Shane's Amusement Attic

I still have the 1996 Getaway Guide heralding the new Outer Limits: Flight of Fear and it's similar with the same photos but less rambling.

I agree that Days of Thunder has the worst location for a theme park attraction.

Kings Island, while a very beautiful park, has some of the worst attraction locations of any park. If someone unfamiliar with the park was dropped off without a map they could easily walk right by some of the best stuff:

Flight Deck

Adventure Express

Flight of Fear

Firehawk

Days of Thunder (or whatever the hell it is now)

The Beast

White Water Canyon

and not even know they existed. While the Busch & Sea World go to extremes to make their rides interactive with guests and themed surroundings, Kings Island has taken some of their best stuff and hidden them off the beaten path with nothing more than a flimsy sign along the midway...blink and you'll miss it.

Funny you should mention those rides. Even though I've been to Kings Island many times there are some visits where I forget Adventure Express is there despite passing the entrance sign many times during my visit. The worst offender would White Water Canyon. Even though I like the seclusion in the woods it's a heck of a walk to get to.

However I also think that in some cases like Adventure Express and The Beast those rides wouldn't be the good rides they are in any other location because of the terrain they were built on.

Definately Agree with White Water Canyon's 1/4 Mile Long Queue Line.

Silver Dollar City is Guilty of the Same Crime.

Time for a look back at some old Kodak 110 photos. Developed at Fotomat after a week of waiting. Once upon a time, the Mountain really was Magic!

From the same roll of film there were these two shots of the Las Vegas Hilton. You can tell how old these are just by looking at that hotel.

Wow; Colossus looked gorgeous back then. Thanks for the great photos Shane!

Amazing! This is the Magic Mountain I grew up with! I really loved this park!

It is true, they did have flats once upon a time! Amazing!

Nice job once again, Shane!

Wow, amazing pictures! Thanks for sharing them with us!

Amazing! This is the Magic Mountain I grew up with! I really loved this park!

Same here! I'd love to see more photos from this era.

I remember David and me visiting this park on our Very First Roadtrip down the west coast, in September 1975.

And wasn't that zippy little (but mighty intense I remember) steel coaster called the Mountain Express, Shane?

I am so happy to see two actual photos of it! Been so long.

And I believe it was actually one of my first International Credits, heh heh.

Great to see all of this, Shane. Thanks for sharing it all with us.

Brings up good first travel memories.

And Happy New Year to you and your boys, and close friends and family.

Best Wishes and continued success with The Attic, The Water Park... and your hair, mm mm!

Bearhugs.

WOW. Some of those memories came -flying- back to me seeing the pictures of the 'nearly unmodified' Colossus and the stunningly beautiful Revolution... not to mention the 'bonus' shots of the Wildcat 54 that resided there so long ago.

It's also interesting to see the International in it's first 'status'- well before the additions to the tower, and later the sprawling towards the Strip. (Some will get that entire reference...).

Nice job as usual!

What was that ride that looks like the Superman ride at Magic Mountain?

^ You mean that drop tower? It's just like the Demon Drop that was at Cedar Point (now at Dorney). I believe it was located near Riddler's Revenge.

Last night, I watched the movie Rollercoaster for the first time in years. (Some friends gave it to me for Christmas.) So, I got a dose of both Magic Mountain and Kings Dominion before some of their "charm" was stripped away.

What was that ride that looks like the Superman ride at Magic Mountain?

That was Freefall, a 1st-gen Intamin drop tower.

Wow! Can't believe there are photos of the Mountain Express!

Was FreeFall replaced with the Superman ride?

^ No, Freefall was in a different section of the park. It was near Tidal Wave and the Riddler's Revenge.

Thanks again for all your pictures Shane. I am really enjoying them.

I wish I would have saved some of the brochures from when I was younger. I remember one SFMM brochure promoting Condor.

Thanks Shane! That picture of Revolution on the 4th hill, alone, could hold me forever. Well,.... not as much as a ride on it back then, but you know. Great pictures

Was FreeFall replaced with the Superman ride?

A rock-climbing wall replaced Freefall. A FREAKING ROCK WALL.

Yes, that was the Magic Mountain I grew up with too. Loved it then, like it now. I miss the Mountain Express and Magic Pagoda.

Anyone remember this ride? I'd give you a TPR bag of crap if you guess right but I don't have one, so you will just get a "great job" from Shane's Amusement Attic if you guess right.

^ I'm not sure exactly what it is, but It kind of *looks* like Raging Wolf Bobs!

I just want to say that I spent and hour and a half reading through this thread today! What a great read! It's been done numerous times throughout, but I have to say I'm impressed by the material you have provided all of us Shane. If I had to rate TPR's threads, this would be #1 in my book. (Big Mike, I love yours too!)

Robb must be so proud to display your work on his site. Keep it up Shane!

I just want to say that I spent and hour and a half reading through this thread today! What a great read! It's been done numerous times throughout, but I have to say I'm impressed by the material you have provided all of us Shane. If I had to rate TPR's threads, this would be #1 in my book. (Big Mike, I love yours too!)

 

Robb must be so proud to display your work on his site. Keep it up Shane!

^ That is very nice of you to say, and I truly appreciate everyone's comments about this thread. I had no idea what this thread would turn into after I posted the first 1970 ads for the California parks, but here it is, 5 years later and over 788,000 views.

I have loved going through everything I have saved over the years and rediscovering the parks I fell in love with as a kid. They have changed over the years that's for sure, the rides have gotten better but the charm has been compromised by corporate America.

I am thrilled to share with you all the history of these great parks so keep the comments coming of our memories, stories and even pictures.

PS- Robb, you are correct, that is the Raging Wolf Bobs please give yourself a TPR bag of crap. I should have known you would know it right off since you are a CNBC analyst.

^ I'm not sure exactly what it is, but It kind of *looks* like Raging Wolf Bobs!

Robb is correct. That is the Raging Wolf Bobs, at Geauga Lake, before they painted it white. I forget when the finally did paint it, but it was after it was open a season (or two?).

Sadly, I never got to ride that one, I only went once back in 1998 for their Halloween event, and they had some ride through hay ride near the area so it was closed. But I did ride the Big Dipper (wow, what great ejector air time!), Double Loop and Mind Eraser. But I got the Dipper credit, which was more important.

I first saw pictures of it in Gary Kyriazi book, "The Great American Amusement Park", a book I'm sure Shane has read (or owns!). For the late 70's and many years it was the holy scripture for amusement park geeks before the internet. I learned about many parks I had never heard of before through that book, and have now visited almost all of them!