We have all been eagerly awaiting news of the reopening of Xcelerator at Knott’s Berry Farm which closed in March 2022 having had a repaint in October 2021 to the colors, red, gray, orange and yellow.
According to the OCRegister, commissioning tests will begin on Xcelerator in mid to late August and a Knott’s official has said that the park hopes to reopen the roller coaster in mid to late September.
We saw, thanks to photos posted to Twitter by RyanTheme Park posted at the end of July, that work is taking place on Xcelerator to install the broken part which is believed to be a cable spool and drum. This is excellent news and gives us hope for a reopening soon.
There is life at Xcelerator! pic.twitter.com/m6vA8lvzSp
— RyanTheme Park (@Ryanthemepark) July 27, 2023
We knew that once the part is successfully installed, Xcelerator would need a lot of testing before it is given the green light to operate again. This testing is now confirmed to be starting very soon and we will await an official reopening date for this hydraulic launch coaster. At least we now know that Xcelerator will definitely be reopening at Knott’s Berry Farm and it looks like we don’t have many weeks left to wait.
We have continually heard rumor after rumor in the last few months about when we are likely to see this headlining attraction finally reopening at Knott’s Berry Farm. We saw a post on Reddit at the end of July which was posted and then taken down which appeared to be a photo of the cable spool and drum that Knott’s Berry Farm had been waiting for, being craned onto the Xcelerator site.
Briefly posted on r/rollercoasters yesterday before taken down, but progress on Xcelerator!!
by u/evz3000 in KnottsBerryFarm
There has been no further confirmation regarding this delivery from Knott’s Berry Farm but it certainly appears to be a step in the right direction for the reopening of Xcelerator and we expect to bring more news that work is being carried out on site in the coming days and weeks.
Image: Cedar FairWe had expected work to really ramp up over the last few weeks on Xcelerator as it had been confirmed that the necessary part needed for the launch system had indeed finally arrived at Knott’s Berry Farm. However, according to the latest video update posted to YouTube on July 18, by Knott’s Network it disappointingly appears that little progress has been made in the last month on Xcelerator.
Now, it could be the case that work has been done on the launch and we just can’t see it but it appears that when looking at Xcelerator in the video (timestamp 6:56), little work seems to have been done. The tools have moved around a little bit, a number of bodies are still off on the purple train as well as some of the lap bars and the red train is still in pieces.
We know extensive testing will be needed on Xcelerator before it can reopen, after closing in March 2022, so we are very eager to see work ramping up on site and news that testing will begin soon. After seeing the apparent lack of progress in the last month it does make us question whether the world’s first hydraulic launch coaster will actually reopen at the end of the summer?
All we do know is that Knott’s Berry Farm needs to get moving as quickly as possible. We will keep you posted on developments to Xcelerator when they occur here at Theme Park Tourist.
In the video embedded below by CoasterEVolution on June 18, it explained that a manager at the park said they were hoping to get Xcelerator open in June but this has unfortunately not come to fruition. There has been a lot of talk surrounding the replacement part and apparently when this part finally arrived at the park it was discovered that it had been manufactured wrong meaning Knott’s Berry Farm had to order another one and get it shipped leading to even further delays.
In our update in mid-May, there were rumors that the replacement part which is believed to be a cable Wench Drum for the hydraulic launch had arrived. In the latest update from Knott’s Network on June 19 if you go to timestamp 1:25, it is clear that there are contractors on site and work is being done on the hydraulic launch which is a very positive sight to see.
All eyes will be on Xcelerator in the next few weeks when we expect testing to begin and we will bring you confirmation of the official reopening date for Xcelerator as soon as it is announced.
From a video update (June 11) by Knott’s Network, we get to see Xcelerator at timestamp beginning 6:19. Work had been done sporadically on this launch roller coaster. From the footage there doesn’t appear to be any major developments but the catch car has now been lifted back up which is definitely a step in the right direction.
Although rumors still swirl online about a permanent closure for Xcelerator we definitely think this will not happen as work is clearly being done on the hydraulic launch system and the popular roller coaster remains listed on the official Knott’s Berry Farm website.
In a video posted by the KI Coaster Guy in March we got to hear an update on Xcelerator and its potential reopening timeline. There has been a lot of speculation but the most likely scenario still seems to be that for the short term, Cedar Fair will look to reopen this popular Intamin Hydraulic launch coaster as soon as they have replaced the necessary part needed for its successful running.
This theory is backed up by an article on the OC Register where a Knott’s official says, “Knott’s Berry Farm is in communication with Liechtenstein-based Intamin Amusement Rides about replacement parts for Xceletor.”
In April there was talk from roller coaster enthusiasts online that there seemed to be work going on with the launch system. However, Knott’s Berry Farm has continued to keep everything very quiet regarding the work that is being done. Workers have been onsite at times since Xcelerator closed in March 2022 to carry out necessary routine maintenance on the coaster which is needed whilst it is closed.
With the opening of MooteZooma delayed and now expected either later in the year or in 2024, we are assuming that Knott’s Berry Farm will be doing everything it can to get Xcelerator opened as soon as possible.
Whilst researching Xcelerator’s fate online, the possibility that in time this iconic attraction will see an overhaul appears to be the most realistic option with the replacement of the existing hydraulic launch with a LSM launch the most likely route to go to secure its future. The hydraulic launch has been a notorious issue financially, with maintenance and causing frequent downtime since Xcelerator opened in June 2002.
We certainly hope any chance of this iconic and extremely popular roller coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm from being dismantled is quashed and we are guessing Cedar Fair will see how well the Top Thrill Dragster reopening goes in 2024 and will then plan Xcelerator’s fate accordingly.
We will update you with further information on the reopening of Xcelerator as soon as it is announced. Extensive testing will be needed on the launch section once the new part is installed so we hope to see work getting started very soon if indeed a July reopening for Xcelerator is going to happen.
We will keep you posted on our news and Facebook pages. Do you think Xcelerator will reopen this summer? Let us know your thoughts by voting in our poll below and leaving us a comment below.
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