FAILED Roller Coasters: Lightning Rod at Dollywood

[@ThemeParkCrazy]

I find it funny that RMC started by suggesting an I-Box coaster with a lift hill instead of a launch and that's exactly what it turned into.

[@MrCliffda3rd]

To be honest it didn't effect the rest of the ride it's still a fun rush. I got 3 rides out of it.

[@brickpocalypse679]

The funniest part was when RMC needed help building a launch so they reached out to a company that also could not build a launch

[@jpertle7629]

The problem with going with the lowest bidder!

[@dusty6193]

Yeah, and unfortunately that sort of thing happens all the time. Money talks, or rather, saving money.

[@throughthewindowpane]

In the Netherlands we have a saying: buying cheap is buying expensive…

[@FSVler]

@@throughthewindowpane we say: If you buy it cheap,you have to buy it twice.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@throughthewindowpane Back when I was 15 and getting my license for a motorcycle, I had a mentor who'd been an instructor in the Army Motorcycle Corps... He had a great philosophy about pricing and buying when it came to detrimental components or systems... "Cry once." It's short and simple, and easily missed... What it means is that when you buy stuff like brakes or pads or tires, it's easy to cry about the price... If you buy cheap, you're going to cry about the cheap part... and then when it wears out prematurely, you'll be right back in the shop crying about it again... and again... and again... until you finally buckle down, buy the CORRECT part for the correct rating and pay out the price... OR you COULD just buy the right thing, install it properly (or pay the damn mechanic/tech' to do it) and cry about all that expense to solve your issue ONCE... AND it's a pretty good philosophy for just about any walk of life or career. The somewhat more popular "saying" or "adage" here in the States is "You get what you pay for." I'm fairly sure it's popular in places other than the States, too... BUT it's reasonably self explanatory. When you want or NEED something to work absolutely, you'll be better off paying an appropriate amount for it... Cheap crap is... well... still CRAP. I DO have to admit, I rather like the wit and wisdom of the Netherlands' version, too... haha ;o)

[@simplyswith7064]

I rode this last year and my favorite part was the view after the lift launch. I knew nothing about this coaster and still remember how surprised I was when I finally saw the track nestled in the mountains while coming over those crests. Pretty awesome view to go in blind to.

[@thesteveterryproject9611]

Basically, most of the problems stemmed from Dollywood’s insistence on topper track so they could claim “first launched wooden coaster”

[@thepuncakian2024]

They can still market it as the world's first launched hybrid coaster right? I don't think there are any other launched hybrids out there.

[@me-myself-i787]

And also, RMC hiring Velocity Magnetics instead of Intrasys.

[@me-myself-i787]

​@@thepuncakian2024 That's a bit of a cheap record. Hybrid coasters are basically just steel coasters, except with wooden supports. It would be like trying to market The Voyage as the world's longest hybrid coaster, because it has wooden track and steel supports. It doesn't matter what the supports are made of. What matters is the track. Steel Vengeance is a steel rollercoaster. Although, if Lightning Rod still has a significant amount of topper track, they could still market it as the world's first launched hybrid.

[@VPGTube]

While it's one of the bigger problems, I don't think it's the main issue. From my point of view, the launch system was the bigger mistake. They should have worked with Intrasys, like basically every other coaster manufacturer. Their "SLIM" launch systems are on at least every Intamin, Maurer and Gerstlauer LSM launcher. As far as I know, also on B&Ms Wild Eagle at Holiday World. They've been proven reliable, prezise and basically maintenance-free and can launch at high power with very granular controlling and monitoring of the launch system. For such a project, working with an inexperienced manufacturer is a high risk. I even wonder if this launch system really was cheaper than a system by a renowned manufactuer? I can hardly believe it, because they had to do the whole thing completely by themselves. It's hard to believe that it would be cheaper than using an already completely developed system. It's a matter of different strange decisions the park officials made with this project wich has lead to the state of the ride.

