CP Railroad - CoasterBuzz

Hi, Im new to this website and all, so hello.. I was reading through some of your posts and i would like to respond on a particular one. The CP railroad has always been a favorite of mine. I can remember riding it thousand's of time since i can remember. The love for that ride is great in my family and through about anyone i know. There have been rumors about it's removal the past few years for undefined reasons. Would love to hear from some people on their thoughts on the railroad, and what if it was removed.. i know that a lot of people would be upset if it was taken out. so share any thoughts you have on the ride, and maybe by chance someone in cp will read it and maybe realize how important the railroad is

The Cedar Creek and lake Erie will never be removed IMHO. The Rolling Stock and Locomotives are in pristine condition. This is one of the few operations that uses real traditional operations. Link and Pin couplers, coal burning engines originally built to haul freight, etc etc.

I think this may be the only park railroad to run two trains all the time. The railroad has more riders then any other riders at the park and what would teh removal do? It would not free up much land at all.

-----------------
1989, 9 years old, Bawling my eyes out because I didn't want to ride Magnum. I did anyway and now look at me. YOU CREATED A MONSTER DAVE!!! ;)

I can garauntee you that the CP Railroad with be staying put. Why would they have taken so much time to move it 10 feet over before the 1999 season for preparation of MF if they were just going to turn around and remove it? It's a nice peacefull ride which covers a lot of ground, and gets you off of your feet. Those trains are old plantation/Disney engines that have been restored with great care and expense. They also take great care in their handling of those engines. To lose the railroad would be a shot to the heart of CP's traditional atmosphere, especially in the back of the park.

-------------
LocoBazooka--Sevendust, Nonpoint, Stereo Vent, Mushroomhead
Korn Tour (With no name)--Korn, Puddle of Mudd, Deadsy

*** This post was edited by CPgenius on 7/22/2002. ***

CP LOVES their trains. They will NEVER get rid of them. It is one of a few REAL trains left at amusement parks. Most other trains at other parks were bought from ride manufactuers but CP's are the REAL thing. Have you ever noticed the Train Opps that have black all over their uniforms? That is coal.

Once you take a ride on the CP train, all of the others seem like an amusement park ride:)

Right. Like I said in a recent trip report, CP, PKI, BGW and Disney are the only amusement parks I know running real trains and using them to actually move people from one side of the park to the other. The others are just out and back amusement park toys, although KW did acquire its version from the Philadelphia World's Fair.

It costs a lot of money to operate the CP&LE at Cedar Point. I had a talk with someone close to the railroad operation at Cedar Point who told me that the park has been cutting back on funding for the ride (which I tend to believe) and that there was some talk of eliminating the ride in the near future (which I tend not to believe). It was an interesting conversation to say the least. He also said that someone was working to get the ride on the National Register of Historic Places.

------------------
Virtual Midway
http://www.virtualmidway.com

*** This post was edited by Gemini on 7/22/2002. ***

It's staying put, it's by far one of the most popular ride in the park, it's not goin anywhere.

-----------------
Virtual Coasters - http://www.virtual-coasters.tk

It would be a sad sad day if CP decided to remove its railroad. The park has an almost lack of "gentle" rides as it is...there's no need to take any more of them out.

-----------------
James Draeger
-Proud co-founder of the Coasterbuzz street team

It's nice to have a "gentle" ride after a big meal, when traveling with older folks and young kids, etc. Plus it's a good way to SEE the park, and when the stations are spaced appropriately (as at CP), they provide a good way to get from place to place....

Right. Like I said in a recent trip report, CP, PKI, BGW and Disney are the only amusement parks I know running real trains and using them to actually move people from one side of the park to the other. The others are just out and back amusement park toys, although KW did acquire its version from the Philadelphia World's Fair.

OK, so what do you classify as a "real train"?

Locomotives? PKI and BGW run Crown Steam Locomotives, that were all built in the early 1970's, Disney and CP are the only larger parks that run trains that weren't built for theme park duty. SFStL has a Crown steamer, so does Knotts (1982) but they also run two locomotives from 1881 vintage. BGT has 4 Crowns, 2 bought new for park, 1 from SFStL, and 1 from the now defunct Kings Dominion RR.

Or is it number of stations? WDW has 3, Disneyland has like 4 or 5, BGW has 3? and CP has 2? BGT has 3. So there

Too bad about the CP RR. It won't get on the National Register, theres no way it will satisfy all requirements.

