel I can see you getting big one day
Definitely
Yes that's right
hopefully sooner than later...but you also have to have some background knowledge of CoasterEnthusiast Culture as well to get the satirical humor as well...which is sadly quite niché
I think he’ll be popular in the coaster community, but I really don’t see the coaster community blowing up.
You don't even need actual wood for the "wood marketing boost" (if that really exists). Energylandia built a hybrid coaster and marketed it as a wooden coaster anyway.
I'm wondering if resin board would hold up to the forces applied in a coaster situation and decrease the need for constant maintenance. It can certainly hold up to changing weather.
@Sparkly Airtime Muffin Poo Bear Steel can't be that much cheaper, can it?
@Sparkly Airtime Muffin Poo Bear A few years ago Paul Nelson said that they spend $500K each year to do the computerized vibration testing and rip up and re-track bad spots on the Ravine Flyer II. He said about 20 foot of track needs to be exposed and relaid to fix a 6" bad spot. So that can be added in to the cost effectiveness.
Yeah I thought that marketing move was kinda stupid.
The dive loop on goliath is my favorite inversion on the 4 of the rmc's I've ridden lol
More so than the Zero G stall? What other RMC's have you been on out of curiosity
@@Coastoons Yep lol, I love the stalls but the dive loop is just really unique! I've been on goliath, wicked cyclone, joker, and storm chaser
yeah, the dive loop is my favorite element on any RMC as well. i've been on goliath, outlaw run, SteVe, IRat and new texas giant.
I have been on no rmc’s - we don’t get that stuff in the uk
Goliath is pure quality over quantity. Very short, but has the best elements
Topper track sections are a massive bitch for RMC to manufacture as well. Im sure they'd love to just do Ibox's and raptors for the next decade. I'm pretty sure they outright stated they wanted to discontinue TT in like, 2018 too.
If only they could combine it with Intamin's manufacturing techniques
I rode Outlaw Run yesterday, it feels a bit like it's running on square wheels. That's bad for any seven year old coaster, and it seems it'll need an Iron Horse refit sooner than later. I think RMC will be happy to continue focus on raptors, hybrids and T-Rex leaving GCI open to explore in the topper track/retracking space.
I am happy to report the square wheels have been replace with triangle wheels. LOL
Building Zadra as a ground-up I-box pretty much declared the topper track dead
Not sure id say that. Lightning Rod being converted to 2/3 I-box was the declaration.
@@noname117spore true
Jeez dude what you got against Goliath it’s good but short
Yeah it's one of my favorite coasters lol
Also it’s in everyone’s second favorite tourist destination Chicago
I think Lrod is the main reason behind the minimal topper track sales. They took the topper track beyond its limits, and since they can't get any better, there's no use in building one. Hybrids can get much better.
The problem with Topper track is it allows you to do things you can't with normal wood.
That may sound like a good thing, because it is, but it has the downside of extreme stresses are put on them a regular woodie wouldn't have. This quickly wears down on the wood part of the track, which then deforms the steel, leading to a ride that gets rough fast.
The solution is either, (A) tuning down the ride to the stresses wood can take, or (b) use the Ibox that can take those stresses, and more.
Put simply, a park isn't going with option A when there are existing great woodie companies like GCI and GG. Leaving parks going with option B.
This video is pretty high quality. You have a lot of potential keep it up!
I rode Outlaw Run twice last week. I rode it in the third row and the last row and each ride was rough. It sucks because it used to be my favorite coaster there and now it’s probably Powder Keg that’s my favorite coaster at SDC.
2:30 insane transition
0:05 HAHAHAHA I legit forgot there 4 RMC Toppers until u showed that photo
The Goliath slander will not be tolerated 😤😤😤
I love the outlaw run and rode lightning rod in its first month both coasters are a blast it really is a shame there aren’t more
This is what happens when you get lazy parks not willing to take care or care about real wooden coasters and just go the lazy route. GCI didn't even bother to try something like this they went straight to "Titan" track" really hope they never redo all of White Lightning and Predator with it but only sections.
