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Scott's Coaster Closet


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Riders were required to dodge low-hanging trees, limbs and vines.

 

-SR

 

I don't know if I like the sound of this. I have been hit by bugs while riding Millennium Force and it is not a pleasant experience. I imagine, although at a much slower speed, getting a branch in the face would be a painful thing. OUCH!

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I don't know if I like the sound of this. I have been hit by bugs while riding Millennium Force and it is not a pleasant experience. I imagine, although at a much slower speed, getting a branch in the face would be a painful thing. OUCH!

 

It could be painful, especially after a storm when the branches were heavy with rain and hanging low over the track. Paul, for the most part, kept the track clear but there was SO MUCH forest to deal with. I've ridden no other ride that was as concealed in the woods as was the Comet.

 

I was digging through the Closet today and found a few more pics of the Comet. See below.

 

That's me in the train, which is at the bottom of a dip. Sadly, it never ran again. The train had been pushed out of the station by delinquents and remained there until it was hauled away and junked. The third pic shows a workman during the ride's demo; he's cutting the steel track from the laminates. I believe this was the drop that occured after the turnaround beside the park's swimming pool. It was an awful end to a strange but entertaining coaster.

 

-SR

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Long time lurker here. Thanks for the photos of the Comet, Scott. I was always a West View Park goer and have only lived in this local area for 7 years so never saw the Comet run, but I have explored the park as it currently sits. You can still see pylons and steel beams crossing the creek. I often wondered what the coaster looked like. I have only seen one other picture of the coaster running along the ravine.

 

Last pictures of the trains that I know of can be found HERE

 

Thanks Lori, for the pictures

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Long time lurker here. Thanks for the photos of the Comet, Scott. I was always a West View Park goer and have only lived in this local area for 7 years so never saw the Comet run, but I have explored the park as it currently sits. You can still see pylons and steel beams crossing the creek. I often wondered what the coaster looked like. I have only seen one other picture of the coaster running along the ravine.

 

Last pictures of the trains that I know of can be found HERE

 

 

Hey Kevin,

 

Glad you enjoyed the Comet pics. I have others of the ride in operation but I'm still looking for those. Where were the trains/Bug tubs located in your pics? Though they look rather bad, I'm glad to see they weren't dumped in a landfill.

 

BTW, I'll have West View shots up soon. I climbed all over the Dips and Racing Whippet the last year it stood. So sorry I never got to actually ride those beauties.

 

-S

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There are MANY explanations as to why he stuck with 99% loops. (Thriller technically has a corkscrew in it in my opinion.) Some say it was just his design style, but I think it had lots to do with ease of portability with his designs. Ever seen a portable corkscrew from ANY company? I'm sure one exsists somewhere, but I've never seen any.

 

Eurostar is an inverted coaster built be Intamin/Gionvarla with four abreast seating arrangement. Elements in order: vertical loop, zero-g roll, corkscrew, corkscrew. And its portable.

 

A video of it exists on this site at:

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27989&highlight=eurostar

 

Edit: and, according the the BBC:

 

Visitors to this year's Munich Oktoberfest can look forward to whizzing along at 100km per hour on the largest roller coaster in the world. "Eurostar" is certainly Germany's most scary but most exhilarating ride.

 

-- Matty

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Train in/exiting final corkscrew and entering the crazy insane turnaround

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^ I'm familiar with Eurostar, but an inverted corscrew is much different that an standard one, that the actual track for the entire electment doesn't take as much space, and is quite compact to put on back of a truck.

 

Vekoma makes several versions of portable corkscrews

 

Oh wow, that's the first time I've ever seen that. Thanks!!! It would be interesting to see how that put these on flatbeds. (ie. how many pieces they break the element down to/how they're layed out.)

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^^ I don´t know how many flatbeds, trucks and containers were needed to transport the Vekoma Corkscrew, but there were too many of them. That´s why the showmen who bought it from Vekoma immediately sold it to a theme-park after its premiere fair appearance.

