Scott's Coaster Closet

^^That problem needs to be corrected immediately.

 

 

Great job with this blast from the past. A shame many of us didn't enjoy some these smaller parks when we were younger.

Thanks. I'm glad people are enjoying the various retro park/ride threads here at TPR. My hope is that it'll encourage others who have access to such collections to share.

-S

Yes, one of these days when I leave the dark ages and enter the digital age at home, I will scan photos of my family vacation to WDW from 1972.

I also have a lot of great pictures from Circus World during a family vacation in 1978.

I think the Shooting Star is the reason I'm into rollercoasters today. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of standing at the foot of the first drop and wondering how people got on to something that was moving so fast. I couldn't fathom how it would ever stop. This was before I had mastered the talking thing (two or three years old) so I couldn't get answers to these deep spiritual questions.

The most sad and pathetic part was that I was never allowed to ride it. By the time I was old enough to go the park on my own, it was gone. It still comes up in therapy sessions.

Scott-

How similar is the layout to the Screamin Eagle? Did it make that 90 degree dog leg turn or was it simply and out an backer that crossed over the bottom of the lift?

I would love to see a layout. I am not sure why but I have always had a strange fascination with the Screamin Eagle. I think it is a beautiful coaster, at least when it was all nicely painted, and it makes such a beautiful back drop to SFSL.

I think the Shooting Star is the reason I'm into rollercoasters today. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of standing at the foot of the first drop and wondering how people got on to something that was moving so fast. I couldn't fathom how it would ever stop. This was before I had mastered the talking thing (two or three years old) so I couldn't get answers to these deep spiritual questions.

 

The most sad and pathetic part was that I was never allowed to ride it. By the time I was old enough to go the park on my own, it was gone. It still comes up in therapy sessions.

Sorry to hear the Shooting Star was one of your ABNR (Admired-But-Not-Ridden) coasters. If you've followed this thread, you know I have SO many of those rides. Hopefully, your therapist can help help you work through it. I think I need help getting over NOT riding the Ocean View Rocket ...

The Shooting Star really was a wonderful coaster. I wish I had documented it more than I did. If only I could find those Super-8 movies!

It did have the dog-leg on the hill after the first two big bunny hops. And I seem to remember the return had a strange little crook inside that dog-leg before hopping up onto the brakes. You could see it as you waited in line for the giant slide. Not that I obsessed about it or anything.

Thirteen years of admiring but not riding...

Scott-

 

How similar is the layout to the Screamin Eagle? Did it make that 90 degree dog leg turn or was it simply and out an backer that crossed over the bottom of the lift?

 

I would love to see a layout. I am not sure why but I have always had a strange fascination with the Screamin Eagle. I think it is a beautiful coaster, at least when it was all nicely painted, and it makes such a beautiful back drop to SFSL.

Shane,

I have aerials of both rides that I used in an ACE News layout, which were shot by the late Wayne Stuber @ Aerial Perspective. But they are copyrighted, so I am hesitant to post them here. (Someone with my same last name has blatantly violated U.S. copyright law and is selling them on Ebay right now. The authorities are closing in on that situation as I type, so I suspect -- when he reads this -- they'll vanish straight away).

Anyway, to answer your question, I'm posting two rough layout drawings that show the similarities of both rides. Though the Eagle was a bit taller and longer, the rides were surprisingly similar. But still, I found the Star more thrilling.

-S

Well it looks like they cloned rides back then too.

WOW!!! This picture brings back so many memories! I've been to this park when i was 8. We went to visit my family in Mexico and we went here. I got on it with my older sisters, as well as the round-up and one of those carnival parachute/umbrella rides. The seats hang and it goes up at an angle just like the round-up. I don't have too many memories other than those 3 rides and getting a soda and being upset because the soda was pour out of the glass bottle and into a plastic sandwich bag with a straw inserted. And then I remember the big fountain thing outside of the park I believe across the street. My mom has pictures of us there, I'll have to ask her if she still has them.

Also my parents and aunt have been on it. Both my parents lived in Mexico until they were in their mid 20s. When they were in their late teens they went to this park on a double date with my aunt and some guy she was dating at the time. My aunt forced my mom on, my mom was too scared to get on but she eventually gave in and they all got on. Well apparently after the first drop my mom said she saw my aunts head just flopping around and she had passed out! Haha, my mom and dad and the guy she was dating spent the ride holding my aunt up. She came to after the ride. Ever since my aunt is deathly afraid of roller coasters...even Big Thunder at Disneyland. Even when she see's coaster footage on TV she starts getting all tense and the 'AYE DIOS!'s start coming out of her mouth. Its really funny.

That looks like a dawm good racer, I've only been to Kennywood racer and the Gemini.

That was in a trip to America 5 years ago, since then I never have been to America our other Racers.

But anyway, this coaster looks brilliant, allthought I don't like the coulers in further pictures.

Well, cya!

Wow, nice pictures. Are Colossus at SFMM and Gemini at Cedar Point the only remaining dualing/racing wooden coasters left? Or are there a few other still standing? Just cruious.

Well it looks like they cloned rides back then too.

Herb Schmeck constantly duplicated successful elements of his many design throughout his career. The Myers Lake Comet and Knoebels Phoenix (aka Rocket) are almost identical.

It appears John Allen did the same thing .. at least with the Shooting Star and Screamin' Eagle.

-S

Too bad John Allen didn't build a clone of Mr Twister, then we would have had a back up.

Too bad John Allen didn't build a clone of Mr Twister, then we would have had a back up.

Agreed. It remains one of my greatest hopes that those who decided to trash Twister and Wildcat and create that abomination downtown have a nice toasty place awaiting them ...

Wow, nice pictures. Are Colossus at SFMM and Gemini at Cedar Point the only remaining dualing/racing wooden coasters left? Or are there a few other still standing? Just cruious.

