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Classic/Retro Top 5/10s?

Jarrett

Most Obnoxious Member 2016
While we have modern marvels like Skyrush, Wicked Cyclone, Helix, Lightning Rod, Millennium Force, Outlaw Run, and others dominating the top tens of so many enthusiasts nowadays, those weren't always around. Imagine you're an enthusiast living in a different time period that still traveled around to ride coasters. What do you think your top ten would be based on what you've ridden today?

Classic
So first off, let's do a classic top 10. Everything before, let's say 1970, could be considered a classic. Usually if not entirely these coasters are wooden with out-and-back or roundabout layouts and are usually the stereotype for roller coasters portrayed in the media and cartoons and the like. Buzz bars, NAD trains, brake levers, and other similar features usually provide a bit of throwback with the ride experiences themselves for these coasters. Usually these coasters have simple whitewashed color schemes, tracer lights, simple wooden stations, and while simple, their layouts can still dish out a laugh here and there.

Retro
Now let's go a few years into the future. The year is 1990, and the golden age of roller coasters has kicked off once more! Since Racer, companies like Arrow and Schwarzkopf have dominated the industry building early steel coasters. Coasters are just now starting to be built more for height and speed instead of inversion after inversion and industry newcomers Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard have just created something with this odd-looking box-shaped track spine. These clanking, rattling, and sometimes even rough machines are older and seen as part of a bygone era by today's standards, but when these were built they were seen the same way we in the modern era see coasters like Fury 325 and Helix.

(For the record, coasters that weren't built in these eras but have designs or even hardware that originate from them are representative for the purposes of this topic. This includes relocations like Iron Wolf and Phoenix, rebuilds like Dreamland Margate's Scenic Railway or Flying Turns, or used Arrows.)

So if you were alive during these years and had only the coasters from those years in your count, what would your rankings be?

Classic
1. Phoenix
2. Thunderbolt
3. Blue Streak
4. Jack Rabbit
5. Comet

Retro
1. Phoenix
2. Magnum XL-200
3. The Beast
4. Gemini
5. SooperDooperLooper

So what would your classic and retro top tens be? Post away!
 

Intricks

Strata Poster
Ummmm, this is going to hurt my brain cause Im not year checking these til tomorrow

Classic:
1) Big Dipper
2) Thunderbolt
3) Screamin' Eagle
4) Jack Rabbit
5) Mind Bender

Retro:
1) Steel Phantom
2) Magnum XL 200
3) Viper
4) Grizzly
5) Ninja@SFoG
 

BigBad

Mega Poster
I read this wrong at first, and my immediate thought was Steel Phantom. Would you count that, even though it was built in 1991? It's an Arrow corkscrew coaster---no real technology differences from Viper, Scream Machine, or Shockwave (from 1990, 1989, and 1988, respectively).
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
Going strictly off of my current list:

Classic:
1) Viper SFGAm(TECHNICALLY, it's a near clone of the Coney Island Cyclone, so I guess it counts? :p )
2) American Eagle SFGAm(also technically classifies as a classic, as it's an out-and-back racing woodie)
3) Screamin' Eagle SFStL
4) River King Mine Train SFStL
5) Little Dipper SFGAm(or Kiddieland during this time)

Retro:
1) Viper SFGAm
2) American Eagle SFGAm
3) Apocalypse SFA(or at least when it was at SFGAm)
4) Screamin' Eagle SFStL
5) Thunder Run KK
6) Whizzer SFGAm
7) Demon SFGAm
8) SooperDooperLooper Hersheypark
9) Space Mountain WDW
10) Big Thunder Mountain WDW

That seems about right. The retro era is much easier than the classical era(I have only 5 creds from then! And some of them aren't even true classics!) I need to go out to some historical parks!
 

Pink Cadillac

Giga Poster
I'm shocked that The Ultimate isn't older.

Classic
1. Wild Mouse BPB
2. Grand National BPB
3. Big Dipper BPB
4. Roller Coaster BPB
5. Silver Arrow

Retro
1. Space Mountain WDW
2. Big Thunder Mountain WDW
3. Wild Mouse BPB
4. Grand National
5. Vampire
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
So just to clarify, Classic is anything pre-1970, and Retro is anything 1972 (Racer Opening) to 1990?

Classic
1. Thunderbolt
2. Blue Streak (CP)
3. Comet (Hersheypark)
4. Matterhorn Bobsleds
5. Big Dipper (Geauga Lake)
6. Cedar Creek Mine Ride
7. Runaway Mine Train
8. Jack Rabbit
9. Dahlonega Mine Train
10. Racer (Kennywood)

Retro
1. Magnum XL-200
2. Beast (KI)
3. Viper (SFMM)
4. Mind Bender (SFOG)
5. Gemini
6. Colossus (SFMM)
7. Ninja (SFMM)
8. BTMR (Disneyland)
9. Screamin' Eagle
10. Timber Wolf
 

SilverArrow

Certified Ride Geek
Nice topic!

Classic:

1. Coney Island Cyclone
2. Big Dipper BPB
3. Grand National BPB
4. Nickelodeon Streak BPB
5. Wild Mouse BPB
6. Blue Flyer BPB

(2-5 Are pretty equal)

Retro:

1. Scorpion BGT
2. Black Hole AT
3. Revolution BPB
4. Avalanche BPB
5. Corkscrew AT
6. Python BGT
8. Steeplechase BPB
9. Space Mountain (Fl)
10. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Fl)


Sent from my XT1039 using Tapatalk
 

TilenB

Strata Poster
I'll do just the top 5 of both, since anything further from that would be pushing it, to be honest

Classic:
1. Giant Dipper (SCBB)
2. Wild Mouse
3. Big Dipper
4. Nick Streak (all Blackpool)
5. Rock & Roller Coaster
Perhaps an honourable mention to Waarbeek's Rodelbaan, which is actually quite fab for such an old, home-made ride.

Retro:
1. Olympia Looping
2. Revolution, Blackpool
3. Viper, SFMM
4. Alpina Bahn/Thunder Loop
5. Teststrecke
I'd give Prater's Boomerang a mention, but that one is more or less fab due to its modern restrains, so it doesn't qualify.
 

witchfinder

Hyper Poster
My classics list is almost entirely limited to the woodies at Blackpool for now, so not a lot of variety here but...

Classic
1. Wild Mouse (BPB)
2. Grand National (BPB)
3. Cyclone (Coney Island)
4. Big Dipper (BPB)
5. Roller Coaster/Nickelodeon Streak (BPB)

Retro
1. Avalanche (BPB)
2. Revolution (BPB)
3. Corkscrew (Alton Towers)
4. Vampire (Chessington)
5. Raptor Attack (Lightwater Valley)
 

Ben

CF Legend
This is hard...

Classic;

1. Phoenix
2. Rutschebanen, Tivoli Gardens
3. Wild Mouse, Blackpool
4. Big Dipper, Blackpool
5. Cyclone, Coney Island

Retro;

1. Phoenix
2. Magnum XL-200
3. Olympia Looping
4. Beast (KI)
5. Big Bad Wolf
 
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