I'm not a big fan of woodies increasingly getting inversions. Part of what made woodies distinct is their increased focus more out-of-control wildness and airtime instead of inversions. Now that inverting woodies are becoming more and more common, it might end up making them more redundant.
I like inversions on wooden coasters but I like only one or at most two on a wooden coaster. It expands the creativity from a designer's perspective but the main attraction should still be the airtime and transitions like wooden coasters are known for.
The good news is that thanks to rmc, said out-of-control wildness are leaking into hybrids and rmc-inspired fluidly-shaped steel coasters
Wild fire and lightning rod getting mention in the video meanwhile with golaith: *Sad goliath noises*
all we need is rmc take over the arrow designs from S&S and Revive the looper/mega looper
Just an fyi Dollywood is removing 2200 ft of the topper track on LR and replacing it with I box this will be the everything from the station through the launch and all the way to the bottom of the main drop ending where it passes under the track on its way up to but not including the wave turn. It then starts adding I box at the two hills before the quad down all the way through the end of the ride. They will likely finish the rest of the coaster's I box conversion at the end of next season they only did this much based on time and cost constraints as they are also doing some more retracking on Thunderhead this offseason around the area where the two retracking projects mate up and also some track work is being done on Mystery Mine. This is per Pete Owens Dollywood's PR director also it is unlikely the LR will be open for opening day due to the scale of this project so weather permitting its likely LR won't open till mid April or possibly later.
Yep I just saw this yesterday. I think that's the final nail in the coffin for the topper.
RMCing an RMC is beeg
The answer is "yes". This was stated years ago. They have more than enough to do without it.
I've heard that topper track feels distinctly different from Ibox and Raptor, in that it actually feels like a wooden coaster. It's honestly a damn shame that it's already dying.
Also I'm not sure I get your argument on how Topper costs more to maintain than Ibox when over 90% of the maintenance is on the structure alone.
The topper track should have been used to fix aging woodies that still require wooden roughness but not uncomfortable rides. The Racer, Grizzly, etc... re track and not reroute.
I think the construction of TT allows for to much flex of the track with the heavier RMC trains along with the forceful elements and it is destroying the track underneath. TT should just be used to renovate coasters that still use their existing trains, not heavier RMC trains.
That was what RMC did before they started making their own coasters. They replaced a few sections of track on the Silverwood woodies, the original Rattler, and I believe a few others with Topper Track. That was the original goal for the product.
The issues with Lightning Rod certainly won’t help them to sell more.
whats your problem with great america? its like u watched a coaster studios vid once
I dont have a problem with great america. Did I say I had a problem with that park in the video? Goliath just happens to be one of the weaker RMC's
Coastoons in two different videos you made slighting jokes towards our coasters. raging bull is actually an excellent ride and goliath is short but sweet. sorry to come off as a fanboy it just seems like you have 2015 era coaster studios opinions
@@djsugarc1075 People have said this before. The funny thing is I don't watch Coaster Studios prior to his 2018 content because I wasn't an enthusiast until then. I just think they both look like weaker varients of their respective models. Sorry though if I came off as a little hateful
Coastoons oh so you haven’t even ridden them? 😂 wow, wait to judge a ride until you get on. i’ve ridden 6 rmcs and a few more b&m hyper/gigas... raging bull has the best first drop out of any of the non-gigas and goliath is short but is the most intense and has the best pacing of any rmc ive ridden, which is an opinion validated by a few of my friends who have ridden most of the operating rmcs.
if i were you i’d refrain from giving opinions on rides you haven’t ridden in an effort to seem like you know what you’re talking about.. cuz it makes you look even more foolish.
