Historical Rides - what have you been on that was a part of History?

[bert425]

I got to thinking about this while posting in the CP thread - where one poster has no interest in riding Wilderness Run if the opportunity presents itself.

no judgement on that - tho it got me thinking:   I've *never* counted the number of coasters I've been on, that part has never interested me.  
But I always have made note of rides I've been on that have historical significance.

really.

I've been lucky enough to live in Texas (how often does one hear that???) where I was able to experience a lot of 1st's of their kind.  But I've also made a point to ride things that I know are historically important.
(I'm not talking about "rare" rides - such as a Premier Spaghetti bowl (only 5 in the world), or an Ultra Twister, or even a Derby Racer (hello Cedar Downs), that are hard to get to.   I'm talking about "the first" or "rarest").

things I've ridden of note:

Wilderness Run (ridden at CP) - the very first Intamin Roller Coaster.

El Dorado Carousel (ridden at Tosihmaen in Japan) - the oldest surviving 3 ring Carousel.  (carved in 1902, it became the Steeplechase carousel in Coney Island, after surviving the Dreamland fire in 1911, and moved to Japan after Steeplechase park closed in 1964)

El Aserradero (ridden at Six Flags Over Texas. . and flume 1 just reopened after decades for the park's anniversary) - the worlds 1st Log Flume ride, built by Arrow.

Runaway Mine Train (ridden at Six Flags Over Texas) - the worlds 1st mine train coaster, with tubular steel track, built by Arrow

New Texas Giant (ridden at Six Flags Over Texas) - the 1st RMC converted coaster.

Batman (ridden at Six Flags Fiesta Texas) - the first S&S FreeSpin coaster

Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster (ridden at Six Flags Fiesta Texas) - the first RMC Raptor/single rail coaster

Volcano (ridden at Kings Dominion) - First complete-circuit, LIM-launched inverted coaster by Intamin

Millennium Force (ridden at CP) - worlds first Giga Coaster (over 300ft)

Montezooma's Revenge (ridden at Knott's Berry Farm) - the last remaining Shuttle Loop still in it's original installation site.

Steel Dragon 2000 (ridden at Nagashima Spaland) - the longest coaster in the world.

Dodonpa (ridden at Fuji Q) - the coaster with the fasted acceleration in the world.

(until Shellraiser had opened, I could have listed Takabisha at Fuji Q as the steepest drop in the world).   
I've been on the 2nd tallest coaster - TTD, but until I can make it to Kingda Ka?  that will remain elusive - until someone builds that 500 foot one.  Tho TTD was the first Strata Coaster (over 400 ft)


so. . what "historical" rides have you been on?

[ytterbiumanalyst]

11 minutes ago, bert425 said:

El Aserradero (ridden at Six Flags Over Texas. . and flume 1 just reopened after decades for the park's anniversary) - the worlds 1st Log Flume ride, built by Arrow.

Runaway Mine Train (ridden at Six Flags Over Texas) - the worlds 1st mine train coaster, with tubular steel track, built by Arrow

New Texas Giant (ridden at Six Flags Over Texas) - the 1st RMC converted coaster.

Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster (ridden at Six Flags Fiesta Texas) - the first RMC Raptor/single rail coaster

Millennium Force (ridden at CP) - worlds first Giga Coaster (over 300ft)

Montezooma's Revenge (ridden at Knott's Berry Farm) - the last remaining Shuttle Loop still in it's original installation site.

The above same as you, plus a few others:

 

Switchback Railway (ZDT's) - First wooden shuttle coaster

Outlaw Run (Silver Dollar City) - First wooden coaster with inversions in the modern era

Kingda Ka (SF Great Adventure) - World's tallest

Monster (Adventureland) - First Gerstlauer Infinity in the U.S.

Time Traveler (SDC) - First spinning coaster with inversions in the U.S.

Flight of Fear (Kings Island) - First LIM coaster

Buzzsaw Falls (SDC) - First Premier water coaster

Mystic Timbers (KI) - First coaster where you go in the shed

[tndank]

X2 - Bankrupted Arrow

Titan SFoT. - Bankrupted Giovanoli

[bert425]

13 minutes ago, ytterbiumanalyst said:

The above same as you, plus a few others:

 

Switchback Railway (ZDT's) - First wooden shuttle coaster

Outlaw Run (Silver Dollar City) - First wooden coaster with inversions in the modern era

Kingda Ka (SF Great Adventure) - World's tallest

Monster (Adventureland) - First Gerstlauer Infinity in the U.S.

Time Traveler (SDC) - First spinning coaster with inversions in the U.S.

Flight of Fear (Kings Island) - First LIM coaster

Buzzsaw Falls (SDC) - First Premier water coaster

Mystic Timbers (KI) - First coaster where you go in the shed

oh. . I forgot about Switchback Railway.   I've ridden that too.

I guess if I squint, you could count FoF too tho (it DID open 1st, so was the 1st of it's kind. . tho that does fall under my grouping of "Spaghetti Bowl" coasters.  There are only 5 in the world, and  I've been on 3, and after my 1st visit to Kings Island, that number will be up to 4 out of 5).    But will also get Beast (longest wooden coaster, right?  and the Mystic Timbers shed. .LOL)

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Yeah, I think if FoF was just the first of the spaghetti bowls, I wouldn't have listed it. But LIM coasters have become kind of a big deal, and LSM coasters lately have popped up all over the place, and that feels significant.

 

Now that I'm thinking about it, I had originally not included Batman at SF Great America due to it being a clone, but I'm remembering now that it was the first inverted coaster in general, so maybe that's significant enough to add.

