XENITH

Per new footage of Jersey Devil Coaster testing, the ride has sped up by approximately four seconds since the first test run. The pacing on this ride is getting much better, and I can't wait to see how much more it speeds up in the coming days!

This video is a great raw and adjusted comparison for the Jersey Devil POV. On average, the animation runs about 1.2 - 1.3 times faster than the actual POV, which is a benchmark I think this coaster is definitely capable of reaching or even surpassing, especially on hot days!

I was thinking the same thing. I noticed it most on areas of the track where they used shims to join the two pieces of track together (most joints after the spider turn had shims from what I observed. Some of these bumps are likely exaggerated by the camera, as the mount may tend to shake throughout the ride, so some of these patches may not be as rough as they appear on the video. Similarly, the slower the train goes through an element, the more noticeable the joint changes are, so on-ride most of these patches should be rather minimal once the ride speeds up more. One moment that was particularly interesting in the POV video was when the train hit a pretty decent knot at the end of the mid-course.

Considering that the first test run was successfully completed around 1PM yesterday, May 20, 2021, and reports from the park suggest that the ride was still testing around 8PM that same night, the coaster has likely completed anywhere from 50-75 test runs so far. A report from the park today shows what appears to be a torqueing device on the lift chain, so testing has yet to commence today. Each train will likely need around 100 complete, successful cycles in order to be certified for use. There are currently three trains on the track, which may indicate a few different possibilities: The park could be using this fourth train as a maintenance train for spare parts and interchangeability Or, quite simply, the fourth train may not be ready to be installed on the track yet. Either way, given the coaster opens with all 4 trains in operation, the ride will need to be tested successfully around 400 times in order for the coaster to move onto the inspection and certification stages. Based on public rumor and the timing of these test runs, it is safe to assume that the park is looking to open Jersey Devil Coaster in some way as close to Memorial Day weekend as possible. Given each train will need about two days to complete all of its necessary cycles (assuming the coaster tests all days of the week), all testing should be theoretically completed by next Thursday, May 27th. I am not sure about how long the inspection and certification process will take, but I would assume no more than just a few days. Given this is the case, I think we could see an opening schedule similar to this one: June 4-6: Season Pass/Membership Previews June 8-9: Commercial shoot June 10-11: Media days June 12-13: Public unveiling and opening I have always wanted Jersey Devil to open on the weekend of June 13th, as the 12 signifies the children Mother Leeds had before the 13th, the Jersey Devil, came along. These dates would be great for the theme of the ride, as well as the fact that June is the 6th month of the year. Having this extra time between Memorial Day weekend and the following Friday would also allow the park to work out some of the kinks in the ride if needed.

This likely confirms that JDC will be ready in some way shape or form by Memorial Day weekend; whether it be membership previews, media day, or something else. Considering the park is open next Wednesday, I could see JDC starting to run people as early as then, or sometime in the following days for Coaster Power Hours. Each train needs to run a certain number of cycles before it can be certified and commissioned, so we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled. We will likely hear more information in tomorrow's new update video!

This ride is going to run great once it speeds up. Even just looking at this footage, it already takes some of these elements with pretty considerable speed (everything up to the spider turn looks to have great pacing so far). Naturally, it takes others with less speed (pretty much everything after the spider turn), but it is bound to speed up substantially through these elements as more runs are conducted. Just on the first recorded test run, there already looks to be some awesome airtime moments and I can't wait to see footage of this ride once it speeds up; and hopefully a POV soon!

BREAKING: JERSEY DEVIL COASTER IS TESTING! https://www.instagram.com/tv/CPG6W4hB9Cx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I think this could happen. The sign on the Safari Kids portal next to Nitro’s entrance is gone, so I think this definitely has a chance of happen. A Timbertown retheme would be perfect for this area.

