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Scott's Coaster Closet


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Concerning the Rainbow/UFO:

Here is a picture of a ride called Taifun which was taken at the Expo in Brussels in 1958. This is the one with a 180° bow. It has only 6 cars and actually seems to have two loading stations.

 

http://users.skynet.be/rentfarm/expo58/viewmaster/index_bestanden/page0084.htm

 

I remember a ride called Super Passat, which was build by Heinz Fähtz. This was the one with the quarter bow. It used to play on German fairs during the 60s and 70s before the Enterprise made its debut.

It is actually part of my earliest memories when I was two years old.

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Scott-"Weiner Looping with ONLY lap bars!"

 

Man I remember when I was kid and rode that...OMG I was so scared the first time but after that it was on like donkey kong!!!!!! I miss the old school rides like that, we need more like that!

 

Weiner Looping - drool! I take it it hasn't found a loving home since it's days at Flamingo Land in the UK.

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Scott-"Weiner Looping with ONLY lap bars!"

 

Man I remember when I was kid and rode that...OMG I was so scared the first time but after that it was on like donkey kong!!!!!! I miss the old school rides like that, we need more like that!

 

Weiner Looping - drool! I take it it hasn't found a loving home since it's days at Flamingo Land in the UK.

 

I haven't heard what happened to Weiner Looping. It's an incredible ride that would be far more tolerable if it were allowed to run with only the lap bars -- as its creators intended. When I rode it at Circus World, there was no pain whatsoever. There was a rumor that it 'could' show up on the German fair circuit again. That would be sweet.

 

-S

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Is no one going to comment on that strange quote in the Marriott BIO article? It is a classic!

"...You wait hours and hours for that one wonderful minute..."

 

Well I have just one thing to say....A flume ride doesn't even come close, not even Splash Mountain.

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More here on the destruction of the Ocean View Rocket, the Roller Coaster that wouldn't Die.

 

This article comes from Charles J. Jacques, Jr's "Amusement Park Journal" These old magazines have a wealth of great historical stuff in them. I am so glad I saved them I am enjoying reading them all over again.

 

Russell if you are reading this I hope you are enjoying all this Rocket stuff!

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414096451_rocket1.thumb.jpg.9fa2af27e1191216db674aa00dc28363.jpg

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Is no one going to comment on that strange quote in the Marriott BIO article? It is a classic!

"...You wait hours and hours for that one wonderful minute..."

 

Well I have just one thing to say....A flume ride doesn't even come close, not even Splash Mountain.

 

I saw that too! Some of that stuff is priceless!

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All these posts about the Ocean View Rocket and the films shot there reminded me of another park that might've gotten some last-minute notoriety from such an endeavor -- Hanson's Park in Harvey's Lake, PA.

 

Check out the sixth paragraph of the 1981 story below. It talks about MGM considering a film that that would've included the destruction of the park's coaster. I wonder what film this was supposed to be ... ?

 

When I visited Hanson's in '81, it had been closed for a year. The coaster -- the L-shaped out & back Speed Hound -- built by Oscar Bitler in 1931 and reminded me of his quirky Cyclone at William's Grove. The ride looked interesting but it's another one that I climbed all over but never got to ride. I have a few others pics of the structure I'll have to dig out of the closet.

 

-S

h2.jpg.00824fa832a4796367516ac8dcd3d4a1.jpg

Oh, Look! It's me in 1981 --- aboard yet ANOTHER coaster that closed forever before I got to ride it!

h1.thumb.jpg.758eb608bf43767c7e7691ff9d160e46.jpg

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I just flipped through the entire thread, and have to say that I am truly amazed at the amount of coaster pictures, documentaries, video clips, magazine/newspaper articles, IAAPA booklets, and more that you've saved up over the years. Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us! It's nice to see pictures of coasters that no longer exist, especially the classic woodies. How many SBNO, soon-to-be-destroyed coasters did you get a chance to visit?

