31 replies to this topic

[rgarner42]

I'm starting a new coaster, a terrain GCI woodie, probably similar to prowler and mystic timbers. It's an ambitious project but hopefully it'll work and I'll have the time to finish it.  It may all end in failure, but I might as well have a go. 

Here is a picture of the layout and a few pictures of the site I'm going to be building it on, it has good ground level changes, so hopefully should make for an interesting low to the ground layout, but I'm still open to layout suggestions and ideas for the name, Lumberjack was literally the first one I came up with but I'm sure you can do better. 

 

 

  Don't try to read my scrawl. 

 

 

 

 

 

I've finished the first drop, I've changed the layout slightly it will no longer loop completely around the first tree, as the tree is far too wide and it would result in a weird drop, instead the lift hill with go diagonally to the right of the tree and then loop round to rest of the layout. I know the drop isn't perfect but I'm building with time restraints (so comment quickly) so I think its good enough.   The drop is only about 3 and a half feet, but will the terrain changes later in the layout, the overall change in height is closer to 5 feet. 

 

 

 

 

Also as I'll have to anchor this outside, I can't just put it all up when I film. It will have to be left outside for a couple of weeks, will this cause any damage to my pieces? (I'll be taking the tubing off)  

Edited by rgarner42, 10 August 2016 - 06:23 PM.

[CW5X]

Maybe just fiddle with the end of the crest a little but the rest of the drop looks pretty good to me. Also, your pieces will be fine. I've heard there's a heatwave coming... (How many times have I heard that before). You have put this up quickly though talking from very recent woodie experiences.

[IonZer0]

Ambitious project.  I like it.  You won't want to deal with water on the rails though, so maybe investing in some tarps for long-term periods of outdoor storage would be beneficial.  No issues that I can see.  Continue, please!

[rgarner42]

Thanks for the speedy replies, more of those please, cause I'd like to get at least the next hill done today. Any layout suggestions that will conserve a bit of speed, its a very long run down to the other tree. 

 

Maybe just fiddle with the end of the crest a little but the rest of the drop looks pretty good to me. Also, your pieces will be fine. I've heard there's a heatwave coming... (How many times have I heard that before). You have put this up quickly though talking from very recent woodie experiences.

 

I changed it a bit, but its now behind a tree so it doesn't matter Good, I'll just take the tubing in. Yeah,whatever, I'll believe it when it happens, its pretty miserable here at the moment. I've got to unfortunately, I have to go back to uni on august 30th  And how's your woodie coming along? 

Ambitious project.  I like it.  You won't want to deal with water on the rails though, so maybe investing in some tarps for long-term periods of outdoor storage would be beneficial.  No issues that I can see.  Continue, please!

Its something I've wanted to do for a while so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'll take the rails in after shaping it, I think they're the only thing that could get damaged. I did look into tarps, but due to the size of this thing that could get expensive.  Thanks  

 

 

Anchored the first bit outside, might give you a better idea of the layout.The airtime hill isn't quite finished its going to curve slightly off to the left, is it alright so far? 

I've started on the laterals, and I plan to add a lot more ( provided I have enough pieces) to make it look more like a woodie, but I doubt I'll have enough for catwalks and stuff this time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rollerfreak987]

Absolutely loving this so far, It looks fabulous, except the minor bumps here and there but overall it is superb.

[IOAgeek]

Looks great, the drop is so smooth! I would say straighten the lift supports out which Im sure you'll do later and I noticed there's some missing green diagonal rods on that mini air hill you made too.

[CW5X]

Ah yes. Much better behind that tree The track looks great even though I can see you're having to contend with a few bumps in the terrain.

[rgarner42]

Absolutely loving this so far, It looks fabulous, except the minor bumps here and there but overall it is superb.

Thanks yeah there might be a few bumps here and there but I'm building it quite quickly so I can't complain. 

 

Looks great, the drop is so smooth! I would say straighten the lift supports out which Im sure you'll do later and I noticed there's some missing green diagonal rods on that mini air hill you made too.

Thanks. I'll get round to that eventually. And that's because most of that will be covered with laterals eventually (hopefully) but I just want to see if it will make the turnaround by the other tree at a decent height before I go and add more details.  

 

Ah yes. Much better behind that tree The track looks great even though I can see you're having to contend with a few bumps in the terrain.

Yeah I did change it a bit, it might not be quite the right shape, but it's still smooth. Yeah its quite good fun building with the terrain changes, and the weather is good enough at the moment that I can build outside which is nice. 

 

Finished the next little airtime hill. I think I need to change the top a little, from the pictures it looks a little flat, but I'm happy with the rest of it, any bumps I think are just caused by the banking and it has to bank.  I'm trying to get lots of little changes of direction in as GCI like these but I'm also quite conscious of losing too much speed. After this I'm going to build a slightly bigger airtime hill and I think I'll do more twisty stuff on the way back when I know it can make the turnaround at a decent height. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The top still looks a bit flat so I'll change that. 

[Rollerfreak987]

The little bumps don't bother me that much. After all, it is a wooden coaster. 

 

I think the problem with the start of the drop is that you've transitioned to gray rods too quickly, making a sudden bump in the track. Try changing some of them to flexy rods and find out what works for you...

