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Long Beach Cyclone Racer Rebuild Inches Forward


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The Return of the Cyclone Racer to Long Beach?

 

It’s closer than you think. If you’ve ever wanted to participate in the bringing back of an old classic roller coaster, now is your chance.

Yes. It is possible thanks to a life time of work by Downy resident Larry Osterhoudt.

 

I can say that, having done the impossible by bringing back to life a roller coaster that was doomed to the ash heap. The success of the San Diego Giant Dipper project proved to me that anything is possible.

 

Please write to the following city officials to voice your support for Larry’s dream.

 

Jeannine Pierce city council District 2: (district2@longbeach.gov Phone 562-570-2222) and

 

Tom Modica Asst city manager: (Tom.Modica@longbeach.gov 562-570-5091)

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Larry Osterhoudt, of Downy in the Los Angeles area has been hooked on the concept of bringing back the Cyclone Racer, exactly as it was, even before Disney announced its plans to build California Adventure.

All this time he has been painstakingly agonizing over every inch of the plans that he’s recreated strictly from rare photographs using AUTO CAD. It’s all there. The layout, profile, his pier design. Even plans showing the smallest bolts used in the trains have been drafted.

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He’s even built a large scale portion of the coaster and the trains.

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The city Long Beach permitted Larry to start reviewing Larry’s plans at a meeting in October 2013 and since then, he’s been providing them with all kinds of statistics and studies as they demand. Larry has been doing this all on his own so it has been taking a while and every time he submits what they request, they want something else.

 

They haven’t shot him down yet, so one would say this project is still progressing, just at a snail’s pace.

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In late August of 2018, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia solicited ideas for the redevelopment of the Long Beach Harbor, hopefully something to replace the failed Pike shopping Mall

 

Please write to the following city officials to voice your support for Larry’s dream.

 

Jeannine Pierce city council District 2: (district2@longbeach.gov Phone 562-570-2222) and

 

Tom Modica Asst city manager: (Tom.Modica@longbeach.gov 562-570-5091)

 

Mention of increased dollars for their coffers by having this there is encouraged.

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A general representation of the pier on which to build the Cyclone Racer and other attractions.

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The Cyclone Racer opened at part of the Silver Spray pier, later The Pike amusement park in 1930. It stood 85’ tall, same as New York’s famous Cyclone at Coney Island. It is 550’ long, 120’ wide from tip to tip but the bulk of it being a racer makes it appear far more monstrous in its size. The two tracks each make three complete laps rolling over 3500 of track all the while twisting and torqueing over and under itself. At the halfway point the trains switch sides adding to the disorientation.

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Despite its menacing appearance, Cyclone Racer would fall under the category family coaster. The ride was not so intense as to take away the thrill of the race. Shallow radius valleys provided strong G forces while wide long hilltops were designed to give the rider just a hint of weightlessness. Up until the 40’s there were no lap bars present in the trains.

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The Cyclone Racer closed 9/15/68 – just over 50 years ago.

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It was removed to make way for a bridge leading to new developments as a result of the recent addition of the Queen Mary the year before. It was later discovered new Long Beach master plan placed a bridge close enough to the roller coaster to necessitate its removal and that the bypass could have easily been placed elsewhere.

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The racer was designed by engineer and artist Fred Church. His roller coasters were always thrilling and always beautiful to just look at. Both Santa Cruz and San Diego Giant Dippers also come from Church’s drafting board. Rebuilding the Cyclone Racer would be like putting the best of both into one.

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This particular coaster had a very shallow rate of decline, from 85’ feet sloped 3500 feet. Larry is proposing recreating Church’s patented wood track design. He claims that altering this design in any way, the wheel to track relationship, or changing the structure would result in the train failing to make it back to the station.

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The Cyclone Racer appeared in many films, often substituting for Coney’s Cyclone.

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That contact information again: Please write to the following city officials to voice your support for Larry’s dream. Any doubt or discouragement should be shelved as it all boils down to what the authorities have to say after the final study.

 

Jeannine Pierce city council District 2: (district2@longbeach.gov Phone 562-570-2222) and

 

Tom Modica Asst city manager: (Tom.Modica@longbeach.gov 562-570-5091)

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Famous last words..."Investors are waiting."

 

That reminds me of an article on historic landmarks a San Diego Architectural magazine did in 1980 when mentioning the the Giant Dipper: "Now there is talk of restoring the roller coaster. There always is.". Not to mention a whole bunch of other Doubting Thomas opinions and look what happened. Unnecessary comments are so easily dismissed. Sorry.

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You know, when I set out to build a model of Belmont's adandoned coaster in 1981, I had no idea what I was really getting into. Now it's been open for nearly 30 years! I've been building this recreation of the Racer since 2016 just for my own satisfaction, but now it looks like this could be history repeating itself.

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Famous last words..."Investors are waiting."

 

That reminds me of an article on historic landmarks a San Diego Architectural magazine did in 1980 when mentioning the the Giant Dipper: "Now there is talk of restoring the roller coaster. There always is.". Not to mention a whole bunch of other Doubting Thomas opinions and look what happened. Unnecessary comments are so easily dismissed. Sorry.

