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This Web page discusses the Construction Watch observations during December, 1997 and January, 1998 for the new Mr. Freeze roller coaster being installed at Six Flags Over Texas.
As of December 1st, I received (sorry for the delay in posting this... it was a busy holiday weekend) a note from a reader advising me of a most interesting story in the Dallas Morning News about SFTP regaining management control of SFOT. Click on the link to read it!
Among other details, the story suggests that the only major new ride for 1998 will be Mr. Freeze. It talks about a new "dance show" and new retail and food outlets for the 1998 season, and promises major new rides for 1999 and 2000 (and a new "multimillion-dollar" children's section for that year too).
The article says they "plan to" erect a new wooden oil derrick in the Boomtown section (don't look now, but it's been there for at least a month already) and they even promise "added attention to Texas heritage" (but I'll believe that when I see it).
On a more positive note, I've also received a report that just a day or two before Thanksgiving, at least two workmen were seen working on the Mr. Freeze track near the exit of the launch track with what looked like the alignment cart. Although I've not been able to confirm this yet, my guess is that they're finally starting to remove the LIMs so they can be shipped off for remanufacturing with the new, beefier housings.
I received a note from one reader accusing me of being "anti-Six-Flags" and I don't think that's fair at all. I believe that this Web site overall is highly positive about both Mr. Freeze and about the park and its attractions in general. That having been said, I think that there are numerous important quality and service and public relations (and pricing) points that truly need to be addressed by management and which have not been addressed. I don't think it's being negative to point those out, and hopefully cause management to fix those problem areas. It's clear to many of us that are fans of the park that management has not been responsive to their most devoted public up to now, and I can only hope that that's more due to a lack of awareness than due to simply not giving a damn.
I got another comment from another reader suggesting that SFAW in Houston pursues the employee policy they do because they can... being located right in Houston, it's apparently easy enough for them to get employees. Parks located out in the boonies (like the park in New Jersey) apparently treat their employees [much] better since they can much less afford to lose them (reportedly they have a huge problem there getting and keeping staff).
I also got a comment from a reader who has ridden Chiller (during the two days that it was open) that "...it was the single sickest ride that I've ever been on!!!! And freeze looks better!!!!" Yes, it will be worth the wait.
Oh, and by the way... in agreement with numerous requests... I'll be splitting off October and November Construction Watch reports soon... probably in a week or so.
As of December 2nd, I've gotten a report that as of last evening, the crane was back at Mr. Freeze, probably to today remove the LIMs from the tower spike track for remanufacturing. It's not clear at this point how many of the LIMs have already been removed from the main launch track, but this would seem to confirm the reports of workers and the alignment cart having been seen near the end of the launch tunnel.
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I've now received confirmation that by mid-afternoon today, all the LIMs are down from the spike track, and that the crane was also back down.
Rumors are also flying about at the park in St. Louis, including talk (from a full-time staff member of the park) about "removal of some parts of the steel and changing the length of the coaster" (!) ...I have heard of no such thing here, and indeed it's very hard to imagine where they might be able to change the length even if they wanted to.
Certainly one couldn't change the length very easily within the station (it would require redesign or moving the transfer carts, and that's a very major job indeed) or else adding to the height of the spike track (which would probably mean forcing a higher speed, or adding more LIMs to the spike track cluster, or both... otherwise the train wouldn't get to the top even if more track were added there). On the other hand, there is talk about possibly adding more LIMs for extra redundancy (to allow assuring full speed, and no valleying, even if one or a few LIMs are temporarily out of service). In such a case, one might add some extra track up top, just to help guard against bumping the end stop even if too many LIMs had been energized. But even that then begs the question of the bracing structure to support that extra track, and adding that doesn't seem trivial either.
My feeling is that the "lengthening the track" is a misunderstanding on the part of the park staffer, if anything they might be lengthening the LIM-active part of the launch track to include (and the station, perhaps, by a few feet to enclose) the new LIMs rumored to be being added... presumably at the end of the launch run.