Goliath isnt horrible. Yeah, its short because you're still moving at a good speed going into the break run. I think if six flags wanted to they could have made it longer and better. It's my favorite in the park, its still in my top 5 (#4) the stall is probably my favorite inversion (not to knock on maxxforce's roll or storm chasers barrel roll drop.)
on another note: lightning rod is getting I-box track on 2,160' out of its 3,800' confirmed via Smoky Mountain Coasterfest
I think I might have done goliath a little dirty in this video. I just think it doesn't look like it holds up to the other toppers
@@Coastoons thanks for apologizing to Goliath but I only got to great America because it’s my home park but by me looking at the other Goliath coasters well… except for the boomerang one but their look wayyyy better and probably are but I don’t because I never rode a Goliath coaster except Great America.
Hydrocity Zone 😌🎵
I wonder if anyone else noticed it!!!
I always just thought that the topper was meant to be a holdover until RMC could reliably produce ground up hybrids.
Thats one way of looking at it. I thought it was mostly for marketability, but being a holdover is another distinct possibility especially considering they stopped making them and then built zadra a couple years later
@@Coastoons then again, didn't rmc work with vekoma as their european distributor? Maybe the latter did the supports
I would be ecstatic if an inversion was added to Ravine Flyer II. The coaster needs to be just a tad longer than it is now. One more time into the ravine with an inversion would satisfy me.
If GCI retracted some of RF2 with the titan track and maybe added an inversion like a zero g roll or something, I could see RF2 becoming one of the best coasters in America even more so than it already it
@@Coastoons As it is now, I never thought that Erie would get a world class coaster. Well worth the season pass I get every year. I do this trick with my leg against the side of the lap bar so it has more room so I can catch mad rag-doll airtime after the train comes back across the road through those tunnels. Otherwise the g-forces would ratchet it down tighter a click or two over the first set of hills.
So I wanna point out that Alan Schilke already said during an IAAPA interview a few years ago that RMC wanted to focus more on their I-box coasters rather than their topper track woodies (I think this was 2018). It sounded like they were never really planning on doing much with it from pretty early on.
Well, Dollywood just announced that it will be retracting most of Lightning Rod with steel track.
Was it an official retrack announcment or just speculation from that one sign they put up?
It was official. It’s not all of the coaster, but like the most intense areas of the ride 2000ft or something like that
RMC's topper track served a purpose for RMC and the parks which purchased a RMC topper track creation. It provided funding for RMC to move forward with developing their Iron Horse, Raptor, and T-Rex track ideas. Those RMC topper track creations moved a couple of parks into the big leagues as serious players in the coaster park industry. Now those parks can set new records by having RMC come in and "RMC" those prior RMC topper track creations. LOL
I was on RMC’s website the other day. It looks like they are trying to advertise the topper track as replacement track for old wooden coasters. All the topper track RMC’s so far have been ground up(with the exception of Tremors). I think RMC is trying to get parks to build ground up I-Box track coasters (such as Zadra). People like to say that the I-Box track is the GCI Titan track’s enemy. I think that the true enemy is the topper track.
I’m hoping to one day make a video relating to the subject. Right now I only make videos that showcase roller coasters I make on Ultimate Coaster 2.
On the note of the intimin prefab, that was almost killed off by RMC aswell as the 2008 world recession.
They aren't as cheap as a wood coaster, costing equal to greater what a steel coaster costs, so when the world economy collapsed and then RMC came along as was able to make a hybrid for a quarter the price or a ground up Hybrid for half the cost of a prefab, it killed the coaster model.
If any parks want a coaster of more appropriate size for the technology, more Topper could happen. Outlaw Run has a 162' drop, in wood that's problematic too. It does seem to be a hard format to rebuild, it's not really supposed to.
I do agree a lot the appeal is marketing. I think it actually is hybrid track, while I-box uses a wood-styled steel track and may be a hybrid coaster.
Its true, if the topper was made by any other manufacturer, parks would buy it. But since rmc has ibox and raptor, noones gonna buy the topper when they know they can get a way better, smoother coaster with the ibox
I agree especially now that Lighting Rod is currently getting retracked with over 2000ft of Ibox track.
