[JosieQ]

Why did they have one Thunder Road car going backwards for twelve years and then stop doing that? I wasn't around for that but I would've loved it.

[solarplexus]

Why did they have one Thunder Road car going backwards for twelve years and then stop doing that? I wasn't around for that but I would've loved it.

It is my understanding that Philidelphia Toboggan Company (The Manufacturer of the trains) Wouldn't sign off on it. Since it wasn't made to run backward, they didn't want to warrant it. Sounds Fair to me.

[Surf84]

Please excuse this fiasco. I tried to use the "quote" function and it completely backfired on me.

[swampfox43]

Why did they have one Thunder Road car going backwards for twelve years and then stop doing that? I wasn't around for that but I would've loved it.

It was done as a gimmick more than anything. It offered an entirely different ride. An inexpensive way to add a new thrill to an old ride. Imagine racing side by side, face to face. It was a lot of fun and pretty intense I thought.

Kings Island started the backward train trend in 1982-2007. Rebel Yell followed with a backward train on Rebel Yell in 1992-2007. And as you know, Carowinds finally followed with a backward facing train on TR in 1995-2007.

[kirkgun]

I know American Eagle (six flags great america, in IL) ran one side backwards for a short while too. It might have just been one year. I was bummed I missed out on that. That's the wooden racing coaster that has my childhood memories attached to it. Red side is the best . It has one more air-time hill at the end. And it was much better before the trims before the 540 degree high helix kicked in so hard. Back then, towards the end of the high helix you were really getting thrown around hard, and it felt like it was never going to stop. And then the sideways-ish air-time exit out of the helix (a very early version of the Fury turn-around) just scared the living crap out you.

[uscbandfan]

The weird thing for me is that every time I've ever been to the park the lines for TR have been up the ramp to where the two lines split.... never have I ever had a short wait for that ride.

Wow! Really? I haven't seen a line that long in more than a decade. (Of course, I only go on weekdays during the summer to avoid the absolute chaos and LOONG lines.) I can pretty much say that, in the last 10 years, I have never seen TR's line extend outside the actual station. 3 or 4 train wait.. tops. I'm talking mid July and early August. Most times its been a walk-on. Now, since this announcement, I think this year's lines will be different as everyone gets their last run... including me.

[LocalYokel]

If they stopped running a backwards train because the manufacturer wouldn't warranty it, and obviously there won't be any warranty claims after July, maybe a train will get turned around again before TR closes.

[pproteinc]

I still say Carowinds can take a page out of Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland. I mean at CW Minebuster goes underneath bridges and water slides as well as over their water slides. KD of course have the path underneath Rebel Yell. I mean what is the problem? My rant again. Carry on.

[uscbandfan]

I still say Carowinds can take a page out of Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland. I mean at CW Minebuster goes underneath bridges and water slides as well as over their water slides. KD of course have the path underneath Rebel Yell. I mean what is the problem? My rant again. Carry on.

I agree,.. and Minebuster looks pretty boring to me. Do those hills even have any airtime? It looks slow with maybe an interesting helix. TR is way more interesting than that. To take TR out, they must be thinking bigger than just a water park expansion.

[coasterbruh]

I still say Carowinds can take a page out of Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland. I mean at CW Minebuster goes underneath bridges and water slides as well as over their water slides. KD of course have the path underneath Rebel Yell. I mean what is the problem? My rant again. Carry on.

I agree,.. and Minebuster looks pretty boring to me. Do those hills even have any airtime? It looks slow with maybe an interesting helix. TR is way more interesting than that. To take TR out, they must be thinking bigger than just a water park expansion.

They certainly are...its you guys who are not lol lol...As a matter of fact...it seems they aren't even thinking water park expansion...just yet.

[cwgator]

I still say Carowinds can take a page out of Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland. I mean at CW Minebuster goes underneath bridges and water slides as well as over their water slides. KD of course have the path underneath Rebel Yell. I mean what is the problem? My rant again. Carry on.

Don't forget Kings Island did it with Racer as well. There are 3 pedestrian paths under it. While not for water park expansion, you have to walk under it to get to Firehawk, Flight Of Fear, Dinosaurs alive and the Action Theater.

[mark40511]

The weird thing for me is that every time I've ever been to the park the lines for TR have been up the ramp to where the two lines split.... never have I ever had a short wait for that ride.

Even in the 90s (granted we would always go on a weekday) the slowest day possible, like a Tuesday, there would be very VERY short lines for TR......We got off walked around and got back in line and there was literally 3 people ahead of me in line. We rode it like 5 or 6 times in a row (this is when it was going backwards too).........Now, had there been a long line, we wouldn't have waited to ride it again, but there never was from what I remember..This was also back when they still had the shed thing at the end (I can't remember what it was called) but I was there after they took it out....I also remember when I was little and TR was white, it looked SO MUCH BIGGER white than just the plain boring wood color.

[Chris]

I am finding the similarities between Conan's Tonight Show and Thunder Road to be strikingly similar. Quite the online uproar when both were announced but had these same people actually watched the show (rode Thunder Rode), Conan would still be the host (Thunder Road would still be standing).

[tarheel1231]

They certainly are...its you guys who are not lol lol...As a matter of fact...it seems they aren't even thinking water park expansion...just yet.

What do you think is more likely? A Mack water coaster, or a log flume?

[Jarsh]

I still say Carowinds can take a page out of Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland. I mean at CW Minebuster goes underneath bridges and water slides as well as over their water slides. KD of course have the path underneath Rebel Yell. I mean what is the problem? My rant again. Carry on.

I've said it several times before - TR's track isn't the issue. It's station is. Why else would you tear out two decent coasters that you've spent enormous amounts of money and time repairing? If the future expansion was occuring only in the parking lot on the other side of TR then they would've added pathways and been done. The only reason I can see for removing it is that the area around the station is what will be part of next year's waterpark expansion and there would be no way to connect the theme park to TR once they build the waterpark in that area.