[tarheel1231]

Thunder Road, I could give or take. But Goldrusher? That one is my sentimental favorite. I would (will?) be crushed if (when?) that ever goes.

I don't think it will ever be gone. It's historic and should be preserved.

We've established that Cedar Fair doesn't care about preserving rides for the sake of preservation. If it's not popular enough, it's not worth keeping. That said Carolina Goldrusher seems to still be fairly popular, so I wouldn't worry about it. The same goes for Woodstock Express, but if Thunder Road was declining in popularity, I'd be shocked to see Carolina Cyclone still standing the next 5-10 years. That saddens me because while I love Cyclone, I don't think it will go down with the same amount of backlash as Thunder Road did.

[shane235]

I think that we will see Cyclone stay for a while. I mean, look at Cedar Point. They are begging for land to expand on, and Corkscrew not only takes up a fair amount of land, but it also blocks an area that Cedar Point could expand on. However, they haven't taken it out even though it is almost always a walk-on even if TTD has a 2 hour line right next to it. Cyclone is a somewhat historic ride, and many people like it (if they are the right height). Additionally, Carowinds just added Fury to the Thrill Zone and I don't expect them to keep working in that area soon since they just fixed it up. If anything I would bet that Cedar Fair would wait to see if Fury brings more riders to Cyclone before tearing it down. I think Cyclone has many years to come, but I did think the same about Thunder Road so who knows?

[tarheel1231]

Well, demolition starts tomorrow (IIRC it'll take place from 7AM - 11AM). Did Steve say when it would come down completely? I can't remember.

[SeasonDiningPlan]

Well, demolition starts tomorrow (IIRC it'll take place from 7AM - 11AM). Did Steve say when it would come down completely? I can't remember.

Oh lord. I have to work in the morning. I might have to call in for sick days or something.
Didn't expect them to do it so early in the morning.

I was planning on having a tailgate party when it was being torn down in the lot outside of TopGun and take some photos.

We will see what can be done about this.

[FamousAmos]

I recorded him talking about the demo. They'll work from 7-11 am tearing the structure down (after of course the track has been cut away and disposed of). Once the waterpark opens, they'll stop the demo and use the rest of the day to haul off all of the lumber. He said it should take about a month at most to fully collapse the structure. Then all of the land work will take place. Some of the land prep for what's coming will start as soon as possible (when the structure is no longer standing near the turnaround). They will start at the turnaround and work up from there. They kinda need to start asap if they want the land cleared in time .

[Jwrickner]

Which part do you guys think demolition will start on? I was assuming that it would start on the turn arounds, but I do not see any machinery out. I am near the employee lot. Does anybody know of any spots with a better view?

[tarheel1231]

Like Amos said, they'll start from the turnarounds and work their way back.

[Jwrickner]

I am looking at her turnarounds now. There is nothing going on yet, except for a few birds walking around on the track. I'll give it a little while.

[LocalYokel]

There is a trailer full of new chain link fence in the parking lot near Thunder Road and the barb wire has been removed from the old black fence. It seems that the fence will be moved to make room for the demo crews.

Demo has started on the turnaround closest to Carowinds Blvd. This pic is from yesterday showing several uprights have been removed:

image.jpg (1.01MiB)Viewed 2793 times

[FamousAmos]

After they've secured the demolition site, they'll cut up the track and haul it off. Then they can bring in something similar to an excavator and pull/rip/tear at the structure.

[Littlegiles]

I never heard back from anyone so I'm guessing that nice old wood won't become a "vintage" tiki bar in my backyard, but do you think there is any chance it could be repurposed into a boardwalk or other features in the "new" waterpark? It was just a thought that popped in my head.

It is probably cheaper and easier to just build new than reuse, but that would be a really cool use for it.

[LocalYokel]

^ Steve was asked about repurposing the wood during the ACE tour. He explained that the wood from Thunder Road is not well suited for reuse because it has a lot of holes and nails in it. The wood will go to the nearest landfill that will take it. My guess is Coltharp in Fort Mill is the nearest landfill suitable for that type of debris.

[SeasonDiningPlan]

Stopped by the park tonight around 8:30 . Wasn't in for long. Just grabbed myself a Harmony Hall meal and walked straight back to my car. (Take out food)

Anyways I got to look at Thunder Road as I was leaving the lot near TopGun and it basically looks the same still. Nothing that I noticed was removed. (Too dark for photos to show up). Turnarounds are still standing and all the rest of the tracking looks intact.

They haven't started with the excavators as far as I could tell *YET*

[CanobieFan]

Maybe we saved Thunder Road.

[Jwrickner]

Or perhaps we are really getting some kind of conversion after all and the big splash is some sort of teaser hoax like cedar fair/carowinds always does.