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I just flipped through the entire thread, and have to say that I am truly amazed at the amount of coaster pictures, documentaries, video clips, magazine/newspaper articles, IAAPA booklets, and more that you've saved up over the years. Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us! It's nice to see pictures of coasters that no longer exist, especially the classic woodies. How many SBNO, soon-to-be-destroyed coasters did you get a chance to visit?

 

Thanks! I'm just glad people here are enjoying what we (Shane, myself and a few others) have to share. I've found it disheartening that many of today's coaster/park enthusiasts care little for the amusement industry's history, opting instead for the next mega-hyper-whatever. But the response we've gotten over the Attic/Closet/Shoebox/etc. threads has been rather refreshing.

 

It's my hope that what we're doing here will inspire others to dig their into parents/grandparents' collections and pull out a few treasures that no one has seen for a long time!

 

-S

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^ I can't believe the stuff I have seen and learned since these "attic, closet, shoebox and the Matterhorn" threads have started up.

 

I thought I had a lot of good stuff in my collection but I have seem some really great stuff that I have never seen or knew. Thanks everyone for adding comments, photos, or videos to these threads. Sharing your collections with other enthusiats is far better than letting the mice poo on them in shoeboxes!!!

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How many SBNO, soon-to-be-destroyed coasters did you get a chance to visit?

 

Far too many to count or remember ... but I'll try:

 

Ocean View Rocket

Buckroe Beach Dips

Wildwood Screem Machine

West View Racing Whippet

West View Dips

West View Kiddie Coaster

Hanson's Speed Hound

Ponchartrain Beach Zephyr/Ragin' Cagin'

Chippewa Lake Big Dipper/Wild Mouse

Rocky Springs Wildcat

Dallas Fair Park Comet

CNE Flyer

Belmont Park Earthquake (but came back to ride it as Giant Dipper!)

 

I'm sure there are a few more but it's been a long week. I'll see what else is lurking in The Closet.

 

-S

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With all the recent chatter about Arrow's Pipeline, I thought this would be the perfect time to jump in with two other prototypes that never quite made it ...

 

In the late 1970's, Arrow Development began to experiment with two new products: the Flying Turns and the Looping Suspended Coaster. Here are rare images (shot by Gary Slade in 1980) of both rides at the Mountain View, CA factory.

 

The Turns had all kinds of issues such as trains that were difficult to control (note the roll bars). I know people who rode this beast ... and let's just say ... it was a WILD ride.

 

Triva: Six Flags actually contracted with Arrow to build FIVE (!) Turns rides ... starting at SFOT. When the prototype proved "difficult" ... they went with Intamin. So, imagine all the SF that had the Swiss ride COULD've had an Arrow Turns if things had worked out differently.

 

The Looping Suspended Coaster (note the corkscrew!!!) eventually became the Bat at Kings Island .. sans inversion. Unforturnately, Arrow learned nothing from the AlpenFlug disaster in Germany (1975) and elected NOT to bank the Bat's track, which led to its destruction.

 

Enjoy these refugees from The Island of Misfit Rides.

 

 

-S

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I remember seeing something about the Arrow Flying Turns back in the early '80s. Not long after that, SFMM got the Sarajevo Bobsleds. At the time, I was not aware that Intamin was developing a version, so I thought that SFMM got the Arrow version.

 

It is too bad that the Pipeline never got past the prototype stage. Imagine what they could have done with that!

 

Eric

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The corkscrew in action is at the bottom of this page.

 

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that those pictures of the flying turns and looping suspended prototypes are the coolest things ever on the face of the Earth. Ever.

 

Ever.

 

Thanks, Scott! Incredible stuff.

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Those pictures are awesome! I had never even heard that Arrow had messed around with a Flying Turns style ride.

 

There's something to be said for how cool it was to actually *build* little prototypes instead of just using computers.

 

Mike

 

Arrow did a lot of "experimenting." including a (tubular) take on the Virginia Reel. I interviewed Ron Toomer last year and learned A LOT about Arrow's early endeavors ...

 

-S

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Here is that picture of the suspended corkscrew...

 

Scott- theses are great pictures. I have never seen pictures like that of the flying turns or the looping suspended coaster. I think that the flying turns is one ugly sucker. It seems they did not take asthetics into consideration when they started designing that thing. Kind or reminds me of all the supports on Volcano.