[@me-myself-i787]

​​​@@VPGTube Small correction: Wild Eagle is at Dollywood, and isn't launched. The launched wing coaster at Holiday World is called Thunderbird. Also, now that I've watched more of the video, I think Intrasys probably would have refused the project because of the wooden track and structure. 12:00

[@AirtimeThrills]

I think given what they had to do to it in 2021 it's fair to call it a failure, but I'll take that "failure" any day of the week. It ran consistently last year and I thought it was great. Not as good as its opening year but still great

[@coasternerd6978]

The ride itself failed but it brought Dollywood into the limelight and ot has helped the park in the long run i think.

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

That I agree with, but is still must have taken a toll for the maintenance team, since the park probably had to spend a lot of money to get this ride up and going today.

[@Heliocentriciv]

Their insistence on maintaining this ride is admirable tbh

[@gamingodriscoll5714]

Six flags would’ve left it closed and never told the public anything.

[@samuelblack7314]

Last time I checked, most of the track is getting replaced to handle the launch, so... reliability. YES!

[@car1row336]

I'll never understand how engineers thought building a launched coaster using wooden supports would be a good idea. If they wanna fix the launch, they should start by converting that lift structure to steel.

[@marsy_mcmarsface]

I have had the pleasure of riding this ride. I used to live near Dollywood so I would visit often. It was usually closed. But one time I went it was open and it was honestly the best rollercoaster I've ever been on. Just thinking about it makes me smile! I haven't been on many rollercoasters though. The only theme parks I have ever been to are Dollywood and Disney World. I live sort of near Carowinds now and I want to go there one day.

[@Waterboyofsuperman]

Was at Dollywood when they held the announcement with Dolly. Remember seeing that hill built that winter. Hadn’t been back to Dollywood until 2022. While there were times Lightning Rod was closed, there were also plenty of times when it was open. My sons really liked it; may have been their favorite ride of the park. Great video thanks.

[@singbike5832]

I guess I was lucky I got to ride it when I was there. I wonder if they couldn't just swap out the launch for a regular lift hill.

[@Paolo8772]

They should have used metal track for the uphill launch portion to begin with.

[@staindog7382]

I was just there last week. It was down in the morning, but when we went past later, it only had a 20 minute wait.

[@Muisak]

They just announced on the news today, ride is closing this winter to be converted to a chain lift. 9/14/23

[@C3T1C]

Lightning rod is my favorite coaster, but ya never know until it finally decides to stand up for itself

[@gtonyxkid2012]

I got lucky I guess, I visited Dollywood’s 4-5 times in the last couple years, the first time being right after they added Ibox track to the coaster and Lightning Rod was running every time we went and was able to ride it every visit multiple times!

[@sallysez]

My daughter got 3/4 the way up the first hill and the cars rolled back down the hill. They had to sit for 25 minutes until they were evac'd off. The person unlocking the overhead bar one seat at a time said it goes down 4 or 5 times a day!!

[@anasanabria3192]

This was my very 1st roller coaster ride ever in my life!!! I passed out for sure I didn’t feel safe on the ride like I was going to fly off.. very scary ride

[@ShinyRedStar-dn2yf]

Lightning Rod closes a lot. But if you can manage to get on it, it’s absolutely incredible. I just went on it yesterday and loved it

[@elevatoralarmcoasterandarc1214]

Very nice.

[@WedFan]

This is true 3/5 of the time I was in line it broke down all because of the launch 😢

[@chelseycurentlycosplay]

New intro is a banger!

[@jameshartkopf2843]

We made our first trip this year. I got the rollback when I finally got on. The evacuation was so smooth. I could tell they were use to it.

[@TheGuyGuyde]

Was at dollywood in 2021, wanted to ride this but was closed the whole time

[@isaiahpinto5675]

Should've been a drive tyre launch

[@staramas1733]

I went on this ride a couple months ago to when this post was made and the ride was running one train with no front zerocar and it went down for a while a good lot. But I got an epic front row ride on it and its S tier.

