Six Flags Ride Rotation Program

I have heard a little bit about it. All I know is it was a thing from the 1980's. What exactly was it.

It's just like it sounds. Rides that were originally installed in one park were re-located to other parks so that the experience could be had in different parks. Some rides that were in "rotation"

Z-Force (SFGAM) > Flashback (SFoG) > Flashback (SFMM)

Condor (SFMM) > Condor (SFGAm)

Rolling Thunder (SFGAm) > Alpine Bobsled (The Great Escape)
jeremy

It is just as the name implies. Six Flags would open a coaster at one park and then send it to another park two to three years later. This happened to Flashback at Six Flags Magic Mountain (it has been to three Six Flags parks), Ultra Twister at Six Flags Astroworld (originally stood at Six Flags Great Adventure), La Vibora (originally stood at Six Flags Magic Mountain), and a few other Six Flags coasters.

Thats an odd think but a good idea too !

I think that ride-sharing idea eventually led way to using the same name for different rides at their parks to save money on merchandising. Those cheap bastards, heh heh. I remember my first coaster-trip with my dad, since I am from the west coast when I went to the other six flags parks (at the time there were a lot less) in
Texas and the Midwest, I was shocked! I remember being at Astroworld and people thought my Viper shirt sucked, I was like, in Magic Mountain this ride rules! Here it's something else entirely(which also doesn't suck, these kids were typical GP)

Nowadays its like Batman and Robin's Ultimate Knight Flight Escape from Mr. Freeze : The Ride or whatever. It's become ridiculous! Why can't they be original, they might actually start making more money on merchandising if their coaster had more of a personality.

I thought this "ride rotation" is actually a kind of politically correct term of saying "Park Rejects"...

Parks dump off the rides they don't want onto the lesser Six Flags properties who are lacking such a ride and would take it as a god-send.

2 cases in point for The Great Escape:
Nightmare at Phantom Cave... Six Flags Darien Lake rejected this ride after some 3 seasons, and The Great Escape got it and set it up as Nightmare at Crack Axyl Canyon!! Still a crappy ride (for the wait that you have to endure)... but any new ride there was good!

The other is the Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great America... they didn't want it anymore (making room for other rides) so they rejected it... The Great Escape picks it up and re-themes it, re-names it the Alpine Bobsled.

I guess the good of it for the park is that it saves them money from dishing out more bucks for a brand new ride... the bad of it is that it's a used ride and was already not wanted by one park for one reason or another, so it's sold for a lesser value to another park.

For us, we get screwed in the end because any loss of a ride is a loss (no matter how bad, someone likes it, somewhere)... and to find out your park just got a new ride only to find out it's used... doesn't make you all tingly inside anymore!!!

No need for the ride rotation program anymore. We now have clones.

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""Coaster riding is a disease and SFGAm is the cure!!!!!!!""

Six Flags St.louis had Sky Chuter, moved to sfog, Condor assume to be the one at great america, Jet Scream went to Astroworld and is now defunct. All rides were replaced with other rides.

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coaster freaks unite-conquer them all

what was sky chuter?
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welcome one and all, y'all come have a ball!
Things a bear-y fine, ridin' on the old knott's bear-y line!

Isnt Sky Chuter a parachute type ride?

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""Coaster riding is a disease and SFGAm is the cure!!!!!!!""

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Dawg Byte said:
"The other is the Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great America... they didn't want it anymore (making room for other rides) so they rejected it..."

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One of the other Chicago heads can correct me if I'm wrong but there is no other ride in the place of Rolling Thunder @ SFGAm. If memory serves (and it's quite possible it doesnt) RT was to the park entrance side of Viper. Sort of between Viper and Whizzer. I dont think *anything* new has been placed there.
lata,
jeremy
--who believes, if this is true, he's found a place for his PPG kiddie tri-racers...HomeTown Square/ Townsville...it could work!

Another ride that has been rotated 3 times is the standup roller coaster at Astroworld called Batman the Escape (correct name?). That was at SFGA before as Shockwave and at SFMM before that. By the way, I own a Batwing shirt, a S:ROS shirt, and a Marvin/Six Flags shirt and they've got plenty of personality. After all, I'm wearing them!

Great Adventure had a standup called Shockwave for a while also. Is it the same one? They also had Ultra Twister and I believe a Condor Ride.

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everything's better with a banjo

2Hostyl: I can only go on what I've heard because I never had the honor of riding Rolling Thunder or Tidalwave or Flashback. I wasn't "into" coasters when those rides were operating, but fron what I've heard Viper replaced RT. I also heard that the entire Southwest Territory replaced RT, but I somehow doubt that one coaster could take up as much room as Viper, Bull, Drop, and the rest of the SWT. if it was between Viper and Whizzer then that Space Shuttle America thing might have replaced it.

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this park is not copless so please don't go topless

actually if you think about it, it really is a smart idea. for one the gp think it is a new attraction so it can boost attendence. and when attendance is boosted more cash is made.

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Gosh people can't you take a joke. Just laugh and get on with life.

millrace said:
"Great Adventure had a standup called Shockwave for a while also. Is it the same one?

Yes, this is the one Intamin fan speaks of that has been renamed Batman The Escape and sits at SF astroworld.I believe when he put SFGA down he meant SFGadv.If i remember rite,Ultra twister is also at SF Astroworld.Is the Bobsled also at SF Astroworld???


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~*Rickyswmn*~

2Hostyl,

You're right. Rolling Thunder was right on the West side of the railroad track next to Whizzer. There is nothing on the former location of Rolling Thunder except for the inclined curve supports of Raging Bull, some themeing, and Viper Nachos. RT and Viper coexisted in 1995. Rolling Thunder was removed after the 1995 season. The queue line for Viper and RT was the path that is now the path between Southwest Terr. and Hometown Square. The Viper line the first year was the longest queue line in the park something like 1/2 mile if memory serves.

Perry H.

SFGAm homepark for 25 years
Experience the Force in THX *** This post was edited by Snake Oil Elixir on 6/13/2001. ***

Snake Oil Elixir: Where was this Viper line now? Are you talking about the path going behind the Whizzer, or is it gone now?
As for the triple racing coaster, most of the old RT was taken up by the south enterance to SWT. Other parts were used up by the Trailblazer and RB. Unless you want to change the park from a big circle to a big C, it wouldn't work. Here's 2 pics to illustrate the change.
http://members.nbci.com/coasterlover/sfgam/thunder.html
Another one is here:
http://www.coasterville.com/artgall.htm
scroll down to SFGAm, then click Viper #1 (GIF) - construction. You can see both RT and Viper in this picture (RT is black and on the right)
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"We are no longer the knights who say Ni! We are now the knights who say eckyeckyeckyeckypakungloopoingengzourjin." "Ni" *** This post was edited by Krazy on 6/13/2001. ***

Oh, thanks Krazy. I didnt realize that RT was on the demon side of Viper NOT the Whizzer side of Viper. Those shots on the nbci site really show where RT was. Thanks again!
lata,
jeremy
--who WILL find a residence for his kiddie tri-racers. PowerPuff Girls RULE!

Whizzer side? Demon side? Isn't that the same one? Oh well, I'll just say it's the front side.
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"We are no longer the knights who say Ni! We are now the knights who say eckyeckyeckyeckypakungloopoingengzourjin." "Ni"