 

It was commissioned by Showmen Bruch and Kinzler who were responsible for bringing most of the big coasters to german fairs. Stengel worked with Vekoma on the layout and transportability. Because the track-design and the corkscrew were an Arrow licence, they couldn´t make signicant changes to the track profile. Apparantly the ride was too "heavy" and unpractical for mobile use compared to Schwarzkopf rides.

 

After on appearance at a fair in 1978 they sold the ride to "Traumlandpark" (which later became Warner Bros. Movie World) where it stood as "Super Spirale" until it was sold on to Jolly Rogers Park in Maryland. It is now standing in Malaysia.

 

AFAIK all of the later Corkscrew with Bayerncurve models still use the frame-base but none were sold or marketed for the fair circuit. (I don´t know if at one point some american or canadian fair travelled with such a ride).

The smaller "Whirlwind" coaster (the one with the two single corkscrews) was also build on a fram-base. But this was done to make the ride attractive for small parks. It was not designed/marketed as a travelling coaster.

 

The only other Vekoma fairground rides I know of, was the "Para Tower", a mobile parachute tower which had also a short life on the german fair circuit.

 

For more info on all the great Schwarzkopf flats go to http://schwarzkopf.coaster.net/hauptmenueGF.htm

They have all his flats and coasters listed and pictured from the late 1950s until 1986.

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Glad you enjoyed the Comet pics. I have others of the ride in operation but I'm still looking for those. Where were the trains/Bug tubs located in your pics? Though they look rather bad, I'm glad to see they weren't dumped in a landfill.

 

BTW, I'll have West View shots up soon. I climbed all over the Dips and Racing Whippet the last year it stood. So sorry I never got to actually ride those beauties.

 

-S

 

I believe the trains were at a salvage/junk yard right in New Castle, not 100% sure which one though. I also see that rcdb has pictures of the Comet now. Not sure when they were added.

 

As for the Dips at West View, that was my first coaster ever. No kiddie coaster for me, Mom just dragged my butt along with her. That turnaround was a nasty surprise. Scared the poop out of me. Didn't ride another coaster 'til 1976 at Cedar Point. I, sadly, never rode the Whippet.

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I believe the trains were at a salvage/junk yard right in New Castle, not 100% sure which one though. I also see that rcdb has pictures of the Comet now. Not sure when they were added.

 

As for the Dips at West View, that was my first coaster ever. No kiddie coaster for me, Mom just dragged my butt along with her. That turnaround was a nasty surprise. Scared the poop out of me. Didn't ride another coaster 'til 1976 at Cedar Point. I, sadly, never rode the Whippet.

 

I can see how the Dips turnaround freaked you out. I walked the track and was amazed that a train with only a fixed lap bar didn't toss riders out on every circuit.

 

Too bad you missed the Whippet. I climbed all over that sweet machine. It was a brilliant Vettel design. Oh, and it had fixed lap bars as well. I can only image what night rides were like ...

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As Shane said in his recent Attic post, Elitch Gardens was a wonderful traditional park. The new Elitch's is nothing like the original. That's especially true when comparing Mister Twister with the newer downtown version. So, here's a little add-on to Shane's thread ...

 

I've noticed that not much is ever said about the Wild Cat. I was surprised what a great little ride it turned out to be. Below are a few pics of both coasters. The B&W images (courtesy of PTC) illustrate the WC's original low-profile second hill and show what the ride looked like prior to Twister's construction.

 

*Note: The color shots came to me in the early 90s when I was editor of ACE News. I found them on a disc, and have no idea who the photographer is.*

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It's sad to see a park with no room to expand. The old Elitch's loooks nice, but the new one is all concrete and no trees. The Wild Cat and Mister Twister looked really fun!

