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Archive-name: roller-coaster-faq/part3
Last-modified: Thu Oct 05, 1995; 13:23:03 MDT See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge This is part 3 of the rec.roller-coaster FAQ.... 3.1: Roller Coaster Designer Info --------------------------------- Designers of Wooden Coasters CURRENT: * Custom Coasters International, Inc. (Denise Dinn-Larrick) -- Builders * and Designers * Great Coasters International, Inc. (Clair Hain) -- Builders and Designers * Intamin AG * International Coasters, Inc. -- Builders and Designers * MACK GmbH & Co. -- Builders and Designers * Michael Black and Associates -- Builder * RCCA/TOGO -- Builders and Designers of International coasters * Serious Gravity, Inc. -- Designers * TNT Graphix, Inc. -- Builders and Designers PAST: * Allen, John -- Designer and Builder * Baker -- Designer and Builder * Bitler, Oscar -- * Cobb, William J. -- Designer and Builder * Dinn, Charlie (Dinn Corp.) - Builder * Fehr, Carl -- * Harton, T.M. -- * Hoover, Frank -- * IAD (International Amusement Devices) -- Designers and Builder * Keenan, Vernon -- Designer and Builder * Leis, Edward -- * Looff -- Designer * Lorenz & Williams -- * Miler -- Designer * Miller, John -- Designer and Builder * Mitchell, James T. -- * Moran, George -- * NAD (National Amusement Devices) -- Designers and Builders * Pierce, Fred -- * Pierce, John F. -- Designer and Builder (retired) * Prior and Church -- Designers * PTC (Philadelphia Toboggan Company)-- Designers and Builders * Rosser -- Designer * Schmeck, Herbert -- Designer and Builder * Sink, Amandus -- * Summers, Curtis D. -- Designer * Thompson, Marcus A. -- * (Harry G.) Traver Engineering Co. -- Builders and Designers * Vaszin, Aurel -- * Vesco, Paul -- * Vettel, Andrew -- * Vettel, Edwin -- Designer and Builder Designers of Steel Coasters * Arrow Dynamics International, Ltd. (Ron Toomer) * Bollinger & Mabillard (B&M) * Intamin AG * MACK GmbH & Co. * OD Hopkins * S&MC (formerly SDC Corp. of Italy) * Schwarzkopf, Anton * Schwarzkopf Rides and Amusements (Anton's son, Wieland) * Sensei (no longer in business) * TOGO International, Inc. * Vekoma International, b.v. * Zamperla * Zierer GmbH 3.2: Roller Coaster Record Holders ---------------------------------- Current Wooden Coaster Record Holders: STEEPEST 1. 58.6 degrees: Cyclone - Astroland/Coney Island; Brooklyn, NY 2. 54 degrees: Cyclone - Riverside Park; Agawam, MA 3. 53 degrees: Cyclone - Six Flags over Georgia; Atlanta, GA HIGHEST 1. 179 ft, 6 in: Rattler - Fiesta Texas; San Antonio, TX 2. 160 ft: Mean Streak - Cedar Point; Sandusky, OH 3. 143 ft: Texas Giant - SF over Texas; Arlington, TX LONGEST DROP 1. 155 ft: Mean Streak - Cedar Point; Sandusky, OH 2. 148 ft: Hercules - Dorney Park; Allentown, PA 3. 137 ft: Texas Giant - Six Flags over Texas; Arlington, TX FASTEST 1. 65 mph: Mean Streak - Cedar Point; Sandusky, OH 2. 65 mph: Texas Giant - Six Flags over Texas; Arlington, TX 3. 64.77 mph: The Beast - Kings Island; Kings Mills, OH LONGEST CIRCUIT 1. 7400 ft: The Beast - Kings Island; Kings Mills, OH 2. 5530 ft: Rattler - Fiesta Texas; San Antonio, TX 3. 5427 ft: Mean Streak - Cedar Point; Sandusky, OH OLDEST (listing more than 3 because this is such a worthy category...) 1. 1902: Leap The Dips - Lakemont Park; Altoona, PA 2. 1912: Scenic Railway - Luna Park, Melbourne, Australia 3. 1915: Tivoli Rutchbanen - Copenhagen, Denmark 4. 1919: Jack Rabbit - Clemonton Lake; Clemonton, NJ 5. 1920: Jack Rabbit - Kennywood; W Mifflin, PA MOST FAMOUS (yeah, it's subjective, but these coasters are somewhat legendary...) 1. 1927 Cyclone - Astroland/Coney Island; Brooklyn, NY 2. 1927 Cyclone Racer - The Pike; Long Beach, CA 3. 1924 Bobs - Riverview; Chicago, IL Current Steel Coaster Record Holders STEEPEST 1. 90 Degrees: Ultra Twister - SF Astroworld; Houston, TX 2. 65 Degrees: Pepsi Max, The Big One - Blackpool Pleasure Beach; Blackpool, UK 3. 60 degrees: Magnum XL-200 - Cedar Point; Sandusky, OH 4. 60 degrees: Excalibur - ValleyFair!; HIGHEST 1. 