SeaWhippet

All these posts about the Ocean View Rocket and the films shot there reminded me of another park that might've gotten some last-minute notoriety from such an endeavor -- Hanson's Park in Harvey's Lake, PA. Check out the sixth paragraph of the 1981 story below. It talks about MGM considering a film that that would've included the destruction of the park's coaster. I wonder what film this was supposed to be ... ? When I visited Hanson's in '81, it had been closed for a year. The coaster -- the L-shaped out & back Speed Hound -- built by Oscar Bitler in 1931 and reminded me of his quirky Cyclone at William's Grove. The ride looked interesting but it's another one that I climbed all over but never got to ride. I have a few others pics of the structure I'll have to dig out of the closet. -S Oh, Look! It's me in 1981 --- aboard yet ANOTHER coaster that closed forever before I got to ride it!

I saw that too! Some of that stuff is priceless!

Weiner Looping - drool! I take it it hasn't found a loving home since it's days at Flamingo Land in the UK. I haven't heard what happened to Weiner Looping. It's an incredible ride that would be far more tolerable if it were allowed to run with only the lap bars -- as its creators intended. When I rode it at Circus World, there was no pain whatsoever. There was a rumor that it 'could' show up on the German fair circuit again. That would be sweet. -S

Thanks for posting this info! The Matterhorn is historically important as well as a marvel of engineering. I've always been fascinated by the block system on this thing. Keeping that many vehicles in almost-constant motion is simply amazing. I find it strange that someone would say this ride sucks. The book "Roller Coastes, Flumes and Flying Saucers" has some great info on the ride, but it left me wanting much more. Here are few topics from my Matterhorn wish list I would like to see addressed: Accurate track plans Ops area Images of the interior Images of the completed ride before the "mountain" was applied. Keep the details coming. I'll be following this one closely. -Scott

Here's another random update of Closet material. I have several mag articles that seem to be missing pages, but that's what happens when one works in the airline industry for so long and was forced to relocate from state to state so many times. Enjoy, -S Check the SBNO (at the time) Giant Dipper. Where's Ricardo Montalbán? WDW & MGA California whizzing!

Shane, can you respond to the Das Monster-not-being-Anton's comment. I know my Schwazkopf coasters pretty damn well, but you're the flat expert in this case. The UFO is a strange little ride. The only version I've seen in person was at a fair (somewhere?). This one did not go all the over to the other side since the pole/guide thing was only a quarter circle. It loaded flat and then rose up to vertical like an Enterprise and then came back down. No idea who the mfg. is. -S

Ok, Shane ... I just added the three missing sections of the Circus World brochure: Random mini-update: 1977 mag articles, 1980s brochures Check out Anton's Das Monster! I wonder where that went ... ? More coming soon ... -S

Yes, and with proper trains (how could B&M have gone so wrong with that rolling stock?) and a little tweaking (tame those bloody over-banked turns!), it could've been a good ride. Oh, well ... -S

LMAO! I wonder how many other people get that reference? --Robb I always chuckle when I think of Jan Hooks saying that line in PWBA!

The 'financial burden' mentioned in The Miami Herald story referred to the cost of keeping the ride on the road (i.e. rising fuel costs/ support crew). Conklin and the current owners took VERY good care of this coaster. I've been riding it at all its shows for the past 24 years. It's the perfect investment for an FEC or medium-sized park. I just hope it doesn't end up in Mexico with Dreier Looping, Thriller and Laser Loop! -S

I agree O., glad to see your old vids on here! Now that we have the Attic, Closet and Shoebox, someone out there MUST have a Basement full of fun stuff ... -S

Just teasing, of course. Actually, I meant to add it but had to run down to Carowinds to shoot the GCI rebuild of Thunder Road. I'll upload the rest of the Circus World brochure later today.

This one's for fans of classic defunct woodies. The Rocky Springs Wildcat is yet ANOTHER brilliant coaster that I climbed all over and did NOT get to ride. Once I found out about it, the Wildcat had been SBNO for 20 years. It was an amazing design and quite compact. The most astounding feature for me was the abrupt break-over of the STEEP first drop and the 500-foot-long tunnel from station to lift. The latter must've been wonderful as it was all downhill and NOT straight, but full of quirky jogs, bumps and twists. I have pics of it somewhere ... still looking. Too bad this brilliant Schmeck/PTC design could not have been saved and reopened. Enjoy, -S First drop. First drop pull-out Second drop pull-out Me (left) and my friend Kevin (Knoebels Jetstar operator at the time) at the crest of the Wildcat's lift. An intense climb! One 4-bench car was upside-down in the station to prevent anyone from releasing a train into the tunnel.

