I could not agree more JP! TPR has some of the greatest POV's. I hope that this solves the ongoing operational challenges faced by the original ride systems. Bravo to Dollywood for trying something groundbreaking and new, but also kudos for realizing that on a daily basis reliability for what is still an exceptional coaster is more important. And who knows with all that was learned by the successes and failures of Lightning Rod, what kind of coasters will come in the future.
This guy is living the absolute dream. what better career then going around the world and riding roller coasters? keep up the great content! and continue living the best life you are obviously living!
Yes, I miss the launch but - the ride has been consistently open with 2 trains running on most days, the overall ride feels much smoother, and obviously feels like a longer ride experience with the chain lift with some beautiful views.
Thanks for posting. The quad down is still my favorite roller coaster element of all time. It still looks like it travels through that section at the same speed. I have to say that I do miss all of the trees that used to be around the coaster. I assume they cut them down due to insurance purposes.
You're delusional, blind, or some mix of the two. This POV is 12-15 seconds slower than POVs taken before the chain lift was added and AFTER the original launch was neutered. It is not just slower, it is so shockingly significantly slower that I wouldn't be surprised if you were getting half the airtime or less through the quad down. Repeat: I am NOT comparing it to original full speed LRod. That dream died long ago. But even vs the neutered LRod of the last few years, this new Chain lift is still SIGNIFICANTLY slower. Its actually amazing to me that people's perception is so shit that you can watch this POV and lie to yourself and say you think its the same speed. You know it isn't. I'm happy LRod is (hopefully) reliable and ridable for most. But the delusional lies told about the ride experience should just stop.
I'm from Australia...we have whimpy roller coasters compared to the rest of the world. I loved this ride when the launch was much faster...I've loved your rollercoaster videos especially the Hakugei roller coaster in Japan...your laughter is infectious. Cheers mate. :)
I love it 😭❤ my favorite POV - the backwards view, which i did on the Wild Stallion Mountain Coaster in Sevierville for one of the hill climbs and i loved how it came out. The different POVs are awesome 🎉❤
You know, although I haven't had the chance to ride Lightning Rod at all. Seems to me, just looking at the videos, the Trains are still traveling at the same speeds throughout the circuit. People who do complain about the LSM Launch Lift Hill is no more? Just be thankful that Dollywood didn't remove Lighting Rod.
I been subcribe to your channel for years. I would watch your videos because I had and still have a fear of heights. And your videos gave comfort, I know I will never feel
I consider myself very lucky to have experienced the real true Lightning Rod back in its true form back in 2016 and 2017! Its so hard to watch this "high speed lift" replace the incredible uphill 47 mph launch!!
Yeah steel vengeances lift seems faster tbh idk why they even tried to call it “high speed” just a let down. I thought it at least would be some newer faster chain lift. Not the same old same old
I count my lucky stars I got to ride it 11x in March 2019 with no issues; the last year it was fully topper track. I'll forever envy everyone who rode 2016-17 LRod lol but I am still very grateful I rode this when I did.
The original launch was definitely an experience in an of itself, but given how that version of Lightning Rod still didn't carry all that speed through the crest of the hill (probably wasn't even designed to do so), I feel like the comparatively slower chain lift doesn't impact the overall experience much.
Awesome footage! IMHO it doesn't really look like the train crests the lift hill any slower or faster than it did with the launch. No biggie, the launch (while fun) was never the best part of the ride. Looking forward to riding this Spring when the kids are back from college. Good for you Dolly in preserving the ride for the best interest of the park.
1:24 more like sideways hangtime, it looks like it's crawling through that wave turn. So sad I never got to experience it with its launch - in hindsight had they just went with i-box track and a steel truss for the launch / first drop it probably would have been more reliable.
It really is no different. I couldn't tell the difference between my rides previously and my rides now. The launch lift was not spectacular and completely overrated.
You're delusional. This POV is 12 seconds slower than the average POV taken over the last few years. No one said the launch was spectacular you goober, we said it made the rest of the ride way faster and your video only proves it. Just be honest. It won't hurt.@@themeparkreview I'm happy LRod is (hopefully) reliable and ridable for most. But the delusional lies told about the ride experience should just stop.