 

-Tatum

 

Yes, the new Elitch's does seem quite sterile. It's among my least favorite parks for a variety of reasons. I feel those who designed it really didn't understand what made the original so special in the first place. At the very least they should have relocated the existing (and proven) wooden coasters instead of trying (and failing miserably) to build a 'modern' version of Twister. It's rather sad ...

 

-S

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^ The yellow is easier to read anyway.

 

As I said in the Shane's Attic thread, I missed the original Elitch's. But Lakeside is still there, so I'd better take a trip to Denver sometime before that one's gone.

 

Eric

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^ The yellow is easier to read anyway.

 

As I said in the Shane's Attic thread, I missed the original Elitch's. But Lakeside is still there, so I'd better take a trip to Denver sometime before that one's gone.

 

Yep, and Lakeside celebrates its centennial season this year! I feel a need for a spin on the Cyclone and Wild C'Munk!

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It's sad to see a park with no room to expand. The old Elitch's loooks nice, but the new one is all concrete and no trees. The Wild Cat and Mister Twister looked really fun!

 

-Tatum

I totally agree with your statement about the new park.

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^

As I said in the Shane's Attic thread, I missed the original Elitch's. But Lakeside is still there, so I'd better take a trip to Denver sometime before that one's gone.

 

The Lakeside Cyclone itself is worth a trip to Denver, just make sure you are there to catch the park after dark. Lakeside is a completely different park from night to day!

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^

As I said in the Shane's Attic thread, I missed the original Elitch's. But Lakeside is still there, so I'd better take a trip to Denver sometime before that one's gone.

 

The Lakeside Cyclone itself is worth a trip to Denver, just make sure you are there to catch the park after dark. Lakeside is a completely different park from night to day!

 

 

So true. Cyclone is the last Vettel coaster still operating (Conneaut's Blue Streak is SBNO), and it's one sweet ride. Those big roomy wooden trains with fixed lap bars are real treat.

 

For those into photography, Lakeside is an incomparable neon kingdom at night! Just beautiful.

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Ocean View Rocket

 

 

The Rocket (formerly Skyrocket) at Virginia’s Ocean View Park was a spectacular seaside thriller that rose to fame in 1977’s ‘Rollercoaster.’ I was quite young then, and unable to drive, but once I saw the film’s ride sequences (especially the nighttime POV prior to the ‘crash’), I vowed to somehow experience the amazing coaster in person.

 

During a family vacation in 1977 (that included Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens!), I finally convinced my Mom to stop at Ocean View. It was an early weekday afternoon and crowds were very light. I sprinted right onto the coaster’s platform with a ticket in hand … ready to ride.

 

But other than the lone operator – and older man who seemed half-asleep – I was the only one there. He perked up and told me that he couldn’t send the train unless he had at least twelve riders. What!?! I tried and tried but I could not convince anyone to ride with me … even complete strangers I accosted on the vacant midway. It was my worst nightmare.

 

In the end, I never got to ride the Rocket. My last image of it is burned into my memory: an empty three-car train sitting silently in the station with the lap bars up and ready for passengers ... that never showed up.

 

And as we all know, Ocean View Park closed the following year, and the Rocket was destroyed for a deplorable TV movie called ‘The Death of Ocean View Park.’ It was a sad ending to a classic ride.

 

-S

 

Here is the video clip of the coaster being destroyed for the movie:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oT5NESydaso

 

Here is more video from that film:

 

* These photos come from a variety of sources including my personal collection, Playboy magazine and OVP fan Doug Garner.

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If I could go back in time and ride any coaster that is now gone, The Rocket would be my #1 choice!!!

 

That speed dip after the first drop looks brutal! I wish I had the chance to ride it. I can't think of anything worse than sitting in the coaster and not being able to ride cause no one else would ride with you...total bummer!!!

 

Those are some great pictures. I believe that when the movie Roller Coaster was filmed the ride got a pretty make over but it it's last days it was pretty delapidated (sp?)

 

That crash scene in Roller Coaster is pretty good! Gruesome but Good!

 

PS- where are the nudie shots from Playboy???

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