[@eventpromotionservices4109]

I’ve got to say I love this coaster. My first ride was at night in 2018, I had no idea of the track lay-out it had multiple air time moments and really enjoyed it, more so than Iron Gwazi. I understand it has been toned down but it’s still a great ride!

[@LilDiabloRob]

I drove 9 hrs to ride that coaster 2 years ago. It was broke down but got it up in running 20 mins later. I was one of the first in line lol

[@carsonphillips2928]

The very first time I rode this was in the summer of 2017, I think, before the launch was turned off sooner, and this was long before I was an enthusiast. I didn't even know the thing was there, and it was a walk on, craziest thing I've ever experienced.

[@AaronSKZ]

I wonder if there would have been less issues with the launch specifically if rmc had worked with insys (spelling?) the company that makes the lsm systems for Intamin and Gerstlauer. It wouldn’t have done anything for the track issues but it might have helped. I’m kind of surprised they didn’t replace it when they put in the ibox track.

[@oblivieon1567]

I was really surprised they didn't just call Premier, if anyone knows launch coasters it's them.

[@SHAKNBOBBYSINDRM]

The recorded exclamation at the pothole made me laugh way to hard!

[@EarthySmerky]

I think lightning rod was freaking awesome. Although when I went i had to wait 6 hrs because it kept breaking down

[@arthur.jaanus]

Do more of these

[@arloproduction4795]

This ride makes me so mad I have gone there 3 time. The first 2 times I went it was closed all day. the last time we went we were one train away and it rolled back. I got on it twice but the second time we rolled back and never got on it again 😢

[@pappaslivery]

I got a chance to ride both Iron Gwazi and Lightning Rod last year. While Gwazi is more intense with some great inversions, I love how Lightning Rod has some great fake out moments, like how the big drop comes second...We were there last August and my cousin and I got 5 runs on that beast.

[@jonathanadams7219]

People seeing Lightning Rod's Problems since 2016, and having riden another Alan-Schilke-Designed-Ride named X at Six Flags Magic Mountain: First Problems with X, and now THIS!?

[@richardmorris7063]

Were reaching the limits of a coaster w/ any wood @ all.

[@Canadas_Wonderland_Nerd]

I love the intro 🎉

[@ninomitchell2039]

I went to dollywood last summer before this ride shut down (again) and guess the ONE coaster I didn't go on

[@elevatoralarmcoasterandarc1214]

I get it.

[@punkyskunk9317]

Love the new intro!

[@dsmall0903]

I only got to ride this once. Every other time I went to Dollywood, it was broken. I just hope that's not the case for when I go there in 2 weeks. Edit: It wasn't! Finally!

[@UndeadVideoProd]

I rode this ride is the first week it came out. And I swear I don’t know if people agree, but I think it is the physically roughest roller coaster they have I did not have a good time riding it just because it was uncomfortable and not smooth. And I understand that that could’ve been a first week issue, and I had the same experience a year later I was a native I rode most things within the first few weeks of opening. I’m not the only one I truly hated. Also, I think they should release the footage for thunder Road for VR

[@NickyD]

why it failed well rmc told the park when designing it the up hill launch they didnt want to do they wanted a el toro style lift hill this ride needs to get rid of the launch asap

[@Coolharry64]

I think that a Launched Wooden Coaster personally wouldn't work

[@brayangaleas1485]

Or take that ride down for good and never open again 😊

[@jeremylando40]

I hope Skyrush doesn’t get a trim or reprofile

[@BigRockyGaming]

I rode this in 2018 😂 yay

[@avalynyost1498]

I went on this ride it was amazing

[@vyvyangutierrez1]

I like how they compared razors at the dunes to a fucking roller coaster launcher 😂 wtf

[@KyuShiro17]

Do an episode on Corkscrew at Alton Towers, that was a failed coaster right?