I swear you guys are in such denial. If y’all can’t see the difference between other AM povs with the launch included I don’t kno what to tell you. This ride was violent!
is it running about the same as before? it looks to be hauling per usual, and this even looks early am so i’m sure it picks up during the day, i need to get up there asap! great video, maybe the best POV of LR i’ve seen in a while
I'm gonna miss that launch. I'm glad I got my 25 rides in the 3 days I was there. There's something about shooting into the sky and then weaving through that little valley was always special. The launch was a part of the ride's identity and now it's gone at the cost of reliability & maintenance. Farewell, Lightning Rod.
It still rips through the quad down at the end and overall doesn't seem to run much different from how it did with the launch lift. It ran much faster in 2016 when it first opened and the launch was sustained all the way through the top of the drop but that didn't even see the light of day given the problems it had. I think this ride will finally be able to run reliably.
It looked incredibly slow through the quad down. This POV is 12-13 seconds slower than average POVs taken over the last few years. it didn't just run faster in 2016. It ran much faster in 2022/2023 also.
@@gibiati8295I haven't seen anywhere near that much of a difference. I've seen more like a 3-4 second difference which yes will probably be noticed by some, but many will ultimately find it very similar. That's the point. If getting rid of the launch means this coaster can finally run reliably, then that's a win. The launch was made a shell of what it originally was due to excess wear on the ride along with modifying the trains. That still didn't help very much with the reliability though. Now more people can enjoy this ride with it providing a similar experience to what it previously did.
Hopefully the new lift hill will be able to improve the reliability of this ride for the future. And to be honest, the launch probably did more damage to the hill than the chain lift.
Eh I’m glad I rode it in its peak multiples times.I’m glad you guys gets to experience the quad down now! But don’t listen to these people when they say the ride is “the same”. I wish you guys was able to ride the actual lightning rod.
I wouldn’t be surprised if one day this received a launch style chain speed, like Tornado at Bakken. This is currently the fastest lift RMC has done, but I’m sure they could revisit this ride again someday to make it faster if enough demand comes in for it.
I don't really think enthusiasts wanting a faster lift is enough of a demand for the park to spend millions on replacing the new lift that already works just fine. I think the only thing Dollywood cares about right now is having the ride open. And seeing this ride's history... can you really blame them? lol
Maybe the cable launch was having some massive problems and they decided that a chain lift would be safer and more effective for getting the train up the hill.
I think Dollywood should reprofile the top of the ride to add like 20 feet and take out some of that pre drop. Get that lost speed back that it had last year!
People have very poor sense of comparison these days, outraging over early morning runs before the park is even open Vs. warmed up after 3 PM. I’ve seen many mid day videos with the lift and still looks like it’s hauling as much as it has since post-2016.
I honestly don’t know why they didn’t at LEAST go with a faster chain lift. Intimidator 305 is… well… 305 feet tall… and that chain lift only takes about 18-19 seconds to reach the top. Lightning Rod is much shorter (height wise) and the new lift here takes about 34 seconds to reach the top. It’s just a strange decision in my personal opinion to not at least choose a faster chain lift to at least keep the feel of the fast lift up the hill.
Fantastic footage! and proof to the "enthusiasts" complaining how the chain lift ruined it that the ride is even BETTER now (ie: it will run reliably, with NO difference). and if being honest? LOVE that clickety-clack of the chain lift. . makes me love the ride more.
Lol it’s wild that if you’re not a yes man to the change your automatically complaining😂the ride is sluggish other am videos with launch hauls through the entire ride. I don’t understand how you can see the crawling of the wave turn and say “hm the ride had the exact same pacing as before🤔”
@@robertsmith9080 look at the old videos compared to this one man. The wave turn used to get cleared at a great pacing in the cold man. You can clearly tell the difference.
@@bufu4777I see no difference. and I chose to trust the opinion of folks who have ridden literally THOUSANDS of coasters - and rode this in person the other day to film - over the commenters on-line.
First Volcano at Kings Dominion and now this. I’ll never forget when I rode this ride for the first time in 2019 with the launch motors. To me, it made the ride. The first hill is so slow now and the left turn with the banking seems too long now. I do agree though, by the end it’s just as fast. Seems like beneath the surface Amusement parks are hurting or trying to make up for the pandemic years. They seem to be trying to simplify their rides and not spending on high tech rides anymore.
I am so happy. I rode this once when it first opened and I'm not going to lie, I hated it. This might change it!!! They should add an inversion cause without the launch, it's just more of a speed/airtime coaster if you think about it. It won't feel like an rmc.
