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Favorite pre- 1980's coaster


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I'm not counting Phoenix, as it was built in 1985, so I pick Coaster at Playland.

Technically, The Phoenix is circa 1947, just relocated in 1984-1985. I think it still counts as pre-80's....JMO

 

I consider it designed in the 1940's, but built in the 1980's. I'm not completed versed in wood relocations, but my understanding is only a percentage of the original structure ends up in the new place.

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Technically, The Phoenix is circa 1947, just relocated in 1984-1985. I think it still counts as pre-80's....JMO

 

I consider it designed in the 1940's, but built in the 1980's. I'm not completed versed in wood relocations, but my understanding is only a percentage of the original structure ends up in the new place.

 

I'm not sure that they could have used a new wood structure because they didn't have the Rocket's blueprints when they relocated it. Didn't they number all of the boards and ship them to Elysburg on a bunch of trucks?

 

Now, granted, they had to come up with some way to create new footers, so I could be wrong. But I'm pretty sure that the Phoenix's wooden support structure is original.

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Technically, The Phoenix is circa 1947, just relocated in 1984-1985. I think it still counts as pre-80's....JMO

 

I consider it designed in the 1940's, but built in the 1980's. I'm not completed versed in wood relocations, but my understanding is only a percentage of the original structure ends up in the new place.

 

I'm not sure that they could have used a new wood structure because they didn't have the Rocket's blueprints when they relocated it. Didn't they number all of the boards and ship them to Elysburg on a bunch of trucks?

 

Now, granted, they had to come up with some way to create new footers, so I could be wrong. But I'm pretty sure that the Phoenix's wooden support structure is original.

 

I should have phrased my comment differently. I remember listening to John Fetterman speak at an event a few years ago and I recall him saying all the vertical supports can be reused in a relocation but all the track has to be new.

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Technically, The Phoenix is circa 1947, just relocated in 1984-1985. I think it still counts as pre-80's....JMO

 

I consider it designed in the 1940's, but built in the 1980's. I'm not completed versed in wood relocations, but my understanding is only a percentage of the original structure ends up in the new place.

 

I'm not sure that they could have used a new wood structure because they didn't have the Rocket's blueprints when they relocated it. Didn't they number all of the boards and ship them to Elysburg on a bunch of trucks?

 

Now, granted, they had to come up with some way to create new footers, so I could be wrong. But I'm pretty sure that the Phoenix's wooden support structure is original.

 

I should have phrased my comment differently. I remember listening to John Fetterman speak at an event a few years ago and I recall him saying all the vertical supports can be reused in a relocation but all the track has to be new.

 

If you go by the news article that was posted in the San Antonio Express News, about the sale and move of The Rocket in 1985, it states that "every piece of the track and support structure, was dismantled and labeled, then loaded onto flatbed trailers and shipped to Elysburg, PA". I remember seeing pictures of the trucks that were loaded, and there were track sections on some of them. They may have replaced the steel on the rails, though. I guess its just splitting hairs, really. I rode it in 1973 the first time, at the age of 6. It was my first coaster, and I've been waiting for the day when I can get to Knoebel's and ride it again. Hell, we could probably start a whole new thread just pertaining to this, and other coaster relocations.

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