[@wesss9353]

What? No brake zone diagram

[@Simiyin]

i rode this ride the first day it was opened

[@elevatoralarmcoasterandarc1214]

That was June 13, 2016.

[@acoloradolife5135]

Its what they get trying to make a lighting rod out of wood. 😢

[@cosmicberry26]

I want to shout out the LRod crew. I get a season pass every 2 years. Every time I've been to Dollywood, and gotten to ride Lighting Rod, it had technical problems the whole day previous to my ride experience. The crew deals with problems that come up constantly, and they work as fast as they can to resolve those problems. Guests get upset with them every single day, and every time I've been, I've seen them get yelled at. They still show up at work and do the best job they can with the utmost enthusiasm. They never give up on the guests in the park, and they genuinely work very hard to ensure as many guests as possible get to ride. So thank you all :)

[@realminecraftgirl23]

Thank you for your appreciation! Standing at the front answering the same questions all day gets rough but it’s worth it when we get to see everyone’s faces on the ride.

[@iwanttostayanonymus]

i just went and it also and technical problems again.

[@grilledsleaze]

The guests who get mad at these guys need to watch a couple theme parks accident videos to get humbled real quick and turn around to thank them for doing the work to keep them safe

[@spittinvenom9843]

It didn’t fail, it only succeeded slowly

[@jaceedgie7964]

It failed….it’s still closed almost every day

[@spittinvenom9843]

@@jaceedgie7964 nah, it’s a slow success story.

[@emilyskelton5484]

@@jaceedgie7964 is it? I’ve been 5 times already this season and it hasn’t been closed once while I’ve been there.

[@Skitch11TheFarmer]

⁠@@jaceedgie7964it shut down Wednesday.. So did the train..

[@AvidSonicFan]

As far as ambition goes, Lightning Rod was the Son of Beast of the mid-to-late 2010s.

[@drewbreezy5854]

I was thinking the same thing

[@michaelp.3485]

Not even close. I cannot believe you said that.

[@davej.meister5421]

Or Mean Streak (now Steel Vengeance) at Cedar Point.

[@NickyD]

@@michaelp.3485 it is LR wont be around another 10 years

[@BubbaMassacre]

Except son of beast almost caused several injuries due to a small oversight

[@TheFraziers]

This ride is far more reliable nowadays and still packs a punch. I've ridden it on a hot summer day and also at the Christmas event when it was 36 degrees F and the ride still absolutely hauled through its layout in both conditions. It may be problematic, but it's totally worth the ride experience in my opinion!

[@keitha.563]

Absolutely... But it's forever changed now 😮

[@Coolharry64]

I would personally like to see these videos: - Failed Coasters - Skytrak at Granada Studios - Failed Coasters - Orphan Rocker At Scenic World - Top 10 Most Dangerous Attractions (actual dangerous, like Cannonball Loop) - The Story Of The Vekoma SLC

[@elevatoralarmcoasterandarc1214]

Good ideas.

[@blakeb326]

Funny story about my recent experience with this coaster with my family. It was my first time visiting the park, and as an avid coaster enthusiast, I obviously was the most excited for this beast of an RMC, and it truly was number one on my bucket list. The plan was to visit the park for two days, however the 2nd day would be filled with rain and would be freezing cold, which made me believe I had no shot at riding on the second day. So I was hellbent on riding the first day. We got to the park at open, and we made a mad dash for Lightning Rod, because we had a Timesaver pass, lines didn't matter, and we wanted to get on the ride before it broke down. Well, jokes on us, the ride was already broken. So we waited four hours, watching trains circle the track over and over, and explored the other bits of the park and rode other rides. We got word it was open, and we ran to get to it. I didn't care what row I got, all that mattered was that I'd get to ride. We get in line, and we are ready to board, when I get assigned the back row. The holy grail of roller coaster train seats. I was ecstatic. We pull out of the station, make the turn and start going up and up and... Rollback. Literally, had the best seat possible, and I got a rollback. I was infuriated, as the ride had been running for about an hour at that point. So I waited another 2 hours before, finally, the ride was back up and running again. Once again, we ran to get there, and this time I was assigned 2nd to back row, so a slight difference in what the actual back row would've been like, and a great alternative. It actually worked that time and I got to ride, and it truly must be experienced to be believed. I was speechless and could not form words when the train came to a stop. everything from the drop, the wave turn, the whippy snap into the outerbanked 90 degree turn, the off axis airtime hill, of course, the godly quad down, the aggressive speedhill, and the whippy turnaround to top it all off. Truly a perfect ride, and I'm just glad I could get on it.