From this POV it looks like front row is still great but backroom seems sluggish. Lightning Rod has always been that rare RMC that was better in the front but from this it looks like the back suffered much more from the loss of the launched lift hill.
I hate how slow the ride looks on camera I was just there today and it was so fast honestly this ride is probably my to 2 it is 76mph and 23sec of air time . I went on it 7 times it was only a 5min wait and worth it ❤
There isn't room to have a 3 train operation. There would need to be a mid course brake somewhere or a longer brake run at the end. Not to mention that 3rd train would be sitting on the brake run constantly. Plus the maintenance area can't hold 3 trains.
Still a top tier RMC it only dropped one spot on my RMC rankings and one spot overall people definitely over exaggerated how much this would change the ride
Does anyone know why RMC didn’t make the launch structure all steel and the rest wood with topper track? Wouldn’t that have fixed the alignment issues with the LSMs so it wouldn’t have swayed so much?
Stress on the system. They can do it, but parks want a lift that is reliable because it's a major component of the ride's operation. Without a reliable lift, there is no running the coaster.
@@Hollywood1127 Thanks, yeah I figured that, but I was more curious about what specific "system" mechanically speaking? Because I doubt it's the motor since there are motors well capable of handling large loads
The reason why they removed it is because it was closed more than it was open and putting a chain lift on was the last ditch effort they could think of
Often a ride is designed with specific types of restraints depending on the overall feel they want from the ride! If you’ve ever ridden copperhead strike at Carowinds, they use lap bars to exaggerate the hang time you get on the ride! Similar concept with Velocicoaster at Universal Orlando too (but not just for hang time with that ride of course). Lap bars are some of the safest and most reliable types of restraints out there!
I just now realized something...they should've used a launched chain lift system that is similar to Tornado a Bakken. That way, you are still getting that "launch" feeling, just like that launch on Tornado.
Im sure the ride is still fun, but the difference between the launch and the chainhill for me is: Launch: Babe, lets go to Dollywood! Ill pay for the hotel and ill drive 100% of the way from Michigan. I CANT WAIT Chainlift: Cedar point is 1/3 of the drive. Dollywood can wait. Permanently. Hersheypark sound good?
If a lift hill, which is IMO the least interesting part of the ride, even when it was a launch, is your dealbreaker for going to a park, then I think maybe you're doing it wrong? But that's just me... The change made zero difference to me. The ride was still awesome. I don't got to parks for lift hills, but again, that's just me.
@themeparkreview at that point, it's just another RMC. I'm not taking off work for that, and nothing else there wows me. My point was that a launched RMC was unique and bucket list material, and this isn't.
@@Mr.Misanthrope Well then, if that's your criteria, IMO the launch wouldn't have factored in at all. I just never thought the launch was that big of a deal. And I guess I say that as I live 2.4 miles away from Velocicoaster so I guess I'm a little spoiled! :P
@themeparkreview I'm so jealous. I've got its baby bro Maverick. I barely get time off work, so if im making a trip beyond CP, it's for something special. This year is Skyrush and Fury(plus the other rides, but that's why I'm traveling)
It is incredibly slow. Its hilarious how many dummies are lying to themselves in these comments. This was 54 seconds from top of the hill to the brakes. I pull up random 2022 POVs and they get it done in 41-43 seconds. The difference is insane. This is crawling.
I mean, sure, whatever, if you say so.🙄 We thought it ran awesome. So like, I'm not going to argue with you because I simply don't care. @@jaydensokolski
I want someone to ride it with an accurate GPS speedometer to compare old versus new. It looks alot slower now and i don't believe its actually hitting 73mph at the bottom of the first drop. Just doing basic physics will prove that. When a train was traveling about 30 mph before the first drop versus maybe 20mph, there will be a difference. It is physics and the laws of gravity.
And I want people to stop "counting the bolts" on roller coasters and just ride and enjoy them. Seriously, die hard roller coaster nerds are SOOOO ANNOYING!!!!
The overall high speed thrill excitement energy is gone. No more whoops and Hollars and cheers from the break run. Just light clapping. It’s definelty lost its exciting energy
Well, the ride still reaches speeds of 73mph and even when the lift was a launch that only went like 45mph so the lift wasn't even the "fast" part of the ride...
