SeaWhippet

It's official: the Golden Nugget will not re-open in NJ at Morey's Piers. Here's the press release issued today: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * In Memory of the Golden Nugget Public Farewell Ceremony on Saturday, January 31, at Noon Wildwood, NJ, December 10, 2008 – The Morey Organization announced plans today for a public ceremony in memory of the classic boardwalk attraction -- The Golden Nugget – in advance of a phased removal of the ride from Hunt’s Pier. The ceremony is slated for Saturday, January 31, at noon. “This is a sad loss f

Himalaya Bahn (now called Alpina Bahn) is an EXCELLENT ride. In fact, I'd rather ride it than Olympia when they play the same fairs. FYI, Himalaya was slated to join its twisted cousin, Wiener Looping, at Florida's Circus World when WL made its first trip across the Atlantic. Sadly, the deal fell through and only WL showed up.

Loved the Kennywood pics, Shane, especially that sweet Jack Rabbit shot. And in the Bonus Material #1 -- at 3:21 -- there's a quick glimpse of the Thunderbolt's now-removed speed bump on the inner leg of the newer section. Today, this area is relatively flat like the outer leg. Though I didn't ride TBolt until 1980, I've heard from those that experienced it in the first season (1968) that this hill was quite turbulent and pushed the lateral Gs to the edge of what the rolling stock and riders could endure. Does anyone know if the current mid-course trim brake (that occurs just before

Thanks for that vid, Shane. The Flyer's train seemed incredibly long for such a small ride. I'm told by friends who rode it that, because of this extended train, there were some interesting push-pull effects. Sorry I missed his one and Le Cyclone at Parc Belmont.

Great shots, restoca. I would love to have seen the Orbit (and that train with coaster hills) in operation. Surely, some home movie exists out there somewhere ... Screechin' Eagle is one I DID get to ride on several occasions. It had a very "loose" feel and some of those airtime pops (esp. the steel hill off the turnaround) were intense. I spoke with a well known coaster designer who was at Americana last year and he said the Eagle is in VERY good structural condition. Apparently, they put a LOT of work into it not long before the park closed. Now Americana is owned by that kooky RV/c

Yeah, that Zipper-like thing looks insane. I would love to see some video! Oh, and I'm shocked the Mexico City Racer was running one train! That's nuts! The bloody thing can handle SIX 4-car trains. I wish I could've joined you on that trip. Dreier Looping, Laser Loop AND that NAD woodie ... Mmmmmmm.

I was looking around The Closet this evening and found more photos and material relating to several other lost wooden coasters that I thought I would share. The featured rides include the CNE Flyer, Americana/LeSourdsville Screechin' Eagle, Fairyland Wildcat and Myrtle Beach boneyard shots. There's a little bonus at the bottom of this post. I'm curious if anyone can shed light on those images. -Scott This pic was in the same book. Has anyone ever seen this ride? It was called the Orbit and appears to be a Zipper/Loop-O-Plane hybrid! This pic came from a recent book -- "Springla

This is one of the greatest PBS docs ever. In a perfect world, every town would a have a place like Kennywood.

I need to check out that Shelly Winters flick. Her performance in the Poseidon Adventure is seared into my psyche ... forever. Did you she ride the Katapult? THAT would be something to see ...

The only other ones I've seen belonged to PTC and were printed in the Schmeck book that ACE produced. This pic was published in Charlie Jacques' reprint of an old PTC catalog. It shows the Wildcat as the ride originally opened in 1927. Those speed bumps must have been crazy! The ride was reworked and tamed somewhat (by Schmeck) in 1941 and reopened as the Comet (yet I've heard that many people still called it Wildcat). The photo I posted first was shot in 1974 after the ride had been closed for a year. It was destroyed in 1976.

Dave & Den, glad you and others are into the history aspect of The Closet. Den, yeah, that Coney shot is sweet. And as I said in my caption, it makes me a bit sad as well. There's something about that afternoon light and the lack of crowds that evokes a melancholy atmosphere. I soooooo wish the photographer had turned the camera into the station of the Bobsled ... He did, however, shoot the Tornado's platform. There's a pic of that in one of my books. I'll try to find it.

