A Close Look at the Forgotten Intamin Standup

[odene497]

So while heading home from Ontario today (after visiting Canada's Wonderland) I decided to get off the highway to take a look at the rusting lot of Intamin Standup, currently across the street from Darien Lake. The park obtained it after Six Flags Astroworld closed, and it's been in pieces there ever since. I'd been meaning to take a gander for the past year but always forgot to stop by. It was just me driving today so I wanted to stop while I had the chance, and figured some people might find the photos interesting.

Consider me giddy like a schoolgirl

It was definitely showing its age...

Part of the lifthill

Intamin everywhere!

Ride sensors were still hooked everywhere

This was heavy.

The side sections of the loop

Brake run!

Walkways and staircases

All in all I can't really imagine this ever being rebuilt. I guess we'll see what happens with the parts over the next few years.

Edited October 26, 2010 by ernierocker

[Gmaster562]

Wow. Are they just going to throw the parts away?

[B-RadG]

Yuck that looks like it's in horrible condition. I can imagine that after sitting out in the open in New York's crappy weather for years it's not gonna be so easy to get up and running. I'm not sure if it'd even be worth the trouble/expense anymore. Awesome pictures, though. Rarely can you ever get that close to the track... without getting hit that is.

Edited October 26, 2010 by B-RadG

[ebl]

Right now, having seen the ride in that condition, scrapping it seems like about the only option left. It looks too corroded to restore to operating condition. I'm glad I got to ride it when it was at SFMM back in the '80s.

 

How's the other one up in Canada doing these days?

 

Eric

[Sidra]

Wow, nice pictures. Shockwave was my first standup when it was at SFMM of course. Though I think its time has come and gone, it just can't compare to its replacement, Riddler's Revenge.

[Houston Thrills]

Appears to be in better shape than it was ca. 2003, when it was running at AstroWorld, heh.

[cwcoasterboy]

Thought I'd add one more picture to this report. Here are the trains as seen very close to the Performing Arts centre. This was a couple of years ago, so I'm not certain they are still there.

Darien Lake Stand Up Trains

[let1gre]

Ah, that's disappointing. Great pictures of a sad sight.

[odene497]

^^Thank you, I too remember seeing them a few years ago after seeing a show. Not positive if they're still there but can't imagine they've done anything new with them. I remember my friends making fun of me for being more excited over the trains than the show we'd just seen.

 

 

How's the other one up in Canada doing these days?

 

I was lucky enough to get on it a few months ago, and it was really unique. A bit bumpy but not unrideable, and the one hill before going up into the midcourse produced some really weird airtime. I enjoyed it but wouldn't exactly be excited if this one at Darien Lake ever ended up being built (which I'm pretty positive it won't).

[mightypotato]

Wow...that's actually really sad to see. Especially since Darien Lake could definitely use the ride (and has for years). I'm in agreement with a bunch of others here in thinking that the ride will never be built.

 

How's the other one up in Canada doing these days?Eric

Got on Cobra in August. It's holding up OK. A little shaky, but completely rideable and dare I say....re-rideable?

[ArizonaGuy]

Awww...my first stand up! Sucks to see it just thrown there in that condition.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Had a chance to ride this at both SFMM and Astroworld ... we should start a website and buy the ride and save it.

[Erik_73]

Right now, having seen the ride in that condition, scrapping it seems like about the only option left. It looks too corroded to restore to operating condition.

 

This track is still salvable; sandblasting and spray painting isn't that cost effective. Don't look to much to the corrosion and bad paint condition; as long as it is only surface corrosion it is no problem.

The condition of the trains / gearboxes / actuated parts like cylinders and state of the ride control have a bigger influence on the re-building cost of this ride while it would always get a fresh paint job at re-erection anyway.

While it is dismantled very carefully and the trains are stored nicely it all gives the indication that the ride still has value to Six Flags. Cutting it to pieces over at Astrowold back than would be much cheeper!

[carolinacaniac]

^But wouldn't the ride technically be owned by PARC since Darian Lake is under their company? I guess it might be possible that the ride is still owned by Six Flags, but I would tend to guess it is PARC property now.

[redmenace8]

Nice pictures, It is almost hard to look at them. I remember this as the first roller coaster I went on at SFMM, it was a school field trip, way back when. I remember my friend hyperventilating, trying to keep it together. I loved it.

Ironically, I just found this yesterday, at the bottom of an old box.

[kcjensen]

If it is owned by PARC Management, why haven't they done anything with it? If it still is salvageable, any one of their theme parks could use it, as they all seem to be a bit lacking in the coaster category.

[willh51]

Nice pictures. That probably won't be operating at any point in the future. It's funny to see modern track remniscent of the current B&M style sitting rusty like that. To my knowledge no B&M has been scrapped, and Flashback is the only other (?) Intamin with that style track to get the ax. I have to wonder if that coaster's travels effected its life at all, irrespective of Astroworld going out of business. I guess the German fair circuit coasters are doing OK.

[TheScooterGuy]

I wish Intamin still made original replacement parts for that coaster! We could put it up for auction on eBay. It's another one of Intamin's early makes. SFMM's Flashback is already gone forever and it's the only hairpin coaster!

[themeparkman25]

post removed by author

Edited January 20, 2011 by themeparkman25

[robbalvey]

If it is owned by PARC Management, why haven't they done anything with it? If it still is salvageable, any one of their theme parks could use it, as they all seem to be a bit lacking in the coaster category.

I think the pictures speak for themselves of why they haven't done anything with it. First off, you gotta remember that ride is 25 years old, has now been put together and taken apart four times now if you count it's current location. Secondly, it's been rotting away for over 5 years now.

 

To actually come in and make heads or tails of the damn ride, and then finally do the expensive re-furb work to get it running, only to have what realistically was a pretty mediocre ride, it would be easier and probably cheaper to just buy something new.

 

I really liked the ride when it was at SFMM, but I was only 15 years old and had no idea what a good or bad coaster was, and compared to today's B&M Stand-Ups like Scorcher, Riddler's and Chang...it's pretty weak in comparison.

 

--Robb

[rollin_n_coastin]

Nice pics! So that's what the coaster on the other side if the road is. Have to go to La Ronde and try one out. Not sure if anything can beat the close to home Togo..

[ericmichaellucas]

Could someone please send an email to Prince Desmond.

 

A coaster like this surely deserves the same care and attention promised to The Big Dipper!

 

I'm just saying!

[mike robinson]

From what I understand part of the ride was damaged during the removal. I don't think it will ever run again.

[Dragon Khan]

Thanks for those awsome pics, Nick. Sad to see this coaster's condition. I tend to be sentimental with old rides, not only woodies. I remember literally CRYING when I saw how they "dismantled" Walibi Belgium's Tornado (Vekoma Corkscrew) and even if not a huge fan of GASM, I was sad to see it destroyed recently...

[Jds03]

I wonder if Six Flags told PARC Management that the sale included the giant lot of coaster parts across the street from the park.