209 ft: Desperado - Buffalo Bill's; Jean, NV 2. 207 ft: Moonsault Scramble - Fujikyu Highland Park, Japan (This is a shuttle loop, and is the height of the highest car, rather than the height the actual train drops, so it's kind of a bogus number, unless you're in the seat the goes 207 feet high, I guess.) 3. 205 ft: Magnum XL-200 - Cedar Point; Sandusky, OH 4. 201 ft: Pepsi Max, The Big one - Blackpool Pleasure Beach; Blackpool, UK LONGEST DROP 1. 225 ft: Steel Phantom - Kennywood; W Mifflin, PA 2. 225 ft: Desperado - Buffalo Bill's; Jean, NV 3. 207 ft: Moonsault Scramble - Fujikyu Highland Park, Japan (Again, this cheats and is the height of the highest car, rather than a height that the entire train drops.) 4. 205 ft: Pepsi Max, The Big one - Blackpool Pleasure Beach; Blackpool, UK FASTEST 1. 80 mph: Steel Phantom - Kennywood; W Mifflin, PA 2. 79 mph: Desperado - Buffalo Bill's; Jean, NV 3. 76 mph: Pepsi Max-The Big One; Blackpool Pleasure Beach; UK LONGEST CIRCUIT 1. 7450 ft: The Ultimate - Lightwater Valley; UK 2. 6100 ft: Desperado - Buffalo Bill's; Jean, NV 3. 5500 ft: Dragon Mountain - Marineland; Niagara Falls, Ontario TALLEST LOOPING COASTER 1. 188 ft: Viper - SF Magic Mountain; Valencia, CA 2. 173 ft: GASM - SF Great Adventure; Jackson, NJ 3. 170 ft: Shockwave - SF Great America; Gurnee, IL BIGGEST (CIRCULAR, NOT JUST HEIGHT!) LOOP ON A COASTER 119 ft: Dragon Kahn - Port Aventura; Salou, Spain MOST INVERSIONS - (8) Dragon Kahn - Port Aventura; Salou, Spain HIGHEST G FORCES - (+6.5g) * Mindbender, Fantasyland, Edmonton, AB * Drier Looping, Germany (Fairs) * Moonslaut Scramble, Fujikyu Highland Park, Japan MOST TRAINS ON CIRCUIT 1. 5: Thriller; German Fairs MOST DEMENTED SHUTTLE LOOP (yeah, another subjective one!) * Wiener Looping, Flamingoland (UK) 3.3: ACE's Classic Coaster Roster --------------------------------- Big Dipper - Camden Park; Huntington, W. VA Big Dipper - Geauga Lake; Aurura, OH Blue Streak - Cedar Point; Sandusky, OH Blue Streak - Conneaut Lake Park; Conneaut Lake, PA Coaster - Arnolds Park; Iowa Coaster - Playland; Vancouver, BC, Canada Cyclone - Astroland; Coney Island, NY Cyclone - Lakeside Park; Denver, CO Cyclone - William's Grove Park; Mechanicsburg, PA Jack Rabbit - Kennywood Park; W. Mifflin, PA Kiddy Coaster - Playland; Rye, NY Lil' Dipper - Camden Park; Huntington, W. VA Little Dipper - Kiddie Land; Melrose Park, IL Little Dipper - Hillcrest Park; Lemont, IL Roller Coaster - Joyland; Wichita, KS Roller Coaster - Western Washington Fair; Puyallup, WA Rollo Coaster - Idlewild Park; Ligonier, PA Sea Dragon - Wynadot Lake Park; Powell, OH Screechin Eagle - Americana; Middletown, OH Starliner - Miracle Strip; Panama City, FL Thunderbolt - Kennywood Park; W. Mifflin, PA 3.4: Inside Track "Top Coasters" Readers Survey ----------------------------------------------- Many people want to know which is the best/wildest/awesomest/scariest coaster in the world (or at least US). We can't answer that for you, but we can pass on to you the results of the Inside Track magazine reader's survey. This is an annual survey, the most recent version of which was published in the September 1994 issue of Inside Track. Just because a coaster is highly-ranked on this list doesn't mean *you* will think it's best, but it does mean that lot of coaster enthusiasts like it, and you probably will too. Rankings from past years are given as well, to give you some idea of how things change from year to year. If a column contains '-', it indicates that coaster didn't place in the rankings for that year, for whatever reason (it was new, it didn't get enough votes, etc.). Also note that the 1992, 1993, and 1994 surveys list the top 50, while 1991 listed the top 40, and 1990 listed the top 20. +--------------------------------------- 1994 Rank | +----------------------------------- 1994 Vote Total | | +----------------------------- 1993 Rank | | | +-------------------------- 1992 Rank | | | | +----------------------- 1991 Rank | | | | | +-------------------- 1990 Rank | | | | | | +----------------- Ride name, Park, Location V V V V V V V 1 (2034) 1 2 2 4 Magnum XL-200, Cedar Point, OH 2 (1856) 2 1 3 3 Texas Giant, Six Flags over Texas, TX 3 (1802) - - - - Raptor, Cedar Point, OH (New in '94) 4 (1788) 3 3 5 1 The Beast, Paramount's Kings Island, OH 5 (1641) 4 5 7 5 Phoenix, Knoebel's, PA 6 (1344) 8 8 10 7 Thunderbolt, Kennywood, PA 7 (1319) 5 4 1 2 Timber Wolf, Worlds of Fun, MO 8 (1225) 12 12 16 14 Grizzly, Paramount's Kings Dominion, VA 9 (1080) 15 - - - Kumba, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, FL (New in '93) 10 (1012) 13 11 16 - Steel Phantom, Kennywood, PA (New in '91) 11 ( 934) 6 6 - - Batman -- The Ride, SF Great America, IL (New in '92) 12 ( 921) 18 17 35 19 Georgia Cyclone, Six Flags over Georgia, GA ( 921) 10 14 13 11 Big Bad Wolf, Busch Gardens, VA 14 ( 837) 37 27 - - Screamin' Eagle, Six Flags over Mid-America, MO 15 ( 735) 24 16 11 18 Giant Dipper, Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, CA 16 ( 712) - - - - Comet, Great Escape, NY (New in '94) 17 ( 655) 30 49 39 - Thunderhawk, Dorney Park, PA 18 ( 643) 14 - - - Batman -- The Ride, SF Great Adventure, NJ (New in '93) 19 ( 602) 15 13 9 8 Mister Twister, Elitch Gardens, CO 20 ( 588) 9 15 34 - Mean Streak, Cedar Point, OH 21 ( 561) 7 7 6 6 Cyclone, Coney Island, NY ( 561) 11 10 - - The Rattler, Fiesta Texas (New in '92) 23 ( 509) - - - - Batman -- The Ride, SF Magic Mountain, CA (New in '94) 24 ( 467) 28 22 12 12 Mind Bender, Fantasyland, Alberta 25 ( 464) 17 42 25 - Loch Ness Monster, Busch Gardens, VA 26 ( 385) 21 20 - 20 Wild One, Wild World, MD ( 385) - - 30 - Swamp Fox, Family Kingdom, SC (New in 92) ( 385) 41 18 29 - Roller Coaster, Playland, BC 29 ( 259) 38 - - - Outlaw, Adventureland, IA (New in '93) 30 ( 237) 27 27 19 13 Viper, Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA 31 ( 235) 18 31 22 12 Riverside Cyclone, Riverside Park, MA 32 ( 225) 20 41 - - Vortex, Paramount's Kings Island, OH 33 ( 203) 18 26 - - Drachen Fire, Busch Gardens, VA (New in 92) 34 ( 185) - - - - Hoosier Hurricane, Indiana Beach, IN (New in '94) ( 185) 31 21 14 - Blue Streak, Cedar Point, OH ( 185) 37 12 8 9 Predator, Darien Lake, NY ( 185) 37 23 11 10 Hercules, Dorney Park, PA 38 ( 162) - - - - Judge Roy Scream, SF over Texas, TX 39 ( 123) 49 47 39 - Grand National, Blackpool, UK 40 ( 98) 42 44 - - Rebel Yell, Paramount's Kings Dominion, VA ( 98) - - - - Zingo, Bells Amusement Park, OK 42 ( 90) 22 9 4 - Thunder Run, Kentucky Kingdom, KY ( 90) 34 25 22 - Ninja, Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA 44 ( 84) 37 30 21 18 G.A.S.M., Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ 45 ( 75) 36 29 30 - Yankee Cannonball, Canobie Lake, NH ( 75) - - - - Hurler, Paramount's Kings Dominion, VA (New in '94) 47 ( 61) 25 24 - - Arkansas Twister, Magic Springs, AK (New in 92) 48 ( 57) 46 36 18 - Screechin Eagle, Americana, OH ( 57) 42 33 40 - Space Mountain, Walt Disney World, FL 50 ( 52) 32 23 17 - Vortex, Paramount's Canada's Wonderland, Canada 16 32 33 15 Mindbender, Six Flags over Georgia, GA 19 28 20 - Iron Wolf, Six Flags Great America, IL 23 48 - - Jack Rabbit, Kennywood, PA 29 38 32 - Big Dipper, Geauga Lake, OH 30 22 23 16 Racer, Paramount's Kings Island, OH 33 19 24 - Blue Streak, Conneaut Lake, PA 34 27 14 - Giant Dipper, Belmont Park, CA 35 - - - G.A.S.M., Six Flags over Georgia, GA 39 50 - - Le Monstre, La Ronde, Canada 40 - - - Top Gun, Paramount's Great America, CA (New in '93) 43 45 28 - La Montana Rusa, Chapultapec Park, Mexico City 44 - 38 - Gemini, Cedar Point, OH 45 39 31 17 Shockwave, Six Flags Great America, IL 47 - - - Racer, Kennywood, PA 48 - - - Batman The Escape, Six Flags AstroWorld, TX (New in '93) 50 47 - - Thriller, European Fairs, Germany - - - Space Mountain, Disneyland, CA - 20 32 - Cyclone, Lakeside, CO - 30 30 - Matterhorn Bobsled, Disneyland, CA - 34 - - Ultra Twister, Six Flags AstroWorld, TX - 35 29 - Anaconda, Paramount's Kings Dominion, VA - 35 - - Adventure Express, Paramount's Kings Island, OH - 37 38 - Big Thunder Mtn Railroad, Disney, FL - 37 36 - Comet, Hersheypark, PA - 38 - - Vortex, Carowinds, NC (New in 92) - 40 - - Greezed Lightnin, Six Flags AstroWorld, TX - 41 33 - Colossus, Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA - 43 40 - Roller Coaster, Arnolds Park, IA - 45 33 - Montezooma's Revenge, Knott's, CA - 46 - - Wildcat, Elitch Gardens, CO - 46 - - Tornado, Adventureland, IA - 47 26 - Texas Tornado, Wonderland, TX - 50 - - Big Dipper, Blackpool, UK - 50 - - Sea Serpent, Wildwood, NJ - 50 - - Excalibur, Valleyfair!, MN - - 15 - Revolution, Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA - - 33 - Dragon Mountain, Marineland, Canada - - 37 - Wildcat, Lake Compounce, CT - - 39 - Space Center, Phantasialand, Germany - - 40 - Bandit, Yomiuriland, Tokyo, Japan - - 40 - Psyclone, Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA - - 40 - Sidewinder, Hersheypark, PA 3.5: Amusement Park Attendance Statistics ----------------------------------------- The following list of the top 50 North American Amusement/Theme Parks, ranked by attendance, is from Amusement Business. These statistics show how the top parks fared during 1993, and the percent change in attendance from the 1992 season. Global Amusement/Theme parks have been added to the list for comparisons, but available data on the foreign parks is not complete enough to effectively merge the two lists as one. _Note_: Policies at some parks forbid release of attendance figures. An asterisk (*) appearing after the attendance figure indicates the figure is an estimate, based on information gathered by reliable AB sources. In the event of a tie, a non-estimated figure gets the higher placement over an estimated figure. Parks that either did not report or did not qualify on the basis of reported figures in 1990 through 1992 are indicated with '-'. '+' indicates a tie. 93 92 91 90 PARK, LOCATION ATTENDANCE % CHANGE == == == == =============== ========== ======== . . . . Tokyo Disneyland 15,815,000 Tokyo, Japan 1 1 1 1 Magic Kingdom at WDW 12,000,000* Up 4% Lake Buena Vista, FL 2 2 2 2 Disneyland 11,400,000* Down slightly Anaheim, CA 3 1 1 1 EPCOT at WDW 10,000,000* No change Lake Buena Vista, FL . . . . EuroDisney 10,000,000 Marne la Vallee, France . . . . Jaya Ancol Dreamland 9,500,000 Jakarta, Indonesia 4 1 1 1 Disney-MGM Studios at WDW 8,000,000* No change Lake Buena Vista, FL 5 3 3 12 Universal Studios Florida 7,400,000* Up 10% Orlando, FL . . . . Blackpool Pleasure Beach 6,800,000 Blackpool, UK . . . . Lotte World 5,000,000 Seoul, Korea 6 4 4 4 Universal Studios Hollywood 4,950,000* Up 3% Universal City, CA . . . . Toshimaen Amusement Park 4,806,000 Tokyo, Japan 7 5 6 5 Sea World of Florida 4,500,000* Up 5% Orlando, FL 8 6 7 6 Sea World of California 4,000,000* No change San Diego, CA . . . . Tivoli Gardens 4,000,000 Copenhagen, Denmark . . . . Huis Ten Boach 3,751,300 Sasebo, Japan 9 7 5 3 Knott's Berry Farm 3,700,000* Down 5% Buena Park, CA 10 11 9 10 Cedar Point 3,600,000* Up 15% Sandusky, OH 11+ 12 11 15 Six Flags Great Adventure 3,500,000* Up 13% Jackson, NJ 11+ 13 12 9 Busch Gardens Tampa 3,500,000* Up 13% Tampa, FL 13 9 8 8 Six Flags Magic Mountain 3,300,000* Up 3% Valencia, CA . . . . Ocean Park 3,300,000 Hong Kong 14 8 13 7 Paramount's Kings Island 3,250,000* No change Kings Falls, OH 15 10 15 14 Six Flags Great America 3,000,000* Down slightly Gurnee, IL . . . . Seoul Land 3,000,000 Seoul, Korea . . . . Nagashima Spa Land 2,967,000 Kuwana, Japan 16+ 14 14 11 Six Flags over Texas 2,900,000* Down slightly Arlington, TX 16+ 15 10 13 Beach Boardwalk 2,900,000* Down slightly Santa Cruz, CA . . . . Chapultepec Park 2,800,000 Mexico City, Mexico . . . . Takarazuka Family Land 2,788,682 Takarazuka, Japan . . . . De Efteling 2,717,249 Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands 18 16 20 16 Six Flags over Georgia 2,700,000* Up 4% Atlanta, GA 19 18 16 19 Paramount's Canada's Wonderland 2,600,000* Up 13% Maple, Ont. . . . . Alton Towers 2,600,000 North Staffordshire, England . . . . Korakuen 2,550,000 Tokyo, Japan 20+ 17 17 17 Paramount's