Thunderbolt at CI? - CoasterBuzz

Well, I never got to ride it, but it's been around a year since it stood. So, in honor of that old wooden coaster that's giving rides to angels, lets recall some memories, hey?

So if you rode this coaster, or just want to share something, post it here.

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TiM

MFRULES said:
giving rides to angels,

Coasters in heaven? Alright! ;)
Sorry, couldn't resist!

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CP! Still the coaster capital of the world in 2002!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
WoodenCoaster.com

Nobody? Well, 20 of you guys rode it. What was it like?

I didn't ride it but I went to Coney Island for the first time about 2 months or so before it was raised. It was kinda weird to see a coaster sitting in a field next to running rides. It was covered with ivy and had trees growing up thru the track in places. I remember the big Thunderbolt signs with peeling paint and missing bulbs wishing I could get it for my house.

Too bad it wasn't relocated or got a historic landmark status like the Cyclone, Wonder Wheel and the Parachute Tower. A fixed up Thunderbolt would have looked good in the outfield of that new baseball stadium.

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Hello, My name is Dan and I'm a coasterholic.

Yeah, it's a shame. I wish I could of gotten a ride. Also, I've heard, never been there, that Coney Island is really starting to die. Unsafe rides, old worn machinery, is this true? Is it true that Coney Island has seen much much better days?
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TiM

They should probably get some good traffic from people leaving/entering the new stadium. I hear that the are is safe, but the politicians have it in for the Island.
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CP! Still the coaster capital of the world in 2002!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
WoodenCoaster.com

Never rode it, but here's a picture I found. Ivy and all... http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery423.htm?Picture=3

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You're mama told you that you're not supposed to talk to strangers. Look in the mirror, tell me do you think you're lifes in danger?-Ozzy
http://sfgamunoffical.tripod.com/template1.htm

Looking at a coaster like that, is very sad. :( Great try for all those people who tried to keep it standing so it could possibly reopen in the near future.

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Top 5
1.) Beast 2.) Phantom's Revenge 2.) SROS (SFNE) 4.) SROS (SFDL) 5.) MF

From what I have heard, it was an inferior ride, similar to the Cyclone but not as intense. Poor mantiance was a factor. From people I've talked to who've ridden all of the Coney Coasters that surivived into the 1960's, general concenus is that the incredibly twisted Tornado was easily the best.

That one burned in 1977 right?

Yes.
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CP! Still the coaster capital of the world in 2002!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
WoodenCoaster.com

It's a shame.
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TiM

Yes, here is a description of the Tornado:

Tornado / Bobs (1926 - 1977)

Type - Wooden Twister
Location - Henderson Walk & The Bowery
Builder & Designer - Thompson & Darling / Prior & Church
Height - 71 feet (55 feet on first spiral drop)
Length - 2970 feet
The coaster was built on a very difficult narrow lot that was only 70 feet at its widest and tapered to only 50 feet. Fortunately they were able to design in a five foot overhang along Henderson Walk. The ride cost $250,000 when it opened on Memorial Day 1926. Luckily it earned $300 / hour, at least until the Depression. It was a spectacular thriller with exciting drops, tight turns and crossovers that only Prior and Church's articulated cars could negotiate.

Of course, there were occasional deaths, but the one that is most remembered was in 1937 when a high school boy was pitched out of a twenty passenger car at the beginning of the season. Hundreds heard the scream and saw the boy's fall to the tracks below. He was lying only ten feet above the ground, but the following train ran him over before he could be rescued. The district attorney decided to investigate coaster safety, but soon the furor died down and operations at Coney resumed as normal.

Now that seems like a very small coaster that packed one heluva punch. Maybe a smaller park could recreate it.

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CP! Still the coaster capital of the world in 2002!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
WoodenCoaster.com