If that isn't the biggest middle finger to Great Adventure I don't know what is

For the full details on concrete slab preparation, refer to the quote above. Click here to view photos; I am not sure how to embed them. Per these photos from @Matt Kaiser, crews look to be setting the aggregate base for the queue line. As we've previously discussed, the aggregate base more easily disperses point loads on the concrete and ensures that the thickness of the concrete is correct. This is a very promising sign, as this indicates that concrete for the queue will likely be poured over the weekend or early next week depending on when crews work. I'd like to cover some additional information regarding concrete pouring and what to expect in the coming days. Before the pour can happen, crews must do what is referred to as "buttoning up." This is essentially a double-check around the pour site to ensure that the forms are stable, the rebar is in place, and the area is ready to endure a concrete pour. When pouring concrete, having a lot of workers present and helping is never a bad thing, as concrete pouring can sometimes be very stressful. When the concrete truck arrives on site and begins sending out concrete down the trough, we may see the use of pumps to reduce the need for unnecessary physical labor. Pumps reduce crew size, waste, and the number of times that you may need to send back a partial load if the pour inspector doesn't approve the set time (the time it takes for the concrete to mostly settle; that being said, concrete does not reach its full strength until about 25-28 days after the pour. With pumps, smaller aggregate (the rock/pebble material that retains the strength of the mixture) is needed so the mix can flow easily through the pump. Another tool known as a vibrator may also be used to reduce labor, as it consolidates the mix and allows for a cleaner finish at the face of the form. Jitterbugs may also be used to help bring the paste of the concrete up to the surface and submerge the aggregate lower into the pour. The final concrete delivery of the day, known as the clean up load, may deliver concrete that is more stiff or dry (this is referred to as "low slump" concrete). Slump refers to the viscosity of the batch of the batch of concrete, which can be increased by adding water to the mix. Because the clean up load may consist of lower slump concrete, this concrete would ultimately dry sooner, as it has a lower cement to water ratio, which in turn strengthens the concrete. If you increase the amount of water in the mix in relation to the concrete, you will have concrete that is weaker in comparison to a lower ratio. Either way, water is needed in concrete so that it can easily flow out of the chute and onto the pour site. Sometimes, the client may specify a desired slump for their concrete (in inches) to ensure the mix is not too weak. Once the concrete is poured and begins to settle, finishing can begin in stages, which includes the soft cuts made for track control.

Looking at some of the photos provided by @EasternThrillsyesterday (such as this one), it appears that the concrete pier near the edge of the queue is NOT permanent. If you look to the left of the brown shed, you will notice a concrete block identical to the one in the queue house. Looking at this photo (also courtesy of EasternThrills), you can spot a total of 5 of these concrete blocks scattered around the queue area. Block 1 is in front of the brown shed, Block 2 is inside of the area of the queue building, Block 3 is near the edge of the queue house between Blocks 1 and 2, Block 4 is against the wooden fence just above Block 2, and Block 5 is at the entrance to the restrooms to the right of Block 2. These blocks appear to have two V-notches on the top face, which could indicate a mortise and tenon joint to create an interlocking concrete retainer wall. Looking around the site, it appears that the finished grade has been set, and there are no sharp changes of elevation that seem to warrant the use of a retainer wall. These specific blocks on site appear to be bin blocks, indicating they are for temporary use around the site only. These precast blocks are often made from leftover batches of concrete that the mixer returns, so permanent structures are not typically constructed out of these blocks. These blocks are equipped with a rebar hook at the top, as their 1,000+ pound weight can only be lifted by crane. Considering they are scattered around the site but within the same general area of one another, it is difficult to pinpoint what these 5 bin blocks may be used for. Photo by Hub-4 Photo by BigIron Auctions At this time I cannot come anywhere close to a conclusion on what these blocks could be used for, but what I can say is that we are looking at something temporary. I doubt it would be a retainer wall since the finished grade has likely been set and there are no elevation changes on site that prompt the installation of a temporary/permanent retainer wall. These blocks could very well mean nothing, as you can't do too much with just 5 bin blocks, but they could also play a more significant role on site. The only block that seems to have a strategic and meaningful placement is Block 2 inside of the queue house parameter, but otherwise, the rest of the blocks look to be randomly scattered around the area. Other than that, I am not sure what these could be used for. If you have any ideas, please let me know below because these are definitely interesting.

