Waldameer Discussion Thread

[verticalzero]

After 15 years of dreaming about re-creating Waldameer’s famous “Ravine Flyer” wooden roller coaster, park owner Paul Nelson stepped forward in the mid-1990s and said, “Let’s do it.” However, the park’s neighbors near Lake Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania, said, “No, you don’t,” and took Nelson to court. In addition to the lawsuits and opposition groups in the area, there were environmental impact studies completed and governmental hearings. It was a long process. The issues were handled one at a time by Nelson, and for a while, it seemed he couldn’t get to first base without neighbors suing him or other groups pointing out all the reasons the coaster couldn’t or shouldn’t be built. Eventually, he would get the permissions and variances needed, but those would also be appealed and second-guessed.

 

“Every time we went to court, we would win,” Nelson told FUNWORLD. “We would get another step closer to getting permission, and we’d end up in court and win again.” Finally, all the appeals appear to have been exhausted when the state

Supreme Court refused to hear the case, and the state’s appeals court upheld all the variances that had been issued to the

park over the past decade.

 

“Of course I am delighted, but I am now 10 years older than I was then, and our $4 million coaster project has nearly

doubled in price,” Nelson said, noting that he’s not sure what it will eventually cost. “No, I’m not refiguring it; I’ll just have

to be happy with whatever it ends up costing. It’s like remodeling your house. You know you want it done, and you probably

end up spending more than you should, but you love the finished product.”

 

Custom Coasters of Cincinnati, Ohio, originally engineered and designed the “Ravine Flyer II.” Following the bankruptcy

of that firm in 2002, four of its employees formed their own company, Gravity Group LLC, and will be building the

ride for Nelson. The woodie is to be loosely patterned after the original “Ravine Flyer,” built in 1922 by John Miller, and

demolished in 1938. The coaster went outside the park, across a bridge over a small road, and back in. That small road is

now a four-lane highway, and the park is located near the entrance to the very popular Presque Isle State Park.

 

“When the state built the four-lane road into the state park, they got a 120-foot right-of-way of our land. Part of the

deal then was that we would retain the right to build a footbridge and/or a bridge for the ‘Ravine Flyer II’ to cross over,”

Nelson said. “So we had no problem getting permission for that; it was all the other stuff.”

 

Construction on an access road for the coaster, the pillars that will hold the 165-foot-long arched bridge across the highway,

and other infrastructure work began in April. The earliest the coaster could be put into service right now is 2008,

according to Nelson.

 

The ride will feature a 110-foot drop and will be approximately 3,000 feet long, Nelson said. The original blueprints for

the ride were lost in a fire that destroyed the park’s office in 1952, so most of the design work was done from memory.

Original layout of RF 11

Underneath the bridge

[PKI Jizzman]

Only 4 million for this coaster? That's awesome!

 

Awesome shots, guys! It really opened up the rest of the ride and gave a great perspective of how big the ride is.

 

Robb, you get to do so many cool things! I'm so jealous!

-JZ

[robbalvey]

^ READ the post. That image is from the ORIGINAL article for RF2 when it started planning in the mid 90s. I think the ride that was finally built ended up costing between 6 and 7 million.

 

--Robb

[Dailey Enterprizes]

^ Btw Robb, thanks for the opportunity to ride the RF2 and to be a part of the film shoot. The experience was awesome. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to honor the dedication needed to ride it over and over. I left after lunch because it didn't make much sense for me to be there if I couldn't ride anymore. I guess I won't ever marathon anything again. It was a pleasure meeting everyone...

[Carnage]

And wasn't CCI known for greatly under reporting the cost of their rides?

 

I think I remember hearing something about how their rides cost a lot more then reported.

[Guest]

They underbid, leaving lumber yards and other suppliers calling parks wondering where their money was. I've heard that that's the reason they stopped using PTC trains for the most part in their last few years, and the only way to get a PTC train on a CCI ride was to buy it yourself. It's not really surprising that they went out of business.

 

I've also read (I think on here, a long time ago) that Denise Larrick pulled the same stuff when she went to S&S, and they fired her which is why they haven't done a wood coaster since Avalanche/J2.

 

Thanks for the RF2 pics Robb and everyone else, I've been following this coaster pretty closely since it's ground breaking. Looks like a great ride, hopefully I can get out there soon to try it.

[PKI Jizzman]

^ READ the post. That image is from the ORIGINAL article for RF2 when it started planning in the mid 90s. I think the ride that was finally built ended up costing between 6 and 7 million.

