Shane's Amusement Attic

I am always disappointed that I never had the chance to visit this park before it closed...its a shame that Houston (the forth largest metro population in the US) does not have a major regional park!

Thanks for sharing these, Shane. I only got to visit AstroWorld once before it closed, but it was such a weird park! I love seeing more about it. I rode Montezooma's Revenge @ KBF today and it reminded me of Greezed Lightnin'!

I am always disappointed that I never had the chance to visit this park before it closed...its a shame that Houston (the forth largest metro population in the US) does not have a major regional park!

Me neither...the sad part is that my grandparents live in Houston and I visit them every summer...and we didn't make it to Astroworld once

But does anyone know what happened to each coaster? I know Greezed Lightning is in storage and a couple of them were scrapped, but what about the others? Specifically I want to know about Batman: The Escape and Viper if anyone knows anything.

It still astounds me that SF would pull out of the 4th largest market in the US. Not really sure what Kieran Burke was thinking.

^^^ Remember that Montezooma's Revenge and Greezed Lightning were both flywheel launched versions of the Schwarzkopf shuttle. Carowinds, Kings Dominion, and the two Great America parks had the older weight-drop version. There was indeed a difference in the ride experience.

Eric

Worlds of Fun 1981

I always love a good AstroWorld post and yes I am amazed that a market as large as Houston is now without a park. Almost as good as AstroWorld is Worlds of Fun circa 1980's. World's of Fun always seemed a small park that kept up with the big boys. Think about it, they were one of the firsts to feature a Corkscrew roller coaster and then they followed it up with one of the greatest coasters of the early 80's, The Orient Express! Along with AstroWorld they were one of the first parks to feature a waterpark side by side with the theme park.

Well how do you follow up the success of "The Orient Express"??? How about with a Cinema 180? Well not so good as it seemed attendance was never as high in the 80's as when the Orient Express opened. I am still trying to understand why Cedar Fair took that ride out. The park has never been the same since Cedar Fair took it over...It has become a stip mall park like the rest of the other Cedars.

Here's a look back to the year 1981 and what the park had to offer.

Enjoy

Shane

all the new additions for 1981. A Cinema 180 and a few games.

here are some interesting WOF facts.

News!

more fun facts

I loved this little magazine the park produced.

map from 1979

Orient Express

want more Worlds Of Fun? I have more press releases and brochures for the parks 15th and 20th anniversary coming up soon!

Very cool as always, Shane.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like WoF moved the park entrance at some point. Anyone have a year for when that occurred?

But does anyone know what happened to each coaster? I know Greezed Lightning is in storage and a couple of them were scrapped, but what about the others? Specifically I want to know about Batman: The Escape and Viper if anyone knows anything.

I do know that Batman is currently "in storage," and by "in storage" I mean sitting in a field across the street form Darien Lake, fully exposed to the elements.

^^They didn't move it. The removed the Americana entrance, or the main one. It was located where the pier thingy to the Grand Prix is now. Screamroller would be on the right as you enter. The Scandinavian entrance was the lesser entrance, but now it's the only WoF-exclusive one.

Does anyone know the year? Perhaps the year prior to the construction/opening of the Grand Prix?

Nice pics of Orient Express.

I am always disappointed that I never had the chance to visit this park before it closed...its a shame that Houston (the forth largest metro population in the US) does not have a major regional park!

 

Me neither...the sad part is that my grandparents live in Houston and I visit them every summer...and we didn't make it to Astroworld once

 

But does anyone know what happened to each coaster? I know Greezed Lightning is in storage and a couple of them were scrapped, but what about the others? Specifically I want to know about Batman: The Escape and Viper if anyone knows anything.

B:TE sits in pieces at DL,UT sits in pieces at SFA while only the SLC was put back into operation recently at la ronde & all the remaining coasters were scrapped save for mayan mindbender & GL,which have yet to go back into operation either.

I am always disappointed that I never had the chance to visit this park before it closed...its a shame that Houston (the forth largest metro population in the US) does not have a major regional park!

 

Me neither...the sad part is that my grandparents live in Houston and I visit them every summer...and we didn't make it to Astroworld once

 

But does anyone know what happened to each coaster? I know Greezed Lightning is in storage and a couple of them were scrapped, but what about the others? Specifically I want to know about Batman: The Escape and Viper if anyone knows anything.

 

B:TE sits in pieces at DL,UT sits in pieces at SFA while only the SLC was put back into operation recently at la ronde & all the remaining coasters were scrapped save for mayan mindbender & GL,which have yet to go back into operation either.

The Mayan Mindbender now operates outdoors as the Hornet at Wonderland Amusement Park in Armarillo, TX.

Shane,

I'd heard a rumor a while back that Orient Express had some small but vital part break, and there was no replacement part, no company to make/supply replacement, and no other means to create a replacement. Wish I could remember where I heard this rumor or had more specifics for you. If OE was Arrow, and it was in the middle of all the shuffle/S&S stuff, this is all plausible.

Hope this helps and offers some insight at least. Great work as always on this archive. Cheers!

lol the Incredidome! That sort of thing was pretty common then: SFoT had one called "Chevy Show", I remember. It was good, but Circlevision 360 it was not. Thanks for the Orient Express pictures, though. Until I rode Superman at SFNE in 2000, OE was my favorite coaster, steel or wood. I do have to say that the "kamikaze loop" element was much rougher than the rest of the ride; sort of a scaled down version of what I imagine Moonsault Scramble might have been like..cept less brutal.

Thanks again, Shane!

Scott "the wussy Starflyer at the Big E almost made my piss myself" Mayfield

Shane, I tried PMing you the info you needed, but they are stuck in my outbox???

Eddie

Shane,

I'd heard a rumor a while back that Orient Express had some small but vital part break, and there was no replacement part, no company to make/supply replacement, and no other means to create a replacement. Wish I could remember where I heard this rumor or had more specifics for you. If OE was Arrow, and it was in the middle of all the shuffle/S&S stuff, this is all plausible.

 

Hope this helps and offers some insight at least. Great work as always on this archive. Cheers!

P.S. - Shane, Please Purchase Greezed Lightnin' Already for Cowabunga Bay. Thank You!

Knott's had El Cinema Grande out in the middle of the lake for a few years (early '80s). It sounds like the Incredidome was very much like it.

Eric

P.S. - Shane, Please Purchase Greezed Lightnin' Already for Cowabunga Bay. Thank You!

YES! I'd love to see this ride back in action, especially since I didn't get to ride it at Astroworld!

Dorney Park

Here is an update from earlier years at Dorney Park.

Shane

Great updates Shane. And Dorney Park looks fun, too bad it's a CF park.

A couple of the brochures from above are before it was a CedarFair park.

A couple of the brochures from above are before it was a CedarFair park.

I noticed(like 1988, the first year I started going to parks.) I don't get to that part of PA much so I have never been to the park.

Hercules needs to have OW! written by it.

Hercules wasn't a bad ride in the beginning, I just never really understood it. After that big drop, it just kinda meandered around the rest of the course. Going through the last turn before the station they had it banked for speed, but it felt more like you were gonna roll out of the car because it went so damn slow....