[@k9feces]

I was so glad it reopened the day I went after it was closed for weeks due to rollbacks. I just regret I was too afraid to do a night ride 😂

[@arloproduction4795]

That is exactly what happened to me. We heard it was testing so ran from drop line and we just made it. We tried a second time but we also roll back I was happy with one ride but I still have a sour taste and am not satisfied

[@BluesCoasters]

Except the front is better than the back on this coaster and the only difference between row 11 & 12 is that 11 is much smoother since you’re not on a wheel seat.

[@IntenseDragonWagon]

RMC’s topper track model is pretty much already a failure itself, especially for an innovative ride like Lightning Rod. Outlaw Run is heard to be noticeably rough and is predicted to get an I-Box retracking in the future. Then we have Goliath at Six Flags Great America, which isn’t really a problem due to the lack of space this ride takes up and the steel support structure holding up a large portion of track. Wood just isn’t meant for large-scale and intense coasters like this

[@lastone032085]

Topper track is discontinued. Outlaw Run will be Ibox in the near future.

[@jobyd2000]

So we visited Dollywood as part of our honeymoon right after they reopened for the holiday season in 2021. We love Dolly, but weren't really familiar with the park itself so we didn't do much ride research. We basically hopped on this while walking by later in the evening, and had no clue what we were getting into. We came out of the station and then we saw the hill and went "oh wow..." Imagine our shock when it was a launch coaster. Man, what an unexpected trip in total darkness! 😀 I can't wait to go back and try it again!

[@GoofyAwGorilla]

It reminds me of when my roller coaster break down in planet coaster “Lightning Rod had broke down!”

[@elevatoralarmcoasterandarc1214]

I agree.

[@karatechop3]

Now I feel lucky to have ridden this coaster. Putting aside all of the technical issues, it should not be forgotten how unique the first part of this ride is: A launch that goes uphill, the feeling of being thrown over the hill instead a slow crest from a chain lift or even a flat launch - which gives you the full effect of the hill at high speed (this happens twice - the first small hill and then the larger 165' drop) and the fact that the second hill is the big one. It's a really fun ride that hopefully has many more years, even if Dr Frankenstein has to keep it going.

[@notmuch_23]

Unfortunately RMC just showed the world why nobody else made a launched wooden coaster... ...and I believe the launch section _needs_ to have a 100% steel structure and track to work reliably.

[@garminkid]

I wonder if adding steel columns to the launch (like Iron Gwazi) would do the trick. It would stabilize that structure so it doesn’t sway as much.

[@justinvinyard440]

Dollywood is going to get rid of lightning rods launch and replace it with a chain lift. Lightning rod is temporarily closing on October 30th. it will reopen on spring 2024.

[@elevatoralarmcoasterandarc1214]

You're right.

[@ThemeParkCrazy]

Want more of my Failed Coasters series? Here's a playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLz9m75shaBx6IP-FYXpUXZPN77JHRCnaK

[@kenepo4u496]

I want to see a Failed Coasters video on Son of Beast.

[@ThePatcore]

@@kenepo4u496 hes already done that one.

[@kenepo4u496]

@@ThePatcore No he didn’t.

[@TylerPCoyne]

The moral of this story: nobody’s always perfect, and what doesn’t kill you just makes you stronger!