Yeah, it's VERY expensive to maintain a steam fleet, especially one that wasn't built for park use. Parts are, well, impossible to buy, so you have to make them. Even Crown parts are hard to get since the company went out of business. Removal of the train, well it depends on its popularity, and always will. If the park thinks that its going to save a significant amount, then out it goes.

I find it hard to believe that ANY of the larger parks operating live steam would ever think to remove it, with the exception of SFStL, which is having problems with their Crown. Could it go to a SF park that has a bigger budget already with a train? (SFGAm, currently running diesel trains that look like steam) Maybe.

It would be a sad sad day if CP decided to remove its railroad.

I certainly don't believe what I was told - at least the part regarding the removal. I agree that it would be very sad if it ever happened. If by some small chance it were to ever be removed, you can almost hear the "can't find parts" excuse used for Fascination, though, can't you?

------------------
Virtual Midway
http://www.virtualmidway.com

*** This post was edited by Gemini on 7/22/2002. ***

The only knock on the CP railroad, in my opinion, is that it doesn't travel to the "Magnum" corner of the park. CP is a HUGE park, especially for seniors. The skyride and the train get people around a portion of the park but getting around the lagoon is quite a hike.

The RR is a classic that would be missed by many.

If I remember correctly, the train ride usually has the second highest number of riders each year (behind gemini...or is it the other way around?). That alone seems like a good enough reason to keep it in place.

But I agree with Walt..."not finding enough parts" sounds like a good scapegoat if they do decide to remove it.

-----------------
James Draeger
-Proud co-founder of the Coasterbuzz street team

Maybe the railroad itself wouldn't be removed but there is the possibility that the old steamers might be replaced with something less historic but easier to maintain.

I would hate to see it happen. The CP&LE is one of my favorite rides and the authentic steam engines are an important part of it.

-----------------
everything's better with a banjo

The full-time "engineers" have been there for years.

I am with everybody here on the CP and LE Railroad. I would not want to see it removed. Being a former railroad lover myself, that was and is still one of my most favorite rides at Cedar Point.

I agree with MagnumForce. You do not see an operation of this kind at many other amusement parks these days.

Take my home park for example, Six Flags Great America. They have a railroad, but is operated with disguised diesel engines which are made to look like they are steam. When you are ridng that railroad, you do not get the sound of the whistle, the smell of the coal burning, and the fogginess of the steam blowing in your face (sometimes). That is tradition that is held to only a few amusement park railroads. At SFGAM, you only smell the smell of gas, and a "fake" toot of a railroad whistle.

I really hope they keep the CP and LE Railroad. It is a tradition. The only other park that I can think of that has a true burning-coal steam engine is Silver Dollar City in Branson.

Tell me, when you are standing in line for any roller coaster at many theme or amusement parks these days, how often do you smell the coal, hear a loud whistle, or have steam blowing in your face from when the train leaves (example MF queue line)???????????

-----------------

Speaking of SFGAM, does anyone know if it's railroad is supposed to be removed or replaced? That rumor has been also floating around lately...

-----------------
Off to CP in August, Hopefully off to two other parks in July though!! YEA!!!! :-D It will be a good summer!
Questions:
smles@ilstu.edu

In the words of Dick Kinzel, "its the most popular ride in the park". More people ride the train than anyother ride.

Kudos to any park that still has in-park transportation, and to those that have taken the time to operate such an expensive and labor intensive attraction. Steam locomotives are amazing machines, no matter how small. The require a lot of maintenance, and are challenging to operate. You can't just push a button and turn a key to start them (like the CP Huntingtons!). I hope CP can hang onto theirs for awhile. It lets guests experience a classic and elegant form of transportation, in a world where steam powered railroads succumbed to technology decades ago (not to mention it saves a lot of walking!). Plus its a sin to miss the great skeleton animatronics!
-------------
BuzzCon Frequent Flyer, responsible for guests fleeing the queue in horror!
Model coasters and rides

True! What would I do if I couldn't see that skeleton hump the fence? :)

CP&LE is the most popular ride in the park. To see it go would be a travisty.

-------------
LocoBazooka--Sevendust, Nonpoint, Stereo Vent, Mushroomhead
Korn Tour (With no name)--Korn, Puddle of Mudd, Deadsy