Thanks for the great "Alpenflug" pictures. The first one was taken at Oktoberfest in Munich, the only fair the ride ever played.
The coaster was so popular that the owner had to call in police to control the crowd of spectators and riders. Of course this was also a sure way to get some free press.
I still remember that "Alpenflug" made huge waves in the news and in the papers.
After all, the manufacturer MBB is/was a hi-tech weapon company with a very unpopular standing in postwar Germany.
The coaster was the largest and most amazing (travelling) coaster the world had seen back then and when it was closed down and permanently dismantled due to its faulty fabrication, the publicity got even larger.
The whole "Alpenflug" dilemma was certainly not the kind of publicity and image-change the dubious company had hoped for.
The other pictures show the ride during construction on the MBB plant near Munich. That explains the unfinished IKEA look of the cars.
It´s a pity that there are no more pictures which show the ride in fill swing.
According to the Stengel book, every part was manufactured as a double. So the second coaster was actually already existing, but it was never assembled and probably ended up as some bombshell.
Speaking of the Stengel book: There are some sketches of Big Bad Wolf from the Schwarzkopf-phase.
They show a train of 4-person cars, which look almost identical to the Arrow-trains. There is a scene which shows the train racing through a "bob"-trough, with the track hidden in the theming.
Then there is another scene in which the train is racing down a snowy hill, while "jumping" over a "bavarian" house, which is half sunken in the snow.
Those sketches indicate that Schwarzkopf and most likely Busch Gardens were not planning to use those huge "Flugbahn" cars, nor the circular track that was originally designed for this attraction.
kitsch transporter wrote:Thanks for the great "Alpenflug" pictures. The first one was taken at Oktoberfest in Munich, the only fair the ride ever played.
The coaster was so popular that the owner had to call in police to control the crowd of spectators and riders. Of course this was also a sure way to get some free press. I still remember that "Alpenflug" made huge waves in the news and in the papers. After all, the manufacturer MBB is/was a hi-tech weapon company with a very unpopular standing in postwar Germany.
The coaster was the largest and most amazing (travelling) coaster the world had seen back then and when it was closed down and permanently dismantled due to its faulty fabrication, the publicity got even larger.
The whole "Alpenflug" dilemma was certainly not the kind of publicity and image-change the dubious company had hoped for.
The other pictures show the ride during construction on the MBB plant near Munich. That explains the unfinished IKEA look of the cars.
It´s a pity that there are no more pictures which show the ride in fill swing.
According to the Stengel book, every part was manufactured as a double. So the second coaster was actually already existing, but it was never assembled and probably ended up as some bombshell.
Speaking of the Stengel book: There are some sketches of Big Bad Wolf from the Schwarzkopf-phase. They show a train of 4-person cars, which look almost identical to the Arrow-trains. There is a scene which shows the train racing through a "bob"-trough, with the track hidden in the theming. Then there is another scene in which the train is racing down a snowy hill, while "jumping" over a "bavarian" house, which is half sunken in the snow. Those sketches indicate that Schwarzkopf and most likely Busch Gardens were not planning to use those huge "Flugbahn" cars, nor the circular track that was originally designed for this attraction.
I have the Stengel book. It really is a treasure trove of info. You are right about the sketches showing a ride that looked a lot like the Arrow version that except for the "snow" theme and the bob skids on the vehicles. From what I can gather from interviews with both Stengel and Ron Toomer, the "original" BBW design did indeed call for the single-pipe track and the big 14-seat cars, but for whatever reason the second version Stengel did used the same setup used on the Bat vehicles/track. Stengel also made it very clear that Schwarzkopf had every intention of banking his track on the BBW, unlike what transpired on the Bat and Alpen-Flug.
Furthermore, I asked Stengel if he thought a true suspended coaster could be built today and he was very enthusiastic about it. He even said his company had developed additional calculations to make it possible and that he would be quite excited to work on a modern version of the suspended coaster. Now wouldn't THAT be something to see ...
Seeing as you say you interview Mr. Stengel I assume you where the one that wrote the article about Alpenflug in First Drop about a year ago It was a very interesting story, both then and now and I would love to hear more like it Looking forward to the rest!
^ Well I would love to take credit for that update because it is one of the best I have seen! But Scott is the one with all those great pictures.
-Shane
PS. I am completely intrigued by this Stengel Book. I am going to try and track down a copy right now, what is the name of it? In the mean time I WOULD LOVE IT if you posted the pictures and sketches Anton did of the Big Bad Wolf.
Check out Season 5 of Shane's Amusement Attic NOW PLAYING New Season, New Posts, New Logo...Old Stuff!
Nosferatu wrote: Seeing as you say you interview Mr. Stengel I assume you where the one that wrote the article about Alpenflug in First Drop about a year ago It was a very interesting story, both then and now and I would love to hear more like it Looking forward to the rest!
Nosferatu wrote: Seeing as you say you interview Mr. Stengel I assume you where the one that wrote the article about Alpenflug in First Drop about a year ago It was a very interesting story, both then and now and I would love to hear more like it Looking forward to the rest!
Yes, I did the FD story.
Wow, sorry. I got the attic and the closet mixed up a bit there Anyway, I just want to say it was a great feature, and one of my favorites. Keep up the good work
Users viewing this topic: No registered users and 1 guest
These pages are in no way affiliated with nor endorsed by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Cedar Fair, Legoland, Merlin Entertainment, Blackstone, Tussaud's Group, Six Flags, Universal Theme Parks, the Walt Disney Company or any other theme park company.
All onride
photos and videos on this website were taken with the permission of the park by
a professional ride photographer.
For yours and others safety, please do not attempt to take photos or videos at
parks without proper permission.
Disclaimer!
You need a sense of humor to view our site,
if you don't have a sense of humor, or are easily offended, please turn back
now!
Most of the content on this forum is suitable for all ages. HOWEVER! There may be some content that would be considered rated "PG-13." Theme Park Review is NOT recommended for ages under 13 years of age.