As of December 12th, the Texas Giant Celebration at SFOT has come and gone. Those people (approximately a hundred of them, I understand) attending were allowed to walk through the Mr. Freeze station (but were not allowed to take pictures). The reports I've received so far are that the station looks and feels "dirty" (in keeping of course with the themeing of the other Six Flags Batman rides, and the themeing of "a derelict, abandoned warehouse".) As reported earlier, there is a animatronic robot figure of Mr. Freeze who appears to be at the controls, behind a window. The loading area glows brightly with blue light. People report that there is supposed to be "well over" enough queue area inside the building to support a three-hour queue, all inside. The whole queue is also supposed to be wheelchair accessible, eliminating the need for wheelchair users to cut in via the exit of the ride. Although we are warned to "not expect a countdown", there are supposed to be chase lights and fog in the launch tunnel (perhaps the problems the fog had earlier caused with the optical position sensors has been fixed).
The visit has confirmed that the LIMs have (apparently, all of them) been removed for remanufacturing. This of course is a good sign, since it means that finally true and concrete progress is presumably being made to fixing the mechanical problems that prevented the ride from opening this past summer.
At least some 1997 Season Passholders (not all of them yet, curiously) have received a letter from Six Flags promising that they will receive some kind of unspecified "priority access" to Mr. Freeze when it opens in the spring: "Your 1997 Season Pass will permit you to be one of the first to ride Mr. Freeze. Information regarding the date and time will be forwarded to you by mail."
Here is the complete letter, thanks to one recipient who transcribed it:
Dear Season Pass holder, I am writing to let you know how much we apreciate you as a valued guest as Six Flags. This has been a great season, and we hope you enjoyed your visits to the park. Although Mr. Freeze, the coolest coaster on the planet, did not open as originally planned, we wanted to update you on the ride's status. As you may know, the ride simply did not achieve 100% of the speed and thrills it was deisgned to deliver over an extended period of running time. We have developed the necessary fine-tuning and adjustments to Mr. Freeze, however, we are unable to complete these changes prior to the end of the 1997 season. We do expect to have the ride ready for the park's 1998 season. We are committed to providing all 1997 Six Flags season passholders with an opportunity to experience Mr. Freeze when it opens next year. Your 1997 season pass will permit you to be one of the first to ride Mr. Freeze. Information regarding that date and time will be forwarded to you by mail. As always, we are committed to providing world-class thrills, entertainment and fun for everyone. We hope you have enjoyed all that Six Flags over Texas has to offer this year, including Spring Break Out Extreme, Texas Heritage Crafts Festival, Fright Fest, Holiday in the Park and numerous concerts. We also hope you were able to use your season pass as a passport to all 8 Six Flags Theme Parks nationwide, including our sister parks in Houston and San Antonio. We look forward to bringing you a thrilling 1998. Again, thank you for your support, and we look forward to your visit to holiday In the park, which has been extended through January 4, 1998. We hope you and your family have a warm and wonderful holiday season! Sincerely, Tom Williams Regional Promotions Manager Enclosure
Of course, the cynic in me looks at this as Six Flags trying to convince those season passholders who were promised a major new ride in 1997 (and who didn't get one) to rush right out and buy another season pass. "Here, Charlie Brown, I'll hold this football, and you come running up, and kick it!" Certainly the timing of this letter makes it look that way... the letter is being sent out right as season passes for 1998 are going on sale, promising some kind of unspecified special privilege ("we'll tell you about that... later...") to be made available sometime in the future. Meanwhile, of course, line up and buy your next year's season pass now. It would seem that an apologetic/explanatory letter of some kind might have gone out earlier, for example as soon as they realized that the ride clearly wasn't going to open this year. Or, that they wait to send the letter (and solicit season pass sales) until they can be more specific about how they intend to make up for this year's broken promises to those who bought these passes. Or do they maybe plan to "test the waters" first and see what kind of renewal season pass sales they'll get without clarifying the nature or extent of that goodwill gesture?
I continue to get E-mail from people saying that they think I'm being awfully negative about SFOT park management on these Web pages. In particular, those who were here for the Texas Giant Celebration evidently were very happy by the way the park management treated them during that weekend (and despite basically ghastly weather on Sunday). I generally reply by discussing two broad areas.