Alright, let's talk about the queue line again. Why these epiphanies always seem to happen late at night is beyond me, and this post is going to contain a lot of engineering jargon that I will be sure to define as clearly as I can with visuals when possible. This is a long one. In the initial blueprints for the ride (attached below) two queue houses were outlined. "Queue House 1" was the first and largest structure in the queue system that spanned just adjacent to the entrance up to around the near wall of the restrooms. "Queue House 2" was the second and smaller structure located adjacent to the valley of the first drop, behind the aforementioned restrooms. Despite this initial plan, I am beginning to believe that Queue House 2 may be different than originally anticipated. I had a long conversation with my good buddy @EasternThrillsabout this, and he has been kind enough to provide several photos used later in this post; huge thanks to him for that! I am going to explain what I think will be an altered queue system for JDC through the same chronological thought process as our discussion. Photo by @EasternThrills With the photo above, you'll notice a concrete pier toward the edge of the queue house down toward the bottom of the photo. This pier does not appear (no pun intended) to have many anchor bolts, if any at all, so we (Eastern and I) began speculating as to what could occupy this structure. At first, I was confused by this concrete pier as it looks somewhat unlevel with the surrounding structures that seem to be level. This could be intentional, but I am hopeful that this is not an error on behalf of the crew. When using string on construction sites in this nature, it is vital that the string is rendered as straight as possible so that the construction workers are not building to an incorrect line assuming it is straight. This pitched cap could be intentional in that its occupant may need such a pitch to rest on, but we will probably learn more information about this cap in the coming weeks as the timber frame and bracing is visually less congested. What I also began to notice is that this queue house obstructed a vital access route to the proposed location of the second queue house. Since the structure is now in the vertical construction phase, there is no access route for construction vehicles to the area where the second queue house would theoretically be. The former path for Aftermath is too thin and obstructed for construction vehicles to access the site, and routing vehicles around the cutback turnaround would be time consuming and inefficient. At this point, I began to wonder if the location for this second queue house was moved. I also began to recall how the park stated "queue building" in their update this past Friday instead of "queue buildings" or "one of two queue buildings," which further drove my growing belief that a second queue house was out of contention. However, it seemed unusual that this plot of land wouldn't remain empty, as it seems that the location was leveled with subgrade and prepped for some sort of construction. Nonetheless, the site of the proposed second queue is more difficult to access with the first one now in progress and an alternate route that would need to be practically leveled in order to allow for adequate vehicle access. If there are survey stakes back in that plot, I would change my mind; but for now, I think this is all that we have since that sector of the site is fairly remote and obscured from the public eye. Ultimately, I do not think that the lack of a second queue house is a smart decision on the park's behalf. Observing the line for Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth that seems to overflow onto the main paths in any remote form of large crowds, I was hoping that the park would take note of the insufficient queue management that the one queue house on Wonder Woman provided and improve on it for this project, especially considering that the park has more space to work with regarding a queue system for Jersey Devil Coaster compared to Wonder Woman. I think there are multiple possibilities for this plot of land given it a second queue house does not come to fruition. One possibility is an observation area, where guests can walk up through the old Aftermath entrance and stand right next to the coaster's first drop for some great photo opportunities. Another possibility is a seating pavilion, where guests enjoying a meal from the new Jersey Devil BBQ could sit right next to the coaster and enjoy their barbecue food. I think the most feasible possibility is that this location ends up becoming an overflow queue without a structure around it; essentially a queue pen without a "queue house." This option makes sense because heavy duty construction vehicles and access routes are not needed to pour this concrete slab, especially since it seems as though the grade below it has already been properly prepared. All that would be needed to accomplish this slab pour is some rebar monuments to mark points of curvature and wooden boards to form the border of the slab. Naturally, this can all be accomplished by hand with a buddy or two to help. This would get the best of both worlds, as the coaster would have an additional queue area while also providing incredible views of the coaster's first drop and raven dive. When preparing a concrete slab like this, it is important to first remove the material in the way to achieve the correct grade needed for the site. These slabs are usually completed as one of the last tasks on a construction site so that construction vehicles can still have access to various sectors of the site and so that the concrete is in good shape by the end of the project. Dirt has to be broken up and softened and then moved into place by tractors with rippers or Gannon boxes attached on their back ends. This properly levels the dirt and sifts through the material to eliminate any discrepancies. Gravel then goes in on top of this grade, which acts as an aggregate base. When mixed with water, this aggregate base, or AB for short, becomes really compact and essentially provides a buffer between the poured concrete and the subgrade if any discrepancies are present as material conditions fluctuate. This aggregate base also increases the distance over which the load is dispersed so that the point loads on the concrete are spread out over a larger area of the subgrade; this way, more of the subgrade can support these point loads. It is important that this aggregate base is installed accurately. If too much base is poured, the concrete will be too thin; if too little is poured, the concrete will be too thick. The concrete can finally be poured when the subgrade is in place, forms