Lincoln Park (Dartmouth, Mass) Sold..

Yes, the Park has been sold, Just read this in a local newspaper, it also reads "The Roller coaster at Lincoln Park may not be standing for much longer" read this at www.heraldnews.com

This news upsets me I must say, Ever since I knew about this coaster Ive been wanting to ride it..I was only 3 years old when it closed. It has been SBNO since 1987. All I could do was look upon it each year and watch it rot, now this.

A Casino in It's place? That's horrible, actually..it makes me sick. I've heard rumors of it being placed in Wisconsin in "Little A-Merrick-A" Anyone know if this rumor has any truth?

*** This post was edited by LincolnComet on 10/2/2002. ***

During a visit to Little A-Merrick-A in June, I had a chance to talk with Darryl (I didn't catch his last name), the general manager of the park. He and his mechaninc partner have made a hobby out of finding old rides and refurbishing them for use. Their newest addition, a 30 some-odd year old Roll-O-Plane, looked like it was brand new off the factory floor.

Earlier this year he and his partner drove out to New England to inspect both the Lincoln Park Comet and the coaster at Whalom Park. After finding most of the wood on both coasters in very poor shape, they instead focused on rolling stock and other parts. Sitting at Little A-Merrick-A right now are the trains from the LP Comet. One train is in OK shape, but the other is going to need a ton of work. They were also able to salvage the lift motors, lift chain, and other miscellaneous station parts from Whalom Park.

According to Darryl, they are planning to build using new wood, but with these restored components. His thought was to possibly build a small, family-type coaster at first, to get the hang of the construction techniques. They would then re-use the material to build a new ride copying the LP Comet layout. He even has the LP Comet model built by John Hunt as a road map.

Darryl was extremely friendly and talkative. I'm sure if you give the park a call and ask to speak to him, you'd be able to have him answer any question you'd like.

Later,
EV
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"I want to go up to Detroit, I want to lie in the shade. I want to visit the President, and then I want to get ...."
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Bloc Bloc Bloc

Someone should contribute that link to news...

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure

Nooooooooooo!!!!!! I was afraid of this. Where does it say about the LP Comet on that site. It would be so weird to not see that coaster every time I go up to Dartmouth. Right after I enter Dartmouth I see it there on my right. It's like it's crying out... help me help me! I know it sounds weird but it's true.

Hey, The Herald News is the newspaper of my home city...

What is Little-A-Merick-A and what does it have to do with The LP comet?

That blows. I had many a good time there via relatives company picnics and various summer family outings as a kid. (I'm from South Weymouth, MA. originally)

Seems like all the cool childhood places I grew up with there are mostly gone now. :-(

Little A-Merrick- A is a small amusement park near Marshall, Wisconsin that has a Mouse, Toboggan, and Little Dipper, plus the usual cool flatrides and an interesting monorail. They want to move the Lincoln Park Comet and already have and are restoring the trains to it. One problem is that the park is not in the best financial condition, but that is why they want the Comet. A proven design that will help draw more people to the area and the park.

These guys (new owners) might be more help than we think. The old owners did nothing to help the ride's cause. These guys might be more willing to let someone take it free.

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Actually the old owner did try to help with the coaster by offering it for free to any park, providing they pay to take down the coaster and transport it. This was about a year or two ago. So, it was offered for free but there were no takers. The closest one is Little A-Merrick. They even tried to persuade people to donate money to restore the coaster, but they were out of luck with that.

Well...I just hope it gets to that park, although Wisconsin is pretty far...It's better than nothing..

The owner may have offered the ride (which was generous), but at that time, it was in such poor condition that it probably made no sense for anyone to spend money on dismantling and transporting the remains.

The Comet has been sitting for almost 13 years, it's no good anymore, you would literally have to rebuild it from the ground-up. Get some pictures and then tear it down, it's becoming a hazard anyway.

Not sure about the specifics of the Comet, but a ride that has been sitting idle for 13 years can not be in very good shape. Before their demolition, there were some with the same hopes for the Wildcat and JackRabbit from Idora... and the still SBNO coaster at Chippawa lake also falls into this category. Over the years the elements take their toll. After standing SBNO for so many years, there is really very little that probably could be salvaged. When Knoebels relocated the old Rocket from SanAntonio, it is my understanding that much (most?) of the wood had to be replaced before it was renamed and reopened as the Phoenix. And this was after standing idle for only a few years... certainly not 13.

The same thing that a spokesman for the York Fair (York PA) said about the now demoished cattle barns could probably be said about the old Comet... "nothing more than luxury housing for termites."

IF the Comet is to live again, the example of Knoebels should be given... but not their example of Phoenix... but rather Twister. What ever park wants it should study the old Comet, note its design (find blueprints if they still exist), and rebuild if from the ground up. In the long run, it would probably be cheaper.

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Kind of hard to take a post as objective if a park or coaster name is part of the "user name"

Isn't this coaster the last SBNO wooden coaster in the world?

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Hyper Rails The best thing since white bread!

dlf - There's actually a bunch of them: http://www.aceonline.org/preserv.htm

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'If there's been a way to build it, there'll be a way to destroy it. Things are not all that out of control.' - Stereolab 'Crest'

There are other SBNO coasters. The Coaster at Chippewa Lake in Medina, Ohio hasn't ran since the 70's and Race Wold(Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) isn't running. It only ran for a year and a half. The Gold Nugget Mine Train in New Jersey also isn't running.

In addition to those, I know that some of the woodies at various Six Flags parks are down sometimes too and should be considered SBNO. Come on SFKK, open up Stella! I am so tired of that one being down almost every time I go.