The Most Shocking Ride Removals

[coasterbear30]

I was surprised by Hypersonic being removed. It seemed to come out of left field. Glad I got a ride on it in October of that year. I was also a little surprised by Chang being removed as well. It was obviously the best ride in the park.

[Ed Farmer]

I'll add Pitt Fall, if indeed it's time is limited.

[BeemerBoy]

Chuck, I'll have to agree with Horizons. And as for 20K, I can't really say I was "shocked" that it eventually met its doom. But I was somewhat shocked at the reports of the apparent "sabotage" from the maintenance crew during the inspection process from top level execs, which helped lead to its demise.

That ride removal still hurts me the most too.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

Hellevator at Kentucky Kingdom, that thing had a few more solid years left in the tank

 

While that may have been true the park it was in didn't & SFI made a decision early on to "GL" or "SFAW" the place.

[scruffy]

I was surprised to see the King Cobra down when I went to media day for Tomb Raider.

[greenspandan]

both Big Bad Wolf and Hypersonic XLC came as huge shocks to me. I always thought of BBW as one of BGW's signiature park-defining rides, and Hypersonic XLC was such an extreme, cutting edge, high-profile and relatively new ride. i mean, i am sure as a member of the GP i am not privy to all the factors that went into those decisions, so i'm not judging them, just saying that those closures both shocked me.

[SKULLY]

Chuck, I'll have to agree with Horizons. And as for 20K, I can't really say I was "shocked" that it eventually met its doom. But I was somewhat shocked at the reports of the apparent "sabotage" from the maintenance crew during the inspection process from top level execs, which helped lead to its demise.

That ride removal still hurts me the most too.

 

In a way it made sense but it would have been nice had they announced it PRIOR to its closing in a way that let people say goodbye. It definitely had a large fan base and was a hit with the park visitors. But closing it during a rehab....it kind of makes me believe nothing is safe. And the fact the Disneyland polished theirs up only makes it harder to accept the fact that it's done for. I guess playgrounds are all the rage these days. Of course, the new Fantasy Land might make a bit more sense but it's twenty years too late and still doesn't have an E-Ticket to make up for the only one ever shut down.

[thrillrider]

I would have to say that big bad wolf was a big surprise to me.

[the ghost]

Not necessarily shocking... but angering. Knotts- Tampico Tumbler. The Tampico tumbler is a relatively flat ride and my favorite flat of all time... it is the same ride as Jimmy Neutron at MOA. It was really fun and awesome, but they replaced it with a HUSS Giant Frisbee which are fun, but no Tumbler.

[XYZ]

Invertigo @ CGA, saw the news first on Screamscape, and at that moment I hoped that was just one of Screamscape's "rumors". It's even worse because CGA is my home park.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Hellevator at Kentucky Kingdom, that thing had a few more solid years left in the tank

 

While that may have been true the park it was in didn't & SFI made a decision early on to "GL" or "SFAW" the place.

Well that and the fact that the ride ripped off a girl's legs. No amount of positive reinforcement from the park could have saved that ride in the GP's eyes.

[B.A.B]

The most shocking removal for me was Chang and Demon Drop.

[Scott45]

I cast my vote with Scully, The loss of Capt. Nemo's submarines is criminal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[VinTheAttendant]

I would have to say Time Warp and Nightwing at Six Flags New England. Though both rides had their reasons for their removals, it was shocking to see them go at the same time! From what I heard, Time Warp's engine exploded and Nightwing was a mechanical travesty. Both rides were prototypes and had no replacement parts, so their removals were inevitable. It's a shame since the park could really use some more good flat rides.

[metrock]

The ENTIRE PARK of AstroWorld in Houston, Texas. End of story.

I'll second this. I was really frustrated when the park closed and everything was torn down with the exception of a few ride relocations. but then those rides were never rebuilt. See, I visited the park for the first time in 2004. But for some reason, half the rides were shut down. Mainly the ones I was really looking forward to riding: Ultra Twister (because of how unique it was), Batman: The Escape (because I was too small to ride it when it was at SFMM) and Greezed Lightnin' (because of how much I love Monte).

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Hypersonic XLC, Big Bad Wolf, GASM, Maliboomer, Chang, Invertigo, and Stealth's removals were all pretty shocking to me.

 

HXLC was a major attraction at KD; although not the most reliable, it certainly drew guests to the park.

 

BBW was a classic ride, and it's sad that it left. The park said that it had reached the end of its life, but I could've seen it operating for at least another 5 years.

 

GASM was another classic, and I never heard of many problems other than roughness. It could've easily gotten a refurb to make it better.

 

Maliboomer, while certainly not the most popular ride at DCA, was good Space Shot. I'd buy it if Disney isn't planning on doing anything with it.

 

Chang was the main reason to go to SFKK, and I knew something fishy was up with the park when it was removed (although the fishyness turned out to be a bit different than what I expected it to be).

 

Even with the problem last year, I wouldn't have expected Invertigo to be removed. Of course the problem isn't the real reason behind its removal, but it's rather weird that CF just removed it as apart of a business decision, as it looked like it was doing well at CGA. Stealth also seemed to have a bright future as one of CGA's star attractions, but business decisions again thought otherwise.

