Olsor Posted September 5, 2006 Posted September 5, 2006 Boredom + three-day weekend = scanning old pictures for hours. My family and I took this side trip to St. Louis back in early July 1991 to visit a friend of mine who had moved. This was shortly after the Axl Rose incident/riot in St. Louis. Remember that one? Good times. There wasn't much credit whoring to be done at SFOMA back in those days. I think my friend and I rode Ninja 5 times, Screaming Eagle 4 times, and the Mine Train 2 or 3 times. I remember loving the park and the rides, and especially the setting. Well, enjoy! Lights on. Nothing like a night ride on the Screamin' Eagle. Ninja at dusk. The log flume... extreme POV! In front of Screamin' Eagle, you can see the new addition for 1991 - Tidal Wave. Taken from Colossus. I always loved this picture. Taken from the Buccaneer. From the station. POV, baby. Forgive my poor photography... I was 13, and I'd only gotten my camera a month earlier. I loved that ground-hugging helix at the end of the ride. First up - Ninja. With classic red paint job. Not a fan of the new black on white scheme.
coasterboy76 Posted September 5, 2006 Posted September 5, 2006 Great retro TR! some great pics, like the ones especially of the Screamin' Eagle! i agree with you about the black paint job (the ninja) has now, it doesnt look as good. especially considering you can see the red coming through where they painted it black.
Erik Johnson Posted September 5, 2006 Posted September 5, 2006 I remember when I was 13 I got to see the Scream Machine at the 1986 Expo in Vancouver B.C. Why post this shred of information in this thread you might ask? Well its the same exact coaster that is now called The Ninja at SF-Mid America/St Louis.
ElToroExtreme Posted September 5, 2006 Posted September 5, 2006 killer retro pics dude!!! hey you had a good eye for 13!!!
dougr Posted September 5, 2006 Posted September 5, 2006 I remember when I was 13 I got to see the Scream Machine at the 1986 Expo in Vancouver B.C. Why post this shred of information in this thread you might ask? Well its the same exact coaster that is now called The Ninja at SF-Mid America/St Louis. Rode it a bazillion times during Expo. My favo(u)rite steel coaster til this year!
Jive Posted September 5, 2006 Posted September 5, 2006 The St Louisan's are coming out of the wood work with old photos. Great photos even by todays standards.
St.LouisBOI Posted September 5, 2006 Posted September 5, 2006 Wow, great photos. The park looks so...new! Haha.
easytoremember Posted September 6, 2006 Posted September 6, 2006 Woah. Those two rides sitting together are like the Ninja Scream machine combo at SFOG. I was Feeling Deja Vu for a second. Oh wait, not for another 10 years or so... (end very bad joke)
CP_RULES Posted September 6, 2006 Posted September 6, 2006 I really like to see these old photos, even thought I cant relate to them (I wasnt even born then!), I still feel like they are close to me and they still bring back old memories. Is that all the park had back then?
Olsor Posted September 6, 2006 Author Posted September 6, 2006 Well, there were flat rides, too, but that was it for the coaster selection. You younger TPRers missed those years when even major parks only had a handful of big rides. Just look at what CP and SFMM had in 1988, and you will freak out. What was weird was that the Ninja had only been at the park for two years when I first visited, and there was at worst a one-train wait in the station. Screamin' Eagle was about 30-45 minutes the whole day, and it was a 15-year-old ride at the time (now 30). One of my lasting memories from the park was how the Colossus was lit up at night to look like a working clock. Very cool. And I still think Screamin' Eagle is one of the most beautiful looking rides there is, perched up on the hill. (But the station was awful... one of those where people entered at the front of the train instead of the middle, and EVERYONE lined up for the front, backing up the line.)
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