Rare Classic Rides

Are there any Calypsos around anymore? I remember when Kennywood and Coney Island (OH) had them.

Conneaut Lake has a Trabant. They used to have a Yo-Yo but they took it out rather than fix it. Certainly it made more sense to focus their ride overhaul efforts on the Tumble Bug and the Iron Horse (Alan Herschel) train.

Are there any other parks that have the Alan Herschel Iron Horse train?

Trabants have given way in many cases to the bigger Wipeout ride that has the same type of motion. Like the Trabant, the Wipeout is a Chance product.

Another question: How many parks still have gasoline powered auto rides? *** Edited 8/10/2006 10:27:26 PM UTC by Arthur Bahl***

I just read all these posts and feel especially intrigued by one of them.

The large Cuddle Up in storage at Twin Grove Park.

I had never even heard of this place but did a quick google and all I could find was a Twin Grove Campground in PA. Is this the same place?

I'm curious to know more about this large Cuddle Up in storage. Was it Dorney's old Cuddle Up? This would be an incredible addition to any park. Especially a 5 wheel (or larger) version. This photo looks like what appears to be a 7 wheel version. Fifth picture down. They also show a small Cuddle Up but keep scrolling down and you'll see the larger one.

http://www.defunctparks.com/parks/PA/carsonia/carsonia.htm

Also, there is one particular flat ride that is virtually non-existant in the US, yet they are a dime a dozen in the UK.

I am speaking of the Waltzer. Although some may classify them as a Tilt-A-Whirl I can vouch that they are in a class all their own. These rides are wicked!! Does anyone know if there are any operating in the US?

The last one I remember, operated at Carowinds in the mid-70's. You can see it in this picture:

http://members.aol.com/k9660r/monorail.html

Speaking of Carowinds. They were also home to another extremely rare ride in the US. The Togada. Again, these evil rides are abundant in the UK but they are non-existant in the US except for the tamer version that Carowinds had in the 70's seen in this photo:

http://members.aol.com/k9660r/surfer.html

I'd love to see some of these older rides make a comeback. A lot of people thought the Wild Mouse was dead until it made a huge comeback.

Conneaut had a nice Calypso a while back.I cant cant remember seeing any lately.

They and Idora also had a stationary Paratrooper too.

Another ride,Flying cages like the ones that use to be at Conneaut.

If you have not ridden one I'll try to describe it.Two people stood in a cage which was attached at the end of two arms.The ride operator would give you a push start then the two people would rock back and forth untill it when over the top(cage would still be vertical).You kept rocking it would go faster over the top each time.Was a fun ride!

On the matter of train rides, Kennywood has a rare one. I don't remember who made it but I believe that it came from the New York Worlds Fair that took place during the late 1930s.

Like most amusement park trains, the KW train is 2 foot miniature gauge. Some of the bigger theme parks have a 3 foot narrow gauge train. I remember the Knotts narrow gauge train that actually was used in regular commercial service at one time before Knotts acquired it.

Another unusual train is the one that circles Lake Rhoda at Lakeside Park. *** Edited 8/10/2006 10:46:41 PM UTC by Arthur Bahl***

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Ex_Westview and KW_worker said:
Another ride,Flying cages like the ones that use to be at Conneaut.

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Ah yes! Great ride from the past. I have fond memories of those rides as well.

Once again, newer modern versions of this ride are abundant in the UK. I am at a loss as to why they have not been brought to the US (the newer version).

Cedar Point still has its Calypso though the backdrop was removed when it was relocated for Raptor in '94.

Geauga Lake has two tub Spider.

Ex Westview, I believe you're describing the Swinging Gyms - same ride different name. Chippewa Lake had one at one time and I think the remnants are still there.

Idlewild still has the Huss Tri-Star and was operational during my visit about a month ago. Pretty cool ride that I'm surprised didn't see more installations.

I think the Joustabout that used to be at SFGAdv could fit in this category. I believe it was a Schwarzkopf ride.

Bayern Kurve - Sierra Twist at SFMM, Berzerker at PGA, and I think Fun Spot in Indiana has one. I miss the one that was at Kennywood this year.

Enterprises - SFoG's Wheelie, SFGAm's Orbit, and Highland Fling at SFStL. Canada's Wonderland has the only Skylab in North America (name escapes me right now).

You also can't forget Schwarzkopf speedracers and vertical shuttle loops (SFGAm's Whizzer, Knott's Montezooma's Revenge, SFKK's Greezed Lightning, and that park in Texas who saved SFAW's Greezed Lightning).

Another classic - Mack Sea Storms - Raging Seas at SFDL, PCW's Great Whale went to Carowinds I believe, and La Ronde has one.

X Factor *** Edited 8/10/2006 11:08:35 PM UTC by X Factor***

I used to love the rides ending with "O-Plane" as a kid.... Loop-O-Plane,. Roll-O-Plane, Rock-O-Plane (that was the official brand name of the West View Park cages mounted to a ferris wheel-like frame) and, yes, there was a "Fly-O-Plane"... the only one I ever rode on was at Geauga Lake as a kid... if I remember, it was a little individual airplane you could control and flip upside down.

At my age, I find Conneaut's Roll-O-Plane incredibly uncomfortable now (looked for missing ribs on the way off) but my son loves the dang thing.... and guess who is the only one who will get on it with him .