[greatamerica1990sfan]

TIDAL WAVE 2002, STEALTH 2003, INVERTIGO 2011 that were at CGA. God I especially miss Tidal Wave & Stealth the most. Invertigo I don't really miss since there's still the Boomerang & V2 at SFDK which isn't that far away.

[STR8FXXXINEDGE]

I'm gonna have to go with the majority here and say Big Bad Wolf. Luckily, I was there and rode it a month before they announced its closure. That was a coaster I had wanted to ride ever since I was a kid after seeing it on some old VHS coaster videos that I had. I really enjoyed it!

 

I'm also gonna go ahead and throw in White Water Landing at Cedar Point. I was pretty surprised and a bit sad when that came out. Don't get me wrong, Maverick is my favorite coaster in the park, but I still miss the hell out of WWL!

[1badgmc]

I'm going to have to say Big Bad Wolf too. I've never been to BGW, so I never got the chance to ride it. To me it always seemed like a signature ride that they would keep around for years to come and I always hoped that one day I would get to experiene that dive down to the water. I've always been fascinated by the Arrow suspendeds, but the only one I've ever ridden is Iron Dragon. Their numbers are dwindling. I hope I can get to ride more before they all disappear.

[HowieP]

Even though we here in Michigan got Thunderhawk at Michigan's Adventure, the closing of Geauga Lake is one of the most shocking. Had it stayed open, Ohio would've had a Cedar Fair Trifecta, with Cedar Point and Kings Island included. I was also shocked at the closing of Kentucky Kingdom. At least folks are trying to re-open that one.

 

As far as rides go, I was dismayed at the removal of Horizons, World of Motion, and Wonders of Life at Epcot. While Mission: Space took over the spot Horizons once sat at, and Test Track took over World of Motion and is still sponsored by GM, Wonders of Life just sits empty, only to be opened only for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, or as a convention spot. I'd say maybe add an indoor coaster there. Epcot is the only Disney park, of all Disney parks worldwide, to not have a roller coaster!

[theGrayZone]

Here is the awesome 20K Leagues ride site. In addition to these post operating pictures, be sure to check out all this site has to offer.

 

http://www.20kride.com/photos_after.html

 

Thanks for posting that link. I haven't been to WDW-MK since '91 and was under the impression that the Little Mermaid re-theming was for both US parks. I got caught up real quick like, see... and sit here wondering less about how all this missed me... and tripping out more about the fact 20 years Air-Bazooka-ed by since my last Disney visit (I need a flux capacitor... or a hot tub and chernobly energy drink). The 20k Ride site is a nice tribute/history. Glad I had a chance to enjoy the ride! (Also... related side note... the new play area that now sits on the former 20k site features a nice touch commemorating 20k Leagues... the 20k Ride site has a couple nice images that show how.)

 

As for the topic... three come immediately to mind:

 

BBW... is one. I went off about that on some other cyber-space so I'm not going to rehash my closure here. It all happened so fast, you know? I really hope BG will consider leaving one or more obvious or hidden nods to the Wolf somewhere in the vicinity, or somewhere in the park. That would be honorable. I'm reluctant to even consider the possibility of LNM going... too classic.

 

Ocean View Amusement Park... is the second. I went as a kid but was too small to ride any of the "grown-up" rides. I remember watching Rocket thunder through it's course and also have a memory of standing outside the queue section watching ride ops walking around the train parked in the station during a massive storm that hit the park one afternoon. I was too young to be "shocked and surprised" about the park's demise... however the reality of the facts disappointed me fully at maybe age 8... that I never got to, or would ever, ride the Rocket. I used to take a school bus home that passed the old OVAP site and I'd just stare and imagine the amusement glory of yesteryears (... like every day).

 

Buckroe Beach Park... is the third. I was older when I went to BBP but still too young (and chicken) to ride the wooden coaster there. That place lit up really well at night, too (lots of neon, and vintage lighting rigs/packages!). Along with "Dips", I also remember there being another ride called "Cascades" (I think) that had a coaster-like drop into a water-filled tunnel surrounded by plexiglass. I think the neon, Cascades, sign was hanging in that tunnel area. I never rode that one either, but have some memory of sitting in a dining facility zoning out on the cars repeatedly hitting the water. I only went to BBP once and was old enough to be shocked to hear of it's demolishment when that happened.

Edited July 10, 2011 by theGrayZone

[_koppen]

Well, the removal of this one was no suprise, but the money lost on this attraction was a pretty big shock!

[ScottBrown]

I must throw in my vote for Stealth and Invertigo, I just don't understand what compels a park chain to relocate a parks newest largest and most popular attractions somewhere else with no replacements, I might have understood more if Six Flags wasn't so close by and there was no competition but in my eyes it just seems like a very odd business decision unless the plan is to slowly shut the place down

[FeelTheFORCE]

I honestly wasn't *shocked* about Big Bad Wolf. It was clear that maintenance costs were/are rising, and parts were/are becoming more and more scarce for Arrow suspended coasters (and even Arrow coasters in general). BBW ran its course and it was time to move on...not to mention if a coaster like Eagles Fortress can close, than any Arrow suspended could be the next to go. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if we see more Arrow coasters in general disappear within the next 10 years.

[ScottBrown]

Not to mention that the vast majority of them are not aging well and are becoming more and more uncomfortable to ride