Only days after revealing at Coaster Stock that Carowinds would make an announcement about their 2010 project on August 26, the park has dropped another hint, a large steel one to be exact.
Today I took photos of a mysterious steel crate that has appeared on the small stage near the front of the park.
Mysterious Box
The writing is all in white and coded messages such as “IZ 12 ENUFF” are on the surface of the crate. This seems to be a clue that 2010 will bring the park’s 13th roller coaster.
Another clue on the right side of the box states: “Lightning really does strike twice!”
Thinking big!
This seems to point to a local rumor that the attraction will somehow use a White Lightning theme. White Lightnin’ was a Schwarzkopf shuttle loop coaster that ran at the park until 1988.
Lightning strikes!
Reports have been made that the box also makes racing sounds, but I personally did not hear this when I visited.
For more photos visit Wes’ photo album.
"Drops" more hints. Ah ha. Ha ha ha.
Mentioning of lightning... racing sounds... Carowinds is getting a Lightning Racer clone! I knew it!
U herd it frum meeeeeee 1st
Moonshiner from West Virginia? Will this coaster launch?
^I doubt it since it is rumored to be a B&M and B&M didn't like the launch concept much. Sounds like Carowinds is trying to divert us from our NASCAR theme.
Maybe it'll be closer to Wildfire's story and execution at Silver Dollar City.
If the old Thunder Road still, still exists (it used to sit in front of TR) it would be nice if they'd bring it out and reuse it for WL 2.0.
Although I wonder if the whole White Lightnin' reference is just a red haring.
I'm going to take a guess and say it will be some sort of launch shuttle coaster with an inversion similar to a shuttle loop but different, more advanced and hopefully better.
Keep in mind, I don't know what coasters Carowinds has currently, I haven't been there or know much of their history. It's just a wild guess made for fun. I just had to say that in case somebody tried to jump down my throat about my guess.
Wes, do I need to make a trip down to Carowinds to ride this bad ass coaster you guys got building down there?
I'm already thinking doing a: KD, BGW, Carowinds, Ghost Town in the Sky, Camden Park loop.
Mark - Looking at the footer markings that were present until they started drilling the holes, it's pretty much a classic B&M out and back hyper layout. It could possibly have a launch out of the station or something funky to set it apart. But I'd rather stick with a reliable system myself.
Katie - You know you've got to get down here sometime, so might as well come down for some sweet Swiss steel! Carowinds has posted the 8.26.09 banner to their site, but nothing on KD's yet.
The container says 'Morgantown, WV'... unless it has some other significance, could this coaster possibly be from Chance-Morgan?
^Probably not. I checked their website, and they're based out of Wichita, KS.
Katie: OMG strawberry crush??? where'd you find that?
Recently I've said Colonel Wes. Just call him Sherlock Wes now.
Elementary my dear Leo.
Watch out, my Panthers are playing your Eagles soon in CLT no less.
in refernce to the White Lighting name well one thought of mine could still be going back to the Nascar reference -- White Lighting is another name for Moonshine and in Nascar it is general belief that some of the earliest drivers were Moonshine runners so hense that the 12E could very well be a reference to an Earnhardt themed Nascar Coaster
Also it says "Record Breaking. History making."
I agree with Toader. The car sticker on this baby is going to say Manufacturing Content: 95% United States of America since the steel track is being made in Ohio, remember?
10,000th post! Hahahahaha. I can't believe I made it this far after i was such a sleeper member for the first years of our existence. I think 5,000 posts were just about the Philadelphia EAGLES alone.
IKEA coaster was already taken as a theme by the Laser coaster sent from Dorney back to the German Fair circuit. IKEA is so new in Charlotte Wes is caught in it. You wouldn't be able to get park food that cheap at the ride's exit anyway.
This is bizarre. I caught my mistake and thought I had changed it to Swiss, but apparently not. Or I'm losing it. Too many vitamins in the system I guess.
"Record breaking and history making" both could just refer to the park. It would only have to be 140 ft tall or something close to that, to beat all the existing coasters.
I'm really hoping they went for the record and beat all the B&M's in the south or something along those lines.
And we still don't know what KD is getting, so there's always hope for the tallest in the South. Although a slim chance.
My bet is that Carowinds is getting the mysterious red B&M, which is hyper track. Since they seem to be hinting that this thing is going to be big, along with Wes's post about B&M's footer patterns, those provide (a bit) more evidence to support my theory.
Yeah, and the fact that some manager at a Cedar Fair park told the group about a year ago that Carowinds was getting a hyper. lol
It's been about the worst kept secret since Goliath South.