I'm wondering if resin board would hold up to the forces applied in a coaster situation and decrease the need for constant maintenance. It can certainly hold up to changing weather.
now that lightning rod is getting what I assume is their topper track made into Ibox tracks (with maybe a bit of a layout change 🤞🏻) its just another example of the topper going by the wayside
Hey Coastoons real quick RMC question - do you think SteVe will be the only conversion hybrid? Zadra and IGwaz are both ground-ups (yes, IGwaz IS like 90% a ground-up), and I can't think of any other RMC-compatable woodies big enough to get converted above 200'
This could be used to fix up wooden coasters that just want a retrack?? Or is this track to expensive for smaller parks to retrack them and don't last as long still?
Its possible, we saw them test small portions of it at Silverwood without completely redoing the whole coaster (i forget which one i was). But I think that's getting into more of GCI's territory with the small retrack sections
everytime he said not you to goliath a part of me died
goliath is the only rmc i've been on
the topper track is also apparently getting rough. if you're a park you're probably going for ibox because the layouts are similar and easier to maintain
It is, I rode it twice last week and it’s definitely rough now. It’s not like “The Boss” rough, but you feel the back half of Outlaw Run for sure.
lightning rod is a hybrid now bc they replaced a solid chunk of the topper track with i-box so . yeah
Topper tracks are pretty much borderline hybrids anyway (as the rails that the trains ride on are steel), so the argument of marketability as a wooden coaster is even more shaky for them. You get a coaster that is more difficult to maintain than a wooden one, and it's not even fully wooden? That doesn't seem fair. Though I of course have no idea whether it is the parks that don't provide sufficient maintenance, or it is the model's fault that the required maintenance as specified by the manufacturer isn't actually enough.
Six Flags Darien Lake announced that GCI is going to put there version of topper track on Predator, don't know where and how much is going to be put on it though.
Isn't the new coaster 'Untamed' in Walibi Holland a topper track coaster? It's conversion of a wooden coaster (Robin hood) done by RMC. I think it opened July 2019.
Thats an eyebox coaster. The eyebox ones are the ones with steel track and wooden supports while the toppers are just all wood
They no longer sell it so yes its dead. Also lightning rod's downtime yea..
Wooooooooowwwwwww the shade for Goliath is knee deep wow 🙄
Great video, good opinion. But in videos like these, you should start with the difference between topper and ibox. Not everyone is an enthusiast :)
How hard is it to understand? ONES WOOD ONES STEEL
I agree! Good video.
Solid video. good music. instant subscriber!
Idk I mean Goliath held up so maybe some one would look for it
The intamin prefab was actually an awful design for the same reasons Lightning Rod is. Stupidly high maintenance caused by the ride ripping itself apart.
Intamin Prefabs are really expensive (el toro was 25 million, or 32,290,000 today according to some website) RMC Ibox coasters deliver similar experiences for much cheaper and with less maintenance
Both great models that died for completely different reasons
and a lot less painful than el toro too.
@@oneandonlysound3453 How is el toro painful?
@@Coastoons i wonder if combining them woukd compensate some of their issues while keeping the best of both. Not that it might stand a chance against ibox & fluidly shaped 'full' steel
Yup and lighting rod will get the RMC treatment. 😂 as they announced a new lightning rod.
It will be dead if they do a conversion from topper to ibox. That’s when I’ll be convinced.
they did with LRod, it's mostly ibox now
They still make this model just no one wants them probaby as they’re not as tride and true as gci’s models they’re the leader of the wooden coaster market so it’s more likely that parks that want a wooden coaster would buy a model from them
Awesome video
When was steele vengeance built? And what about Iron gwazi? Both of those are after 2016
Those are hybrids not topper
@@Coastoons ahhh. I see
I'm sorry...my first RMC was Steel Vengeance.
Listen...I love coasters.
That coaster almost made me reconsider exactly what I THINK I love.
It was the exact word of intense.
Topper Track is NOT going to be able to feel that intense.
Just like Ibox track is not going to feel as intense as Raptor Track.
