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Carowinds Discussion Thread

P. 417 - Fury back open now with 100% less crack!

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What ever happened to the Mondial Topscan that was supposed to be coming to this park? Are the pieces still on site?

 

I had wondered the same things a while ago. It's possible that, if it is for Carowinds, it will be put into storage and be built and opened for 2017 as it's getting on to open it for the 2016 season.

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Looks like Carowinds might also be getting 5 new-used rides for this season: Muzik Express, Trokia, Top Scan, Wave Swinger and Breakdance

 

http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-cedar-fair-flat-rides-20160206-story.html

 

A team of scavengers scouring the globe for vintage thrill rides to bring back to Cedar Fair amusement parks in the United States hit the mother lode in Europe and plans to continue the search in Japan.

 

The transcontinental trek took Monty Jasper and a small crew of Cedar Fair maintenance coordinators to Scotland, Holland, Italy, Switzerland and Germany where they collected seven classic flat rides — industry-speak for spinning thrill rides that travel near the ground and/or rise up into the air.

 

“To be honest, I was surprised at all we found,” said Jasper, a 42-year industry veteran and chief ride curator for Cedar Fair’s chain of 11 amusement parks.

 

Let's take a detailed look at the inventory of vintage flat rides — past and present — at Cedar Fair's amusement parks. (Brady MacDonald)

 

In all, Jasper spent $7 million — about $1 million per ride — on a Mondial Top Scan, Mack Music Express, Zierer Wave Swinger, Huss Condor, Huss Breakdance and a pair of Huss Troikas.

 

After extensive rehabs, five of the rides are heading to Carowinds outside Charlotte, N.C., and the other two are on their way to Missouri’s Worlds of Fun in time for the summer season.

 

Jasper likes the rides from the 1950s, '60s and '70s because they tend to be more robust and mechanically sound than their modern brethren.

 

“If you take care of them, they will last a long time,” Jasper said.

 

Inspired by the “American Pickers” reality television show, Jasper’s team of collectors departed for Europe with the goal of filling out Cedar Fair’s portfolio of mid-range rides — those unheralded but essential workhorses that fall somewhere between the mega coasters and the kiddie rides. Jasper hoped to even pick up a sturdy old coaster if found one he liked.

 

At Scotland’s Loudoun Castle theme park, which closed in 2010, the Cedar Fair ride pickers passed on a portable Schwarzkopf looping coaster but picked up a Troika, which is similar to the familiar Scrambler except it's suspended from overhead arms that tilt during the ride.

 

“They stuck the key in the ignition and it started right up,” Jasper said. “Troikas are stout rides. They’re built like tanks.”

 

In Germany, the pickers decided against a Funtime Star Flyer tower swing at Holiday Park but grabbed a Breakdance, which features a sloped spinning platform with hubs of cars that spin in the opposite direction. California’s Great America, a Cedar Fair park in Santa Clara, has a Breakdance ride called Peanuts Pirates in its Planet Snoopy kiddie land.

 

Switzerland and Italy proved scenic but fruitless, with the pickers deciding against a Huss Top Scan and a Mack bobsled roller coaster.

 

“Anything can run again if you throw enough money at it, but it might not be worth it,” Jasper said. “You don’t want to put some troublemaker into a park.”

 

Corroy Consulting, a ride-refurbishment factory in Holland that finds and resells classic flat rides, turned out to be a goldmine — with Jasper and the pickers snapping up five rides that will be stripped, repainted, repaired and updated with new electrical and lighting before being shipped to the United States.

 

Carowinds is expected to get the Scottish Troika, Breakdance, Music Express, Top Scan and Wave Swinger. The Music Express features a snake-like train traversing an undulating track, and the Top Scan spins riders in free-rotating gondolas. The Wave Swinger may replace the park’s Chance Yo Yo, a similar spinning ride with seats suspended from chains.

 

Worlds of Fun is expected to become home to the Dutch Troika as well as the Condor, a spinning tower ride with counter-spinning swinging gondola seats.

 

This month, Jasper plans to visit Japan on another scavenger hunt in hopes of discovering more rides like the ones he found in Europe while also looking for other classics like the Chance Trabant, Schwarzkopf Enterprise and Eli Bridge Scrambler.

