Kind of a Drag at Cedar Point

In the wake of the malfunction that put Kingda Ka, the record-breaking coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, out of commission for a few weeks, a similar rocket coaster, Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, has also been idle for the last few days. According to the Ohio amusement park, its thrill machine is back up and running as of today, but may require additional maintenance that will temporarily take it out of service. Apparently it was a coincidence that the coasters, both manufactured by Intamin of Switzerland, were out of operation at the same time. These are challenging times for coaster fans seeking the latest, greatest thrills and for the parks with problem-prone coasters. It only makes sense for parks to forewarn guests if they anticipate that their signature rides may be down. I applaud Six Flags Great Adventure and Cedar Point for using their Web sites to post status reports about Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster. It behooves folks planning day trips to the parks to check the sites before they load everyone into the minivan.
Top Thrill Dragster Photo Gallery