have been set, and rebar/wire mesh has been set. When the concrete is being poured, it is important that the paste of the concrete is brought to the top and that the rocks are pushed toward the bottom. However, it is important to retain the rocks in the concrete mixture as they are critical to the strength and abrasion resistance of the slab; think of it as extra reinforcement to the slab. Once the mud is in place, it can be screeded to its final elevation so that finishers can come along and make the slab look more presentable. Once the concrete is screeded and finished, soft cuts can be made into the slab for crack control. Concrete inevitably is going to crack with age and the continuous stress of live loads, so soft cuts that are about 20-25% of the thickness of the slab are made to control these cracks; the goal is that these cracks will form inside of the cuts rather than anywhere else on the slab, preventing cosmetic damage. After this, the concrete can settle and the slab is complete. Photo by @EasternThrills Looking at this photo, we can see some drill holes for the tie beams that will eventually connect all of these vertical posts together to form the base for the purlins and rafters that will comprise the roof. Sadly, one of the posts does not have a tie beam drill hole. Moment of silence. If you've made it this far down in the post so far I appreciate that you have taken the time out of your day to read this, it means a lot. Thank you! Eastern then sent me some photos of some shipments the parked received that we were able to dissect in just a few minutes, to the surprise of both of us. This discussion went in so many different directions at a million miles per hour, so I am going to try my best to present our findings in the most organized way possible. Photo by @EasternThrills This is the entire photo, so you can zoom in and out of it at your discretion to view individual parts. In the middle of the photo, you'll notice a stay of what appear to be grey sheets. Initially, I thought this was more queue railing, but considering the thin build of the piece these appear to be a stack of temporary chain link fences for the construction site. I also thought that this may have been danger zone/restricted area fencing, but there is not nearly enough fencing to cover the several danger zones that Jersey Devil Coaster will have and the lengthy ride perimeter. These are most likely temporary fences. In this photo you will notice several lumber shipments. Just the other day, I was scanning around the Jackson area for potential lumber suppliers as I was seeking further insight as to what the queue structure would look like. It turns out that, despite several suppliers like 84 Lumber nearby, the park outsourced lumber from three different suppliers all based in the Pacific Northwest. Frank Lumber Co., Inc and Disdero Lumber (both labels are in this photo) are based in Oregon, while Canyon (you will see in a later photo) is based in Washington. It appears the park wanted Douglas fir wood precisely for the queue structure, considering that some of these suppliers specialize in Douglas Fir lumber specifically and that these suppliers are based in the northwestern United States, an area with extensive populations of Douglas fir trees. In this picture, you can see both more posts/beams for the queue structure, as well as a massive shipment of 2x4s from Disdero. The sheer magnitude of this shipment, along with the arrival of more posts, is further evidence that this structure will likely resemble the already-existing Ale House structure on Main Street. Note the structural similarities in the vertical members and possible use of 2x4s for the roof joists. Photo from Theme Park Review Photo by @EasternThrills I initially thought these black rolls of mesh were wire/rebar mesh for the concrete slabs of the queue system, but looking further it appears that this is black chain link fencing for restricted areas and danger zones. In direct contrast with the chain link fences near the lumber shipments from Frank Lumber Co., Inc and Disdero Lumber, these fences look to be for permanent installation while the other fences appear to be for temporary use only. In this photo you'll also notice the Washington-based Canyon lumber company, which seems to be supplying the vertical posts for this project. Referring back to the first photo of this shipment package, there are some black items under clear plastic wrap between the lumber shipments. These look to be the vertical and horizontal posts for the fence structures that will surround the ride and encompass the many danger zones and low points of the ride. Looking at the sheer size of the lumber shipments the park received, I started to second-guess myself regarding an additional queue house (no pun intended, I am on an absolute roll right now). At first, it appeared as though these shipments were possible evidence for a second queue house as it seemed the queue structure currently in progress would not require much further material for the timber frame. Analyzing what is left to be erected of this queue building and the architecture of the comparable Ale House, these shipments are likely going to supplement only one queue structure; the posts are likely for tie beams and struts, as all of the vertical structural members seem to be in place. If more shipments arrive at the park, I may change my mind. But for now, this is what we have to work with. At this point, anything is possible. I'm sure you can tell, it is almost 2AM on a Sunday night and I just sat down and wrote an entire novel about wood in one 45 minute sitting, so I am going to leave this off here for now. Eastern and I left our discussion at this point as I felt the sudden urge to post about all of our findings on the forums, so I think that this is a fitting place to end and leave the remaining unknown variables up to interpretation and the test of time. Again, huge thank you to @EasternThrillsfor making this post possible and providing the visuals to make this explanation much less confusing (hopefully), and for tolerating my nonstop inquiries about this ride. PLEASE, let me know down below if you think a second queue house is still possible and, if not an actual structure, what this second queue area could look like! Let me know if there is anything in this post that is confusing as well, as I am happy to explain anything that may require further clarification (this was a lot for me to write about at once, so this might be a lot for you as well). Anyways, I wish you a late Happy Easter to those who celebrate and I will be sure to keep you all updated as we learn more information about the upcoming developments on the site of this masterpiece roller coaster