 

“It may not be as good as that first trip,” Jasper said. “We will see.”

Edited by larrygator
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I think the two are gonna be ready for WOF this season. The top scan at carowinds is still under fury so I dont think they will be ready at carowinds this year. That will be one HELLUVAH of a 2017 expansion!

 

Carowinds is expected to get the Scottish Troika, Breakdance, Music Express, Top Scan and Wave Swinger. The Music Express features a snake-like train traversing an undulating track, and the Top Scan spins riders in free-rotating gondolas. The Wave Swinger may replace the park’s Chance Yo Yo, a similar spinning ride with seats suspended from chains.

 

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Carowinds is really getting a significant investment. They were not playing when they said they wanted to make Carowinds the Cedar Point of the south. An investment like that in flat rides along with their other new rides coming to the park will help with capacity significantly.

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I think this was already in plans. Right, the park has only 5 flat rides (outside of planet snoopy); a scrambler, a yo-yo, bumper cars, a 360 boat and an enterprise. To be a pretty big par, that's nothing to brag about lol..

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I'd much rather have this!

 

But it does make you think. If Fury 325 was the start of the 50+ million 3 year investment, that means next year would be the 3rd year. Plus the new tax incentives from the SC side of things! I would say 5 million would be a lot to drop down at carowinds but with the way things are going, I think it may be more to come for 2017! Now lets get thru all the awesome stuff for 2016 first lol!

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I'd much rather have this!

 

But it does make you think. If Fury 325 was the start of the 50+ million 3 year investment, that means next year would be the 3rd year. Plus the new tax incentives from the SC side of things! I would say 5 million would be a lot to drop down at carowinds but with the way things are going, I think it may be more to come for 2017! Now lets get thru all the awesome stuff for 2016 first lol!

 

Now bro you know I'm a die hard for all flats and a screamin swing is one of them as well. The closest one to me is at Dollywood. If Carowinds gets when they have me invested for the next 10yrs lol

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If you think Cedar Fair is buying another one of those after the absurd amount of problems Skyhawk has then you're nuts... especially since those problems have included some pretty serious injuries. I don't pretend to know what Cedar Fair has planned for the future but I highly doubt they ever buy another Screaming Swing.

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:lol:

 

If you think Cedar Fair is buying another one of those after the absurd amount of problems Skyhawk has then you're nuts... especially since those problems have included some pretty serious injuries. I don't pretend to know what Cedar Fair has planned for the future but I highly doubt they ever buy another Screaming Swing.

 

Which is weird because the Herschend swings haven't had any of those issues

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Exactly it just tells me everything is not meant to be the tallest. The cable snap is the only issue I know of, what's the others? Every time I go to CP it's running and I'm on it prior snap post snap lol. Carowinds doesn't need a Skyhawk. I'll take Barnstormer anyday. It's true the Herschend parks nor Kennywood's have never had issues. Maybe it was a maintainance problem on cedar fair's part.

Edited by pproteinc
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Skyhawk (at CP) seems to run nearly everytime I'm there. And except for the cable snap (which was commented by industry experts as a rare incident to have a cable break) I don't know of any other problems CP or any other cedar fair park has experienced.

 

But yes, Screaming Swings are awesome.

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Skyhawk (at CP) seems to run nearly everytime I'm there. And except for the cable snap (which was commented by industry experts as a rare incident to have a cable break) I don't know of any other problems CP or any other cedar fair park has experienced.

 

But yes, Screaming Swings are awesome.

 

Let's see, constant closures for weeks / months at a time. The ride was closed for the vast majority of the 2013 season, last year it was closed for a few weeks with a crane working on the support structure between the arms (though last year was overall pretty decent) and then of course the accident in 2014.

 

It's a very unreliable ride. It's a great ride but it's hard to deny that it has a ton of issues. And let's not forget this close call at Thorpe Park. I don't see many people buying them going forward.

 

 

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Do the others have problems? Maybe they got a dud lol,

 

The only ones that I can think of that have had problems are SkyChicken at Cedar Point and the one at Thorpe Park. The rest of them seem to run great. Also, aside from the issues with SkyHawk when it first opened and the cable snap issue, it seems to run fine.

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