Behemoth Construction Diary
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Behold, the Behemoth Construction Diary!en-usCanada's WonderlandFri, 18 Jan 2008 00:42:00 ESTRight on Track
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<img src="http://behemoth.canadaswonderland.com/_upload/blog/diary_brentellis2.gif" align="right"/>Welcome back to the latest on Behemoth! Since I last reported in, there has been a great deal of progress out at the construction site. At the end of November we had finished construction on the coaster’s lift hill and massive first drop. Construction continued smoothly across the landscape until it came time to erect the hair pin turn. At that point there were access and space issues as we worked in tight quarters in the area behind Splash Works. With 3 cranes working simultaneously, the assembly of Behemoth’s inverted “V-shape” columns was challenging.
<p>Unfavourable weather throughout the month of December hampered construction progress. There were some days where only one column or track element was installed. Hoisting the ride elements over the water was also difficult and slow at times, as the cranes were extended to their maximum lengths and plenty of counterweight was required to balance them out for their fastidious work.</p><p>We’re now back on land and in the final stages of steel construction. With 85% of the track complete, just the last block brake and Behemoth’s helix are left to put into place before track construction will be finished. </p><p>In addition to erecting the steel, there are a number of other tasks on the go. We have completed the metal siding on the station house and installed the railings. There has been a slight delay on the roofing but that should be completed by the end of January. The entry bridge and stairs have also been installed. </p><p>Despite the cold and wet weather, landscaping is moving along well at this time. We have recently completed the installation of a new retaining wall adjacent to the queue area. Seat walls (low seating areas found throughout the Park) have been installed in the plaza area, and granular sub-grade has been laid to prepare the plaza for paving. In keeping with the green space in the park and to add to the atmosphere of the entrance to Behemoth, a number of trees have been successfully transplanted.</p><p>Speaking of entrances; you may have noticed from the photos in our construction gallery that a new entrance has been created for Italian Job. Part of the old entrance by The Minebuster has been removed and new concrete has been poured to make the new entrance accessible from Behemoth’s plaza area. </p><p>Finally, we are working hard on the Ride Photo building, which will be found at the exit to Behemoth. The concrete base was poured in December and the building is now being framed. </p><p>It’s an exciting time here at the park as we watch the pieces of this “Behemoth” puzzle come together. I look forward to sharing the completion of this project with you in the coming months!</p>Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:42:00 ESTThe First Drop...
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Welcome to the latest entry of Behemoth’s construction diary. My name is Brent Ellis and as the Manager, Facility Maintenance and Construction, I will be updating you on our coaster progress. It’s been a hectic couple of months and Behemoth is taking shape – it’s been great to be a part of!
<p>The recent track installation is visually impressive as we have completed the 230 foot lift hill and are now building Behemoth’s colossal first drop. We have come a long way from our initial start up on the construction site as we have been working tirelessly on Behemoth since May 2007. Installing the initial ride foundations, located in the Italian Job ride envelope, took careful coordination. We needed those foundations installed, but we didn’t want to disrupt the Italian Job ride operation during the 2007 season. Coordination with our consulting team and well thought-out constructions plans allowed for seamless installation of the foundations though, which to date, are complete.<p/><p>The big excitement for guests and park employees alike started in mid August when the B&M coaster track started to arrive and quickly filled our parking lot. Work began in the storage track and transfer track area and progressed really well to the point where we were ahead of schedule when starting construction of the lift hill. The lift hill has been the most challenging portion of the ride installation to date. Since the lift hill area travels directly over the Italian Job ride, crane access was extremely limited and made the installation of the final ¼ a real challenge. Thanks to a great group of highly skilled operators, we were able to maneuver the 550 tonne crane and 300 tonne crawler throughout this delicate process while working around Italian Job.<p/><p>November is going to be a busy month! The structural steel for the ride station is complete and now the focus will turn to the proposed ride maintenance area, which will be located below the station deck. The station will need to be closed in so that we can continue working on outfitting the electrical room to get a good jump on the installation of the ride control cabinets, as well as establishing primary power. We will complete the ride station enclosure with the installation of metal siding and roofing. In addition to the work on the ride station, our landscape contractor will begin preliminary site work to prepare for the creation of the ride queue area, and the integration of Behemoth in the Action Zone area of the park.<p/><p>I look forward to sharing future progress reports and please take a look at some of our recent construction photos to see how Behemoth is taking shape.<p/>Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:48:00 ESTAnd So It Begins...
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Welcome to the Canada’s Wonderland Construction Diary. First of all, an introduction is in order. My name is Dave Phillips; I oversee the Marketing & Sales here at Canada’s Wonderland. Over the next nine months, we plan to share with you our story as we prepare to open the gates and welcome our first riders on Canada’s biggest, fastest and tallest roller coaster – Behemoth.
The launch of this new coaster has been very exciting and we thank all those coaster enthusiasts that have supported our on-line tease campaign…and at times even hacked our website to find out what the big announcement was going to be. As we move forward with the development of this new website, we hope you enjoy the virtual experience of what our new coaster will provide.
Over the next few months, this construction diary will be updated by our maintenance and construction team with in-depth stories and pictures on the status of the construction as we prepare to launch Behemoth in May, 2008.
We hope you enjoy the ride!Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:37:00 EST