There are a lot of racing coasters still standing, and still operating today! Im not gonna list all of them, just look on RCBD!

-Tatum "Hasn't ridden a racer yet"

That looks like a dawm good racer, I've only been to Kennywood racer and the Gemini.

That was in a trip to America 5 years ago, since then I never have been to America our other Racers.

But anyway, this coaster looks brilliant, allthought I don't like the coulers in further pictures.

Well, cya!

As others have said, check out: www.rcdb.com.

You'll find there are a few racers still out there, though none compare to the Mexico version in terms of intensity.

-S

WOW!!! This picture brings back so many memories! I've been to this park when i was 8. We went to visit my family in Mexico and we went here. I got on it with my older sisters, as well as the round-up and one of those carnival parachute/umbrella rides. The seats hang and it goes up at an angle just like the round-up. I don't have too many memories other than those 3 rides and getting a soda and being upset because the soda was pour out of the glass bottle and into a plastic sandwich bag with a straw inserted. And then I remember the big fountain thing outside of the park I believe across the street. My mom has pictures of us there, I'll have to ask her if she still has them.

 

Also my parents and aunt have been on it. Both my parents lived in Mexico until they were in their mid 20s. When they were in their late teens they went to this park on a double date with my aunt and some guy she was dating at the time. My aunt forced my mom on, my mom was too scared to get on but she eventually gave in and they all got on. Well apparently after the first drop my mom said she saw my aunts head just flopping around and she had passed out! Haha, my mom and dad and the guy she was dating spent the ride holding my aunt up. She came to after the ride. Ever since my aunt is deathly afraid of roller coasters...even Big Thunder at Disneyland. Even when she see's coaster footage on TV she starts getting all tense and the 'AYE DIOS!'s start coming out of her mouth. Its really funny.

Glad the pic brought back good memories for you. I shot that pic on my last trip to ride the Racer before it was overhauled and ... altered. That's when they ran all six of those beautiful NAD trains in their Century Flyer glory! I miss those days ...[/b]

^ I'm curious, so what exactly did CCI do to those trains? I had thought at one time CCI was developing their own trains for this ride (wasn't one of them on Pegasus at one point?) but I had thought that went horribly wrong.

Is the only CCI train left the one running on The Underground?

--Robb

^ I'm curious, so what exactly did CCI do to those trains? I had thought at one time CCI was developing their own trains for this ride (wasn't one of them on Pegasus at one point?) but I had thought that went horribly wrong.

 

Is the only CCI train left the one running on The Underground?

 

--Robb

Rob,

When I rode LMR prior to the overhaul, the six 4-car Century Flyers featured seat belts with heavily padded lap bars. Due to the ride's extreme negative-Gs, the park added a vertical iron rod that was hinged to the car's floor. After the single lap bar was lowered over both riders, an attendant locked it to the iron rod. After one ride, I understand the need for the hardware.

During the overhaul, I believe the NAD chassis was used with CCI

modified bodies, seats, and individual ratcheting lap bars with an extra chain on lap bar. Rather uncomfortable due to the bar ratcheting down during the ride. I hope CCI didn't trash those beautiful headlighted fronts and side-panels. But I expect they probably did. Yet another crime against history.

-Scott

All very nice stuff. I'm more interested in history then I think any other aspect of coasters and amusement parks, so this is pretty darn helpful in seeing pictures of things I've always wanted to take a look at. The Racing Whippet was a big one as all I'd seen was just a few shots of that turn right on the ground.

I was also wondering if anyone had anything on the Miller's Puritas Springs Cyclone? That was one I always wanted to check out, but have yet to find any sizable pictures that tell me anything.

Ok, this is one of my more obscure offerings from The Closet, and it will probably appeal more to the wooden coaster purists out there.

With that said, I've always had a fascination with wooden roller coasters with manual braking systems. In the old days, this is the way virtually all coasters were operated. There's something terribly romantic about a loaded train roaring into the station and having its momentum arrested by an operator using his weight and skill to manipulate various wooden levers, eventually bringing the train to a smooth stop. There was a certain grace I associated with the whole affair, and I miss that.

Sadly,most of the wooden levers and skid brakes have been replaced with with harsh squeeze brakes and soulless magnetics. At least we still have Camden Park and a few others ...

Enjoy,

-Scott

Camden Park Big Dipper - Beautiful Century Flyers! They use a rare manual squeeze-brake system.

Camden Park Big Dipper

Lake Winnie Cannon Ball

Me again! Williams Grove Cyclone R.I.P

It's ME! Waiting for the Giant Dipper's P&C train that will never arrive ...

Ponchartrain Zephyr -- The Last Day '83

Crystal Beach Coment

Playland Coaster (Vancouver)

Rye Playland Dragon. Miss those trains ...

Whalom Park Flyer Comet

Geauga Lake Big Dipper -- (R.I.P.?)

Conneaut Lake Blue Streak

Ahh, the good old days when the CP Blue Streak was operated in a classic manner.

THANK YOU for posting those! I am a Big Ol' Brake geek and I wish more coasters were still manually braked like that.

The Coaster in Playland, Vancouver (celebrating it's 50th Birthday this year, by the way) has got computer stuff linked into all of it's twists and turns, the lift hill, the braking runs, everywhere...

But they still do the braking in the station like they did when the coaster was first opened, in 1958.

It's still one of those "few others," thankfully.

And thanks for sharing a great part of the wood coaster experience.

The brake guys!

EDIT: Never mind, Rollo coaster still uses manual brakes; I guess I got it confused with something else.

THANK YOU for posting those! I am a Big Ol' Brake geek and I wish more coasters were still manually braked like that.

I KNEW I wasn't alone in my brake handle obsession!