In a surprise discovery today, it looks as if Fun Spot Kissimmee’s Mine Blower wood coaster is about to undergo a large transformation. As first reported by CoasterDaveYT and later by Midway Mayhem, it appears that Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) 208 steel track is onsite and will be used to re-track the notoriously rough roller coaster.
https://t.co/gNGpqavjgH They are putting RMC track on Mine Blower! @Midway_Mayhem @Coaster101
— Coaster Dave (@CoasterDaveYT) April 17, 2023
Mine Blower is a Gravity Group wooden roller coaster with an inversion opened in 2017.
Mine Blower at Fun Spot photo by Nick Weisenberger
2,290 feet of wood track track is jammed into a super tight and thrilling layout. Luckily, it appears the layout will not be changing but no details are official yet. Although not confirmed by RMC or Fun Spot, this would be the first of Gravity Group’s 28 roller coasters worldwide to get the RMC treatment.
Why is the track un-painted? RMC’s 208 ReTrack is made out of a weathering steel so it doesn’t necessarily have to be coated which saves on some cost. 208 is only intended to retrack old rides without adding any new maneuvers. I think it’s safe to say Mine Blower will have the same ride profile but with a steel track. This is hopefully smooth out the ride and reduce the amount of maintenance needed to perform – a win win for fans and Fun Spot.
We recently had the opportunity to ride Mine Blower earlier this year, and while the layout is very good, the ride experience is not. It’s so rough, it’s like riding a wagon down a hill with square wheels. It hurt my neck and I would never want to ride it more than once a visit. The coaster desperately needs some TLC and it seems like Fun Spot recognized this as well.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time Fun Spot has worked with RMC. They just recently opened the highly acclaimed ArieForce One steel coaster at Fun Spot Atlanta to rave reviews. Many coaster enthusiasts thought there would be future collaborations between Fun Spot and RMC but were caught off guard that it would apparently be happening so soon.
This article will be update once more information is known, like if this happens will it be completed in 2023 or do we need to add Mine Blower to our list of 2024 projects we’re excited about.
Are you excited for Mine Blower to get the RMC retrack treatment? Or do you think they should leave it alone? Let us know in the comments below!
This is a great move by fun spot, every person who rides mine blower complains about how rough it is, and this is a great solution. I hope we see ore metal retracking on wooden coasters in the future.
Agree, can’t wait to try it.
I wonder what trains it will run. I would assume the gravity group’s. Must be an awkward relationship after.
I would also assume it runs the current trains. I saw some complaints that if you’re tall and you sit in the back left seat, the turn at the top of the lift is so sharp the row in front of you will bang into your knees.