Great America 2,500,000* Up 6% Santa Clara, CA 20+ 19 18 18 Paramount's Kings Dominion 2,500,000* Up 11% Doswell, VA 20+ - - - Knott's Camp Snoopy 2,500,000* (New park) Bloomington, MN . . . . Playcenter 2,500,000 Sao Paulo, Brazil . . . . Dunia Funtasi 2,500,000 Indonesia . . . . Liseberg Park 2,400,000 Gothenburg, Sweden . . . . Toei Uzumasa Eigamura 2,307,820 Kyoto, Japan . . . . Europa-Park 2,300,000 Rust, Germany 23+ 23 23 23 Six Flags Astroworld 2,200,000* Up 10% Houston, TX 23+ 20 21 21 Busch Gardens Williamsburg 2,200,000* Up slightly Williamsburg, VA . . . . Bakken 2,100,000 Klampenborg, Germany . . . . Heidi Park 2,100,000 Soltau, Germany . . . . Siam Park 2,088,000 Bangkok, Thailand . . . . Expoland 2,020,000 Suita, Japan 25+ 25 27 28 Dollywood 2,000,000 Up 11% Pigeon Forge, TN 25+ 21 22 20 Opryland 2,000,000 No change Nashville, TN . . . . Beijing Amusement Park 2,000,000 Beijing, China . . . . Luna Park 2,000,000 Rome, Italy . . . . Phantasialand 1,900,000 Bruhl, Germany 27 24 29 31 Marine World-Africa USA 1,870,000 Down slightly Vallejo, CA 28 22 - - Fiesta Texas 1,800,000* Down 11% San Antonio, TX 29 27 26 27 Silver Dollar City 1,770,000 Up slightly Branson, MO 30 28 24 25 Hersheypark 1,700,000 Up 5% Hershey, PA 31+ 33 32 30 Paramount's Carowinds 1,600,000* Up 20% Charlotte, NC 31+ 26 28 26 Six Flags over Mid-America 1,600,000* Down 11% Eureka, MO . . . . Reino Aventura 1,600,000 Mexico City, Mexico . . . . Parque Da Monica 1,600,000 Sao Paulo, Brazil . . . . Selva Magica 1,500,000 Guadalajara, Mexico 33 32 - - Sea World of Ohio 1,450,000* Up 10% Aurora, OH 34 30 25 29 Sea World of Texas 1,400,000* Down 6% San Antonio, TX . . . . Beta Carrero 1,300,000 Santa Catarina, Brazil 35 34 33 37 Kennywood 1,216,000* No change West Mifflin, PA 36+ 36 33 37 Geauga Lake 1,200,000 Up 8% Aurora, OH 36+ 35 34 33 LaRonde 1,200,000 No change Montreal, Quebec 36+ - - - Dorney Park 1,200,000* (New listing) Allentown, PA . . . . Fantasiland 1,200,000 Santiago, Chile 39 31 31 33 Worlds of Fun 1,197,287 Down 10% Kansas City, MO 40 39 35 35 Darien Lake 1,115,000 Up 15% Corfu, NY 41 - - - Kentucky Kingdom 1,048,262 (New listing) Louisville, KY 42 40 - - Lagoon 1,006,273 Up 6% Farmington, UT 43 - - - Riverside Park 999,000 (New listing) Agawam, MA 44 38 37 39 Knoebels Amusement Resort 990,000 Up slightly Elysburg, PA 45 - - - Rye Playland 931,415 (New listing) Rye, NY 46 37 36 36 Valleyfair! 913,000* Down 15% Shakopee, MN . . . . Interama 900,000 Buenos Aires, Argentina 47 - - - Elitch Gardens 800,000 (New listing) Denver, CO . . . . Tivoli Park 800,000 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil . . . . Divertido 800,000 Mexico City, Mexico 48+ - - - Indiana Beach 750,000* (New listing) Monticello, IN 48+ - - - Adventureland 750,000* (New listing) East Farmingdale, NY 50 - - - Great Escape Theme Park 710,000* (New listing) Lake George, NY 3.6: Coming Attractions -- new coasters for 96 and beyond! -------------------------------------------------- A common question on rec.roller-coaster is ``What new coaster is park X getting for 1996?'' Here is the list of coasters to be built in the next couple of years. Some of the listings have been announced, some are just rumors. If a coaster is rumored, it's listed with a '?' in the first column; if it's been officially announced, or is a very well-substantiated rumor, it will have a '!' in the first column. Some also may have footnotes, explaining the source(s) for the information. Note that there are still no Arrow Pipeline coasters on the list! NEW/RELOCATED WOODEN COASTERS FOR 1995: COASTER TYPE PARK DESIGNER LOCATION ======= ======== ============================ "unnamed" W, Figure 8 Gulliver's World Allot & Lomax Warrington, Cheshire, Great Britan Cannonball W, Out and Back Waterville USA CCI Gulf Shores, AL Cyclops W, Terrain Big Chief CCI Wisconsin Dells, WI Raven W, Terrain Holiday World CCI Santa Claus, IN Twister W, Twister Elitch Gardens Pierce/Allen Denver, CO Viper W, Twister Six Flags Great America Starkey/In-House Gurnee, IL ?