 

The story I heard with the Flying Turns is that Six Flags did place an order for several Flying Turns with the first one to be installed at SFOT. They even removed the Big Bend to make way for it. When Arrow couldn't control the ride in a way that Six Flags expected it they cancelled the order and Arrow ended up scrapping the ride.

642045914_Suspendedcorkscrew.jpg.d9c6aece5c7dc062b87b654a93fabc15.jpg

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The corkscrew in action is at the bottom of this page.

 

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that those pictures of the flying turns and looping suspended prototypes are the coolest things ever on the face of the Earth. Ever.

 

Ever.

 

Thanks, Scott! Incredible stuff.

 

Actually, in that pic the train was not "in action." It's just hanging there.

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Here is that picture of the suspended corkscrew...

 

Scott- theses are great pictures. I have never seen pictures like that of the flying turns or the looping suspended coaster. I think that the flying turns is one ugly sucker. It seems they did not take asthetics into consideration when they started designing that thing. Kind or reminds me of all the supports on Volcano.

 

The story I heard with the Flying Turns is that Six Flags did place an order for several Flying Turns with the first one to be installed at SFOT. They even removed the Big Bend to make way for it. When Arrow couldn't control the ride in a way that Six Flags expected it they cancelled the order and Arrow ended up scrapping the ride.

 

Hehe ... yeah, Arrow tended to overbuild sometimes. Their Turns is a good example. For the most part, the problem with the ride was not the trough or structure, but the train. They had a bi*ch of time controlling it.

 

Six Flags asked for five Turns rides, with the first slated for SFOT. Arrow went as far as fabricating the troughs for most of them. When the deal fell through -- and SF went with Intamin -- the troughs could be seen piled up off to the side of the Mountain View property for quite a while. Just imagine what might've been had Arrow continued and perfected the design ...

 

I LOVE the suspended coaster concept. Though the inversion is not safely possible, I feel potential remains for this concept. Anyone who rode the KI Bat knows what an incredibly thrilling ride it was. With just a little banking, it's feasible that it could still be around today.

 

-S

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Six Flags asked for five Turns rides, with the first slated for SFOT. Arrow went as far as fabricating the troughs for most of them. When the deal fell through -- and SF went with Intamin -- the troughs could be seen piled up off to the side of the Mountain View property for quite a while.

-S

 

Just to clarify a little. Six Flags did not use Intamin Bobsleds as a replacement from the Arrow ones. There was several (5-6) years in between the scrapping of the Arrow prototype and the Intamin interpretation. Arrow used a fiberglass trough, you can see a section of it here in this picture.

 

I love seeing Arrow prototypes I would love to go thru their old files. I wonder if all that stuff is stored up in the S&S plant or if it has all been lost?

998484020_ArrowMfg7.thumb.jpg.34699ce655eca7e5d1dfb58945f25426.jpg

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Six Flags asked for five Turns rides, with the first slated for SFOT. Arrow went as far as fabricating the troughs for most of them. When the deal fell through -- and SF went with Intamin -- the troughs could be seen piled up off to the side of the Mountain View property for quite a while.

-S

 

Just to clarify a little. Six Flags did not use Intamin Bobsleds as a replacement from the Arrow ones. There was several (5-6) years in between the scrapping of the Arrow prototype and the Intamin interpretation. Arrow used a fiberglass trough, you can see a section of it here in this picture.

 

I love seeing Arrow prototypes I would love to go thru their old files. I wonder if all that stuff is stored up in the S&S plant or if it has all been lost?

 

When did the first Intamin Bobsled show up ... 83-84ish?

 

After Arrow's attempt did not go over so well in late 1980-81 (I wish it had as I'm not a fan of Intamin's WAYYYYYYY oversized vehicle and awkward steel trough), SF elected to go with Intamin. That gave the Swiss boys ... 2.5 years or so to R&D and get the ride into a park.

 

Ron Toomer told me he thought they could've made it work if they'd had more time to work on the train.

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