 

The new part that you built looks awesome! Definitely seeing the GCI inspiration! 

[WSWAoasters]

What a beautiful coaster so far! This is gonna be a fantastic ride!

[rgarner42]

The little bumps don't bother me that much. After all, it is a wooden coaster. 

 

I think the problem with the start of the drop is that you've transitioned to gray rods too quickly, making a sudden bump in the track. Try changing some of them to flexy rods and find out what works for you...

 

The new part that you built looks awesome! Definitely seeing the GCI inspiration! 

Yeah, that was my thinking to.   That might be it, I'll have a go at smoothing that out later in the build, but it didn't help that the tubing wasn't on in that picture. 

Thanks

 

What a beautiful coaster so far! This is gonna be a fantastic ride!

Thanks

 

First Test, It makes it and much more easily than I expected (and the train isn't even fully weighted) it actually makes the hill if dropped from the first airtime hill, so I should have lots of speed left for a more twisty reverse run. I've built half of the turnaround which is sort of like Wodan's first turn around, but I'll show you that in the next update. Not bad for a little under a week's work.

Test - https://www.youtube....v=V-u8t_qaQ2w  

Edited by rgarner42, 15 August 2016 - 05:06 AM.

[IOAgeek]

Nice test video, make sure the over bank is really big and wide, so its a little proportional to the rest of the ride's layout. I wish I had that much space to do all those hills and such, then I could make a good hyper of recreation one day. Is your backyard mostly all flat ground btw?

Edited by IOAgeek, 16 August 2016 - 10:19 AM.

[CW5X]

Yep. I can confirm that you have ton of speed which is nice. Making fast progress too. Looking forward to seeing this turnaround having ridden Wodan recently.

Edited by CW5X, 16 August 2016 - 06:15 PM.

[rgarner42]

Nice test video, make sure the over bank is really big and wide, so its a little proportional to the rest of the ride's layout. I wish I had that much space to do all those hills and such, then I could make a good hyper of recreation one day. Is your backyard mostly all flat ground btw?

Thanks. I'm lucky to have the space. Only the lawn where I put Mako is flat really and that's the still on a slight slope, the rest of it is either too small to put  anything on or too uneven. Where I building now there is about a foot and a half difference between the highest and lowest ground. 

 

Yep. I can confirm that you have ton of speed which is nice. Making fast progress too. Looking forward to seeing this turnaround having ridden Wodan recently.

Yep, but it loses double speed on the way back up the slope, so the layout's not going to be quite as long as I intended but its still going to be past 100 feet. Jealous. 

 

Got another big chunk of the layout done, construction was a bit slower cause there are builders milling about the house and the weather hasn't been too great over the last couple of days. I forgot to take any pictures of the lastest bit of the layout, but here's some overviews and the turnaround. I put a couple of little bumps on the way out of the turnaround, cause GCI like to do that kinda thing. And it looks like I'll have enough pieces for some laterals but not as many as I'd like. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and another test video

 - https://www.youtube....h?v=UDSt4KLxOKU

[Rollerfreak987]

I am absolutely loving this. It just hauls so much ass through the layout. I honestly have nothing bad to say, this coaster is amazing.

[dylpickled]

Wow- this is just so clean and absolutely amazing. And Trevor is right, it does haul ass through the whole layout. Also you forgot to change your profile picture to the lumberjack logo.

[Muzz135]

This is just fantastic! No complaints at all!

[IOAgeek]

Wow I love the pacing of the trains so far! Can we see closer pics of the new hills and turns you completed in the updates.

[WSWAoasters]

This is unbelievable! It's ginormous but also unbelievably smooth. This is going to be one hell of a coaster!

Edited by WSWAoasters, 21 August 2016 - 09:20 PM.

[rgarner42]

Thanks for your comments

 

I am absolutely loving this. It just hauls so much ass through the layout. I honestly have nothing bad to say, this coaster is amazing.

Thanks and you taught me a new phrase

 

Wow- this is just so clean and absolutely amazing. And Trevor is right, it does haul ass through the whole layout. Also you forgot to change your profile picture to the lumberjack logo.

Thanks I got lazy, I'll just do that for recreations. 

 

This is just fantastic! No complaints at all!

Cheers!

 

Wow I love the pacing of the trains so far! Can we see closer pics of the new hills and turns you completed in the updates.

Thanks. I'll upload some more pictures later, by the time I'd re-tubed the layout tonight, it was too dark, so I've just got a few overview pics for now. 

 

This is unbelievable! It's ginormous but also unbelievably smooth. This is going to be one hell of a coaster!

Thanks!

 

The weather is gonna behave for the next few days, so I decided to get it all set up tonight to start filming tomorrow. Its pretty much done, I just need to get the lift hill working smoothly now. The 4 car train makes the layout easily, the 5 car train is a bit unreliable as it has a new car in it. But I'll get that working as I'd prefer a 5 car train. It was too dark for detailed pics when I'd finished so I just took a few overviews photos on my phone.  

At some point tomorrow I'll upload a full circuit test and all going well I should have the final video done by the end of the week. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by rgarner42, 22 August 2016 - 04:08 PM.