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chieftom1

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  • Birthday 01/20/1950

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  1. Here's another JPVideo highlighting Knoebels. This time it showcases Knoebels Haunted Mansion. This video was taken this past spring (May) when an auction was held to benefit Give Kids The World. D.A.F. E. (Darkride And Funhouse Enthusiasts) and Knoebels teamed up for this charity auction. The top 12 bidders were given a personal guided tour of the inside of the Haunted Mansion by Dick Knoebel himself. The introduction of the video goes as such: You've probably never watched a Knoebels Haunted Mansion video like this one. Not only do you get to see the lights on, but you also get to see members of the Knoebels family give a personal group tour of the famous darkride. Knoebels and D.A.F.E. teamed up for a charity auction. Winning bidders were able to get a once in a lifetime tour of the 45yr old Haunted Mansion. To help protect some of the magic and for respect of Knoebels, i am only sharing select video clips. Much more was shared with the group, but this will give you a good idea of how the tour went. Enjoy The video runs about 28 minutes and shows much of the interior of the Haunted Mansion and gives some history and background of some of the characters inside. The Biggest reveal, I believe, is the truck and how they got it inside. (Snicker/LOL) Enjoy this eye opening video showing what many people will never get to see. Chieftom1
  2. I just found this very interesting video on YouTube from JPVideos showing Knoebels during the off season and what the park looks like after it closes for the season (Winter 2018). The introduction goes as follows. Have you ever wondered what amusement parks look like during the winter season? I know that i was curious, so what better way to find out then to visit my favorite park, Knoebels. Parks that close down for the end of summer season have a lot of work to do to prep the park for the elements. Most people don't realize how much work is involved and what specifically is done. So we take a look at how the park hibernates for the winter. This is one of my longer videos but there was so many interesting things to see, so please watch until the end. Special Thanks to Knoebels staff giving me permission to make this video. Enjoy The video runs about 57 minutes and shows Knoebels with snow on the ground. You'll see many of the rides taken apart for the winter and how Knoebels stores the ride cars/seats to protect them from the elements. I grew up in PA and went to this park often in the late 50s and thru the 60s. I've been back many times and this for me is the BEST amusement park in the United States. Enjoy the video as you contemplate your amusement park journeys for 2019. Chieftom1
  3. Decided to visit SeaWorld San Antonio today to check up on the progress on Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster. From what I could see it appears all of the track is now in place. One construction crew was working on the island portion of the ride. It looked like they were doing the final touches on the landscaping. Another crew were working on what I think is going to be the loading platform. There is still quite a bit yet to do there as you will see by the photos. The lake floor is now all concrete and ready for flooding when the ride is complete. There is still no announced opening date for the ride. This is the view of Wave Breaker as you approach from along the lake on the Steel Eel side of the park. A view of the entire ride from above the lake and behind the Beer Garden. This is the island run of the coaster. It is right after the second hill. You can see the construction crew working on the landscaping. A good look of the track after the second hill. You should be going quite fast here and with the banking of the track on the island you should really feel it. This picture shows what I consider the loading platform on the left. The launch area should be that other building just prior to the first launch rail. A better view of the building that leads to the first launch rail. Artists renderings show there is a lot more to this area. Time will tell. This shows both coaster hills. The second hill is to the right and you can see the angle of the hill and how it sweeps down and heads towards the island. This building looks like it is the loading platform. Lots of work yet to be done. A close up view of the loading platform. A different angle of the loading platform. The break run prior to the loading platform.