Zipper... best ride ever created. Other ones I remember as a kid were the Super Star (Cedar Point may still have one, they call theirs Troika or something to that effect), the Tip-Top with it's ultra-loud air release (I took pride in being able to spin one of those cars like an absolute maniac as a kid), Calypsos with the wooden plank floor, and I still say Scramblers as a kid were faster, didn't make the horrid noise they make now, and the top of the cars were lower...I KNOW I used to ride with my elbow resting on the top of the car as a kid!

A Kennywood employee told me the Bayern Curve is still around, in storage. I would at least like to see it get ressurected at Idlewild! Better yet... make the "Lost Kennywood" section of the park what it was intended to be.. and put items like the Loop O Plane, Flying Scooters, Bayern Curve, ect... back in! "Pittsburg(h) Plunge"...Poo! ....

I miss the Swing Around. *** Edited 8/10/2006 11:16:17 PM UTC by Chooch249***

Parc Safari got a weird ride I just remembered... It looks like a wave swinger... but! the ride doesn't lift! Its mounted on a wooden platform and in the case of tall people, you have to lift you legs. It just spins and swings out... It was pretty dizzying. Any infos on who made it?

The MB Pavillion has a Calypso.
Isn't Worlds of Fun's Zulu an Enterprise? Doesn't Cedar Point have one near Gemini?

Another classic coaster would be one of my faves: The Flitzer. There is one at Morey's, Jenkinson's Boardwalk and Playland in Ocean City, NJ.

I remember back in the 1990s when Kennywood opened its Lost Kennywood section. They ordered a brand new Roll-O-Plane from Eyerly, the first one made in well over a decade. They only kept it there for a short while, however. I wonder where that ride went to.

I remember the Roll O Plane and Loop O Plane at Kennywood as a kid... side by side. The RollO was light green and the LoopO was red. I never knew the one in Lost Kennywood was a new one.

Atlantic City had a Flitzer when I was a kid...at Million Dollar Pier. That pier had a cool monorail that ran through the building in the back. A/C was also home to all the childhood memories I rode on as a kid... Super Star was at Million Dollar, Zipper and Calypso were at Steeplechase, and of course, the dreaded Toboggan which was closed the whole week we were there (and never appeared there again)... which still is always closed when I visit Lakemont or Conneaut. The ride will escape me probably forever!

Does anyone know if the YoYo (at least the one in Idora) actually went up and down during the ride cycle? I could swear as a kid there was something unique about that ride at Idora...I thought that was it... but Geuaga's didn't do that when I was there. Could this have been a one-off ride op having a little fun?

Lesourdsville Lake has a calypso. Such a shame Couch won't reopen the park. They have quite a collection of classic flats!

Conneaut Lake runs a Herschell Iron Horse

Other interesting trains include the NAD trains at Camden and Lesourdsville Lake. Erieview and Bushkill (pre-flood) have/had another type of NAD train, a streamline diesel-style engine pulling a string of cars that look a lot like NAD Century Flyer coaster cars.

Speaking of NAD trains, I remember that West View once had two of them that ran on their railroad around the park lake. They later replaced them with a Chance C.P. Huntington which is the most common 2 foot gauge miniature train today.

Getting back to other unusual historic rides, Lake Compounce has trolley inside the park. This trolley car was actually used on a regular trolley line in the past. *** Edited 8/10/2006 11:51:27 PM UTC by Arthur Bahl***

I was just telling my kids about a double ferris wheel, and they thought I was crazy. I loved those as a kid. Where can you find one???

Steeplechase Park at Coney Island was the first park to have a double Ferris wheel. It was called the Giant Seesaw. Sky Wheels were a later form that had two 8 car wheels attached to a beam. They were built by Herschel and later by Chance (who acquired Herschel). Most of them were with traveling carnivals but CP, the Long Beach Pike, and West View Park once had them.

Other double wheels were ones like the Zodiac that was formerly at PKI and the one that was at Hersheypark. They had wheels that were vertical when up in the air but horizontal when on the ground loading. There were even triple wheels (I believe that one or both of the former Marriott parks (now SFGAm and PGA) had a triple wheel.

The big 100 foot or bigger gondola wheels have pretty much replaced the double wheels in parks. *** Edited 8/11/2006 12:11:13 AM UTC by Arthur Bahl***

Any park ever have a Turbo? I remember we used to have one up here at the Puyallap Fair many years ago but it's long since gone. Dang I remember how vicious that ride was... I dare say only the Zipper gave a more intense ride.

^I think the last park in the US to have an operating TURBO was Old Indiana. Conneaut lake bought it with hopes of refurbishing it but now it has vanished and no one (at least no one on this forum from past discussions) knows what CLP did with it. TURBO-->CLP=MIA!

A while back, you used to see Condors all over the place. They too are getting harder and harder to find.

I would also love to see the return of Swiss Bobs (Byren Curves) and more Calypsos. Simple - but fun.

Hershey Park's "Coal Shaker" remains my favorite all-time favorite flat. I never knew it was a 5-Wheel "Cuddle Up."

(Great Thread!)

I got a very rare ride,I have only seen it once many years ago at Conneaut(Kennywood may have had one too,think maybe it was called "Rideo").

It was called "Moon Shot",Ill try to describe it..

It had cars like a caterpillar and a round track that was tilted about 45 degrees.It went around in a circle with no hills or valleys,went pretty fast.

Dutch Wonderland has a rare ride,I have never been on it.I think the room spins while you are sitting stationary,think its called Wonderhouse.

*** Edited 8/11/2006 2:06:50 AM UTC by Ex_Westview and KW_worker***

Joyland in wichita ks and Bells in tulsa ok have classic bill tracy darkrides.the cars at joyland were built at bells.they sent cars to other parks but im not sure wich ones