zacharykoaster99
Roller Poster
Here's a commercial of Smart's Amusement Park (now Harbour Park) at Littlehampton, featuring British boxer, Frank Bruno.
And yes, it has the Schiff Mouse coaster in the last year of operation before it moved to Brean Leisure Park in Brean Sands.
Ran into a fun surprise park spot a few weekends back visiting Indian Lake, OH; Sandy Beach Park. While the park site is now apartments and condos, an iconic bridge and (yes, really) massive statue of Mother Mary remain from the park’s history:
Some history on the park, and it's fascinating demise:
Sandy Beach Amusement Park opened in 1924 at the "Midwest's Million Dollar Playground", featured a slew of attractions, an NAD woodie out and back, and bandstand that brought regular attendance throughout the 1920s - 1950s. Located along Indian Lake (built in 1850 as a feeder source for the Toledo-Cincinnati canal), the park split two banks of Russels Point harbor, featuring a bridge that connected the two banks for what would've been a gorgeous harbor view, similar to modern-day Gronalund.. While other parks struggled through the Great Depression, Sandy Beach's dance hall scene remained popular for summer vacationers and nearby cities (Dayton, Springfield, Columbus, Findlay, Lima).
Things started to take a turn in the 1950s, as dance halls began to fall out of fashion, and Sandy Beach struggled to pivot towards more modern-day amusement park attractions (cue Cedar Point, Wyandot Lake, Geaugea Lake, and Cincinnati Coney Island/Kings Island relocation who built larger amusement attractions that began poaching park goer attendance). The park was renamed to "San Juan Amusement Park" in an attempt to rebrand, but a fascinatingly wild series of 4th of July brawls between local biker gangs throughout the 1960s (yes, they essentially showed up in town to riot, every 4th of July) put a black mark on the park and surrounding area for tourism. While the riots were eventually tamped down, the tainted mark on the park remained. The park ownership solution? Build a 50 ft. tall statue of Mother Mary!
The park never regained it's footing, especially after the opening of Kings Island in 1975 as the next-nearest park and a cutting edge park of it's time, and closed in 1981.
The positive footnote to this story is that the bridge unifying the two sides of the park was never removed and was refurbished with local funds in 2014 to make it usable for pedestrian foot traffic.
It's definitely fascinating learning about the parks that "didn't make it", especially when neighbors with other historic/noted parks.
Some history on the park, and it's fascinating demise:
Sandy Beach Amusement Park opened in 1924 at the "Midwest's Million Dollar Playground", featured a slew of attractions, an NAD woodie out and back, and bandstand that brought regular attendance throughout the 1920s - 1950s. Located along Indian Lake (built in 1850 as a feeder source for the Toledo-Cincinnati canal), the park split two banks of Russels Point harbor, featuring a bridge that connected the two banks for what would've been a gorgeous harbor view, similar to modern-day Gronalund.. While other parks struggled through the Great Depression, Sandy Beach's dance hall scene remained popular for summer vacationers and nearby cities (Dayton, Springfield, Columbus, Findlay, Lima).
Things started to take a turn in the 1950s, as dance halls began to fall out of fashion, and Sandy Beach struggled to pivot towards more modern-day amusement park attractions (cue Cedar Point, Wyandot Lake, Geaugea Lake, and Cincinnati Coney Island/Kings Island relocation who built larger amusement attractions that began poaching park goer attendance). The park was renamed to "San Juan Amusement Park" in an attempt to rebrand, but a fascinatingly wild series of 4th of July brawls between local biker gangs throughout the 1960s (yes, they essentially showed up in town to riot, every 4th of July) put a black mark on the park and surrounding area for tourism. While the riots were eventually tamped down, the tainted mark on the park remained. The park ownership solution? Build a 50 ft. tall statue of Mother Mary!
The park never regained it's footing, especially after the opening of Kings Island in 1975 as the next-nearest park and a cutting edge park of it's time, and closed in 1981.
The positive footnote to this story is that the bridge unifying the two sides of the park was never removed and was refurbished with local funds in 2014 to make it usable for pedestrian foot traffic.
