It got to the point where Zamperla started following me on Twitter.
Now,
don’t get me wrong. I’ve always been a coaster dork, and people have
always said “girl, you need to write all of this down,” and I always
meant to take their advice. Until I got busy either composing a song, or
working to earn money, or writing a book about zombies at Cedar Point
(all of those actually did happen, but that’s a story for another day).
But with the news that was announced yesterday through the Cyclone’s own
Twitter feed, I’ve been way too giddy. Everybody else on Twitter was
talking about E3, and I compared my excitement about this precisely to
that.
I feel this will be both a favorable introduction to myself and a good article (in my opinion?) about this news item.
So...let’s talk about the Thunderbolt.
Kensington Walk, May 2011.
I
wasn’t a fan of roller coasters (at all) until 2005, when several
events happen that led me to ‘that place up north on the lake’ (that’s a
story that will cover at least two other blog posts). After finally
figuring out this coaster obsession wasn’t going to go away, I naturally
thought to myself: what is the most famous roller coaster in the world?
From my visits to Kings Island as a kid, I knew The Beast was immensely
popular among circles, but I hadn’t really been to a park outside my
home state. And so, like any good high school kid, I turned to the
Internet (a slightly different place back then, but not by much).
The
fact that the Cyclone kept popping up shouldn’t surprise any of you,
but it did me. How could one wooden roller coaster standing on its own,
not even the oldest in existence, be the most famous? And then I
realized the Cyclone’s popularity comes from not only its stats and the
fact that it is an AWESOME coaster, but also from what it represents.
The
Cyclone is one of three registered landmarks in the Coney Island area
(that aren’t buildings); the other two being the Wonder Wheel and the
Parachute Jump. All three are from an era from before most readers were
born, an era that almost faded into obscurity thanks to progress. When
the Switchback Railway was invented on its shores, Coney Island became
not only a popular beach destination for New Yorkers seeking to cool
down, but an amusement paradise -- and the birthplace of the roller
coaster.
Throughout
the very late 19th and early 20th centuries, nearly every new
development went through Coney first. There were several separate
amusement parks in the area, but there were also rides that were run as
separate attractions. In this era, there is what I like to call ‘The Big
Three’ of Coney: the Cyclone, the Tornado, and the Thunderbolt. These
three coasters were all built (by separate builders and owners) around
the same time period, and while others came and went before them, they
were the three I found the most information about and therefore have the
biggest presence.
The
Thunderbolt itself was built in 1925 on a small plot of land off
Kensington Avenue. Its structure was part steel, though still classified
as a wooden coaster -- this is because the Thunderbolt actually sat on
TOP of the Kensington Hotel, a building where I’m sure countless patrons
stayed. (The Thunderbolt is most known for this hotel, actually -- it
was featured in the movie Annie Hall.) It was also designed by John
Miller (he’s really freaking important, but I’ll save him for another
blog post). Its tight structure and ability to thrill beach goers were a
mark of the times, things that all three coasters shared.
And
times were prosperous -- but we know where the 20’s went. Depression
led to war, and by the 60’s, most of old Coney was disappearing fast;
the last amusement park, Steeplechase Park, closed in 1964. The Tornado
burned down in 1977, leaving the Cyclone, the Thunderbolt, and one small
park named Astroland standing.
Wikipedia, public domain.
In
all honesty, the original Thunderbolt could still be standing today if
not for several factors. These same factors favored the Cyclone, which
actually closed for a time before the Thunderbolt did (the Cyclone shut
down in 1969, while the Thunderbolt shut down in 1982). Like the
Thunderbolt, the Cyclone was deteriorating and set to be demolished for
progress: the New York Aquarium wanted to expand on its site, much like
how Keyspan Park would someday be built next to the Thunderbolt. Two
roller coasters, in the same neighborhood, once wildly popular but now
closed and condemned by the city, being razed for future developments.
I’m
not old enough to know why the Cyclone was saved by its fans. If
someone knows anything about that, feel free to contact me. Regardless,
somebody stepped up and saved the Cyclone, leading to its rehab and
reopening through a contract with the City of New York (which still owns
it today). And while the Cyclone went strong, the Thunderbolt closed
for good and sat until 2000, when it was finally considered too much of a
danger and razed without any notification. From what I remember, people
had been trying to save that Thunderbolt as well, though with it
sitting ‘standing but not operating’ for 18 years, it’s hard to save a
coaster that has been exposed to the elements and had trees growing
through it.
But
I’m sure it still hurt to lose a piece of Coney history. The Parachute
Jump hasn’t operated for years and is yet still standing, and meanwhile,
there was an empty lot nearby Keyspan Park for thirteen years, just
sitting there, growing weeds and vines and who knew what.
Part of that lot will still be weeds. But not all of it.
Zamperla
is crazy good at bringing back Coney’s history. They’re already a very
well known company in the industry -- B&M they ain’t, but they’re
not supposed to be B&M. Let Busch and SFGA have B&M. Zamperla is
perfect and amazing and wonderful for Coney Island because they are
good at small coasters, and small coasters work on small plots of land.
:D
Coney’s
history PERIOD was up in the air a few years back, so when I heard
Zamperla had taken over the area where Astroland had been, would be
bringing their own rides, operating the Cyclone, and calling the new
place “Luna Park,” I jumped up and down like I was back in elementary
school. Luna Park was the name of one of Coney Island’s biggest
amusement parks ‘back in the day;’ most of it burned down in 1944 and
the rest was razed afterward.
So
I was excited to hear that a new roller coaster would be called
Thunderbolt. But to actually be called Thunderbolt Reborn, and be on the
site of the original? I feel like a rollback on Top Thrill Dragster.
The
coaster itself will be completely steel, featuring an elevator lift,
and from models will have inversions...so nothing like the original, but
hey, who’s playing? All that matters in the end is that the history of
Coney Island is being remembered and cherished, and I think ‘the coaster
that time forgot’ is ready to claim its spotlight once again.
Also:
Okay,
so this is a coaster blog. Primary focus is on roller coasters and
history. I know waaaaaaaaaaaay too much about this and keep spouting
facts, so this is my place to write it all down. I’ll probably add park
trip reports, and every once in a while might spout some New York City
Subway nonsense (I’m a Buckeye now living in Manhattan), but the focus
is on coasters, where they’ve come from, where they are now, and a
little bit of where they’re going.
Arms down, head back, and hold on.
