ttd rox Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 ^^The coaster actually looks fun, that's if it still existed. Thanks for the pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaWhippet Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 ^ The model looks interesting. Has this been shown or offered as a coaster design suggestion to any current company that designs &/or builds them? Or is it one with design flaws? Just curious. 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 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DenDen Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 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 ... You know what would be awesome? If Kennywood got a hold of this design, and finally built it. What a massively historic project this would be for the locals. Many in the city knew of this "planned coaster" but have never seen it. This is the first time I have seen this model, and it does look spectacular! My question is where the heck were they going to put it, West View was pretty land-locked, and was partially to blame for not being able to keep up with Kennywood. (The Log Jammer @ KW really killed West Views attendance numbers.) You've made my month seeing all this stuff from my old home town. I can't wait to show my family those images! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaWhippet Posted March 23, 2008 Author Share Posted March 23, 2008 You know what would be awesome? If Kennywood got a hold of this design, and finally built it. What a massively historic project this would be for the locals. Many in the city knew of this "planned coaster" but have never seen it. This is the first time I have seen this model, and it does look spectacular! My question is where the heck were they going to put it, West View was pretty land-locked, and was partially to blame for not being able to keep up with Kennywood. (The Log Jammer @ KW really killed West Views attendance numbers.) You've made my month seeing all this stuff from my old home town. I can't wait to show my family those images! 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 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DenDen Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 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 ... 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaWhippet Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 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 ... 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 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeelTheFORCE Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 I live in Pittsburgh and my parents have always talked about this park. Great to finally see pictures of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DenDen Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 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 went to White Swan a couple of times with friends, since my parents never wanted to go there. Galaxy was actually my first "steel" coaster. (Which I believe is still in operation today at another park!) The park itself was closed for highway expansion, not the actual building of the airport. (Part of the expansion was to include the country's first Mag-Lev, which the city is STILL bickering over. ) But funny, a hotel sits now where the park actually was. The new highway only took the surrounding areas that WS owned. (ie. parking) Finding history about the permanent carnival (as we called it) is quite difficult. I couldn't even tell you when the place opened. My mom has heard of National Park, but nobody she knows of has been there. She was mainly a Kennywood Family, while my dad's side was a West View Family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaWhippet Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaWhippet Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montezooma Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Hey Scott- Do we get to see the inside of that Circus World brochure or are you just teasing us??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaWhippet Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Hey Scott- Do we get to see the inside of that Circus World brochure or are you just teasing us??? 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Wood Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 This stuff is so great. All these pics are kinda creepy though. Coasters left to fall apart is so sad. When they're loaded with people screaming and laughing that gives them life It's tough to see them like this . Keep the pics coming. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMorgan Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Just in case nobody has claimed it yet... THIS is DEFINITELY the best thread. Ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaWhippet Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 Hey Scott- Do we get to see the inside of that Circus World brochure or are you just teasing us??? 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozart67 Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Not to be off-topic (The OVP demolition reminded me of it) but there was a coaster (Florida, I think) that was demolished in one of the "Cannonball Run" movies. Any idea what it was? Garr. The Super Loops. The only flat I am fully terrified of and won't ride. Have seen that thing stuck in the apex way too many times to ride it. And speaking of loops, the Looping Wiener (?) looked intense. I completely agree. This IS the BEST. THREAD. EV-ER. Keep it up Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montezooma Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Ok, Shane ... I just added the three missing sections of the Circus World brochure: -S Ahhhh...Now that's the good stuff. I loved Circus World when it was in that "carny" phase. I could not ride the Weiner Looping without blacking out. This is the best THREAD EV-ER cough-shane'samusmentattic-cough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitsch transporter Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I am pretty sure that "Das Monster" is not by Anton. I´d say it is from a dutch manufacturer. Antons Monsters had different and rotating gondolas. But the track-bound pirate ship is one of Antons answers to the Huss swinging ships. Does anyone know where this bizarre UFO ride came from? (That mini Enterprise that travels bothways on a semi-circular pole?) I remember seeing pictures of it in the seventies, but I never saw one in action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borisdag Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 WOW! Great post! I love these old coasters! Can we go back to Ocean View for a sec? I got into the discussion late and I need to share! I grew up in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area and Ocean View was just about the only amusement park before BG and KD opened. I can vividly remember going to Ocean View and riding a scary water dark ride, and a small diesel train (if I close my eyes I can even remember the smell of the fuel, and the oil from the tracks!). The coaster lined the street and I remember being enthralled as the cars roared up and down the boulevard. To be quite honest, for us Virginia Beach folks going to Ocean View Park was like taking a trip to the ghetto. I rode that coaster as a teenager and I can tell you it was terrifying! The whole thing was a shaky nightmare. Interesting stuff: + My mother rode it on her first date with my father and would never go near it again. + One of my mother's students is in Rollercoaster-an extra who is milling around in the background when Timothy Bottoms puts his cotton candy in the clown trash can. He missed a few days of classes (which my mother, of course, disapproved of). He complained about the filming process which required everyone dress for summer-even through production was in the dead of winter! He said it was torture to be in shorts in the middle of winter on the beach! + It was also called The Southern Belle before the production crew for Rollercoaster renamed it The Rocket (which stuck). + The park was also featured in a Playboy TV movie production called The Death of Ocean View Park! Local folks were scandalized when many of Heff's Playboy bunnies invaded Norfolk during filming! + It took three attempts to blow it up for the climactic scene in the tv movie. The first two explosions blew out windows in the shopping center across the street but the super structure didn't budge! Finally they had to pull it down with a tractor while faux explosions were lit all around to give the illusion it was collapsing. + These days there is a city park/parking lot where it used to stand, and it's a notorious gay cruising area where men have sex with each other in the sand dunes! I'm just sayin..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaWhippet Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 I am pretty sure that "Das Monster" is not by Anton. I´d say it is from a dutch manufacturer. Antons Monsters had different and rotating gondolas. But the track-bound pirate ship is one of Antons answers to the Huss swinging ships. Does anyone know where this bizarre UFO ride came from? (That mini Enterprise that travels bothways on a semi-circular pole?) I remember seeing pictures of it in the seventies, but I never saw one in action. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montezooma Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 WOW that UFO thing is a crazy contraption. I have seen drawings and models of such a ride at the IAAPA convention but never knew that there was a actual ride built. You can see here the concept advertised by IAD as the Rainbow. I have no idea who the mfg is of the UFO. This concept ride seems to be a little more refined than the UFO version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montezooma Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Now if I were to have to guess on the status of Das Monster I would say that it is not a Anton flat. Anton would never make anything that gaudy. You can see here from Anton's ride catalog that his version of the Polyp is quite different from the one at Circus World. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noyzz Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Scott-"Weiner Looping with ONLY lap bars!" Man I remember when I was kid and rode that...OMG I was so scared the first time but after that it was on like donkey kong!!!!!! I miss the old school rides like that, we need more like that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montezooma Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 + These days there is a city park/parking lot where it used to stand, and it's a notorious gay cruising area where men have sex with each other in the sand dunes! I'm just sayin..... Well if we have to lose a coaster at least we lose it to a good cause... ...I'm just sayin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaWhippet Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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