Ray P Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 With the recent influx of "classic" park pics, here's some from my collection from the last 20 years. These were all taken on a crappy disc camera or with a disposable 35mm camera. Enjoy. A random shot of CP's midway with Avalanche Run visible in the background. If you look close, you can see CP's Soak City in the background when it opened in 1988, a year before Magnum opened. Mean Streak in its opening year (1991). Kings Island's Flight Commander. Photo taken in 1992. I actually liked this ride. Skylab (Huss Giant Enterprise) at Kings Island. King Cobra can be seen in the background. On-ride photo of Drachen Fire taken in its opening year with the corkscrew off the mid-course evident (1992). Gladiator's Gauntlet at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, a rare Vekoma Canyon Trip that lasted only a few seasons. Conneaut Lake's Hell Hole, a Mack Rotor that spun far faster than the more modern Chance versions. Picture taken in 1992. Another Flight Trainer ride, this time it's SkyPilot at Kings Dominion. Photo taken in 1998. Darien Lake circa 1991. No Superman and the park's Calypso are highlights. Waldameer Park as seen in 1994. The park was preparing for a new wooden coaster that would arrive 14 years later. Also note the Norman Bartlett Flying Coaster which was removed at the end of the 94 season. Another 1994 Waldameer shot showing the Mill Run, the park's original water ride. It was essentially an entirely outdoor Old Mill featuring a small drop at the end. It was replaced in 1996 with Thunder River. And I'll close with this shot of Knott's Sky Tower and Parachute Sky Jump from my one and only visit to KBF back in 1988. Thanks for reading- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Benvenuto Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I had no idea Soak City opened in 1988. I thought it opened sometimes in the 90s, but not that long ago! I learn something new every winter, about a favorite park of mine or a new park I'm heading the next season! Great pics, and good info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterLine Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I wish there more Waldameer photos... I love to see my local park in the past, as not to many of them are around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidcoaster 2 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Thanks for that I really liked the Conneaut and Waldameer photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montezooma Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Love these pics. Thanks for sharing. That shot of Drachen Fires corkscrew is the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jive Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 These are much better than a lot of old photos that are floating around. Great quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDCOASTERFAN Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 IIRC skypilot at KD was removed well before 1998 & scrambler was put in it's place until 2003 when DZ was installed.I'll have to review my KD map collection just to be sure though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyUD06 Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 IIRC skypilot at KD was removed well before 1998 & scrambler was put in it's place until 2003 when DZ was installed.I'll have to review my KD map collection just to be sure though. I can vouch that it WAS there in 1995, so "well before '98" may be pushing it. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Wow, great photos; thanks for sharing! I like the pictures of KI's past flat rides...I wish another one of those Flight Commander rides were around to experience! (I rode the giant Enterprise-style ride at CW; it wasn't anything special.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuschSchoe Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Thank you so much for posting those photos of Drachen Fire and Gladiator's Gauntlet! Those are two attractions at BGE that I unfortunatley never got a chance to experience... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 Glad some folks seemed to like the pics and thanks for the compliments. Here are some more completely random shots. I have a boatload of these. Just never have the time to scan them all in. A look at Kennywood's Chance Rotor, which was one of the nicer park installations I've seen. Not sure when it was removed, but it is now at Lake Compounce. Before the days of Garfield, Kennywood had some unusual characters including this fellow- Jeeters. While not the best picture, this was a view of Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Sea Dragon, a very nicely themed Mack Sea Storm with a cool fountain in the center of the ride. If you look real close, you can see Drachen Fire rising in the distance. Picture taken in 1992. My final Drachen Fire picture was taken on the ride's entry path in its opening season. The Maestro greets visitors to Kings Island's Phantom Theater. Picture taken in 1992. A 1987 shot of Kings Island's King Cobra. I always thought Waldameer's Chance Carousel looked better before all of the games and souvenir stands popped up around the pavilion. Picture taken in 1996. A completely random shot (I tend to take pictures like Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man") of Six Flags Great America's Demon and Rolling Thunder. The Orbit is also visible. Photo taken in 1994. A rather grainy picture of Kentucky Kingdom's Thunder Run taken in 1992. Not sure what was going on with all of the construction. The late Raging Wolf Bobs, here seen in 1989 before it received its white paint job. A nicely maintained Mack Matterhorn at a now-defunct amusement park in Aurora, OH. Picture taken in 1986. While Disneyland's sign just screams "seventies", this picture was taken in 1988. A horrible picture of Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds, showing the Skyway passing through the mountain. Also taken in 1988. And I'll end this update with a shot into the 100 degree Valencia sun at the entrance to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Photo taken in 1988. Thanks again for checking these out- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy4Coasters! Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 That old Magic Mountain Logo brings back a lot of good memories! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuschSchoe Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I loved the extra photos you added of BGE. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRACHEN_FIRE_FAN-BOY Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I never knew that particular Vekoma flat was at BGE..... (wonder where it was in the Italy section.....) I miss the flight commander at KD, it was so much fun, especially when they would just let it keep going for like five minutes. I also love the Drachen Fire picture from Loch Ness Monster, as well as the King Cobra picture! Richard "Ready for ShockWave's newest ride op?" Sikes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkdcoaster Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 The Sea Dragon at BGE was in the building that is now Apollo's Q house. It was a fun little ride, shame it had to go. BTW Thanks Ray for posting these awesome pics from the past. I love seeing how much has changed over the years. JEFF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exit english Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Wow. These are so awesome. Keep 'em coming.. pleeeease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingScooter Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Great shots, Ray. Thanks for posting them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyweird Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 That Jeeters character looks absolutely awful. What was Kennywood thinking?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycamps Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 That Demon/Rolling Thunder picture was great. I've only seen a few pictures of Rolling Thunder while at Great America, so that was pretty neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_e219 Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Great shots. For the record, Kennywood's Rotor was removed in 1994. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 These photos are great. I never saw them before as they were posted when my home laptop crapped out and I was away from the work computer for two weeks. That Disneyland sign screams 50s-60s, the seventies had much better graphics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 3 months later, here are a few more. Libertyland's Carousel was one of the oldest in the nation if I recall. Photo taken in 1990. Marineland's Dragon Mountain entrance looked a little less covered in foliage when this shot was taken in 1985. LeSourdsville Lake re-opened in 2002 for one year only. Thankfully I got to ride the Screechin' Eagle that summer. Awesome ride that deserves to be saved. Another LeSourdsville shot, this one of the Serpent coaster from across the "lake". The Zipper can also be seen at the far right. These happy coyotes were found at the end of Kennywood's defunct Gold Rusher ride. This is what BGT's Cheetah Chase looked like in its original location. BGW called it the Wild Maus and originally the Wild Izzy. Universal Studios Hollywood was renovating their main entrance when we visited in 1988. Anyone else remember Tour Of The Universe at the CN Tower? When it first opened, it ranked up there with the best themed rides I had been on. Grainy photo taken in 1987. A blurry shot of Toronto with the old Ontario Place Forum in the foreground. Glass Tiger used to rock the house here in 1986. The sun sets on SFGAm's American Eagle in 1994. Idlewild was once home to this rare Huss Tri-Star (called Trinado). It was a cross between a Condor, an Enterprise and a Scrambler. Bizarre, yet fun. Photo taken in 2000. Animal Kingdom's "Countdown To Extinction", taken in the park's opening season of 1998. And I'll end with this shot of Las Vegas' Treasure Island. The original pirate sign was WAY cooler than the crappy one they have now. Maybe new owner Phil Ruffin will bring the pirates back... Thanks for reading- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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