Myself

As much as I would be in favor of seeing lapbar-only trains on Storm Runner and Fahrenheit, I think I remember reading somewhere that the new trains are wider and would probably require some station work to allow them to be used. But if that's not actually a thing, I say go for it! Hershey does have a history of making their coasters more comfortable (getting GCIs for Wildcat, new Premier trains for Trailblazer, the new Sidewinder and Sooperdooperlooper trains) so if the lapbar-only trains didn't happen eventually, I could totally see them going for I305/Maverick vest restraints for Fahrenheit and/or Storm Runner at some point.

Are you sure they used both Stella and Lola to make this ride? It looks more like it uses solely the Lola side to me. As confusing as it is to use only one side and tear the other down, I gotta say this looks like one awesome ride.

Rye has (had?) an excellent Whip ride. Knoebels' whip actually stutters a little in the turns. Yes, Rye Playland has the other properly run Whip. I've also heard good things about the Lakeside Park Whip...how does that one compare?

As far as I know, Lake Compounce hasn't Ridden Wicked, however, the Kennywood Operations Team and Lagoon's were pretty darn tight many years ago when I worked there. I do know people from Kennywood and a park in Japan visited Lagoon to Ride Wicked in 2007. And it shows...watch a POV of Sky Rocket and Wicked back to back and tell me the former wasn't at least partially inspired by the latter, especially with the first halves of both rides.

It will tie with Elitch Gardens, which has a boomerang, an Arrow shuttle loop and an Intamin halfpipe.

Kings Dominion does seem like a pretty strong candidate to receive a Slingshot next year based on CF's trend of adding them recently. The spot along Dominator's midway between Woodstock Express and Joe Cool's Driving School seems like the perfect spot for one to me.

Not a very impressive count, but here goes: 1. Lil' Phantom, Kennywood 25. Lightning Racer (Thunder), Hersheypark 50. Skyrush, Hersheypark 75. Rolling Thunder (left), Six Flags Great Adventure 100. Flight of Fear, Kings Island (was very nearly able to make Flying Turns #100, but on my first KI visit only a few weeks before, FoF was closed, and I ended up returning about two months later after FT became #99) I'm currently at 102 with Impulse at Knoebels being my latest credit.

California's Great America also has one, and the SBNO Fun Spot in Angola, IN also has one on-site.

I don't see any issue with Raging Rapids where it is, but that's just me. Somewhere down the line, a Mack water coaster would make a pretty fun replacement for Pilgrim's Plunge.

Never been to Darien Lake myself (the trip I asked about last summer ended up not happening), but I really enjoyed Impulse last weekend. DL seems like a perfect kind of park for a Zierer like that.

In 2010, Thunder River at Waldameer E-stopped while we were halfway through the ride and we were evacuated from the bottom of the second lift. That's about it.

Kentucky Kingdom's Facebook page has posted some photos of Cyclos being set up. Looks good!

Great thread idea...there's quite a few defunct parks that intrigue me. Most of them are thanks to their close proximity to where I live, but there are also a few exceptions: -Cascade Park -Crystal Beach -Erieview Park -Idora Park -Old Elitch Gardens -Rainbow Gardens -Roseland Park -West View Park -White Swan Park -Williams Grove

Besides, Gerstlauer already has a mold for a snake head for the front of a train...Iron Rattler anyone?

That looks like a GCI train to me...are we certain we're talking about a Gerstlauer steel coaster?

How about one of these? Gerstlauer offers a 24-seat version, though nobody has built one yet. As a tribute to the old Flight Commander, call it XK2.

Even if they had, there's always another Skyline Chili in Coney Mall.

I think a Gerstlauer Sky Roller would be a great fit for the spot...it gives a similar ride experience, and as long as Kings Island is referencing its past with a SOB eternal flame at Banshee and naming the current Bat after the former Bat...it'd kinda make sense.

This, I did not know Honestly, I hadn't known myself until recently. Here's a better look at the track courtesy of the link ejot posted: Note the raised sections of wood inside the steel rails. These were added after an accident the ride had in 1998: http://articles.philly.com/1998-08-21/news/25724834_1_brakes-operators-housekeeping I guarantee you that with proper maintenance, any wooden coaster with an upstop wheel system in place would NOT have derailed as the Jack Rabbit did in this incident.

Jack Rabbit was a peculiar case...from my understanding, the ride's footings were either non-existent or at the very least incapable of supporting it much longer. Look at the photos and you can see it's basically just plopped on the ground. The ride also didn't have upstop wheels...not sure how they got away with that, since the track was otherwise identical to traditional (i.e. non-side friction) wooden coaster track. Even so, I wholeheartedly agree with you that it should not have been torn down. Rebuilt to the standards that other wooden coasters are held to? Certainly! Even a relocation would have been better. Following the loss of the Jack Rabbit and the later demolition of the carousel building, Clementon really has nothing of historical value left.

I know it doesn't fall within either of your specified date ranges, but I'd say the Crystal Beach Giant Coaster is still worth note. It operated from 1916-1989. Same story with the legendary West View Park Dips. Though it didn't technically become its well-known under-friction design until 1929, it was a reconfiguration of a 1909 coaster. It closed in 1977.

Some random thoughts of mine... Dorney Park: Themed to either Journey to the Center of the Earth or a Gold Mine, as both were themes of past dark rides. Gold Mine was actually SBNO underneath one of the buildings as recently as the mid 2000s. Kings Island: Got nothing for the theme, but the old Tomb Raider/Crypt box, if split into levels, could provide a pretty cool ride. Kings Dominion: Something to do with Lost World. I know that Volcano means the mountain itself really can't be used, but build a building behind it inside the coaster's turn/launches, and make the entrance look like it's in the mountain. Cedar Point: Gotta be pirates! Sure, it's a small building, but it could work. California's Great America: Something involving a tornado. Might help to explain why none of the coasters have roofs on their stations. On a serious note, I could see Action Theater being repurposed to become the ride. I honestly can't see them coming up with anything *too* interesting (that is, location-specific) for Valleyfair, Michigan's Adventure or Carowinds, but then there's probably something relating to park history or legend that I'm missing on those two. Worlds of Fun could draw from whatever "land" their dark ride is built in and go from there with the theme.

^In the second picture, there appears to be a gap in the fence behind the building. There also appear to be no mounting brackets on the adjacent footings yet. This coaster is probably the one I'm most interested to see built this year...mainly due to its surroundings. The folks at ZDT really are creative to figure out how to make an amusement park out of their former industrial site. This is going to be one park to keep an eye on even after Switchback is finished...they're going to have to be clever to figure out how to add much more in the years ahead, but I know they'll find a way.

Is there any sign of construction for whatever is replacing the Skycoaster? They've already announced the Brooklyn Barge (Rockin' Tug) to replace the Beach Shack (Barnyard). I know it hasn't been announced yet, but if any visible work is going on, it might give us a clue of some sort.

That's one way to look at it! Nice way to explain it from their angle... ...though it's not strictly a Universal thing...it's a Zamperla thing. Thunderbolt has the same 9-seater cars, and all of their Hawk flat rides use 3-across seating. Not complaining...just find it odd.