Before we get to the announcement itself, just a shout-out to SDC for this high quality, official, well-produced announcement event and livestream. They really are some of the best in the industry time and time again with these announcements.
News Project 2027: Miner's Mountain Express (Mack Family Coaster)
- Thread starter Tacky3663
- Start date
Two lift hills. 15 airtime moments
This looks like a great addition
This looks like a great addition
I think I'm allowed to share this now
No surprises, exactly what we thought it'd be. The Regular Sit-down Family Coaster hunch was dead on. Loving what I'm seeing.
No surprises, exactly what we thought it'd be. The Regular Sit-down Family Coaster hunch was dead on. Loving what I'm seeing.
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Separately, the layout doesn't do anything remarkable, but as a replacement for Thunderation, it's pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered.
Love the terrain interaction, love the lore, and the theming looks incredible. Station fly through and the tunnel are both nice surprises.
Seems like damn near the perfect addition for SDC to me.
Last edited by a moderator:
honestly just happy to see the mine train concept/aesthetic revived with quality theming. That headframe structure is gonna look great. Being next to Powder Keg, the views are gonna be awesome, and it'll probably be one of the best pairs of adjacent family thrill coasters in the world (overly specific six flags ass phrasing)
What an awesome addition for the park! Does this ride go over The American Plunge? Looked like it! Love the tunnel!
I'm glad that the mine train is getting replaced with this! As sad as it is to see an old Arrow ride to go, I feel like this is a good and fitting replacement for the park.
Yes, the water feature on the headframe actually dumps into the same body of water that runs into the American Plunge trough.
Also of note, the new area for this ride will connect Wildfire and Powderkeg which is very helpful for guest flow. 39" height requirement so will be very popular. There is a birdeye's view video their YouTube which shows 2 trains running on the course, but the press assets indicate there will be 3 trains. Curious if that is one extra for maintenance or if they will actually be able to run 3 trains.
Also of note, the new area for this ride will connect Wildfire and Powderkeg which is very helpful for guest flow. 39" height requirement so will be very popular. There is a birdeye's view video their YouTube which shows 2 trains running on the course, but the press assets indicate there will be 3 trains. Curious if that is one extra for maintenance or if they will actually be able to run 3 trains.
This will please the crowd bigtime! Rides like this with long, flowing layouts are my fav, thrill, family or otherwise. Investments like these have staying power, smart addition!
Was the height requirement revealed? Would not mind seeing some of the Arrow Mine trains with 48 inch height requirements replaced with this model if it is able to serve smaller guests. It looks fantastic!
So does this mean the coaster will go over The American Plunge log ride as it moves through the chute underneath? It looked liked it did.
It’ll have a 39 inch height requirement
Between the relatively shorter trains (24 passengers vs 36 on Thunderation), the track length, and two lift hills, I think this is well set up to be intended three train operations. They’ll probably run it on two if necessary but that line will be slowww.
The ride looks great.
I do wish they would’ve been able to incorporate a spiral helix into a tunnel like Thunderation. I love that part of the ride.
The location makes the park pretty lopsided for coasters
I do wish they would’ve been able to incorporate a spiral helix into a tunnel like Thunderation. I love that part of the ride.
The location makes the park pretty lopsided for coasters
C/S was onsite for the announcement yesterday and did some interviewing. Lots of great info. I'll throw the key points from each interview below.
Maximillian from Mack Rides:
Maximillian from Mack Rides:
- This is a prototype for Mack. It's loosely based on the Youngstar, but it is different hardware and an all new ride vehicle.
- Minimum G-force is 0.15, but it goes over 3G in some of the valleys. She's got force.
- Top speed 54 MPH.
- Biggest drop is 140ft. He says it's off a 76 foot lift, but the published lift heights per RCDB are 97 and 69.5 feet, respectively.
- They tried to work in some funky laterals in the tunnel, something he describes as new and tricky for Mack - in his words, "it's a mine train, it shouldn't feel like a smooth ride, it should feel bumpy and shaky."
- Says this "completes the portfolio" of Mack Rides, and they're thrilled to fill this gap with all-new hardware.
- This project has been in dev for about 2 years.
- They start with a story and figure out what ride manufacturer they want to work with from there.
- This location was specifically chosen for it's proximity to the other attractions. Park President Brad Thomas will go further in depth on this point.
- When choosing a new attraction, they always take into account what the park is "about", what the setting is, and what will make it feel authentic to the park.
- "We like prototypes, but also we love ride manufacturers that do what they need to do" LOL
- Nothing but praise for Mack.
- Going in, their #1 objective was a family experience that was "crazy smooth" and would "stand the test of time".
- They're going to open up a whole new... he calls it a street, but I've heard it called a whole new area, "Daredevil Pass", connecting The American Plunge to the Opera House. No more dead end!
- For 2027 alone, they are investing $150m into the park. That's including the resort. I believe we already knew this but it was mentioned - they are on a 10 year, $500m plan.
- They are trying to position themselves as a legitimate, nationwide destination. The quote is, "...as we continue to look at, how do we draw more visitors from Chicago and Minneapolis to the north; Houston Texas [why Houston specifically???] on the south, Denver to the west and Memphis on the east."
So, 0 moments of airtime, not 15.
