Coney Island (Luna Park / Deno's) Development Discussion Thread

Thanks for the update, Larry. When it opens this year I plan on making a trip up there to check it out.

^ Is there a Dark Ride in there, somewhere?

Just curious.

Deno's Wonder Wheel Park has Spook House. It was refurbished after Hurricane Sandy. Although, they lost some classic stunts the totality of the new ride is much better. The ride features Spinning Pretzel Cars that don't spin. These are the only cars of this type currently in operation, until Wild Bill's completes their version.

Also, in the Independent rides area there is another dark ride, Ghost Hole. It is portable but has been set-up in this footprint for years. Good effects, but not as good of Deno's Spook House. It think both rides currently cost $7 each.

Here a link to a 2010 PTR that has a picture of the Ghost Hole facade

Coney Island's The Cyclone Rollercoaster official Facebook page has shared some great photos of the latest work currently ongoing for the iconic ride's retracking!

Before anyone asks.

There was no track on site for the Thunderbolt as of my drive by the park on February 13th.

Maybe I'll go back to Coney Island when the Cyclone re-opens this year - hopefully I'll like it better than I did the last time I rode it...

I honestly don't remember, but I'm assuming the plan is to eventually retrack the entire layout, correct? For those that rode it recently, did the previously retracked section ride noticeably better?

Still very intrigued by Thunderbolt as well......looking forward to seeing some construction.

It is awesome to see the Cyclone getting some love. It was definitely a "memorable" ride the two times I've visited .

Looking forward to more news and updates from Coney Island!

David

I honestly don't remember, but I'm assuming the plan is to eventually retrack the entire layout, correct? For those that rode it recently, did the previously retracked section ride noticeably better?

Yes, it does ride better in the retracked sections. But in all honesty I have no had trouble in any of the middle rows. I always suggest avoiding the front and last rows of each car if you are leery.

Really interesting photos of this old classic. I know Antonio Zamperla talked a bit about how they could put on new trains on the ride, and still preserve the classic feeling, at IAAPA a few years ago. Wonder if those plans are still in the works?

They are not messing around with this retracking! Going to have to give it another ride if I head up to New York this summer.

It's great to see that Cyclone is getting some love. There were some areas that could use it when I rode it last fall. OK, from what I remember, there were a lot of areas that could use some love. I'll be back to try it out and ride Thunderbolt in the next year or two. I can't wait until construction begins on it.

I'll definitely have to make a trip back out there once Thunderbolt opens. That and the work on Cyclone should translate to a huge attendance increase.

Looking good! I rode the Cyclone this past year and didn't find it rough and didn't really think it needed retracking, but if its getting it, can't complain! Its a really enjoyable ride and even though its old its a really fun experience. The trains are bliss. Thats probably why I liked it so much! The cushioned seats took all the roughness out, leaving it to feel like a smooth ride to me! Wish all wooden coasters had seats like that.

I honestly don't remember, but I'm assuming the plan is to eventually retrack the entire layout, correct? For those that rode it recently, did the previously retracked section ride noticeably better?

It rides smoother, yeah, but honestly I much preferred the rest of the ride - the bottom of the first drop felt so... controlled compared to everything after it. It's great work that GCI is doing, but it's definitely turning it in to quite the modern wooden coaster compared to what it was before.

How much difference is the track now? Did GCI only retracked it or did some modification?

^ Modifications to this classic would be considered blasphemy. Nah, I believe its just all retrack work.

There was much CONTROVERSY~ (not really - just a couple local crazies were upset) because the angle of attack on the first drop was changed during the retracking process last year. It is certainly possible some hills might be changed, but they've probably been changed a hundred times over.

I think of wooden coasters after 80+ years there are 99,9% of the coaster having been replaced - the original shape is still there of course but the original coaster is long gone.

Thats of course due to the material as wood rots and decays mighty fast while well-made steel coasters can last much longer retaining its original track. On the positive side with its small parts wooden coasters can be mantained forever while it remains to be seen how long an Arrow or Schwarzkopf steel track will last...

Exactly! It's the layout that is iconic, not the wood.

Which would be fine, if the parts that GCI has redone didn't feel so smooth - not in terms of bumpiness (you can't really feel bumps thanks to the foot-worth of padding in those cars), but in terms of the curvature and how it rides. If the bottom of the first drop happened to always be the smoothest part of the ride then forgive me, but when I rode it definitely felt modern and like it didn't belong with the rest of the ride, which is wonderfully imperfect.

Glad to see that they are taking care of this ride. Sure it may not have the same "classic" feel to it when it is done, but I would take it being re-done and being around for at least another 30+ years than for it to be scrapped. I will have to see how this rides sometime in the future compared to when we rode it during the Northeast Tour in 2011

Zamperla has posted a few photos of work being done on Thunderbolt, including the assembly of the ride's vertical lift hill tower and development of the coaster's unique trains.

http://ow.ly/user/ZamperlaSpa?t=photo

Love that ride manufacturers use social media to help build hype for their projects and are more open to showing the inner-workings of the manufacturing facilities. Zamperla and Mack are especially good with this. I wonder if Zamperla chose the 3-across design for the trains so Gerstlauer wouldn't get their panties in a bunch.

^Maybe it is just me but these trains look look a lot to me like Maurer-Sohne's X-Car.

I like the whole 3-across thing! I like how Zamperla is thinking outside of the box and trying to break the stereotype!