Idlewild debuts Paul Bunyan's Loggin' Toboggan

Not sure if the Opryland flume ever made it to Old Indiana, but based on some of these pictures, this definitely is not the opryland flume. Anyone know where this one was located? OR was this ride an actual ride from Old Indiana?*** This post was edited by coasterfreaky 6/3/2005 12:34:31 PM ***

This is the actual ride from Old Indiana. It operated from 1988 until the park closed.

Idlewild bought the ride in 1997.

The ride was in storage for years.
Old Indiana Closed in 1996.

ALL the rides from Old Indiana have been troublesome for their new owners.

No wonder why it took them this long to get the flume up and running.

That's a long time to let a ride sit in storage! Glad they got it up and running though. Perfect fit for the park and an excellent name, too.

That's nice to hear that parks still build them. I love flume rides. I'd love to see the folks from Dubai build one in Carlsbad. :)

the additon of Idlewilds new log flume looks great. It fits in to the natural beauty of the park. Its just the right size. The theming is cool. Finally a new (refurbished) log flume. Parks are just not putting them in any more.They are mostly taking them out. It s so nice to see one installed. Hats of to Idlewild. If you enjoy logs flumes as much as much as I do ,and you are in the area, you have to make a trip to this absolutely beautiful park.

The log flume could've been added several years ago but the park kept putting it off because of the large investment of the ride. It could've been built in 1998 through 2004. 2005 just happened to be its lucky year.:)

What large investment? They got that ride for a song and a dance. If they never used it, the logs would have went to Kennywood, along with all the parts. Their timeframe to install it right was the deciding factor.

That Arrow model is the standard 'portable' as it was internally known. There is an exact replica at Jolly Roger in Ocean City, MD. They moved theirs in 1998. Its a great ride for kids who have the 'fear factor' of heights.

Those older Arrow flumes, which were the rage 20-30 years ago, are now 'obsolete', especially the ones with the aerial flume sections. Why? Well, it costs mad electricity to pump all the water up there and circulate it. The new Reverchon Flumes, and even the newer OD Hopkins Shoot the Chutes have no water up top, saving water, electricity, and repairs on pumps.

But, Idlewild built a great addition, for fraction of the cost.

I was OIFFNWP's(pronounced Oy-fin-whips) Personnel Administrator that fateful year. I was at the auction and this was one of the better sell prices.

This model was the prototype portable and sat at Arrow for quite some time till OI bought it. It was also one of the park's more reliable rides.

Glad to see it up and running again and at such a cool park!!!

Ken

Agent Johnson,

I was told by a park official that they did not build the log flume earlier due to the investment it would require. Maybe they did get it from Old Indiana cheap but they had to restore the ride (it was sitting outdoors in parts since '97) plus landscape the area and theme it. They also had to build a new Dippin' Dots stand. The old one was moved and is used as the photo booth and entrance.

CastleKing,

Thanks for the information. I read that the flume was built in 1980. I wasn't sure if it was constructed at a different park before OI or not.*** This post was edited by carrouseler 6/4/2005 11:36:44 PM ***

Idlewild has spent major $$$$ beefing up their infrastructure for a 'limberjack' sized project, if you must know.

I'm just going by what I was told by the official. Maybe Idlewild's definition of 'large investment' is entirely different from what it is at other parks.*** This post was edited by carrouseler 6/4/2005 11:39:54 PM ***

Something I forgot to add...

This ride MAY have been premiered at the 1982 World's Fair - Knoxville. Arrow debuted a few rides including a Shoot the Chutes and a Magic House I believe.

I'm sorry, but I can't see any KWE officals releasing that information to you. KWE, to the best of my knowledge, is very tight lipped about everything. By saying what you said they said - It might sound like they are afriad of big investments in the future, and that's not the case.

So, basically, you're saying I made this stuff up? I was told what I was told, one on one, at the park's media event. I wasn't given the cost of the attraction, nor did I ask, I was only told it was a large investment.*** This post was edited by carrouseler 6/6/2005 12:33:03 PM ***

What carrouseler said is correct. The park has told numerous people information regarding the project. The investment Idlewild made in the ride came in many ways. The park had to totally rehab the lift hill and motors and all of the boats needed a lot of attention. If you look at the ride now it looks brand new. The park also spent a considerable amount of money on the on ride photo system and construction costs such as excavating, plumbing and electrical.*** This post was edited by IronHorse 6/6/2005 6:48:53 PM ***

I believe it about the lift. The belt skipped often and it was quite bouncy going up.