 

I’m certainly not an expert, but I would imagine that the cost of building a pier in California alone is not cheap, let alone building and operating the ride. Hope your mysterious investors have deep pockets—-if they even exist.

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Famous last words..."Investors are waiting."

 

That reminds me of an article on historic landmarks a San Diego Architectural magazine did in 1980 when mentioning the the Giant Dipper: "Now there is talk of restoring the roller coaster. There always is.". Not to mention a whole bunch of other Doubting Thomas opinions and look what happened. Unnecessary comments are so easily dismissed. Sorry.

 

I’m certainly not an expert, but I would imagine that the cost of building a pier in California alone is not cheap, let alone building and operating the ride. Hope your mysterious investors have deep pockets—-if they even exist.

It's about a $70M project. That includes the pier 14 rides plus the coaster. I'm one of the investors myself.
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It cost $8 million in 2013 to rebuild a small section of the Santa Monica pier. $70 million seems very low for 14 rides and a pier from scratch.

 

Galveston’s pier cost $60 million, and I can only imagine it’s less to build in Texas than California.

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It cost $8 million in 2013 to rebuild a small section of the Santa Monica pier. $70 million seems very low for 14 rides and a pier from scratch.

 

Galveston’s pier cost $60 million, and I can only imagine it’s less to build in Texas than California.

 

With you there. The size of the pier over the water appears daunting, and probably more difficult to push through than the roller coaster!

 

However, the building of such piers haven't been outlawed and still new ones pop up from time to time.

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So you need people to annoy the city over a project that may or may not even be viable that's guaranteed to be way over budget that's raised no money, has no land, has no realistic plan and is basically just an enthusiast pipe dream with zero chance of ever happening?

 

You should reach out to ACE. This sounds like it's really in their wheelhouse. It ticks all the boxes.

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So you need people to annoy the city over a project that may or may not even be viable that's guaranteed to be way over budget that's raised no money, has no land, has no realistic plan and is basically just an enthusiast pipe dream with zero chance of ever happening?

 

You should reach out to ACE. This sounds like it's really in their wheelhouse. It ticks all the boxes.

 

Plenty of word is being spread through the coaster community but I decided to post it on here anyways.

 

The City is annoyed by simply having to deal with their jobs anyway, let alone one singled out project.

 

I see no skin off anyone's nose to at least back someone up and respect that he's devoted himself to get the project this far all by his self.

 

And if it doesn't pass through any future approvals, a head can hang in shame while you celebrate at theTeam "I told you so" Happy Dance.

 

T

Edited by hillflyer
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It's not that we're all "cynical haters" (though I'd probably not disagree with the cynical part), it just that we've seen these kinds of massive expense projects come and go. They're either way over budget, reliant on government assistance (tax breaks, etc.), massively delayed, only open an extremely small portion of the original plan, and/or never open at all. Or, some combination of the above. See the Orlando Skyplex, American Dream, Atlantic City anything, that wonky Noah's Ark-themed park, etc.

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You are asking the community here to put their name behind something with very few details besides you have a model and a rendering of a possible pier location.

 

If you can provide solid information on who the investors are, an architecture/creative firm that is leading the project, an operating company for the park....it might be worth our time to email city council members of a city we don’t live in.

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You are asking the community here to put their name behind something with very few details besides you have a model and a rendering of a possible pier location.

 

If you can provide solid information on who the investors are, an architecture/creative firm that is leading the project, an operating company for the park....it might be worth our time to email city council members of a city we don’t live in.

 

 

I understand, perhaps I'm being too pushy too early but the city, right now, is soliciting for 'ideas' for the future. I don't think ANY ideas they'll hear are going to be as far along as this one already is.

 

Perhaps a note encouraging them to consider more family friendly options in their redevelopment plan without being specific?

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Before these "investors" start pouring money into this pier and coaster they should probably do something about this.

 

This looks like something Price Desmond designed sarcastically. There are no plans of any kind... no proposals... nothing. Just a website that looks like it's being hosted by Geocities in 1997 (complete with the hit counter and text that's bouncing back and fourth that says "Look!!!!".

 

I can't stop laughing.

 

You are asking the community here to put their name behind something with very few details besides you have a model and a rendering of a possible pier location.

 

If you can provide solid information on who the investors are, an architecture/creative firm that is leading the project, an operating company for the park....it might be worth our time to email city council members of a city we don’t live in.

 

This

 

PS: Oh and the lessons in climate science on the Facebook page are equally hilarious.

 

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PS: Sorry for being harsh but it’s hard not to be. If you want people to take this project seriously you need an actual plan and a respectable website and social media presence that outlines that plan and doesn’t instead make ignorant statements denying climate change which is both dumb, and more importantly off-putting (especially in the LA market) and irrelevant.

 

The model is excellent. I don’t see what it has to do with this project but it’s nice. I’ll give you that...

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