Wow someone has finally been able to find old footage and photos of Riverside. I remember the first time a went to the park in 1996. It's hard to believe how much the park has changed in such a short amount of time. I used to work at the Riverside Cyclone during the 1999 season and the original layout was awesome, the trains sucked and the bruises hurt but it was still fun. I rode it a few years back in 2007 and it's not as exciting as it used to be.
I was working during the preseason for the 2000 season and saw the first test run with the new PTC trains and watched as it valleyed on the second hill over the lift. It took a dozen mechanics to push it over the hill. I think it was too cold because it had snowed earlier that week.
Someone mentioned the old monorail earlier. Sadly it was removed at the end of the 1996 season to make way for Shipwreck Falls and other new rides. It loaded in front of the Thunderbolt and headed south towards the Log Flume before turning around and headed north back to the station crossing over Main Street and turning over the lagoon which used to be where the old pirate boat ride that Shipwreck Falls replaced.
I think there are only a handful of rides left from the Old Riverside days, Thunderbolt, Cyclone, Mind Scrambler, Sky Ride, Gotham City Crime Wave (Waveswinger), Great Chase (Rolling Thunder), Buzzsaw (Slingshot) and Route 66.
I miss Tri-Star. It's the only one of it's kind I've ever been able to find and it was a very fun ride from Huss. Hopefully I can get back up there in a few years to check out Bizzaro.
Riverside 01.bmp
You can kinda make out the old monorail track in this photo I found at http://www.angelfire.com/nh/scubanrollercoasters/oldriverside.html