First, remember that for almost three years prior to moving to Dallas, my "home park" was EuroDisney (aka Disneyland Paris), and that's admittedly a hard act to follow. I still remember on my first time into SFOT to discover what my new "home park" was all about, and being terribly disappointed that food, themeing, decor, landscaping, uniforms, shows, buildings, souvenir item variety and quality, sound reinforcement, lighting, service attitude, etc etc were so sorry by comparison. When it comes to quality, style, flair, decor, landscaping, fanatical attention to detail, and so many other areas... the simple fact is that nobody else does it like Disney does.
But of course, theme parks are different in character, and different ones emphasize different things. And that's as it should be, I suppose. Six Flags adheres much more closely to the idea of an "amusement park with a theme, some decoration, and a few cute names" than it does to the kind of a much higher goal that Disney sets for themselves. So in time, I grew to enjoy SFOT for what it is, and judged by that standard it's not at all a bad park. Certainly some of the attractions (notably The Texas Giant) need not apologize to anybody, at least not as thrilling rides. The fact that there is essentially no themeing to it at all, and virtually no landscaping or other decor, is beside the fact that it's still a first-rate roller coaster.
Second, those who study this Web site carefully will notice an unmistakeable and evolutionarily growing disappointment with the way the park is run during the almost-a-year that I've been maintaining the site. And this is simply due to the fact that my experiences and interactions with park management (mostly probably due to the information I've revealed here that they'd rather not be revealed) has been quite different than the interactions and perspectives seen by many others (notably, the coaster fans who park management is trying to actively woo). If you think about it, most park visitors never see anything other than the normal "park employee" face of management, and for obvious reasons park management has to make sure that that doesn't turn off most of the visitors or the park's attendance would rapidly decline.
Part of my disappointment is due to the way that park management has not only nearly totally refused to help, but has systematically blocked and stonewalled me since early summertime in providing official information to help in my work on this site. Even supposedly being on the park's press release mailing list, I've not received a single press release or other information (given freely to other reporters) in months. Nothing about the Crafts Festival or Fright Fest; nothing about Holiday in the Park, nothing about the management brouhaha (or its resolution), nothing about upcoming shows or anything else. Despite realizing that clearly a lot of online coaster fans follow this Web page religiously, they didn't even see fit to send me the official announcement of the Texas Giant Celebration (staged specifically for coaster fans). Why they would fight to get their information published in other media, and refuse to supply the same, official, widely disseminated information to me where they know it will be made available, is a mystery.
Another part of my disappointment stems from the fact that the numerous questions and suggestions for meaningful improvements and other changes that have appeared here have elicited not the slightest reply from park management. In virtually no case have the questions been answered, suggested improvements been implemented, nor have they indicated why they feel the improvements should not be implemented. It is a known fact that park management follows this site, and they now know many areas where the public wants changes (the famous "wish list" for example) but it appears that absolutely nothing so far has happened as a result of all that.
The alternate Web site that another coaster fan set up in mid-summer (and which I resolutely expected to be the lucky one to announce to the world Mr. Freeze being open) was started by a friend who was absolutely convinced that with a fresh start and a more positive attitude towards the park, SFOT would respond favorably. He was hugely disappointed.to find that his site got precisely the same stony-faced [non-]response from management that mine had (and has) received.
But anyhow, the fact is that I'm still looking forward to riding Mr. Freeze. It's going to be a great coaster when it opens (and it will), a great addition to the park, and well worth waiting for.
In other news, the rumor is that we can expect at least some interesting-sounding changes for 1998, including:
Absolutely no word (so far anyhow) about the supposedly planned changes alongside the Judge Roy Scream (and supposedly in preparation for which two very nice trees were already chopped down).
As of December 23rd, I've gotten a report that the recently the Mine Train was not operating, supposedly for maintenance. It's uncertain at this point if that just represents repairs of some sort, or if some of the upgrading that we've talked about (on the wish list for example) is going to take place, or perhaps even something else. There were no obvious signs of what kind of work might have been going on with it.
I've heard no news recently about progress on Mr. Freeze.