It's definitely fascinating learning about the parks that "didn't make it", especially when neighbors with other historic/noted parks.
roomraider
Best Topic Starter
I don't believe this has been covered either her or in the weird and wacky thread but it deserves to be in both
This is Stern's Duplex Railway (also known as the Leap Frog Railway) which was at Dreamland in Coney Island in the early 1900s.
OK its not a coast but I mean just watch the video, its insane.
It was built to meet a challenge once posed by Mark Twain; "the only thing Yankee ingenuity had not accomplished...the successful passing of two carloads on a single line of tracks."
This is Stern's Duplex Railway (also known as the Leap Frog Railway) which was at Dreamland in Coney Island in the early 1900s.
OK its not a coast but I mean just watch the video, its insane.
It was built to meet a challenge once posed by Mark Twain; "the only thing Yankee ingenuity had not accomplished...the successful passing of two carloads on a single line of tracks."
Peet
Giga Poster
Some wonderful aerial photos of Alton Towers in the 1980s have been posted here including the rapids under construction, and a rare view of the toboggans by Black Hole:
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Alton Towers Past | I thought you might appreciate these pics in this group | Facebook
I thought you might appreciate these pics in this group. Early 80s my Dad had a meeting at Alton Towers. They sent a helicopter to pick him up so I tagged along for the ride ( I was 10 or 11) and...
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roomraider
Best Topic Starter
Came Across this great little article (in portugese) about the first ever roller coaster in Portugal.
www.timeout.pt
Called The Zig-Zag Da Vertigem the ride operated at Luna Parque in Lisbon from July 1933 to 1935 and featured a water splash towards the end of the ride.
It appears to be a fairly classic figure of eight layout and the article suggests the ride was shipped from Berlin (and eventually back there again) although as of yet I've not dug up a ride with the same name or at least a similar design in Germany at that time.
It's modern day location in Lisbon would be about here
O Pátio das Antigas: A primeira montanha-russa de Lisboa
O Luna Parque esteve entre 1933 e 1935 no Parque Eduardo VII. O Zig-Zag da Vertigem foi a primeira montanha-russa da capital.
www.timeout.pt
Called The Zig-Zag Da Vertigem the ride operated at Luna Parque in Lisbon from July 1933 to 1935 and featured a water splash towards the end of the ride.
It appears to be a fairly classic figure of eight layout and the article suggests the ride was shipped from Berlin (and eventually back there again) although as of yet I've not dug up a ride with the same name or at least a similar design in Germany at that time.
It's modern day location in Lisbon would be about here
roomraider
Best Topic Starter
I recently uploaded a couple of old videos from years back people may enjoy
First up is a video showing the construction of Lotte Sky Plaza in Busan, South Korea. Showing the elusive Intamin Pipeline in situ.
And secondly a video originally from the New Zealand History Archives showing construction of the out and back Cyclone coaster at the 1940 Centennial Exhibition in Wellington, New Zealand. The second and last know wooden coaster to operate in New Zealand
First up is a video showing the construction of Lotte Sky Plaza in Busan, South Korea. Showing the elusive Intamin Pipeline in situ.
And secondly a video originally from the New Zealand History Archives showing construction of the out and back Cyclone coaster at the 1940 Centennial Exhibition in Wellington, New Zealand. The second and last know wooden coaster to operate in New Zealand
pvnks
Mega Poster
I **** you not, I've just converted a VHS with video of my family riding this thing at the garden festival. Let me see if I can upload it to streamable...
roomraider
Best Topic Starter
No way. Would love to see that.
It's funny I have this picture of it in my minds eye from when I was 7 and having seen the (very few) photos I can find of it, it looks completely different to my memories.
I had a much more fantastical image of the ride as a 7 year old than I would in my old and cynical incarnation now
This is a neat view of the backhalf of Cedar Point's Main midway (this would be looking towards Corkscrew, TT2, and Power Tower in modern day) pre... anything really being built. lol
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Cedar Point on Instagram: "Hi. Jumping in your feed for a little Main Midway #tbt to a very specific date of June 25, 1962.⌚"
2,905 likes, 20 comments - cedarpoint on February 1, 2024: "Hi. Jumping in your feed for a little Main Midway #tbt to a very specific date of June 25, 1962.⌚"
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RevolutionRuleZ
Mega Poster
Some great footage of Blackpool PB that shows how the park is capable of running when it wants to. Things worth noting are the marketing for the Big One, and the general ride ops around the park.
