Other similar hobbies

I've always wondered are there like waterpark enthusiasts sites, or like AWE American Waterslide Enthusiasts. I mean I suppose it would make sense, because they both provide a similar thrill, but it just seems strange. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this?

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Top 3: 1. Top Thrill Dragster 2. Millennium Force 3. Magnum XL200

Well, there are a lot of carousel enthusiasts and more than a few organized groups and publications.

There are also people who get all fired up about traveling carnivals.

I think you can take just about any subject, dissect it anyway you want and find people who are obessed with it. There are even people who spend a lot of time lobbying against daytime running lights on cars!

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Ripple Rock Amusement Park
Flying Scooter coming soon!

I'm kind of a Von-Roll Skyride Enthusiast. I collect things that have to do with them, such as pictures, brochures and such.

But, my other Hobby is Railroading.

I'm much happier seeing a 70 year old Steam Locomotive roll by than I am riding an 80 mph Roller Coaster.

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"The Mountain Slidewinder. Voted The #1 Non-Rollercoaster Ride in America Amusement Business Magazine, 1991"

I enjoy railroading too. It seems to me that a lot of coaster enthusiasts are also interested in railroading. Go figure.

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Ask yourself; When was the last time YOU visited Conneaut Lake Park?

I used to be a model railroader. Now I dig film. Watching, shooting, editing... W00t.

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Missing the Fallen:
King Cobra 1984-2001
The Bat 1981-1983

Chalk me up as another Railfan, but for me I am all abotu modern railroading as opposed to Steam Locomotives and the like.

Give me a lash up of 4 General Electric Dash 9's and a mile of containers behind flying by at 60 MPH and I am as happy as happy can be.

17,000 HP roaring by and shaking the earth gets me just as pumped as any dragster ride.

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If given the choice I'd choose a hamburger over a hotdog anyday of the week.

Rail fan here to, both model and real steam locos, I would give up a good day at any park to go ride a vintage steam loco.

I'm a railfan too. I prefer old, weed covered shortlines running a mixture of quirky older power (Alco!). A tourist train with a vintage steam loco is a plus as well.

My amusement park interests are similar to that. I like older traditional amusement parks with a collection of vintage rides.

I also like model building and am planning a layout based on a small shortline railroad *and* a small amusement park (complete with a park train)!
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Ripple Rock Amusement Park
Flying Scooter coming soon!

Dark rides, baby!

I used to like trains and everything when I was younger... I guess I've moved on to the gravity-powered ones now. :)

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I lied.

Add me to the list of railfans too. Like millrace, I plan on someday building that dream layout with the trolley line that leaves town and runs out to the traditional park. Believe me, it won't be Cedar Point at the end of that line either. Nothing but trees, traditional classic rides and buildings, a dancehall, and plenty of wood! Oh wait....I already said trees!!!!!

Wood - anything else is an imitation

I'm with Shy, I liked them a lot when I was younger but now I've moved on to Coasters.

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Favorite Coasters at SFGAm: 1.)Superman 2.) Viper 3.) Batman 4.) Bull 5.)Eagle

Well, considering there was a special on TV featuring the annual Vacuum Cleaner Enthusiasts Convention, I'm sure there are few waterslide lovers.

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2nd Bunny Hill, Superman: RoS SFA = AIRTIME!
BackSeat of COURSE!

I love Water Parks almost as much as I love Amusement Parks. Noah's Ark, Water Country, Blizard Beach and of course the one and only Shiltterbahn would definalty rank above a fair amount of Amusement Parks Ive been too.

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Summer 03-CP, HP, SFDL, SFNE, SFWOA, and SFGAm.

MagnumForce said:
Give me a lash up of 4 General Electric Dash 9's and a mile of containers behind flying by at 60 MPH and I am as happy as happy can be.

SD70's are a much nicer ride........

I perfer older equipment like LIMA's and Baldwin's than the newer stuff.

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CBCon 2002 Quote "We didn't even get wet"......30 seconds later you hear plop, then splash!!!!

I'd take a N&W J anyday over a humming Diesel! ;)

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"The Mountain Slidewinder. Voted The #1 Non-Rollercoaster Ride in America Amusement Business Magazine, 1991"

All I can say is "LIMA SUPER POWER" baby......

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CBCon 2002 Quote "We didn't even get wet"......30 seconds later you hear plop, then splash!!!!

I love it when two hobbies overlap. Today, when I was at the Trainshop in Strasburg, PA, I looked and found a Palisades Park boxcar and a West View Park boxcar by M.T.H. (Mike's Train House). When my mom was getting them she asked if there were any other amusement park cars and they told her that there were other Palisades Park and West View Park cars and even two Kennywood cars. Sadly, they were sold out of the other cars and wouldn't be getting any more of them.

While there, I also noticed a few amusement park ride accessories made by Lionel. They had a Ferris Wheel, a Swinging Ship, a Haunted House, a Bandshell, and (in the catalog) a Swing Ride and Duck shoot game, like the one at the Carnegie Science Center. They were pretty cool.

I would take the sounds of a good old NYC Hudson over any Diesel any day. :)

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My signature has MANY problems...............
TAER IT DOWN!1!!!111!!1!!1!!!1!1111!

Don't get me started on an N&W J, it brings tears to my eyes. Damn NS. I remember seeing 611 pound by as a kid just down the road from my house. Truly amazing.

And to tell ya the truth Lumpy I would take standing in the snow in Bryan, OH in January of 1997 as Conrail SD80MAC class engine 4100 pounded by with a stack train adding up to a total axle count of 454.

When it comes to locmotives I'd take a GM over a GE anyday. ;)

I am now nostalgic abotu SD40-2's and F40's. Once the scourge of railfanning, now rairer and rairer all the time. The 90's were truly the end of real fascinating railfanning IMO. The loss of SP, Santa Fe and the Warbonnet, C&NW, Conrail, etc etc. I lament there loss just as the generation before me lamented the loss of the Southern and the Clinchfield, and the generation before the Wabash and the NKP.

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If given the choice I'd choose a hamburger over a hotdog anyday of the week.

MagnumForce said:
Don't get me started on an N&W J, it brings tears to my eyes. Damn NS. I remember seeing 611 pound by as a kid just down the road from my house. Truly amazing.
Damn NS is right!
Back when I was a kid in the late-80s, we went on an NS Excursion with #611.
At that time I really didn't care that I was riding such a major piece of Railroad History, I just thought it was a Big, Black ChooChoo with a weird-sounding Whistle! If only I had been a little older at that time.

According to my dad, I've also rode behind C&O 2716, but I was far to young to remember that.

*** This post was edited by Dukeis#1 8/18/2003 1:25:34 AM ***

For those railfans when you come by Six Flags Great America there are a few railroad museums nearby.

1) Illinois Railway museum

2) Fox River Trolley museum (complete with a stop to a "picnic grove" in a county forest preserve!)

3) East Troy Trolley museum

Also if you are in the area of Wisconsin Dells :

1) Mid-Continent Railway museum in North Freedom, WI

2) Riverside and Great Northern Railway (a really neat miniature railway with quite a bit of history.)

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