T-Rex DLC
Raptor Ultra Extreme
Ibox Extreme
Topper Very high.
Rmc is just showcasing what they CAN do. They have found their identity.
TAKE WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT GOLIATH BACK
They are re tracking lighting rod with I box tracks soooo
yeah
Hi, can someone tell me the name of the coaster at 02:54. Cheers
zadra at energylandia. The on before and after it is twisted timbers
I really want Wildcat RMC’d 😭
well if you were referring to the one at Hershey, you're in luck
@@casuallystalled yessirrrrrrr. It happened almost immediately too lmao
By "topper" do you mean a steel track on top of a wooden coaster?
The RMC topper track is the wooden track they use for their ground-up wooden coasters. They've used it on lightning rod, goliath, wildfire, and outlaw run. It uses a wooden spine topped off with a steel box
So basically if the typical wooden track's steel plates are extended & welded together into a single piece?
Hey genuine question, what’s the difference between topper track and ibox
topper track is wooden track covered with steel and ibox is all steel track
I will not take this goliath slander
Don’t do my guy Goliath dirty bro tf
Hey just want to let you know they cancelled all future topper track projects. It’s been cancelled and or “dead” for 2 years.
Really? Its still on RMC's website as a listed product. Oh well. I guess I should have fact checked better
@@Coastoons according to someone I knew who went to IAAPA- they aren’t looking to sell any more atm until issues are fixed
its not dead goliath operates fine LR was too powerful and the launched also cause many issues
Goliath is fine, it's shaky only at the bottom of the drop, the rest is butter smooth. I've heard Wildfire is fine too. But Lightning Rod and Outlaw Run are getting pretty bad
Its a shame these toppers are getting rough. If they stayed smooth then they could've been truly incredible rides and some of the best wooden coasters out there
Very unnecessary slander towards Goliath I see😠
What is the difference between topper and eyebox, I don't get it?
Topper is mostly wood, while I-box is entirely steel
Topper: steel-wrapped wood
Ibox: no wood inside the fully steel track
What about iron Gwazi that’s a recent coaster
Thats using RMC's eyebox, not the topper. The topper is their fully wooden coasters like LRod and Outlaw Run
Goliath is good bro
I don't get the hate for Goliath.
Too bad, I saw Potential in those, with their fast paced Inversions. SMH
Hopefully gravity group can keep the inversions coming
@@Coastoons I just don't think Gravity Group can capture the same feel as the topper track. just my thoughts though.
I don't think it's "dead" however I can understand you're point excluding goliath all of the woodies fit in their parks think about Dollywood I think a wooden coaster fits the theme of that park better than a "steel" or hybrid I say steel because I believe that the gp think thats what it is but I honestly have no clue what they think or not, the same thing goes for Silver dollar city. However on the contrary I don't think we'll see another one for the simple fact of lighting rod being such a massive failure I mean sure it's one of if not the best roller coaster in the world everyone who came to ride it opening year got fucked over because it was closed and by the time they got it working it was practically irelevent in the GP's mind. Thats just my take im sure it has some flaws personally I took a break from the coaster enthuiast scene for about a year before I found this channel so I don't know everything. You're such a good content creator though I always enjoy your videos and to be honest you kind of invoked some of the passion I lost for this and I just wanted to thank you
I think RMC was a little too ambitious with lightning rod. While I'm thankful for such a great coaster, it really was ahead of its time. Also, thanks for the kind words. It means a lot to me that sorta got someone back into coasters
The fact that this vid has 666 likes means its true
Goliath isn’t that bad
Lightning rod is getting ibox track so yea it is dead
I don’t think it will... what’s the difference between ibox and topper. The track isn’t what is giving it downtime, it’s the launch
@@Gabes1321 there was an announcement from Dollywood that they were replacing most (but not all) of the track with ibox
@@markvandenberg2352 I thought the announcement just said that they were improving it
@@Gabes1321 I heard ibox but improving=ibox in this case idk
@@markvandenberg2352 improving might=lift hill 😳😖