  4. Took another trip over to SeaWorld San Antonio to checkout the progress on their NEW ride, Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster. After looking over the construction, I'd say the track is between 90-95% installed. There are a few outer areas that still need track sections with most of the missing track pieces near the loading station and first launch section. The second coaster hill appears to be higher than the first one but that could be an illusion due to from where you look at the coaster. SeaWorld's construction update says the coaster will be over 60 feet tall, above the water after the lake is filled back in. So that second hill might be the highest one. It appears they have some of the station house platform completed but only time will tell. They still have a lot to do if they are going to also have an area where they explain animal rescues they perform. Wave Breaker’s queue line is going to allow the rider's to experience SeaWorld's story of rescue missions and will invite riders to become involved in SeaWorld’s efforts to protect the wild wonders of our world. NO OPENING DATE has been announced. This view is trying to show the full coaster but with the trees on the island it is difficult to swee. These are the two coaster hills on Wave Breaker. The second hill (the one in the foreground) appears to be higher that the first. The yellow and green coaster is the Steel Eel. A better picture showing both Wave Breaker's hills. This is a picture showing both launch rails. The one of the left is for the first hill. This again shows the first and second hills, The one to the left is the first hill. Pictures attempts to show the long sweeping curve the second hill gives the rider. This shows some straight track that appears to go to what might be the station, but artist renditions just show this as a sort of walkway? Will have to wait until more of the structure is completed to know. A better view of the concrete structure built on either side of the track. Different view of the structure built on either side of the track. A view of Wave Breaker's hills. The one to the left is the second hill and appears to be the tallest. The highest hill is supposed to be 61 feet above the water line when the lake is refilled when construction is finished.
  5. Hello Everyone, It is Spring Break time here in San Antonio so I decided to head over to SeaWorld to see how far along the construction is on their NEW roller coaster, Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster. I was very much surprised when I saw how much of the track has already been installed. In SeaWorld's latest release they estimate that over 70% of the track has been laid. Both magnetic launchers have been installed and you can now almost follow along how the coaster will traverse the lake. I took a number of pictures today in order to show you the progress the construction crew has made on Wave Breaker. I sure hope I get the picture descriptions correct. There is a lot of track spaghetti out there and trying to figure out stuff can be daunting. I also cropped a few stills off of SeaWorld's video of Wave Breaker and a few from Coaster Studios. I hope I don't run afoul of either of them for using something from their videos. Enjoy Some perspective as to where Wave Breaker was sited on the lake. The Great White would be to the viewers left. You can also see The Steel Eel and how it willcome close to the Wave Breaker's track. Screen shot of Wave Breaker's final run back to the station. This what that final run looks like now. What the final run out looks like during construction. The lower track is the last hill before the final run back to the station. The upper track is the first hill after you are launched. A different perspective of the first and last hills. This is an aerial shot of the first hill as it goes up and curves left and over the final hill which is going back to the station. This shot was taken from SeaWorld's construction video. This shows how the first hill goes over the return one. A picture of the first hill after the launch. A different perspective of the first hill. You can view both magnetic launcher areas including the one prior to the first hill which is said to be only 61 feet. But I think they mean it will be 61 feet ABOVE the water as I suspect they will flood the construction area when the coaster comnpletes all of its inspection runs. Both magnetic launchers are seen in this picture taken from SeaWorld's video. The first launch rail is the one on the left. In this screen shot from the video rendition of the Wave Breaker you can see the first hill and then the second hill which looks a lot higher than the first. That one has not yet been erected. A screen shot off SeaWorld's construction video. This shows the first launch hill and much of the construction site. First hill and the last hill going back to the station. The Steel Eel is to the left. General construction photo. The Great White is in the background with the Steel Eel in the foreground. You can see how they incorporated the small island in the middle of the lake into Wave Breaker's run. General picture showing both launch areas. General picture showing the different track runs. The one on the right if coming off the first hill. The track on the left is the final run back to the station. Some coaster track spaghetti. The Great White is in the background. Another general construction photo. Looking down the second launcher. Screen shot of Wave Breaker taken from a SeaWorld video. Screen shot taken from SeaWorld's video.
  6. Hey there, I decided to take a trip out to Six Flags Fiesta Texas today to check out the construction of the new Batman ride. I hadn't visited the park since the Holiday in the Park time frame so I thought I'd go check out and view, first hand, what this new Batman is all about. Those of you who have visited SFFT know they took out the kids autobahn ride and they did not keep any of the station house or the walkways leading to it. I took some pictures today and thought I'd show you what I saw on the construction. The new Batman Moniker. A view of the new Batman as you approach. The new trains for the Batman ride. Another view of the trains and the seating. Not sure if all train are now on the track as there is another 'train piece' sitting on a high-boy loader. A train like connector. Since it is still in the crate and so far away it is difficult to determine how it is used. Lots of small parts and pieces that still need to be added. More sundry parts and pieces. Lots of big bolts which are used in constructing Batman The trains, head-on, and looking as they sit in their off-track storage area?