The first of two queue houses for Jersey Devil Coaster has gone vertical! Originally, I thought that this queue structure would resemble the steel canopy structure seen on rides like Nitro and Dark Knight, so I was anticipating that around four concrete forms would be poured for this structure. However, as indicated by the park's most recent update, this queue house will instead be a wooden structure that will likely support a permanent roof rather than an interchangeable canopy. I am absolutely thrilled by this decision, as I think the wooden structure will add much more flavor to the ride area compared to the steel canopy structure. This, along with the addition of topsoil and foliage around the ride, will make the initial presentation considerably captivating. For reference, here is a schematic I developed earlier this year detailing the proposed queue layout. Some things have changed since this schematic was released, and I will note those changes in a bit. Looking at the engineering side of this first queue house (based on current information), each side is comprised of 5 vertical wooden columns that will eventually support beams for the roof structure. In total, the structure will have about 16 vertical columns. To erect these columns, the column is lowered into a form tube in the ground. Concrete is then poured into the form tube with the base of the column in it. Because the column cannot support itself until the concrete fully settles, braces are used to keep the wooden column in its correct position. Once the concrete is fully settled, the braces may be removed. However, because these beams stand alone, the bracing is often retained until the overall structure is more connected (beams are installed connecting columns and roofing braces are added) to reduce stress on the vertical columns. Photo from Six Flags Great Adventure Looking around the park, I think the structures that will most closely resemble this queue house are Zumanjaro's main queue house, the La Cantina bar adjacent to Macho Nacho in Plaza del Carnival, and the Ale House restaurant on Main Street. I would expect this queue house to somewhat resemble these structures when fully completed (more Ale House than the other two), but most likely not to a tee. This structure will likely draw elements from these other structures, such as the boulder border in Zumanjaro's queue and the TV mount from the La Cantina bar, for example. One of the photos below comes from the firm Sonnenfeld + Trocchia Architects P.A. that has been involved in the construction of several Great Adventure buildings like Superman's station and Green Lantern's maintenance building. They could very well be the firm behind JDC's queue structures! (https://www.sonnenfeldandtrocchia.com/projects/six-flags-great-adventure/) Photos from Park Journey Photo from Sonnenfeld + Trocchia Architects Photos from Theme Park Review Referring back to the queue schematic, some of my initial impressions have been proved wrong by the progress on site. Besides what are going to be wooden queue houses instead of steel ones, I was initially expecting the entrance portal to include the entrance, flash pass, and exit chutes like Cyborg and Wonder Woman do. Based on the photo that the park provided, it appears the portal will only include the entrance and flash pass chutes, and the exit will run adjacent to the entrance portal. Regarding the entrance portal itself, I was initially anticipating a portal similar to Cyborg's with a steel structure, box bases, and a very grand appearance. While I think this entrance portal will retain a similar appearance, I do not think it will have Cyborg's steel box bases considering the size of the concrete forms being poured for the portal. That being said, I think this portal will likely be an all-steel structure with bases bolted to the concrete pier caps. I'm not sure what we could see as far as a more detailed appearance, so drop any ideas below about what you think this entrance portal could look like! **Another thing to note about yesterday's update: this coaster will likely have a fully enclosed op booth similar to RailBlazer at CGA. If I'm not mistaken, this will be only the second coaster at GADV without an open air op booth, the other one being Joker. That essentially wraps up what we know about the queue line so far. Progress is moving along nicely in this area and I can't wait to see how it moves along in the coming weeks!