[@umbertopartenza2968]

"Kelly Clarkson liked this comment"

[@HeyMavDak]

I hate that nonsensical phrase. If I chop off your leg that wouldn't kill you but it certainly wouldn't make you stronger.

[@umbertopartenza2968]

​@@HeyMavDak i think he means that in a mental way. What doesn't take you down is a way to become stronger and overcome the weakness. Atleast thats how i interpreted that

[@mochispartan1532]

Fr. I heard that they’re removing the launch to increase the reliability

[@BluesCoasters]

Watching this as LRod has been down for more than a week and sitting here at the closed entrance

[@zackmcdonald6648]

RMC should have insisted on Vekoma doing the launch system and maybe a truss up the mountain.

[@Abasolos9910]

I think Lightning Rod is one of RMC's only mistakes. Still an amazing coaster, I would want to ride it one day. Hi TPC

[@ThemeParkCrazy]

Hi Abasolos!

[@jpertle7629]

There there is the engineering problem with Raptor 2 trains... Their real mistake will be partnering with Vekoma. That is if Vekoma does the same thing to RMC they did to Arrow.

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

@@jpertle7629 Vekoma was different back in the 80s and 90s, so I don't think that'll happen. Unless it already has happened.

[@crooked-halo]

My first time on Lightning Rod was last Fall (2022) and it absolutely blew me away! A magnificent and intense ride. It wasn't down once for 2 days in a row. My favorite part is the quadruple dip, especially the last dog-leg dip. Just watching this coaster fly up the lift and whip around the last turn is astounding! Thunderhead was my main reason for going and it remains the best coaster in the park to me, riding much better than in my two visits years ago. Thunderhead was so intense at night that it hinted at the insanity of night rides on Voyage. Lightning Rod is a wonderful, fantastic coaster! I'm a traditional amusement park hobbyist & not a fan of most theme parks, but Dollywood is amazing & beautiful with extremely friendly employees.

[@Flutterblushie]

Funny watching this video. My boyfriend and I met at Dollywood and both worked at L Rod once our seasonal position ended. I didn’t work there very long due to personal reasons, but the time that I did work there, not a day went by without some kind of problem. The team used to joke that if the team lead hit a specific pothole on the way to work that it guaranteed there would be an issue that day. Let’s just say she didn’t miss the pothole very often.

[@gemstar3824]

At a very recent event at this park, our ERT had to be moved from LRod to Thunderhead because a new part had just been installed but LRod didn't complete 25 consecutive test cycles without a problem. It was down the entire day. Fortunately, Thunderhead's brand new retrack has made it an elite wooden coaster, better than it's EVER been, and jumped up in all of our rankings!

[@BluesCoasters]

Coaster crew event in April?

[@gemstar3824]

@@BluesCoasters Indeed. I'm with GP Coasters. This is just my personal YT account.

[@BluesCoasters]

@@gemstar3824 GP coasters? I love you guys. I met y’all at SDC at outlaw run last year during the moonlight madness event. Saw y’all at HWN too!

[@gemstar3824]

@@BluesCoasters Oh wow! I remember! Just subbed to you btw! Sorry I'm late lol! Hope to see you out and about again soon!

[@trappyplayz]

What an intro! It's very much refined but the Theme Park Crazy jingle is a bit nostalgic to me.

[@steelwitness]

Pigeon Forge in general is probably one of the greatest places to visit. So many awesome things to do and if you ever managed to try everything in Pigeon Forge then you can drive 20 minutes down the road to Gatlinburg and have even more amazing things to do.

[@Coolharry64]

Gotta love the Coaster Studios dramatization scene at 9:19 😂

[@danielh8107]

I got lucky and road it three times in a row last year because the line was short. The launch was an unexpected surprise and I loved it. Definitely one of my top favorite coasters and I hope this stays open for years to come.

[@70DMac]

I just rode it this week. It was the first large coaster I've been on in over 20 years. Scared the crap out of me, but I loved it. I knew nothing about it prior to going on it, lol.

