SFWoA Monorail

jkpark's avatar
I'm sure many of you can think of other improvements, but I believe SFWoA should have a monorail that travels to another destination. Going around in a circle isn't very useful.

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YOUNGSTOWN 2010

beast7369's avatar
I am sure once they decide what they want to do about transportation around the park they will do it.

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jkpark's avatar
Very true. I was thinking they should have the monarail going through a wildlife exibit or something. There's great potential for a set up like that. The "wild rides" section is sinking the boat, too much weight. I would at least move some of the flat rides to the former Sea World. They did on one end and should continue to work them in.
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YOUNGSTOWN 2010
I believe I read that they are trying to keep the flat rides on the Wild Life side family oriented.

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Goccvp1

If I had something inspiring to say, you'd be reading it now.

There are a couple of problems with expanding the current monorail. First, if they make any changes at all to the "ride" they will also have to make it ADA compliant which would require an elevator for the station and some type of wheelchair accessible car on the train.

Second, and more of a challenge, they don't make parts for that thing anymore. If they did anything at all they would probably have to tear down the exisiting monorail and buy a new version.

The park is probably going to have to move the old monorail a little bit this year with the Hurricane Mountain complex coming in.
When Geuaga Lake converted to Six Flags Ohio in 2000, I believe the park re-routed the final turn on the monorail and in the process, added new track which was made in-house. It took a while for the park to figure out how to get it running again (the end result being a massive slow-down of the train before approaching the final curve), but it has been operating reliably for the last few seasons. I don't see any reason why SFWoA couldn't build some new track and re-route the ride entirely. Granted this would be a huge undertaking... but with the monorail's sustained popularity, I think it would be a great idea.

ray p. (who could be wrong about the in-house thing....)

From talking to SFWoA Management,

They track of course like Ray said was re-routed for new waterpark, not only was it re-routed but they changed the look of the two trains. There was a little problem at the end where they wanted it to loop around Hurricane Harbor a little bit differently then it does today. But for untalked about reasons they couldn't. Thus, creating a very sharp turn now over the wave pool. I'm told they have to slow WAYYYyy down there due to the cernter of gravity on those trains. While I actually did see two trains running last year a few times this thing has run pretty reliable compared to other years lately.

I would never look for this to be used as a full around the park transportation. Would I look for something else or a better monorail? Yes, but not this one. It's just getting to old, to make that big of trip. From talking to management though they have and are looking at all their options to add a full circuit tansportation fo some type. Which is a good sign for the future.

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Well if you all can remember they used to have sky buckets before the Monorail and that was a scenic ride that just didn't make the cut at Geauga Lake. Hopefully they will add another ride that allows you to see the park from above while offering efficient transportation.
I dont know about anyone else but that monorail scared the living daylights out of me. I dont know what it is about it but everytime I ride it I get very very sick. I think it is all mental because I think it looks like it is going to fall off the rail at any moment and I'll be crushed to death. I wont even walk under or near it if I can help it. Crazy yes but thats just the way I am!
From what I saw when I was at SFWoA, the monorail didnt appear to be constructed to get you from one side of the park to the other.

The same holds true for CP's sky buckets. It takes you from the entrance to a little bit down the midway. Kind of a waste IMO. I am used to these sky bucket rides transporting you from one side of the park to the other (Like the former SFGAm sky buckets).

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the monorail is getting so old...I think it was built in the 1960s??? if they tore it down could they use the old station for the platform for a new monorail, or would it be easier to tear it all down and restart...but lets get real they are not going to do anything like this until they figure out how to run the park efficently.
jkpark's avatar
Well, I was thinking more of a whole new monorail circuit myself. Sky Buckets are a good idea. Cedar Point used to have a 2nd set running from the current site of Iron Dragon to Fronteertown. What was once a nice wilderness there, is now covered with coaster track.

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YOUNGSTOWN 2010

The Mole's avatar
Expanding the monorial would be stupid there. It's old, worn-out, and not safe for long distances. I think that a newer one with covered cars should be used.

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Chitown said:

The same holds true for CP's sky buckets. It takes you from the entrance to a little bit down the midway.

There was a time when that pretty much WAS the end of the midway. No Corkscrew midway until the 70's, long after the skyride was put in.

Jkpark is right, the second skyride was a very peaceful ride, one of the only quiet places in the park. Though the station on the main midway was removed for Iron Dragon, the station on the other side still exists. It's the big building next to the Mine Ride that houses bathrooms. If you look at that building as you exit the Mine Ride, you'll notice the openings where the cars use to enter and exit the building, now boarded up.
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Goccvp1

If I had something inspiring to say, you'd be reading it now.

Think about this though Chitown. The Sky Ride at CP is part of a dual system to get to the back of the park. Take the skyride to the far station then walk the short distance to the train. Which is likely the real reason Frontier Lift was removed. It was redundant.

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Ah what the hell.....Magnum What?

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It's my belief that a park with a transportation ride should use the ride as transportation. Look at Camden Park. They have a train and a chairlift. Neither one actually takes you anywhere.

I've had ideas with u-drive 'em type cars with two stations; One could actually drive themselves across the park!

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There's one thing that holding the park back from building a full ciruit transportation system, is tring to build across that lake near the floating bridge. It'll cost them a good chunk of cash just to build that section across the lake, that's if they can get the ok to do so. From what I understand, they can't build anything permanent over the lake(from what I've heard, they were fined for building BKF in a wetland area).

They either have to build a shuttle type monorail, or a huge U shape ciruit around the lake.

Only other option would be to make a deal to buy out that city owned park on the RT. 43 side of the lake, and that's almost impossible to do.


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What would be so hard about constructing a train system that does a big circle around the the whole park? The lake wouldnt even be a factor.

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Chitown said:
What would be so hard about constructing a train system that does a big circle around the the whole park? The lake wouldnt even be a factor.

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Arena football has arrived in the Windy City. Go "Chicago Rush"


That's what I meant by the U shape circuit, one big U shape, full ciruit around the whole park. It'll still be pretty costly, that lake is pretty big. The park would need almost triple the amount of track to do this type of circuit then it would take to build around the lake itself.

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*** This post was edited by shaggszgn 4/22/2003 10:41:26 PM ***

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