Sure, it's a credit! And it DOES coast. The friction drive doesn't extend around the entire track. It wasn't, in my opinion, a great ride, but it was quite entertaining to watch.

No, I didn't work in Wildwood, though I went there a lot with friends who lived nearby. Those pics were shot in the winter when the piers were closed. I agree that the old Wildwood had a lot more character. I never rode the Screem Machine as my first visit to the shore was the year AFTER it was torn down.

Here's a video of one operating at Mirabilandia fairly recently. I seem to recall the Wildwood units going backwards through the loop at least twice. I suppose there were various programs. Unless these two went somewhere else while they were here, I don't think any Katapults operated in the States.

Yes, thrillerman1, the Schmeck book is a treasure if you're into the history of wooden coasters, especially those designed by PTC's greatest visionary. I actually worked a bit on this book and feel it shows (at least in a visual sense) just how much Herb Schmeck contributed. Though I feel Fred Church was the true, premier artist of that era, Schmeck pushed the envelope with several of his Wildcats and created quite a few inspired thrillers.

I remember wondering why those Katapults, which were rare rides even back then, would be located so close together. Though I LOVE Anton's coasters, this ride was never very Katapult-y. It certainly didn't have the OMG! factor of the spectacular Weiner Looping - in its original incarnation. The Jumbo Jet was a pretty big deal back then. I thought it was so cool that there was also a Jetstar there as well. I miss the old Wildwood ... ...and hanging out on the Katapult before it was removed. Me sitting on the Jumbo Jet as it was being dismantled.

That SFOG thing is actually the top half of a discount ticket. Yeah, that is an awful design. And why'd they flip the pic? If they'd left it alone, at least they would have had the ride in the proper direction for its Georgia placement. I LOVE that big train!

I was looking through the Closet today and happened up a lot of little oddball items that didn't really fit a particular 'theme' and/or I didn't have much on each ride. So, I thought I'd group them all together for a little look back at some of the wonderful roller coasters that have been lost to history. If only I had a time machine --- or some way to slingshot around the sun and go back ... Enjoy! – Scott Coney Island Bowery. This pic was shot by Mike Boodley's dad in 1974. Bathed in creamy, late afternoon light, this image always makes me a little sad. I can't help but f

Excellent post and pics! I envy you Brits for your proximity to the German fairs. They truly are amazing. I've been fortunate to visit both Oktoberfest in Munich and the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart and can attest to their unequaled intensity. I keep hoping to see Wiener Looping (now that Wieland S. has restored it) back on the fair circuit ... Cheers! -S

Here's the #: ISBN-13: 978-3933257390 And an Amazon link with an absurd inflated price of US$1960.00. http://www.amazon.com/Roller-Coaster-Designer-Werner-Stengel/dp/3933257395/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top It's a great book with an amazing amount of info. I've heard the reason for the delay in both reprinting and the English version is a dispute between the author and publisher.[/tprtv]

OMG! WTF is that thing? It looks like something that crawled/fluttered out of Blazing Fury at Dollywood ...

Now THAT's the Thriller I remember. Thanks for the butchering, Six Flags! Somewhere I have an original Himalaya Bahn card that came out with this one. I'll have to dig it out of The Closet. Love this thread, BTW!

Thanks, Dennis. Still waiting for you to pester your family for all those old West View photos ...

Yes, I did the FD story.

I have the Stengel book. It really is a treasure trove of info. You are right about the sketches showing a ride that looked a lot like the Arrow version that except for the "snow" theme and the bob skids on the vehicles. From what I can gather from interviews with both Stengel and Ron Toomer, the "original" BBW design did indeed call for the single-pipe track and the big 14-seat cars, but for whatever reason the second version Stengel did used the same setup used on the Bat vehicles/track. Stengel also made it very clear that Schwarzkopf had every intention of banking his track on the BBW, unl