As some of you may have seen, the park provided a photo of the ride operator panel interface for JDC today. Below you can see what I believe will be close to the correct format for the main operator panel, complete with switch keys, stop and start buttons, a screen, and more! I think it is also interesting to note the design as the background of the panel that seems to resemble an eerie, misty forest. A FEW THINGS TO NOTE: THIS PANEL LAYOUT IS NOT CONFIRMED. The panel in the photo was wrapped in plastic, so it was a bit difficult to decipher the different parts of the panel. Some of these parts I am confident are correct while others I am not so sure about; I am confident they are on the panel but the placement in this schematic may not be accurate. PRIVATE INFORMATION WAS NOT SOURCED. This schematic was created based on common knowledge and several reference photos that I have linked below. Not all reference photos are linked, but the main ones I used are. These reference photos are public and can be found on public search engines. Some of the sources down there are with a deeper read too! **NOT AN OFFICIAL SCHEMATIC. RECREATION BY XENITH.WAV C. 2021** Some of my references: https://themeparkreview.com/forum/uploads/monthly_2012_03/31201_1356264219178_1008630114_30858483_496674_n.jpg.248d084bd39b455557bf99104e19c9c1.jpg https://i.redd.it/fzzgmmctahz01.jpg https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FIrvineOndreyEngineering%2Fphotos%2Fa.475305665826794.115576.474347982589229%2F1749836401707041%2F%3Ftype%3D3%26theater&psig=AOvVaw1USnXQ32TCaEjys7U2_25N&ust=1616901202082000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCMj978HAz-8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD [Jersey Devil Coaster] Construction Update 3/26/21. New this week! Adding more subgrade, installation of the electrical panel, and the operator panel has made it to the station area. Can you guess what the last picture is? (Six Flags Great Adventure Twitter) : rollercoasters (reddit.com) (This is also great to read a bit more in depth about the ride's possible computer system)

This could be the case; I think it is possible for all four trains to run at once since the coaster has 6 block sections, which would allow for 2 unoccupied block zones while the other four are, which is doable. I could see the park rolling with 4 train operations when the coaster first opens, but I could see them sticking to a train rotation where three are on the track most of the time and one is a spare. I'd love to see them run all four at the time, but we'll see how this turns out when the time comes!