We have a huge update for you today on the new attraction being built at SDC for the 2018 season. First off let's take a look from the Culinary School back porch.
The one thing we noticed is that they are STILL creating new large foundations. We find it amazing that this far into the project, we still don't have all of the foundations poured yet.
Moving over to the ThuNderaTion (TNT) queue line now.
Progress continues on the framing of the main portion of the building. The topper is now pretty much assimilated into the building and they are really working on the siding up there now.
Siding treatment under the two openings is about halfway up the wall now.
All right, we are going to concede that this probably going to be the maintenance bay.
But we are still having a hard time figuring out how they are going to fit transfer track in here as there are no footers lining up with the openings.
Since our last visit the old TNT switchbacks have been torn up and new footers now litter the hillside all the way down to the new station.
They are literally everywhere.
While we do not have the blueprints in front of us, we feel that there will be a major bridge from the exit of the ride to handle the ADA riders access point and that the main queue line will enter a lower level of the building and then transverse stairs up to the main load level.
One thing that is very obvious is Poke Salad Mary's is history and we are not too sure if the TNT arch will survive either. The footers do not line up at all with that arch.
Moving on further into the TNT queue you can get a better look at one of the square footers, which I am predicting will hold the bridge. They are just beefer than the other queue line footers.
I keep hearing two launches for this coaster, I am wonder if this new cement foundation will house the "guts" for one of those launches as I think this is near the midcourse of the ride.
Here is a better look at the foundation. It is very obvious this going to be a building of some sort.
Earlier I mentioned that there was no footers that aligned with the openings of the supposed maintenance bays and here you can see what I mean. The footers create a perfect arc around this area to meet up with the opening of the load station.
My guess is there might be a swivel track of some sort that would connect with the openings. I just don't see how else this is going to work.
Again, they are still building footers and such. You'd think that part of the project would be done by now - but every time we visit there are new ones being formed.
The view from the first row's queue in the TNT station. You can get a good glimpse at how far up the siding has progressed on the south side of the building. You can see the scaffolding they are using is in the down position right now.
Pretty sure they are using this cherry picker to lift supplies up to the load level of the station.
One last look at the station before we move on.
We had been warned that they had put up a privacy fence to block views on the train so we were not expecting to see much today... we were wrong.
First off there are some very long supports visible.
But the money shot from the train today is catching several pieces of track being staged.
Echo Hollow finally opened so let's go down and take a look. Here you can see some of the better details of the north side of the station.
You honestly cannot appreciate the size of this thing until you are standing right under it.
A look at the footers from this side of the fence. You can see they have dug out another hole there.
The arc approach back to the station.
Now for the big news. We officially have track in the air.
There are several charcoal gray supports in place and at least one piece of black track hung.
Here you can see the first piece of track has been hung.
Several more supports are around it meaning track should go up quickly in this area.
Panning left we can see another piece of track waiting to go up.
You can see even more supports up in this photo.
There is a pretty tall support up in the middle of this shot.
One last shot of the new track in the air. Things should be getting a lot more interesting on this construction site in the next few months.