Shane's Amusement Attic

My favorite park! Viper has to be my 2nd best steel coaster (sorry, but noth'n beats the combination of air-time and water the RoS has) and is most likely the coaster I've ridden the most due to the usual walk-on wait time. I hope that they get a new ride soon though. Also on a side note is the yellow train still usable? I was wondering cus I believe it's been in the under-ground storage shed under the station for a WHILE or is it a parts donor? Also I do agree with I'd rather ride predator the mind eraser. I remember way back (like 8 years ago?) when the ride was pretty good. I think it is pretty bad right now. It could use a nice "accidental" fire so it can be replaced by a GCI.

SIX FLAGS over TEXAS

 

Since Cowabunga Bay now takes up most of my summer vacation time I have to visit parks in the shoulder seasons (spring & fall) So it is especially nice when a park opens early. I am so excited to be going to Dallas in a couple of weeks to go to one of my favorite parks for opening day. Yes, the park I speak of is the original Six Flags park...Six Flags over Texas. I have not been to the park since the early eighties. Although I am excited for all the new additions the true reason I want to go is for a couple of spins on the Schwarzkopf masterpiece, Shock Wave.

 

To get ready for my trip I have pulled out my file on Six Flags over Texas. Included is press releases, old photos, souvenir books and even some old movie footage I shot from 1980. So here is a pretty detailed update on the original regional theme park (don't call it an amusement park...that is a no-no). Yee Haw for TEXAS!

 

-Shane

How about some history...

There is a lot of information here, study hard. There will be a test at the end of this update.

You've come a long way baby!

Donkeys!

Attraction timeline

old timers will remember this campaign. "We Care About You" This was back in the days when I was a ride attendant at SFMM "Sarajevo Boblsed opening CREW!"

Here comes the Judge, Here comes the Judge...

Finally a picture!

Postcards from days gone by.

Bring back the WHITE Shock Wave! Someone start a facebook page.

They say Judge pushed out this gem...but true die hards know the REAL story.

Well at least it is still in the same state

So MAJESTIC in it's white scheme.

Time for some coasters

the 80's brought Roaring Rapids

the facts

Park Info

Celebrating 30 years!

Remember the lawsuit between Six Flags and Dorney park over whose was bigger?

I love this picture.

More to come, but I have to go pick my kids up from their Guitar lessons. Check back later tonight for more Six Flags over Texas awsomeness including early home movies...

Great as always. Personally I like Shockwave better with it's new colors. What lawsuit was there between Dorney and Six Flags?

Hercules and Texas Giant where built in the same year and both billed as the World's tallest wooden coaster. They were fighting over where the height was measured. Hercules had a longer drop because it dropped down into that valley, while the Giant was the tallest from the ground up. I can't remember how it was resolved, I think they both just marketed their rides as the World's Biggest.

 

Anyone else feel free to comment on the lawsuit if you remember more. In the mean time here is a home movie and an ancient souvenir book.

 

[coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Six_Flags_Over_Texas_1sm1[/coastertube]

Great update as always. Very interesting!

 

So what was the real story with Big Bend? Why was it removed?

Why did Six Flags ever throw out its animal attractions at most of its parks?

Why did Six Flags ever throw out its animal attractions at most of its parks?

 

Quite a few reasons:

Treatment of animals became a hot topic in the past 25 years.

It costs a lot of money to maintain a qualified animal staff (trainers and vets).

Quite a bit of room is necessary to house animals and the American public keeps demanding more rides. Many parks can't expand there boundaries so the repurpose the existing land.

Amazing update Shane! Lots of great, great pictures and press releases. This must take a lot of work to put up all these pictures for us.

 

Thank you!

^^

I totally agree. I also agree about painting Shockwave back to white. It's current colors are major bleh!

Great update as always. Very interesting!

 

So what was the real story with Big Bend? Why was it removed?

 

Six Flags had an agreement with Arrow to buy several of their Flying Turn rides. Six Flags over Texas was to receive the first one. In preparation for the ride Big Bend was removed and shipped off to Six Flags over Mid-America. ( I am not sure if it was going to be reassembled there or not)

 

The Flying Turns was plagued with problems and in the end Arrow could not make it work and the concept was scrapped. They say Big Bend was removed to make way for Judge Roy Scream, but if you look at the location of the Judge it doesn't encroach at all on the old footprint of Big Bend.

When you say Flying Turns, are we talking about Arrow trying to get into the bobsled coaster game?

 

Great stuff as always Shane. Keep it up.

Yes, Arrow was working on a prototype Flying Turn/Bobsled coaster. Below is a picture of the track and you can read more about the early days of Arrow here.

MARCO POLO PARK

 

This update comes from one of my favorite Amusement Park Publications, Amusement Park Journal. It is an article on a park you may have never heard of...Marco Polo Park. Tis Floridal park opened in 1970 and closed in 1975. Any one out there ever make it to this park?

A closer look at the park map

I remember my dad telling me about this park!

 

He said he had only been there once and it felt like Busch Gardens w/o the animals.

The train looks a lot like Silver Dollar City's train...with the round windows. And i think SDC's train is 24" wide as well. Interesting park, thanks Shane.

I really like the Marco Polo concept for a park, and it reminds me a bit of AstroWorld's original theming. Too bad this one is gone.

Here is another interesting read from that same edition of Amusement Park Journal. This one focuses on the early versions of the River Rapid Rides.

^Rapidsnerd just climaxed!

 

Guy "He is your new best friend." Koepp

Man, I think I may have mentioned this on TPR before, but I still remember going to Canada's Wonderland the year their rapids ride opened. It was such a huge deal back then that it was the "run to" ride when the park opened in the morning. My family joined in on the run- and good thing too as it had a 90 minute wait already when we got off! If you ever happen to go to Canada's Wonderland- take note of the loooong pathway leading to the station from the midway and then imagine it completely full with the line wrapping around and continuing down the pathway. When I was dating a Canadian back in 2004 and had a Season Pass I don't think I ever saw more than a 15 minute wait!

I rode Thunder Canyon when working at the Point back in the 80's, and Bluto's Bilge Rafts but only if I dressed for it. It seems today I avoid these soaking rides since I usually carry a camera, iPhone, etc, and can't afford to walk around soaked all day. Anyone else feel this way?

 

But thanks for the pics! I still have all my old Amusement Journal magazines as well!

Roaring Rapids at SFGAdv was a constant 2-3 hour line the summer it opened.

^^^ I have walked through that empty queue many times, I can not even imagine it being full.

Whoa, nice article. I had no idea that was what the original boats looked like on Carowind's rapids. Thanks for the great read!

 

^^^ I personally have the feeling that riding something only for the sake of getting wet is very pointless. Now if the ride has other fun redeeming qualities, I'm perfectly fine even if I get soaked. I will normally give rapids at least 1 ride to determine if they are any good. If they are good (Carowinds) I will continue riding, but if they are bad (Kali River) I will never ride them again.

Rapid Rides were fun back in the 80's, but now kind of meh. Disney and Universal have really taken them to the next level!