Conneaut Blue Streaks new/old/old trains

I've been wanting to ride this thing for many many years. I'm finally planning on going sometime at the end of June. I used to hear (with the NAD trains) that those first 3 drops were incredible. The new/old trains are shorter, how does the ride compare to the old trains?

Is there a good/time to go ride the Blue Streak? I would assume I won't have to worry about lines/huge crowds.

You really would rather ride with the current trains for so many reasons. :)

Last year, the Blue Streak was in pretty bad shape, but the seats in those ancient trains covered up a lot of sins. And to be honest wityh you, the old trains are capable of generating a lot more fear than any Century Flyer ever did.

Trust me; after your first ride you may find yourself hooking the snap hook to something other than the first ring... :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I don't know what is old and what is new. However, I rode Labor Day weekend of 2005 and those first three drops were insane from the back car. This is the first and only coaster I had to pull my hands down to grab the bar on the seat in front of me out of fear!

Well, With the NAD's Im told you get a lot more airtime than with the Vettel (Old Train) but the Vettel is much easier on the body.

Like Rideman said, The ride seemed like it was very rough but it wasn't to the rider in the Vettel.

Chuck, saying still not Williams Grove Rough but rough.

From a former employee's standpoint, the NAD's flew, but was smoothest in the last car, but in the center, not over the wheels.

The original trains are very much like the Jack Rabbits at KP. Very 'in tune' with the ride' You feel everything on the track. However, the big soft seats are great, and I trust those trains for safety more than any train made today.

For the record, they did receive all new wheels for the 2005 season, which is more than most parks can say.

I miss the NADs, but understand why they were removed.
Still, it's a great coaster.

Why were they removed? So were they better or what? They were longer, so it seems like the back might have better air?

The old NADs weighed a lot more and were tearing up the track.

They were removed because the Vettle trains are easier to maintain. The Blue Streak was designed to run the Vettle, not the NAD's, which are heavier.

They would rather run the NAD's, since they carry 24 passengers vs. the 18 in the Vettle. FYI.

If the park wants more capacity I guess they could get someone to fabricate an extra car for each train? Guess they have barely enough moola to stay open from the reports though...

So which trains give a better ride?

I vote for the Vettel trains for giving a better ride. Even if the park could restore another train, running two trains at once would be tough with the manual braking system. From what I understand, their is only one operator that is capable of handling 2 train operation.

Years ago they did run two trains.

I haven't seen a two train operation there since early 90's.
Last time i was there, they only had one operator. He did everything and wasn't the least bit happy about it.

The word I received from park maintenance is that the NAD train, because the cars are longer and heavier, was destroying the ride structure. Since they rebuilt and installed the Vettel train, the required repairs to the track structure have been reduced to almost nothing.

For the record, I think it's a darn good ride!

Thats right and also wrong. When the NAD trains arrived, CLP was at a peak in business, which warrants the heavier maintenence loads, and structure work.

At one point when I was there, we had both NAD trains running, plus both Vettle trains on the storage tracks. The blue one was stored next to the loading track, and the yellow train was in the garage.

The blue Vettle was used in the spring to break the track in, and a 55gallon oil drum was in the front seat.

The unused NAD, Tuesday to Friday, would be taken off the track, and backed up to the storage track int he curved braked run. NAD trains were rotated every other day.

Its pretty amazing that a ride built in 1937 had room to hold 4 trains, while all 4 block brakes could be serviced, test the lift chain, etc.

Amazing hind site. Lessons to be learned.

^I didn't know that. Thanks.
i wish they would've had info like that in their book.

They never asked me. Sometimes its better to assist from behind the scenes. I could, however, write my own book and use my 2000 plus photos I have,