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Heide Park

Here's a very interesting video about Son of Beast


I wonder if it had held on a few more years would RMC have been able to salvage it, or whether it was completely doomed from the start and irreversibly goosed.

Would be interesting to see what RMC could do with Colossus' layout of hills, would surely be quite impressive.

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Martin said:
Here's a very interesting video about Son of Beast


I wonder if it had held on a few more years would RMC have been able to salvage it, or whether it was completely doomed from the start and irreversibly goosed.

Would be interesting to see what RMC could do with Colossus' layout of hills, would surely be quite impressive.

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Thanks Martin. That was a really interesting watch.
 
I'm still peeved they closed it completely two weeks before I was due to visit... Would've liked to compare the awfulness of Mean Streak and SoB...
 
Benzin said:
I'm still peeved they closed it completely two weeks before I was due to visit... Would've liked to compare the awfulness of Mean Streak and SoB...
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You needed to ride each generation of Son of Beast to feel the true awfulness. The ride that closed wasn't the ride that opened in 2000.
 
Just did a bit of research, and I'm rather baffled at how Colossos can cost £10m to fix because Mega Zeph at Six Flags New Orleans, a roller coaster that had to endure Hurricane Katrina and has been left abandoned for 12 years, would apparently only cost $3m to bring back to an operable state.
 
DiogoJ42 said:
I doubt it took 10 million to build it in the first place. Woodies are as cheap as the second hand lolly sticks they are made out of!
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Intamin Pre-fabs aren't cheap, for example El Toro cost $25mill to build. Whereas Lighning Rod only cost $22 mill with a launch and a terrain hugging layout.
 
Poopoohead said:
Bit of a lame question but what’s the best way to get here from England? Thanks
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Fly to Baden-Baden (or similar) and onwards to Europa-Park..! :p

In all seriousness, I've not been but I would imagine you could fly to Hamburg and Heide is about an hour away.

:)
 
Bump! Heide have now announced that the Witchelhausenbahn Railway and the Koggenfahrt closed last Sunday (5th November). But there is good news! The Witchelhausen Railway is "returning in new splendour for 2018" and the Koggenfahrt is being replaced with "a new, extraordinary adventure". They have stated that more details will be announced in the New Year. I think that Peppa Pig may be on the horizon. I don't think this is the thing the park needs, but it should be successful for them. Also, for those who are wondering, they still haven't said anything regarding Colossos.
 
I've seen suggestions recently that Colossos may yet be saved, however the longer we go without any news the less likely that seems. Surely its condition is only getting worse?

:)
 
Rob said:
the longer we go without any news the less likely that seems. Surely its condition is only getting worse?
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I'm not sure that is a factor, really. Sounds like whatever they are going to do with it is going to require significant replacement of materials so it sitting idle is not necessarily a bad thing. Additionally, some components will be in better condition after sitting idle for 18 months than they would have been after 18 months of operation.
 
If they do reopen Colossos following a refurbishment, then it will reinstill my faith in Merlin. But if they don't, then they have basically lost what is arguably their most iconic attraction. Also, I was thinking that if the ride closes, then its life and death so to speak almost exactly parallel that of Son of Beast, the former record holder for tallest woodie. Well, apart from all the incidents and botched construction. Think about it. Both rides have held the record for world's tallest woodie. Both rides sat idle for over a year. And if Colossos' fate is confirmed as removal, then I'd say both rides would have been removed prematurely. Not sure whether any of you would class 15 years old as premature removal, but I would. However, I have optimism in Merlin to reopen it within the next year or so after completing the work required.
 
If it reopens, I'd say Merlin weren't involved in that decision XD

Just ask Loggers Leap, Submission, X, Ripsaw, Sub Terra, Charlie and Slammer. And we'll probably soon be adding Enterprise and Rumba Rapids to that list soon enough...
 
So after 16 months of Colossos being shut the park have finally addressed the reasons for the closure...


In a nutshell they said that a TUV inspection in the summer 2016 discovered that the rails were in a worse condition than expected, therefore the coaster was taken out service immediately. Since Colossos is not an ordinary wooden coaster the repair job isn't as straight forward and takes longer. The rails have to be replaced along the entire length of the coaster. The exchange of rail is equal in scope and complexity to almost building an entirely new ride.
As only one company in the world deals with this type of coaster they need to find space in their busy schedule to carry out the repair. Another complication is that procuring the pinewood needed for the track is difficult and takes several months, and then afterwards the track needs to be manufactured.

As Heide Park belongs to Merlin Entertainments, Merlin is responsible for the decision. Since the repair would cost a multi-digit million amount a decision about the future of Colossos has not been made yet. The park will find out what the final decision is in early January. They hope it will be a good positive outcome, and the future of Colossos will be announced publicly on 11th January 2018.
 
In other words, goodbye Colossos! I don't see Merlin signing off such significant repair work when they could rip it down and build a new attraction for the same amount of money. That is far more of a compelling proposition with a killer image to Varney et al.

:)
 
Well, if Merlin have announced what refurbishment is required, then it may be a subtle sign that they have chosen to undertake the necessary works to get the ride open again. On a side note, the fact that they even have an announcement date suggests that they know what they want to do, but they are withholding the information from us for some unknown reason. If they have decided to go down the route of demolition, then unless they replace Colossos with something superior, my optimism levels for the future of Heide will take a huge nosedive. However, Colossos' demolition could also be a positive thing dependant on what it is replaced with. For example, if RMC are involved at all, then enthusiasts across the world will probably be wanting Merlin to call in the bulldozers as soon as possible! That is presuming that they demolish it, however. I'm still hoping that they refurbish it. Also, if the ride is demolished, then as I mentioned earlier in this thread, Colossos' life will strangely parallel Son of Beast's without all the incidents.
 
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