+ Red Streaker W, Jr. Out-Back <unknown> PTC <unknown> + This coaster was recently purchased from the defunct Willow Mill park in Mechanicsburg, PA, by David Pickstone, a British ride owner/operator. He has not received permission from his "home" park in the UK to install this coaster, due to outstanding royalty issues. The coaster has been completely dismantled, and is currently in storage in Carlisle, PA. Mr. Pennington, is back in the United Kingdom, but is currently search for a U.S.-based park to _lease_ the ride to (he does not want to see this ride). NEW/RELOCATED STEEL COASTERS FOR 1995: COASTER TYPE PARK DESIGNER LOCATION ======= ======== ============================ Big Dipper S, Double Loop Luna Park Arrow Australia El Diablo S, Mine Train Port Aventura Arrow Salou, Spain Batman S, Inverted Six Flags over Mid-America B&M St. Louis, MO Dragon Kahn S, Multi-element Port Aventura B&M Salou, Spain "unnamed" S, Inverted Himeji Park B&M Himeji, Japan Euro Star S, Inverted Herr Bruch (Private Owner) Intamin AG Andernach, West Germany Viper S, Shuttle Loop Six Flags over Georgia Intamin AG Atlanta, GA Le Cobra S, Stand-up La Ronde Intamin AG Montreal, Quebec, Canada "unnamed" S, Twister Future World Intamin AG Bangkok, Thailand "unnamed" S, Twister Lotte World Intamin AG Seoul, Korea "unnamed" S, Mine Train Plaza Sesamo MACK Monterrey, Mexico Scandia S, Med. Oval Scandia Fun Center Screamer Miler Ontario, CA "unnamed" S, Mine Train Drayton Manor Pinfari Tamworth, Staffordshire, G.B. Windstorm S, Twister Playland S&MC Rye, NY Green Dragon S, Junior Oval Brean Leisure Park Shiff Brean, Somerset, Great Britan Viper S, Heartline Six Flags Great Adventure TOGO Jackson, NJ Lethal Weapon S, Inverted Movie World Vekoma Queensland, Australia Hangman S, Inverted Adventure World Vekoma Largo, MD Hangman S, Inverted Opryland Vekoma Nashville, TN T(2) S, Inverted Kentucky Kingdom Vekoma Louisville, KY Top Gun S, Inverted Paramount Canada's Wonderland Vekoma Vaughn, Toronto, Canada The Great S, Inverted Morey's Pier Nor'Eastor Vekoma Wildwood, NJ "unnamed" S, Inverted Nasu Highland Park Vekoma/Meisho Japan "unnamed" S, Inverted Glucks Konigreich Vekoma Hokkaido, Japan "unnamed" S, Inverted Odakyu Gotenba Familyland Vekoma Odakyu, Japan "unnamed" S, Suspended (unannounced) Vekoma Japan "unnamed" S, Boomerang Enchanted Kingdom Vekoma Manila, Phillappines "unnamed" S, Boomerang Tashkent Park Vekoma Uzbekistan, Soviet Republic "unnamed" S, Jr. Twister Enchanted Kingdom Vekoma Manila, Phillappines Mayan S, Jr. Twister Six Flags AstroWorld Mindbender Vekoma Houston, TX "unnamed" S, Jr. Twister San Paulo Marketplace Vekoma San Paulo, Brazil "unnamed" S, Jr. Twister SamaWorld Vekoma Malaysia Space Mountain S, Enc. Looper Disneyland Paris Vekoma Marne La Vallee Cedex, France Gadget's Go S, Jr. Twister Tokyo Disneyland Coaster Vekoma Tokyo, Japan "unnamed" S, Mine Train Ocean Park Zamperla Hong Kong, China "unnamed" S, Jr. Twister Knott's Camp Snoopy Zamperla Bloomington, MN The Hornet S, Twister Flambards Village Zierer Helston, Cornwall, Great Britan Jaguar S, Twister Knott's Berry Farm Zierer Buena Park, CA "unnamed" S, Mine Train Navel Land Zierer Kyusyu, Japan "unnamed" S, Jr. Twister Perinorte Centro Zierer Mexico CIty, Mexico "unnamed" S, Jr. Twister Plaza Sesamo Zierer Monterrey, Mexico "unnamed" S, Jr. Twister Tolk-Schau Zierer Germany "unnamed" S, Jr. Twister Navel Land Zierer Kyusyu, Japan Wile E. Coyote's S, Mine Train Movie World Coaster Canyon <unknown> Bottrop, Kirchhellen, Germany NEW/RELOCATED ROLLER COASTERS FOR 1996: It's hard to announce specific coaster contracts for 1996. There have been many speculations, both by the press, the parks, and enthusiasts alike. Below is a compilation of formally announced coaster project, followed by a listing "probable" coaster installations, based upon ambiguous blurbs published in Amusement Business magazine, and combined with "teasers" issued verbally by park personnel: COASTER TYPE/ PARK/ NAME DESIGNER LOCATION ======= ======== ======== *** WOOD *** Wildcat W, Twister Hersheypark GCI Hershey, PA "unnamed" W, Twister Oakwood Park CCI Wales, U.K. "unnamed" W, Twister Silverwood Theme Park In-House Athol, ID Little Dipper W, Junior Stricker's Grove In-House Ross, OH *** STEEL *** "Sphynx" S, Inverted Busch Gardens Tampa Bay B&M Tampa Bay, FL Banshee S, Stand-Up Cedar Point B&M Sandusky, OH Wild Thing S, Out/Back ValleyFair! Morgan Mfg. Shakope, MN "unnamed" S, Mine Train Santa Monica Pier Morgan Mfg. Santa Monica, CA High Roller S, Family Stratosphere Tower S&MC Las Vegas, NV Hurricane S, Twister Mirabilandia Park S&MC Savio Ravenna, Italy Outer Limits/ S, Enclosed Paramount's King's Island Flight of Fear S&MC Cincinnati, OH Outer Limits/ S, Enclosed Paramount's King's Dominion Flight of Fear S&MC Doswell, VA "unnamed" S, Loop/Corkscrew Fiesta Texas Vekoma San Antonio, TX "unnamed" S, Mine Train Phantasialand Vekoma Bruehl, Germany * Although previously announced that Morgan Manufacturing would be building a new Mine Train ride for Hecker's Pass in Gilroy, CA in 1995, the park is not slated to open it's "ride" section of this family picnic park (similar to Stricker's Grove in Ohio) until 1997. No confirmation to date if this project was indeed started this year, or if construction is on hold?! * Due to the drop in the peso, Reino Aventura; Mexico City, Mexico, cancelled installation of their Vekoma Suspended Looping coaster for 1995. They are hoping to install the coaster for the 1996 operating season. * In other Reino Aventura news, Amusement Business reported that the park had plans for a giant new coaster in 1996. They will install a new Suspended Looping coaster from Vekoma, so possibly this is what the report was talking about. The park does not have a wooden coaster to compete with nearby La Feria, so maybe they will be installing wood in the future as well! We'll have to wait and see. * Steve Barberino, the new owner of Lake Compounce amusement park in Bristol, CT, has gone on record several times that he wants to install a 300' tall, 100mph steel roller coaster off the side of the mountain which abuts his park. The working name for this coaster is the "Big Mountainside Coaster", and he hopes to have this up and running by 1997. Mr. Barberino has been in contact with several steel coaster firms, but to date, no formal contracts have been signed. * Arrow Dynamics International Limited reports with new financial backing from a Saudi Arabian-based investor, the company can now go ahead with the finalization of their stalled "Pipeline" steel coaster project. None of these rides have been sold to date, but Arrow reports they should have the product ready to roll out their doors in 1996. * In other Arrow news, a deal was signed at the 1994 IAAPA trade show in Miami for a new steel looping coaster, to be built off a pier in St. Petersburg, Florida. The firm looking to install the coaster is currently trying to obtain proper permits from the city for construction of the new ride, which looks to be very similar to the "Anaconda" 4-inversion coaster at Paramount's King's Dominion. * Dorney Park; Allentown, PA, has applied for a zoning varience in South Whitehall Township, to build a 225' tall steel roller coaster. Should the variance receive approval, this project should be on target for 1997. * Waldameer Park in Erie, PA, noted that it would like to rebuild it's famous "Ravine Flyer" wooden terrain coaster. The park finally has blueprint, a formal layout, and a contractor (CCI) for the project! The park has not set an opening date for this ride, but is now estimating the year 2000 for a possible opening! * Wayne's World and "The Hurler" coaster may be coming to Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara, CA. The ride was slated for installation in 1995, but was "bumped" by Viacom for a Nickelodeon-themed children's area. It could be this project will get the go-ahead in coming years, but rumor has it that Paramount is "done" with the Wayne's World/Hurler rides. Only time will tell?! * In other Paramount news, it was