Saving the PNE Coaster
In a previous topic I posted,Coasters in the Pacific Northwest,much mention was made about the classic Carl Phare woodie at the PNE/Playland park in Vancouver,BC.Thank you Nasai and BigKirby for your e-mails on this.For those those of that dont'know what is going with Coaster ,here is the story.At the end of 2002 the PNE lease with the city of Vancouver expires,and the park with have to vacate the property.The city wants to redevelop this property into a city park.Current plans call for moving all rides,with the notable exception of Coaster,to a new site.There is a proposal to build a replica of Coaster at the new site,possibly using the existing trains .Coaster is the only coaster that was designed by Carl Phare that is still standing(and operating)Other coasters designed by him once stood in Portland ,OR and Seatle,WA. This coaster was recently featured in the AFLAC insurance TV commercial.My concern for this replica proposal is the PNE may end up with a similar situation to Mr Twister in Denver ,CO( the original ride which was great ,torn down and the replica at SFEG is crap)Park officals feel it is not viable to move Coaster because up to 70% of the wood would have to be replaced to comply with current building codes and expense of dismantling and moving the ride to the new site.Is anyone aware of any preservation efforts to save Coaster from demolition?I feel it would be a tradgedy if this coaster is destroyed.
i hope that never happens. i rode it during an ace convention many times and it is in my top 5 woodies. i know it's been living on borrowed time so to speak but i would rather not have a replica of it. you are right about twister in denver, it is a piece of crap. the old one was my favorite coaster ever ridden.
If you are interested in trying to preserve this coaster you should get in touch with ACE. ACE helped preserve and rebuild "Leap the Dips" at Lakemont Park, and they may be able to offer you some advice or assistance. It's worth a shot anyway!
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Do you hear the Rumble at the Lake?......BoulderDash!
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Do you hear the Rumble at the Lake?......BoulderDash!
superellen said:
"If you are interested in trying to preserve this coaster you should get in touch with ACE. ACE helped preserve and rebuild "Leap the Dips" at Lakemont Park"
A few things to keep in mind...
1) Leap-The-Dips is smaller than Coaster
2) Leap-The-Dips did not have the added expense of dismantling / moving / reassembling since it remained in its original location.
On the other hand... stories I have heard were that when Knoebels relocated the old Rocket from Texas, much of the wood had to be replaced before it reopened as the Phoenix, so replacing wood is on a relocation is not uncommon.
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"I wasn't always this cynical, but then I started kindergarden..."
Ronald, I wish I knew more also. I agree that ACE is probably our best bet, at least as far as connections are concerned. One bittersweet sidenote on all this is the fact that we can ride it for one more year. It would be nice to see ACE get aggressive on this, and help us move it to Oaks or SF Enchanted Village.
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My site: www.geocities.com/ethylsite
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My site: www.geocities.com/ethylsite
Ron, still waiting for a response from the ride operations.
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My fellow Americans, let's roll!
I pray that I will never see a Six Flags Conneaut Lake
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My fellow Americans, let's roll!
I pray that I will never see a Six Flags Conneaut Lake
This may have been covered in other posts / threads but who can we write to to express our concern that Coaster get's saved?
PNE management. I already emailed. They forwarded my question to the ride operations person who they said he will be back on the 26th.
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My fellow Americans, let's roll!
I pray that I will never see a Six Flags Conneaut Lake
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My fellow Americans, let's roll!
I pray that I will never see a Six Flags Conneaut Lake
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