SeaWhippet

Glad the pic brought back good memories for you. I shot that pic on my last trip to ride the Racer before it was overhauled and ... altered. That's when they ran all six of those beautiful NAD trains in their Century Flyer glory! I miss those days ...[/b]

As others have said, check out: www.rcdb.com. You'll find there are a few racers still out there, though none compare to the Mexico version in terms of intensity. -S

Agreed. It remains one of my greatest hopes that those who decided to trash Twister and Wildcat and create that abomination downtown have a nice toasty place awaiting them ...

Herb Schmeck constantly duplicated successful elements of his many design throughout his career. The Myers Lake Comet and Knoebels Phoenix (aka Rocket) are almost identical. It appears John Allen did the same thing .. at least with the Shooting Star and Screamin' Eagle. -S

Shane, I have aerials of both rides that I used in an ACE News layout, which were shot by the late Wayne Stuber @ Aerial Perspective. But they are copyrighted, so I am hesitant to post them here. (Someone with my same last name has blatantly violated U.S. copyright law and is selling them on Ebay right now. The authorities are closing in on that situation as I type, so I suspect -- when he reads this -- they'll vanish straight away). Anyway, to answer your question, I'm posting two rough layout drawings that show the similarities of both rides. Though the Eagle was a bit taller and longer, the rides were surprisingly similar. But still, I found the Star more thrilling. -S

Sorry to hear the Shooting Star was one of your ABNR (Admired-But-Not-Ridden) coasters. If you've followed this thread, you know I have SO many of those rides. Hopefully, your therapist can help help you work through it. I think I need help getting over NOT riding the Ocean View Rocket ... The Shooting Star really was a wonderful coaster. I wish I had documented it more than I did. If only I could find those Super-8 movies!

Thanks. I'm glad people are enjoying the various retro park/ride threads here at TPR. My hope is that it'll encourage others who have access to such collections to share. -S

Please help me, I finally found a computer that works! I'm locked somewhere underneath the castle, it's very dark and I haven't had anything to eat but week old turkey legs for the last week. There's some very cold equipment down here with a frozen chamber next to it, I think it's a little more than head sized, and... Actually I've just been really busy, and just got some good promotion news. I'll put up the finished layout tomorrow. Alp- Try to hang in there until rescue arrives. And keep clear of that frozen chamber Seriously, looking forward to more on this great ride. -Scott

OK, here's the SAD and PATHETIC part of my life: I've been here for 7 years, and STILL haven't ridden it. WHAT?! Ok, you have a mission: go there today and give it a spin, then post a pic of yourself in the train to prove you did it!

Oh yeah, Shane, the Shooting Star was very similar to the Eagle ... the footprint more so than the profile. The SS's airtime was abundant, especially on a hot summer night after a long day of hard running. I really miss this ride. BTW, I agree that Lagoon would be a perfect fit for Wiener Looping. Every park should be so lucky to own three of Anton's treasures.

Hey, there's pleanty of room for it here. D- I think Boomers is the perfect place for the Wiener ( ). I can just see it drawing the attention of drivers on 95. At least you have the Hurricane to ride any day you wish. When I was based in FLL, the closest woodie was the Starliner in Panama City. -S

I grew up visiting Virginia's Lakeside Park. Oddly enough, there was no lake. However, this sweet little traditional park had everything a kid could want: plenty of classic flats and a kick-ass woodie - Shooting Star. The Shooting Star (Dont'cha just LOVE that name?!) was the John Allen/PTC design that inspired the SFSL Screamin' Eagle. Personally, I preferred the SS over the SE. It was just a little meaner. The ride was always well-maintained and always painted in what I considered (back then) to be proper woodie colors: red track,white structure, blue handrails. Though I had already forsaken Virginia for South Florida, I was terribly saddened when Lakeside closed forever in 1986. This was a great park with a wonderful wooden coaster that should still be here. Most of these images come from brochures and my own visits in the early 80s, while three were part of a spread I did when I was ACE News editor a hundred years ago. I think these were shot by Michael Horwood. Somewhere I have Super-8 movies (POV!) of the ride. I'll post those if I can dig them out of the bottomless Closet. Enjoy, -Scott Approaching the first drop -- a little slice of heaven for a ten-year-old boy... "Shooting S _ar" final turn just before home brakes. I think the "H" fell off ... (M. Horwood) Flats and more ... Back turn. First drop. Airtime ahead!!! Baby got back ... but STILL couldn't release a train. Like CP's Blue Streak, SS was a true BOY ride. Incoming! Classic hand brakes. Flying Scooter! Flats Park train and Shooting Star first drop One of coolest park signs ever! M. Horwood shot for ACE News cover

-Tatum Has anyone ever been to this park? I wonder if the ride is operational. What would be even better is if the new owner was knowledgeable enough to understand how Six Flags ruined the dynamics of this ride and restored Thriller's original first drop and first two loops the way Anton and Werner intended. I can dream ...