[Haymaker]

Millennium Force

Magnum - first hyper

SFDL Viper - first 5 inversion coaster

Ride of Steel - 1st Intamin hyper

Loch Ness Monster - interlocking loops

Moose on the Loose - self explanatory

[Nrthwnd]

For now .....

Ridden in 1995 ~ (then called) T2 in Kentucky Kingdom ~ First SLC of it's kind in North America.

Ridden in 2008 ~ El Condor in (now called) Walibi Holland ~ First SLC Of It's Kind. Ever. Way back when.

Ouch. Twice.

BONUS POINT: Most everyone's ridden this one: (1959 debut) DL's Matterhorn Bobsleds. First Tubular Steel coaster in the World.

Looking great for it's age! Photo taken 2016, from the Monorail.

And I got to ride it with my mom, when I was ten years old! (1963) She freeked of course, LOL.

And IMhO ...... Left Side > Right side.

 

[CenturyFlyer]

Fun topic idea!

Jack Rabbit (KW) - one of several 1920 coasters that first introduced upstop wheels

Sky Rocket (KW) - prototype Premier Sky Rocket

Phoenix - proved viability of relocating woodies

2 hours ago, bert425 said:

Montezooma's Revenge (ridden at Knott's Berry Farm) - the last remaining Shuttle Loop still in it's original installation site.

Not to nitpick, but I think that Montezooma is just the last American shuttle loop in its original spot.

[JT325]

I'm very lucky to have been on brand new versions of Timberwolf (89), Georgia Cyclone and Texas Giant (1990).  And old American Eagle, Texas Cyclone, and countless other classic wood coasters that have had their trains and track retrofitted to serve for lower insurance premiums.

An 80's Beast with skid brakes that just did that... as well as 3 coveted "brake-less" Beast rides in 1988/89.  I'll never forget those; few rides have scared me since.

A 1988 Great America Shockwave running with no trim brake; the corkscrews were like watching cartoons.  A 1991 Steel Phantom during after park ride ERT where the loop brake had to be turned off to quiet down for neighbors; we didn't complain!  Those 2 were not supposed to run like that, so the flukes/rarities were very special.

But my luckiest was working on the Cedar Point Blue Streak for the last 2 seasons (1992/93) we ran fully manual (hand brakes) with classic trains (a big blue bench, a single buzz bar, and a single optional seatbelt).  The park worked our teenage butts off minimum 6 days a week and we got 1,200 people per hour on that ride - and darnit we were lucky to do it!

[IronWolfman]

I feel fortunate to have been on a few historic coasters:

Corkscrew - Silverwood: The first modern inverting coaster was my first inverting coaster. 

Batman - SFGAm: First fixed-seat inverted coaster/inverting inverted coaster.

Roller Coaster - Lagoon: 100 years old as of this year.

Switchback - ZDTs: World's only wooden shuttle coaster. 

There are, of course, more specific ones (first or last of a manufacturer, first ride of its model type, etc) but I felt these were the most notable. 

[disownedpear]

Volcano

Flyers at Knoebels - First ride of its type and the only one to have a gasoline engine

Claw at CW - Only ride of it's type 

Wild One - More modifications than any roller coaster in history

Olympia Looping - World's largest transportable coaster

Bobsled at Seabreeze - First wood to steel track conversion(I think)

Shoot the Rapids - World's crappiest log flume 

 

 

[JJLehto]

Millennium Force, opening year. First giga and for that brief stint tallest and fastest traditional coaster on Earth. 

TTD, first "strata" (do we still use that term? lol) and ofc tallest and fastest, no caveats. 

Kingda Ka, next tallest and fastest. Though ofc no longer fastest

Volcano, Magnum, Roller Coaster (woo 100 years!) 

Hypersonic XLC. Pretty proud of that one esp as not all have experienced it and ofc no one has been able to for a while. 

20 hours ago, ytterbiumanalyst said:

 

Mystic Timbers (KI) - First coaster where you go in the shed

That ride IS the shed! It has a roller coaster attached to it
But that one may deserve some history tbh "Ride with the most hilariously overhyped element ever in history"

[joelwee]

• Millennium Force - world's first giga coaster
• Top Thrill Dragster - world's first strata coaster
• Magnum XL-200 - world's first hyper coaster
• X2 - world's first 4D coaster and Arrow's last coaster
• Revolution - first modern coaster to feature a vertical loop
• Matterhorn Bobsleds - world's first coaster to use tubular steel track
• The Beast - world's longest wooden coaster
• Jack Rabbit - one of the world's 10 oldest coasters still in operation
• Montezooma's Revenge - last Schwarzkopf shuttle loop still operating in the U.S., and the only one still in its original location.
• Scream - most inversions on a coaster installed over a parking lot

[BitterOldHag]

Have done many of the above and can add:

- King Cobra (Kings Island) - first coaster built as a dedicated stand up

- Double Loop (Geauga Lake) - first coaster to feature consecutive vertical loops

- Superman Ultimate Escape (Six Flags Ohio, now Posessed at Dorney) - first Intamin impulse

[Electerik]

I guess you could make almost anything a first if you sub-categorize it enough. But the first thing I thought of was the original two modern looping coasters, Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm and Revolution at (not Six Flags) Magic Mountain.

Being old helps in this case.

[Masquerade]

Some obvious pics (Jack Rabbit, Racer, Magnum XL, Kingda Ka, Millennium Force, Lockness Monster).

I'd lump the Coney Island Cyclone in there too, except I'm not exactly sure how other than it maybe being the first 'Ship of Theseus' coaster.