Note particularly the Wild Mouse with 2 cars on the lift, and how quick the Avalanche can dispatch when on 3 in the background on the shots of the Revolution. Good footage from the Cableway also showing the National and Coaster on both on capacity and with 4 car trains.
Tim C, who created all the wonderful animations on our Elements and Inversions pages, posted these photos he took at a local history museum of Electric Park in Kankakee, Illinois, on his social media. The park operated from 1894 to 1928. Tim also found out from the museum staff that the coaster stood approximately 50 feet tall.
Although RCDB has no data on the coaster, other than it was side friction, the photo shows the crew building it in 1909.
It cost 5 cents for park admission, but admission was free if you already paid 5 cents to ride its trolley.
The photo above shows the park flooded in 1913, but it's believed that the coaster continued to run after that event.
Although RCDB has no data on the coaster, other than it was side friction, the photo shows the crew building it in 1909.
It cost 5 cents for park admission, but admission was free if you already paid 5 cents to ride its trolley.
The photo above shows the park flooded in 1913, but it's believed that the coaster continued to run after that event.
Howie
Donkey in a hat
My missus has got a new job.
Part of that job involves managing a team.
One of her team members is an engineer who worked on Oblivion's trains back in the day.
That team member lent me a bunch of his personal photographs to share with you lot.
Here are some of those photographs:
Happy 26th Birthday Blivvy!
Pictures courtesy of R. Getley.
Part of that job involves managing a team.
One of her team members is an engineer who worked on Oblivion's trains back in the day.
That team member lent me a bunch of his personal photographs to share with you lot.
Here are some of those photographs:
Happy 26th Birthday Blivvy!
Pictures courtesy of R. Getley.
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Any story on this white piece of track? Is this from B&M's factory, or from Alton?
Howie
Donkey in a hat
Dunno. Mrs Howie is on her way to work this morning with a list of questions to interrogate this guy with: where the train assembly took place? The company he worked for at the time (cos it wasn't B&M)? Who the other guys in the picture are? The guy in the third picture with the hat is a big deal, apparently, but Julie forgot his name. And yes, what's the story with that track piece?
roomraider
Best Topic Starter
This is just speculation but having seen a similar thing at The Macktory I suspect that track piece would be basically a guage test for completed chassis.
Basically a small fake track piece with the right track dimensions that allows them to check the bogies on the coaster car have been built to the correct tolerances and all that.
Basically a small fake track piece with the right track dimensions that allows them to check the bogies on the coaster car have been built to the correct tolerances and all that.
Howie
Donkey in a hat
Got some updates on this from Monsieur Getley if anyone's interested:
The trains were manufactured in Friborg, Switzerland by a company called Stephan S.A.
HOME - STEPHAN
www.stephan.ch
It's funny, with him being a Stoke lad, I kinda assumed that train assembly took place somewhere nearby, ready to be whisked a few miles down the road to Alton Towers but nope, he was working in Switzerland at the time, although he did visit the construction site a couple of times during the closed season.
No mention of Blivvy or any other coaster construction on their website - they seem to be focused more on large, steel framed buildings nowadays.
He's not sure whether they fabricated the actual track for the coaster (my own goon mind seems to think it would have been Giovanola back in those days?), but they definitely built the small section of dummy track to be used, as @roomraider said, to check gauges and tolerances.
B&M don't actually manufacture anything themselves, or at least they didn't back in '97/'98. All they did was design stuff, then paid loads of other people to do the actual graft.
The old boy in the hat assembling the bogies is called Mario, lead fitter for Stephan.
The 2 guys fitting the bogey to the chassis are B&M lads, one of which was the mechanical design engineer, Georges Petitpierre. Still works for B&M, apparently.
The Alton Towers guy who my man also worked with (not pictured) was Dave Bennett who was last seen as the head of engineering at Alton Towers, although he may have retired now.
Thassit. That's all I got. Hope it helps.
Oh, and one more thing he did say to my missus was: "So, was your husband one of those geeks I used to see trying to peek over the park fences at the construction site?"
The answer is yes.
Yes he was.
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