Well, I'm hoping it either returns to the German fair circuit, or finds a home somewhere at a park or an FEC in the US. I really miss this incredible ride. -S

Same here! With all Anton's coasters ending up in Mexico (who would've thought such a thing could happen?!), it would indeed be grand if Wiener Looping would come back to American soil. This shuttle would fit so well on one of Morey's Piers or ... even Carowinds! That park was bloody robbed when White Lightnin' went to Africa. I can just see it: Wiener Lightnin' ! I'm just sayin'

Wiener Looping is BACK! ... or it will be when someone buys this treasure. You're all getting a sneak preview of the advert (below) that will appear in AT's May issue. Wieland Schwarzkopf is offering the ride: "Completely rebuilt, New updated electronic controls & train." I hope someone in North America snatches this gem as it's one incredible ride. It'll be even better if these "updated" trains utilize only the lap bar as Anton originally intended. I rode it at Circus World without those dreadful OTS accordions and it was a delightful experience. Not so much when I took a spin in 1989 at Oktoberfest ... BTW ... Thriller found a home in Mexico. More on that wonderful news in a few days! -S M.Patenburg M.Patenburg At Circus World At Circus World At Circus World

I think what everyone seems to fail to notice or mention is that non-banked track made that ride much wilder than its offspring. If the Bat was banked, it would surely still be here, but it wouldn't have been the same ride. Because of the suspension systems on the cars (i.e. all those shocks) banking would force the cars to anticipate the turn, making it much more tame, which is what you have today. I understand what you mean, Den, and you're right. If the track had been properly banked, it would not have been the same wild ride that it was. BUT ... it would still have been FAR more thrilling than XLR8 due to the fact that the Bat's downward grade was relatively steep and constant after chain release on both lifts. I feel it would be superior (thrill-wise) to KI's Top Gun if it had survived. Furthermore, the final drop on BGE's BBWolf remains one of the single most intense segments on an operating coaster anywhere. That little speck of violence always reminds me of the Bat. -S

I don't HATE the Intamin bobsleds; I just wish they'd taken all their technology and created something a bit more entertaining. Mack was on the right track ... -S

TWISTER Although I prefer roller coasters above all other rides, there are a few flats that intrigue me. I'm not one for spinning rides, but for some reason, I CAN tolerate the Twister. Maybe it has something to do with the motion not being constant. Who knows ...? My best Twister ride EVER was at the Iowa State Fair in the mid-90s. That operator was so devious that I actually thought I was going to get a nosebleed! It was that insane. Sadly, these rides are becoming way too rare. Not long ago, I did one of my Amusement Today Scrapbooks on the Twister. Along with photos submitted by Mark Rosensweig and others for the piece, I also got a nice stash from the Allan Herschell museum including the nice catalog pages. Though AH Co.invented the ride, Chance continued to produce them for a while after acquiring AH in 1971. M. Rosensweig M. Rosensweig Australia & Williams Grove Park Clementon Lake Park 1950s At the AH factory in 1955 AH model with wooden flooring

Right, and Carowinds' TG could've become The Bat instead of RugBurn.

I didn't say Vortex wasn't impressive. OK, maybe I did, but... The ride just doesn't float my boat. Those corkscrews suspended in the air ... WTF? They could've inserted another good, deep drop right there ... but NO! Let's brake the train and then flip people over in the most uncomfortable manner possible. Boring. No thanks. Where's Bat II - The Revenge ? I'm just sayin' ...

Beautiful Blue Streak shots. I remember the ride when it was fun ... when you'd cruise into the station and a male operator would have to use his weight to manipulate the brake handle and slow that heavy train. Cherish your memories. Those were wonderful times! -S

I think what everyone seems to fail to notice or mention is that non-banked track made that ride much wilder than its offspring. If the Bat was banked, it would surely still be here, but it wouldn't have been the same ride. Because of the suspension systems on the cars (i.e. all those shocks) banking would force the cars to anticipate the turn, making it much more tame, which is what you have today. The forces were so great on the Bat that the KI maint. crew had to replace those shocks quite often. I often imagine what might've happened had Arrow replaced that flat track with a few banked sections. Instead of Vortex we'd have something truly impressive: The Bat!

As they say here in the South: "Bless their hearts!"