Roller Coaster Museum, anyone been there?

Has anyone been to the rollercoaster museum in Pennsylvania lately? I was wondering how they were doing and if anything ever got off the ground.

The website hasn't been updated in a long time and I was planning a trip out to that area so I might try to stop by. There aren't any hours posted on the website, I was going to call them and see if the number at least goes through.

I would love to see a museum that is open for anyone to go to and see the history of the rollercoaster and parks in general. I would love to run one myself if I had a chance! Someday in the future... I WILL start one... that's my promise! :) Even if I have to start it in a 100 square foot room!!! :P

I always see pieces of rides scattered all over the country, everything is broken up and moved around different places... lots of parts at antique shops, etc. It would be nice to have a place you could go to and see all sorts of history and even have people come in and identify things and places that we didn't know about.

Does that museum just focus on only the cars or do they have any information, pictures, etc. of everything in parks with a focus on the rides? Does anyone have any pictures from the place when they visited? Is it just rollercoaster cars just like in their pictures on the website or is it more like a real museum yet?

link?

Here's their website
http://www.rollercoastermuseum.org/ *** Edited 11/4/2007 5:46:42 PM UTC by BeccaRaptor***

To the best of my knowledge, nothing concrete has happened with it yet. I think it's still in the fund-raising stage. It's been there for a while now. You best bet would probably be to e-mail someone from the board of directors.

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Does anyone have any pictures from the place when they visited?

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Being as their address is a PO Box - I'm not sure how exciting those photos would be. ;)

I haven't heard anything about it in a long time. I am curious as well as I think it will be awesome. I always loved the idea.

-Tina

I did hear rumors that there has been some talk that if Conneaut Lake can get in the black and up and running that they might build the museum there.

Still it'll be at least a decade before it opens it's doors if you ask me.

Have Fun

Paul

I'd seriously question the integrity of anyone wanting to build a museum at an amusement park that can't pay its bills.

A certain other webmaster has banned discussion of the National Roller Coaster Museum on his board because he thinks it's a scam. I think calling it a scam is going too far, but it does sound like a project that's not going anywhere fast.

It sounds like there is really some controversy about this place! Now I am curious enough I am going to call them tomorrow!

I'd like to start a museum out small and build it up. That way everyone can enjoy it while it's small and not have to wait forever for a museum that may never take off. The building they have proposed is really nice, but WOW is that sort of thing expensive! That's something to shoot for, a goal. It's not a starting point. No business or nonprofit organization starts with that unless they are REALLY lucky and know someone with $$$!!!

You could have people loan things to it like an art museum. It lets people who can afford the items a chance to buy them and have free storage at the museum. This allows others to be able to see the items as well and it keeps it safe in a water tight building. Too many rides sit outside in the weather and rot because people want them and don't have the storage space for them. I would include any size of item from a bolt to a track section, as long as it's a park and others can learn from it I would take it in.

When I get around to building a work area for my job I want to make another space off to the side exclusively for this purpose. A separate space for all the rollercoaster and amusement park antiques that I can find so that I can share it with others. I'd like to make up information plaques, etc. to go with the items. But this is a future plan, nothing is going to happen for a few years yet. For now I just keep visiting antique shops and collecting anything that looks interesting!

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Jeff said:
I'd seriously question the integrity of anyone wanting to build a museum at an amusement park that can't pay its bills.

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I think more important is the fuzzy delineation of who actually owns what. As an outside organization, I wouldn't want to get involved with property owned by a trust, or a county, or whatever the arrangement is at CLP. (For the record, I think the whole public trust thing seems to be the major stumbling block to the park making a go of it.)

I don't know much about this endeavor. But I know that even a non-profit needs to have a good business plan in hand. They need to address how they're going to maintain this organization for at least 5 years. Is this museum planned to be open to the public on a regular basis? If so, they'll have to hire employees. Just one example of things they have to consider.

Where are they incorporated? It sounds like they still aren't sure where they'd even locate it. If they haven't done so already, they should look into hiring a grant writer to find various funding sources at the state and federal level. It's a lot more complicated than just collecting stuff and putting it on display someplace.

Your best bet is to visit Larson in Texas and check out all the stuff they have in their warehouse.

A lot of the concerns bring up exactly what I said in another thread a couple of months ago. It's a ship without a captain. There is no strong leadership, and as such, it's not going to go anywhere.