I'd like to take this opportunity (since it's possible, even likely, that there won't be a news update between now and Christmas...) to wish all of the faithful and enthusiastic readers of this page a very happy holiday season. It's your enthusiastic support which has helped encourage me to continue this effort a great deal longer than I originally expected I'd need to!!! Let's home Santa arranges for us to have a great new LIM-launched roller coaster at Six Flags when the park re-opens in March!
As of January 2nd, the LIMs are still missing from Mr. Freeze. I'll post here as soon as I hear more on that front (but I expect to see testing resume basically as soon as they return and are reinstalled).
Among the rumors I'm hearing about changes for 1998:
Regarding the "dangling feet coaster", one correspondent (Mr. Mercado) has pointed out that:
"Vekoma makes an SLC (suspended looping coaster, with feet dangling if the buyer so chooses it to be) and I hear a german company makes a portable one, but one malfunctioned sometime ago. I hear Arrow has one in the works though. Also I hear an awesome rumor, here is the post in it's entirety: "
"I recently called a park official after hearing that they would be getting 2 major rides in 99 and 2000; here is the response "Well, nothing's concrete but the brother of an employee here suggested a D. H. Morgan duelling coaster themed to Batman and Robin. We really like the idea and believe it would make a great themed area"."
As of January 15th, it's been reported that the boarding station building for Mr. Freeze has been painted to be more colorful (perhaps more like the one in St. Louis). The LIMs are still missing from the tower (and presumably inside the launch tunnel as well). Everyone's hoping to see their return, since that will signal when testing will continue again, presumably prior to the park reopening the beginning of March. It's expected that Mr. Freeze will be (finally) ready and open by then. Stay tuned for further news!
As of January 22nd, I've gotten a report that someone applying for a job position at the St. Louis park for the 1998 season has observed that the LIMs are back up on the spike track there. Thus far no comparable report for the park here in Texas, and no reports of observed testing at either park (although if the testing is being done during the wee hours, as Six Flags tends to do, this might not be too surprising). Since we are getting close to just about a month before the park reopens, if the ride is going to be open in time for the beginning of March I'd expect to see the LIMs reappearing at the Texas park, and the resumption of testing, within the next very few weeks. I'll pass along more news just as soon as I have it.
As of January 25th, I've heard a rumor from someone who is claiming that the new coaster for 1999 at Six Flags will be, in fact, "our" long-awaited B&M inverted "Batman: The Ride".
According to the information I received, the actual exclusivity agreement with Sea World only covers three years, and (including the year Great White started being built) thus covers only 1996, 1997, and 1998. Thus leaving 1999 open for such an inverted coaster here in Dallas. It's said that there was one more of these coasters left in the prior package of contracts already held by Six Flags with the manufacturer, and that it will indeed be placed where the warehouse presently is near Mr. Freeze (this is the area I'd already tentatively dubbed as a hypothetical future "Gotham City" section).
As of January 26th, the crane is back at Mr. Freeze, the big lights are turned on, and workmen in the familiar yellow baskets are busily working on the spike track LIMs and LIM cabling.
As of January 27th, the crane is gone and the LIMs are back on the spike track (although at least one of the LIMs seems to not be reconnected yet). The McBride Electric trucks are back (they are the electrical contractor responsible for that part of Mr. Freeze here at the Texas park). Some of the lighting in the launch tunnel is on, suggesting that maybe the LIMs are being reinstalled and recabled in there.
As of January 30th, the crane was back at Mr. Freeze and it and the workmen were working at the base of the valley just before the spike track. It appeared that they had the alignment cart on the track there, although I'm not sure if it was starting to be used or done being used. I did notice that the odd cable or two at the spike track LIMs which had been dangling loose seem to be fully connected now, too.
Either way, it's another step along the route to getting everything ready so that testing can resume. Hopefully more successfully this time than last year.
There's also some rumors about a new parking lot entry system here at the Dallas park, which I hope are not true. It sounds like it will make for even more delay for season passholders to get into the parking lot (and it was inefficient enough already during the 1997 season).
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Artist conception images and drawings are copyright Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc. (C) 1997, Mr. Freeze and related elements are property of DC Comics, (C) 1997. The rest of this page (including my own original photographs) and all linked contents originating with me are Copyright (C) 1997-8 by Gordon E. Peterson II, all rights reserved worldwide. Last revised February 9, 1998.