Alton Towers to open SW8 in 2018

Alton Towers, a park in Staffordshire, England, will be opening what appears to be a wooden coaster currently code-named "SW8".

Blueprints that were submitted to the Staffordshire Moorlands Council.

The ride support style suggests GCI, but this photo of a possible inversion suggests RMC.

Possible inversion?

No one knows for sure if this ride is meant for families or thrill seekers. The CoasterForce forums already ruled out the possible inversion as a banked turn. So they're going with GCI. I still believe that this is an inversion and that this could very well be an RMC coaster.

There's also the thought of the ride having a launched lift hill. Much like Lightning Rod at Dollywood in Tennesee. This is reasonable because of the parks sound restriction. I don't see it being a record breaker in length or height (the park can't have any coasters seen above the tree line). Maybe speed depending on different elements. The launched lift would ensure that it breaks the speed record.

Who knows? Maybe it could be a Gravity Group wooden coaster. The CoasterForce forums also stated that Alton Towers, even Merlin Entertainments in general, wouldn't go for an RMC due to the incidents they've had in the past. GCI may have had some accidents with their coasters in the past. and Gravity Group is reletively new to the design world. And I don't recall hearing any inccidents on any GG coaster. But we'll have to wait and see, right?

Kings Island to open Mystic Timbers in 2017

For those of us who don't know, Kings Island in Mason, Ohio held a massive revealing behind the old Crypt ride building to talk about what was "lurking in the woods". What it turned out to be was a GCI wooden coaster that will give Kings Island most feet in wooden track.

The ride has a max height of 109' and reaches speeds of up to 53 mph. It will be 3,265 ft long and has a total of 16 airtime hills. The ride also features a mid-course tunnel, an extreme s-turn, and interacts with the park railroad and White Water Canyon.

The ride will also have some sort of special feature in the "shed". No one knows what is in this shed, but many are suggesting a unique type of track. A friend of mine said he thinks that there will be drop track along with a on-ride show. The show can be confirmed. Why else would they hype up this shed with an entire #whatsintheshed tag? Someone on the CoasterForce forums suggested swing track. I've never experienced either. This should be exciting!

The train theme is really neat. They're themed after an old, blue lumber truck. The station, shed and everything between the two (what's in the shed, not the track) are themed around the fictional lumber company called "Miami River Lumber Co." that was overrun by the medusa-like nature surrounding the area with a mission to reclaim its land.

Mystic Timbers will open April during the 2017 season.

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