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did the beast really used to have 4 bench trains or am I seeing those pictures wrong?

 

Yes your seeing the picture right the Beast did have 4 bench trains, and then it went down to 3.

 

Thank you so much for posting the information and pictures of the Bat. I used to have a lot of pictures taken when my grandma took me in 1981 but they have been damaged from water.

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Wow, was there really going to be 2 corkscrews in the layout? Why weren't they ever included on a suspended coaster? Surely someone could work out the kinks.......

 

The reason why the corkscrews were left out was because even small speed variances could've resulted in the train not having enoug henergy to make the inversion....can you imagine how it would've hurt to stall in a corscrew & then have the car slam sideways as a result?

 

Inversions would simply have to wait until B&M developed the rigid ski-lift train design used on their inverted coaster in 1992,which of course sadly rendered Arrow's classic suspended model obsolete.

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^I disagree completely that the B&M Inverts made the Arrow Suspendeds obsolete. They are two totally different rides.

 

The Arrow Suspendeds have a 42'' height restriction compared to a 52'' or 54'' B&M Invert. If I was running a nice family park, I'd gladly put in an Arrow Suspended.

 

Plus Ninja, Top Gun, BBW, and Eagle Fortress (put in in 1992) are all examples of what you can do with the technology and have a really kickass ride!

 

Maybe Arrow should go back and focus on rides like this instead of 4th dimensions and screamin rodents!

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^ Agreed. Ninja at SFMM is one of my very favorite coasters. I know they're a pain to engineer, but the whole suspended concept was one of the best in my opinion.

 

While B&M certainly gave us quite a gift with the inverted coaster, it would be interesting to see what they could do with a suspended coaster. They might even find a way to engineer a successful inversion for one, though I think the side-to-side swinging is plenty good.

 

Eric

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I miss the trolls and the wizard so much.

 

Magic Mountain was so awesome. I have such fond memories of this place. It's the only reason I still love it. In my mind I can transport myself back to those days. I remember waiting 5 hours for my first ride on The Great American Revolution the second day it opened. Way back when the que went through Revolution Plaza, all the way down the hill and around the fountain. The whole back side of the mountain was bare then. And it ran 5 trains! Mmmmmmmmm 5 train operation and almost completely trimless. Good times! Good times!

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^ Yes indeed. In those days, you never really stood in line for Revolution because the line moved so fast with five trains going that you really slooowwwllly walked.

 

I didn't ride Revolution on its first or second day, but I did ride in May 1976, not long after it opened.

 

Yeah, the trolls were way cool. More fitting to the park in that era than the Looney Tunes gang. However, during the park's first season, they did use the Warner Bros. characters. I vividly remember seeing signs that said, "You must be as tall as Sylvester to ride." After the park closed for a six-month upgrade and rehab, reopening Spring 1972, they had switched to the trolls and kept them till 1985---six years after Six Flags took over. [/history lesson]

 

Eric

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^ Agreed. Ninja at SFMM is one of my very favorite coasters. I know they're a pain to engineer, but the whole suspended concept was one of the best in my opinion.

 

While B&M certainly gave us quite a gift with the inverted coaster, it would be interesting to see what they could do with a suspended coaster. They might even find a way to engineer a successful inversion for one, though I think the side-to-side swinging is plenty good.

 

Eric

 

About the only way I can see a true suspended coaster inversion is to use the little trough that sits under the lift hill to keep the cars from swinging as they get pulled up the lift.

 

So you'd bang and bash into the little trough as you enter the lift. Up you go, swinging not allowed. The trough would continue up and over the lift, and the cars would STILL be in the trough on the way down the drop and all the way through the loop (or whatever inversion). After the inversion, you could end the trough and let the cars swing.

 

I think the idea is still corta crappy, though. Leave the inversions to the inverted.

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^ I agree with your last sentence. We are inverted to death in my opinion, and inversions really don't do much for me---especially when a ride has six or seven of them. A good suspended is a nice change of pace from the head over heels experience.

 

Eric

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^I had an idea once that someone could manufacture some sort of track that could stop and start the swinging (something like a 4D track, but with a totally different purpose). I'm sure that's incredibly far-fetched, but I was younger then.

 

It's such a shame that this ride was removed. Vortex is not a great ride and Top Gun could've been so much more than it is. It's really sad that that wonderful terrein was hardly used at all in the design of Vortex. So much pontential in both replacement rides. Very sad part of coaster history.

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^ That's a nice site, but I wish he'd update it. For your information, the 1971 park map there was the one I scanned and sent to him. You can click the link and look at it. Quite different from the Magic Mountain of today.

 

Eric

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This is sort of non-theme park related, but in the 11th picture down, the girl in the green and white gymshorts/spaghetti strap one piece? I totally had that outfit back in '81.

 

I probably would have worn it to Hanna Barbara Happyland if given the chance.

 

Thanks for this post. I love the retro theme park report. : )

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Thanks for sharing with us. The memories the pictures bring back. Does anyone else remember the advertising gimmick that Magic Mountain used back in the seventies. They claimed the rides would knock your socks off. They would show people on the rides and then superimposed socks would come flying off the people. Advertising was great back then! The Revolution was better back then too. The trains were equiped with only lap bars in those days and not the over the head torture devises they have now. The memories are too many to to put in print but again "Thanks!"

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"I dont understand why they got rid of this ride." (almightyfire)

 

From what I understand, it was very problematic. Of course, it was a prototype, so having trouble sort of came with the territory. Kings Island apparently decided not to keep pouring money into it because it would never run as well as it was intended to run.

 

If anyone knows better, please fill us in.

 

Eric

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^ The "knock your socks right off" campaign came with the introduction of the Great American Revolution. Part of the song went something like:

 

Turns your insides kind of outside,

Your knees begin to knock,

Magic Mountain's Revolution,

It'll knock your socks flat off!

 

And they did have socks scattered around parts of the ride at one point.

 

Yeah, those were the days!

 

Eric

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You could sit in the restaurant right below the loop and throw your sox up to try to hang them on the I-beam truss that supported the loop. I think they stopped that tradition when bras started to appear on the supports.

 

The Great American Revolution. It'll blow your bra off. Ahh! Memories, or shall I say mammaries. Regardless. Good times, Good times!

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