  7. At age 65, I don't have time to wait in line, LOL! I do like to use them but I ONLY get one when I am on a trip/vacation. Last year, 2014, I had one at SFMM, SFSL, and Knott's and also Silver Dollar City, but there I took the 8 ride pass and not the whole day one. I'm tired of waiting in lines and at my age I've waited in many of them. In today's amusement parks they have more people than rides and even then they don't always run all available 'trains'. Six Flags is good for doing that, IMHO. We pay to ride the rides; NOT stand in line so the Fast/Flash Passes are good for me. I ADDED ON AFTER I READ OTHER COMMENTS - BTW, I also visited Disneyland in 2014. Loved California Adventure and even stayed at the Californian for four days, but I digress. We used the Disneyland Ride Reservation System and thought it very good. It gave us (4) an opportunity to do other things while waiting for our turn to ride. Back in 2012, we, the same four, visited Universal Studios. There we had the "Front of the Line Pass' and it was worth the cost. It allowed us to ride every ride at least once, plus we had time left in the day to ride some again, and do the back-lot tour all during the same visit. If we didn't have the FOTLP it would have taken us 2 days to do everything, due to the amount of people visiting the park that day, and when you don't have the time to come back then using a Fast/Flash/Reservation/FOTL Pass is ideal. It may add to your overall cost for your trip/vacation but for me that is the ONLY way to go! Remember... It's ONLY money!!
  8. The last coaster I rode was the iRattler at SFFT back at Christmas time 2014. Awesome ride for a 65 year old!!
  9. There were eleven (11) coasters brought into the world back in 1950, when I was born. I'm 64 now and of the eleven coasters I had the opportunity to ride only one. That ride was located at Marshall Hall just south of Washington, D.C.. I was stationed back that way in the late 60s and early 70s and visited that small park a few times. I remember it as a fast, cyclone style but don't ask me to swear on that. Of the eleven coasters built back in 1950, there are only three (3) of them still operating. The first one is Hochschaubahn at Wiener Prater located in Vienna, Austria. It was known as Alpenbahn back in 1950. The second coaster is the Little Dipper at Conneaut Lake Park, Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, USA. This Kiddie coaster was closed from 2006 until 2009 but is operating now. The third of the three still operating after all these years is Tyrolean Tubtwist located at Joyland Amusement Park in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, UK. This is the world's only remaining operating example of a quasi-Virginia Reel, albeit powered and in miniature form. The base of the channel is concrete with two superimposed metal tracks providing current to power the motors incorporated within each tub. The four tires that a) guide each tub and b) make it spin are in contact with wood panels at the side of the channel. As such the whole circuit is powered, although there are one or two sections where the downhill gradient allows the tubs to more-or-less freewheel.
  10. Tonight, my friends and I are going Six Flags Fiesta Texas for Halloween Night!!
  11. I voted YES but I don't always read them on Monday. I get a notification on my phone every time TPR posts so I can't missed them. I do get so busy at times, and yes, even being retired that can happen, that I don't get the chance to check the Monday Fun Emails On Monday. When I read through them I DO enjoy ALL of the articles, posts, videos and whatever is there. I say keep them coming Robb.
  12. Thank You Robb for enduring those long hours and meeting of the people so early in the morning. What would we do without you and Alissa?? Hope you have a Very Merry Christmas!!
  13. It's been many, many years since I've been to 'real' Disneyland and am booked into the Californian the later part of July, 2014. That will give me another opp to enjoy the 'real' Disney mountain again with the grandkids. It's a shame I've never been outside the US except for a military stint on Okinawa with its very few coasters on the island. I did enjoy the video and it would have been kinda kewl if Rob had done a side-by-side comparison of the two during the video.
  14. With the smaller hills in the beginning I thought for sure the highest hill would come at the end with a long lift hill up to the station. Boy was I ever wrong! I did enjoy the video and the quickness belies the smallness, maybe. I'd sure like a 'Bag-of Crap', btw. LOL!!
  15. At my age of 63, I'd rather go to Walt Disney World for the relaxed atmosphere. Although I DO love rollercoasters, the all-day hustle and bustle of Cedar Point can get to me over time. Chalk my vote up for WDW.
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