Ok, this is a random mini-update (another will follow soon). I closed my eyes, reached into the Closet and this is what I came up with. Old mag articles from the 70s and park brochures from the 80s.They’re in no particular order but there are some cool visuals. I’ll comment on the individual pages. Enjoy -Scott P.S. Just added the final three sections of the Circus World brochure (Happy, Shane?! ) Weiner Looping with ONLY lap bars! Check out the UFO! Pleasure Beach Great Yarmouth Arrow's original Corkscrew (Knott's) & their Shuttle Loop prototype Time magazine 1977 Time magazine 1977

They knew, I asked them today. People in Pittsburgh were mixed as to which park they liked best. (Depending on which park they went to as a kid more often.) My dad liked West View better, and the pictures just killed him LOL Did you ever go to White Swan Park? When I lived in PIT, the last year WSP was open, I got a chance to ride the Monster Mouse before it was destroyed so the new airport could be built. Hey, you should ask your folks if they remember National Park. It had a killer John Miller ravine woodie that reminded me of KWood's TBolt -- it was a bit more fierce. I've only seen seen two pics of this amazing ride. I'd love to talk to someone who actually rode it ...

I talked to the supervisor over T-road, and they will be racing 100% As Pufferfish stated, how did you get those pics of T-road? If TRoad's drivers pay attention to each other and coordinate their dispatches, I'll be very impressed. It'll be just like when the ride opened ... except for the lack of the original Riverview rolling stock, of course. My pics of TRoad are just part of a story I'm working on about GCII's rehab work on several wooden coasters. It'll appear in the MAY issue of Amusement Today.

I thought about the space issue too. I can think of nowhere in West View where it would've fit ... unless maybe they built it over top of Kiddie Dips, perpendicular to the Whippet's lift. What was further up the valley PAST the Whippet? It was just forest when I was there but maybe it had just gotten overgrown. Maybe there? I agree it would be sweet if Kennywood built this ride. They could put it down there on the undeveloped railroad property by the river. I'm glad you enjoyed the pics. I'd be curious if your relatives knew of any mention of this proposed coaster in the newspapers back then ...

I agree. It could be. Thunder Run at SFKK is amazing .. at least when I rode it 1.5 years ago. It was the inspiration for Hurler. Those SF mechanics were sooooo taking care of that ride. That's what Hurler COULD be. ::sigh::

Although over-built, the model does look interesting. I expect the actual ride would've been quite spectacular. Too bad they never got the chance to execute it ...

Dropped by Carowinds today to see what Cedar Fair had done for its most southern east coast property. Breezed through Platinum season pass processing and then had a decent flight on Flying Scooter (repainted - same garish colors, smaller Nick decals) and Top Gun (Afterburn -- no changes there). The Borg Vekoma Flying Coaster (now Nighthawk) got a new sign and lost the signature Borg sphere prop. Wonder where that went ... ? The Scooby Doo junior woodie (I will NEVER call it ... whatever it's called now!) got some new tracking and rebult structure. Queue was too long for a ride. It's still my fav wooden coaster in the park. The 'new' Geauga Lake YoYo sits where the much-prettier Wave Swinger once did. It could've used a paint job, but still fits well in County Fair. Now if they just had a nice Big Eli Wheel, a Spider and Tilt or Whip ... Got a peek at Thunder Road's reconstruction. Though the back turn (port side) has been totally rebuilt, the GCI-rehab won't be completed until May. There's a good chunk of structure and track still missing (on the port side return leg), but the guys will be hard at work for the next few weeks to get the ride open by late this spring. It's nice to see CF taking care of this coaster. Though the trains were nowhere in sight, they will be ready and both turned around forward!!!! Yeaaaaah. No more backwards madness. Now if they could just paint TRoad like Racer and Rebel Yell ... Oh, and actually race this 'racing coaster' it would be a good ride. The FSSaturator got new paint and WILL be open in 2008 on the waterpark schedule. Hurler got sweet candy apple-red paint for one of its trains. Still a bit brutal. -S&B New wood from the footers to the sky!!!! Carowinds Theater New entrance sign