 

--Robb

 

Ah, I saw in the article it said Ravine Flier II, so I thought it was the one that had been posted previously; and it looked similar to the layout I saw above, so I assumed it was the current.

 

Mm...any coaster with a sign out in front that says "10 airtime spots" looks awesome to me!

[FeelTheFORCE]

Nice to know you guys had fun! I can't wait to ride it this summer sometime!

[Rollertoaster]

Like I said, there's a lot of coasters I haven't been on, but this one is an airtime machine!

[Ohiocoasterman]

Hey this is Carsten I am not really new here just never really posted. I just want to thank Robb and Waldameer for letting me do this! I would love to do this again! That coaster is great and that was the first time I have ever been to that park and I plan on going back soon!

 

I am not good with names but is there anyone here that I chatted with or rode with? If so please PM me or reply to this And here is my picture. I am the one in the blue

[EastCoastn07]

^ I believe I sat next to you on a few runs on Ravine Flyer 3.

[DBru]

Ravine Flyer II > Voyage ???

 

I'm hurt. I am DEEPLY hurt!

[exit english]

I am not good with names but is there anyone here that I chatted with or rode with? If so please PM me or reply to this And here is my picture. I am the one in the blue

 

Nice, you match your avatar.

 

I'm the one who sat directly behind you in that picture, we had the matching blue and gray hoodies.

 

-Josh

[Jason Hammond]

I believe that directly behind you is a pink hoodie (Janice) and my red t-shirt. I don't think we ever sat together. So unless there's something you aren't telling us Exit, i think you might be a few rows back or your thinking of a different picture.

[rwilli82]

Sheesh, you guys must have ridden so much that you can't remember. It was me sitting next to Janice for a few runs directly behind Coastin' Steve and Carsten. Those are my arms protruding from your head.

 

Here in this pic you'll see that Janice had replaced the little guy (sorry I can't remember your name, but you were a trooper!) after a couple of runs. I'm sitting next to him behind Steve and Carsten.

 

[Jason Hammond]

That picture helps out a lot. I knew there were only a couple of us with red shirts and I did sit next to Janice a lot of the day. I'm farther back in that photo. The front right seat of the second last car.

[Voyage_luvr]

Man, she's a beauty. I really want to make it out to Waldameer and Knoebel's sometime in the next two years. Maybe by the time I get there the Flying Turns will finally be open, but if not I'm sure my grandchildren will love it.

 

I do think that it cannot beat The Voyage though (which I will admit has gotten a little rougher), but it's still the best. Even better than El Toro.

[SharkTums]

^At least you have an open mind and you're not biased or anything.

[Voyage_luvr]

^At least you have an open mind and you're not biased or anything.

 

hehe Sorry Elissa, I just kinda love my Voyage. Maybe Knoebles will build a Gravity Group woodie sometime soon.

[splzero]

^At least you have an open mind and you're not biased or anything.

 

now isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?

[SharkTums]

^Excuse me?!?!

 

I go into all coasters open minded! It's not my fault that certain people talk up a coaster to be gods gift then it turns out to be rough as hell!

[splzero]

with a fake limp ealking down the exit. if my 60 year old father can ride it 30 times I don't think its that rough

[SharkTums]

^Who are you and what is your problem?

 

If you have any further discussion about my opinion feel free to PM me, but keep the thread on topic please.

[verticalzero]

Ravine Flyer 2 is a master piece of engineering and wonder, to cross a road over an 160ft bridge is so rare and exciting.

 

I'm not biased for any coaster, i'm just thankful we have coaster builders who create these fantastic rides all over the world and PTC who provide most of the cars.

 

If a woodie is "rough" who cares, and also to be slammed in to the corners. thats part of the ride..

 

Yes, really "rough" coasters are no fun to ride, but the parks should make sure they are properly serviced in the off-seasons to make them be their best for the start of a new season.

 

When your riding your next wood or steel coaster just think:

 

" If theme parks were not around, where else can I enjoy a whole day of having fun being dropped, twisted, inverted and shot forward at great speeds". The world would be a boring place.

[odene497]

Hey this is Carsten I am not really new here just never really posted. I just want to thank Robb and Waldameer for letting me do this! I would love to do this again! That coaster is great and that was the first time I have ever been to that park and I plan on going back soon!

 

I am not good with names but is there anyone here that I chatted with or rode with? If so please PM me or reply to this And here is my picture. I am the one in the blue

 

I rode The Comet with you for a while. It sucks because I feel like we were all too busy having fun to really get to know names, we all just talked. Here's me up in the front right, unfortunately I didn't get anyone's name in the front car, let me know who you are!

 

 

-Nick