[@elevatoralarmcoasterandarc1214]

I get it.

[@SirenoftheSmokies]

I rode this ride last year and I was beyond scared of that second drop. Almost lost my glasses too but it was one of the funnest coasters I've rode!

[@richey0995]

It’s kinda crazy how this ended up being my first RMC after missing out on Iron Rattler, which is still devastating cuz I live in Ohio 😭

[@vortexluigirosalina5557]

I wonder if they will ever make another LSM launch coaster

[@vortexluigirosalina5557]

@@605coasters that’s good to know

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

TPC: Calling this ride a failure would be disrespectful to all those involved Also TPC: FAILED Roller Coasters

[@Benthetrainkid]

Lightning Rod's launch will now be converted to a high speed lift hill for 2024

[@robmausser]

"hey guys, lets build something thats never been done before, a launched wooden coaster" "cool! Who should we get to build the launch system? someone very experienced in launch systems, right? So they have the expertise to do something that is very technically challenging" "No, someone who has never built a launch system before" ..... idiots.

[@HamiltonMechanical]

I will say, just rode it this past weekend, and DAYUM. its one hell of a launch man! They snuck that one in since the last time I was there. Us locals tend to go in spurts, so last time i was there was early 2010s.

[@scotthughes3721]

Just announced today, lightning rod will be closing on Oct 30th to replace the launcher with a high speed chain system. Lightning rod won't reopen until spring 2024. So they're definitely still having issues in 2023.

[@randomtransportguyx4397]

I've gotta say this looks absolutely incredible to go on, as a UK enthusiast it's quite hard

[@TimothyChapman]

Guess this goes to show that it's not the construction costs that kill a roller coaster, but the maintenance costs.

[@jpertle7629]

That is not "smoke" coming from the stators, that is water used to cool them (prior to the water the stators did overheat and fail). And the launch was found to be accelerating too much and it was indeed slowed down. The pothole problem was also a major reason why Ibox was installed. From my experience operating that ride the launch problem and rollback was multifaceted: weight in the train, the wood structure, and the suspension system on the trains. I do wonder if LIM would have been a better choice since tolerance/exact feedback data are not needed.

[@iratdaniel]

You know, I think they should’ve just went with a steel structure for the launch system for lighting rod. If the wood is more flexible then put a steel structure and put steel ibox track there. Problem solved

[@logangalangsta]

I actually had it malfunction on me yesterday and never got to ride it.😔 It was halfway up the launch hell when it rolled back into the launch pads and we had to be escorted off.

[@jasonmyers8278]

Rode this ride for the 1st time in fall 2022. Thought it was going to be a kiddie coRode. Because of the car theme. Boy was I wrong. Blew my mind. Rode it 5 times that night. One of the best coasters I have ever rode.

[@64BeastyMan]

I had a chance to ride Lightning Rod back in October. It was really exhilarating to ride, especially during the moment when it went completely sideways, resulting in some good suspension time from my seat.

[@Shyamanic]

bro imagine how triggered Coaster Frenzy would be to this video

[@chimbus-ug8zv]

One of my favorite wooden coasters, excited to see what you have to say :) 👍

[@kokobeatz7222]

I feel like the launch was one of those mistakes that could have easily been avoided. especially if you know how the systems would work. Always know your materials especially when tight tolerances are needed why would you use such a flexible material. Just doesnt really make any sense and seems easily avoidable.

[@CharlieFarrow07]

I do agree that the Dollywood and RMC were a bit too ambitious. I feel like if they had just built it as a normal hybrid roller coaster, it wouldn’t have had many down times as it did.

[@russellhaskett6830]

It's still 50/50. Yesterday we got to ride it when the park opened, but it was shut down by 2 pm.

[@JonesMediaMan]

I LOVE this coaster. I got on it having no idea what kind of coaster it was, so when we launched, it was an amazing surprise!