Part 2 of my West View Park post includes shots of the infamous Dips and Kiddie Dips. The former started life as a side-friction coaster in 1909-10. This Ed Vettel/T.M.Harton ride was outfitted with up-stop wheels and its wicked turnaround in 1929. Note the odd profile. The Kiddie Dips (Vettel) came along in 1949 and lasted until WV closed in 1977. The day we visited in 1980 was hot and humid. Two Dip trains rested in the close darkness of the dank tunnel just off the loading platform while another sat alone on the transfer track. A Kiddie Dips train was stranded mid-course. A few of us pushed this train up an incline and rode it for at least 30 seconds. The Last Ride? Lastly, the model is a representation of West View's proposed 4th woodie. This was also a Vettel design. As I said before ... if this ride had been built and drew the crowds the park expected, WV 'might' still be here today. Some of the shots are from my own camera while others came to me via my ACENews connections. No credit was listed. West View's 4th coaster -- that never happend Looking down from Racing Whippet on Kiddie Dips lift Kiddie Dips lift Kiddie Dips station (Racing Whippet lift in background) Dips back turn (entrance/exit) Dips train-in-tunnel Dips transfer track Dips first drop The Dips Entrance to a Pittsburgh paradise ...

I'm not sure if they are still there, but one of the old blue racer cars was on display in Station Square in the 80's. (Downtown Pittsburgh) Later on in the late 80's, I found the full Red/Yellow multi-colored trains rotting under the Ft. Pitt Bridge. (Also owned by Station Square.) There was a large carnival back there one year, and thats how I found them, there were bums (or carnies, ya never know) sleeping on them. Bums sleeping on them?! That's bloody awful. Historic items like that deserve better. I have a photo of a Dips train sitting in front of a restaurant on PA Rt. 19. I'll have to dig that up.

Yes, you're making sense. I remember those huge 4-bench trains on the Racer. I loved being able to slide from one side to the other (when riding alone) as the train dove into those graceful swooping turns. I miss them.

Unfortunately, for as much as both sides of my family loved to go the the amusement parks for get togethers, (separately, of course, yay for me!) NOBODY ever brought a camera. We have no family pictures of these events until I was a teen, then instead of taking pictures of family, I took pictures of the park and rides. Sadly, my archive was lost. I had an extensive collection like yours dating from 1979 to 1998 covering the North-East in the early years and South-West. (Also had about $8000 worth of HO-Scale ride models. Only I would have 4 Achter Bahns! Hehehe!) Even though I was scared on the Whippet, I do remember that the ride itself was comfortable. (Seems that any of the classics with those old overweight trains are!) I also remember, being used to Kennywood's standards, was scared because much of the Whippet didn't have catwalks or railings. And of course, my pot-head parents joking around saying "Oh geeze, this thing is going to fall apart on us." The Dips, on the other hand, I just didn't like at all. I Really was too young to be on that. The banked curve was a tad brutal. (Locals called it "Devil's Bend", "Devil's Curve" etc... local folklore.) I used to get excited riding the train that passed along side and under the Dips, until I rode it. LOL And I would LOVE to see that model. I've always heard about it, but have never seen it! Yes, the old trains were wayyyy comfortable. I miss that in today's rolling stock. The Kennywood Jack Rabbit is just glorious. The Whippet and the Dips' trains were similar. I can see how the Dips would've been a little brutal. Of course, it was a side-friction coaster before being converted to its latter form, so I guess that's why most of its hills looked ... well ... strange. And I climbed around that back turn. I can see why the locals called it the Devil's ____. It had some freaky banking going on back there! I'll get those model pics scanned. If that ride had been built, I'll bet West View would've survived. At least in some form. ::sigh:: And Den ... if you have an Achter Bahn or three to spare ... I'll gladly take it off your hands. That ride is my FAV Schwarzkopf portable ... just behind Thriller, of course. -S

Dennis, those are great memories to have. West View is a park that has always intrigued me. I'm saddened that I only got to see it in person after it closed. And, yes, they were having a tough time of it the last few years it was open. I think the reason the old cars looked better was because they were (I think) the newest, and maybe last large ride WV got. I envy your experience on the Racing Whippet, despite only being six. I have a few pics of a model of West View's fourth wooden coaster, which would've been built had the park survived. I'll post those with the Dips update.You'll probably find those interesting. Hey, if your family has any shots of the park in operation ... I'm sure we'd all love to see them ... hint, hint ... -S