reported that Paramount was doing guest studies on the B&M designed "Top Gun" roller coaster at Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara, CA. Paramount Communications wants to install a duplicate of this ride at another one of their parks, but to date, no specific park or year has been identified. * No concrete news for Cedar Point, other than the fact that the park has a three-ride contract with the Swiss steel coaster firm of Bolliger and Mabillard. To date, two ride down, one to go! Given this contractual fact, I think it's also safe to say that Cedar Point WILL NOT be getting the Arrow "Pipeline" coaster in 1996 or thereafter -- the next major steel coaster they receive *will* be manufactured by B&M! Talk also continues of Cedar Point re-building their 1920s classic "Cyclone" wooden twister roller coaster, but this is nothing more than speculation at this point. * Both SFoT and SFoG have issued ride proposals to the firm of B&M for new Inverted coasters. Whether or not the proposals will be accepted by B&M, and/or receive funding approval from Time Warner, Inc., remains to be seen. However, word has it that the BATMAN coaster installed this year at Six Flags over Mid-America was originally slated for SFoG, but was re-directed after labor problems arose with the state of GA. This could indicate that SFoG will get a BATMAN coaster for 1996, though that is merely speculation at this point. 3.7: Endangered Coasters in USA ------------------------------- Legend: DAMA - Damaged and non-operational DEMO - Demolished/Destroyed SBNO - Standing But Not Operating STOR - Dismantled and in storage OPER - Currently operating, but possibly in danger ASSURED TO BE SAVED SBNO -Leap The Dips: Side Friction; Lakemont Park; Altoona, PA (Lakemont is very committed to restoring this ancient treasure!) COASTERS WITH A CHANCE STOR -Jumper: 19?? Jr. Wood, West Point, PA STOR -Red Streaker: 19?? Jr. Wood, Willow Mill; Mechanicsburg, PA SBNO -Wildcat: 1926 Out-and-Back, Elitch Gardens; Denver, CO (I got word just before sending this out that a park in Ohio has bought the Wildcat. Hopefully, I'll get some more info and the next version of this FAQ will have the Wildcat in the "assured to be saved" section.) COASTERS IN DANGER OPER -Roller Coaster: 1958 Wood, Twister, Playland, Vancouver (Latest word on Playland is that the Pacific National Exhibition has been relocated to a different site in Vancouver, and is now detached from Playland Amusement Park. If indeed the City has development plans for this land, as they _have_ stated in the past they do, the PNE is no longer blocking the city from closing the park and going ahead with its development plans.) OPER -Big Dipper: 1958 Wood, Figure 8, Camden Park OPER -Lil Dipper: 1963 Jr. Wood, Camden Park SBNO -Blue Streak: 19?? Out/Back, Connueat Lake Park, PA SBNO -Twister: 1964 Twister, Elitch Gardens; Denver, CO (old site) SBNO -Comet: 1946 Twister; Lincoln Park; N Dartmouth, MA SBNO -Thunderbolt: 1925 Twister, Coney Island, NY SBNO -Jack Rabbit: 1910 Out/Back, Idora Park; Youngstown, OH DAMA -Wildcat: 1927 Twister, Idora Park; Youngstown, OH COASTERS WE'VE RECENTLY LOST FOREVER DEMO -Comet/Mighty Lightnin: 1958 Dbl. Out/Back, Rocky Glen; Moosic, PA DEMO -Shooting Star: Out-and-Back (from Lakeside Park) DEMO -CNE Flyer: 1956 Oval, CNE; Toronto, Canada DEMO -Speedway: 1937 Out/Back, Eldridge Park; Elmira, NY DEMO -Valley Volcano: 1956 Jr. Wood, Angela Park; Hazleton, PA DEMO -Mountain Flyer: 1929 Out/Back, Mountain Park; Holyoke, MA DEMO -Tornado: 1968 Out/Back, Panama City, FL DEMO -Coaster: 1931 Out/Back, Harvey's Lake, PA -- Geoff Allen, Washington State Univ, School of EE & CS, sysadmin support guy (geoff@eecs.wsu.edu || geoff@wsu.edu) && http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/~geoff/ ___________________________________________________________________________ Please remain seated and keep your hands and arms above your head at all times. Enjoy your ride. User Contributions: |
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