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ParkHoppin’ with Paul Ruben
Never give up
How many parks can you think of that build their own rides? In the past, 50 or 100 years ago, many parks did. Not so many any more. Mack Rides, Togo, Zamperla and Pax build rides and also operate parks. But who builds rides for just themselves any more and no one else? Over here in the USA, I can think of just one, Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Dick Knoebel got his ride-building apprenticeship when, in 1973 after one of the park’s many floods, a new building was constructed and became the Haunted Mansion dark ride. When Playland Park in San Antonio, Texas, closed, he bought their wooden Rocket coaster and moved the ride to his park between January and June of 1985. He then rebuilt the ride with the help of coaster builder Charlie Dinn, and renamed it the Phoenix. Following the closing of the original Elitch Gardens, Knoebels designer John Fetterman redesigned that park’s Twister to fit in Knoebels, and Knoebels built and opened the new Twister in 1999. He then bought the old Golden Nugget dark ride coaster from Morey’s, which originally operated in 1960 on Hunt’s Pier in Wildwood, New Jersey. He relocated it to his park, and in 2011 rebuilt and rethemed the ride as the Black Diamond.
These ride restorations were all fairly straight forward, from start to finish within a year. And then there was the Flying Turns, a project with so many twists and turns, both literally and figuratively, that it would test the mettle of the most resolute park operator. The
Flying Turns was a classic rollercoaster ride first introduced in 1929. It used a trackless wooden chute, full of twists like a bobsled course with toboggan-like cars, based on a bobsled run. Ten Flying Turns were built, the last one gone by the early 1970s. Beginning in 2006, the concept was resurrected and built from scratch by Knoebels’ staff. It was designed by John Fetterman from an original Miller and Bartlett design. It was expected to open in 2007, but did not. It took two track configuration changes, three train variations, and seven years of trying to build a reliable ride before it finally opened in October 2013. How many park operators do you know who would keep trying to unlock the secret of the Flying Turns for seven years? How many would have the determination and tenacity to succeed? How many would have thrown in the towel after it initially failed to work properly and moved on to other projects?
I, for one, am grateful to Knoebels for pursuing this project to completion. When they first announced in 2006 they would bring back the legendary Flying Turns, I was all in. I couldn’t wait, although I eventually learned to wait. I had ridden the steel trough bobsled rides that had been introduced by Intamin and Mack Rides, but I yearned to experience the wood version. The opportunity finally arrived last October, and I eagerly scrambled aboard, as you can see here. It was more satisfying than I had hoped, smooth, twisted, moderately thrilling – and loads of fun. My wife says she finds me much the same. Some of the old rides that have disappeared aren't worth recreating, but the return of the Flying Turns is a welcome revival. Congratulations, Knoebels. Yah done good!
6
TREASURE COVE
Pirates get own land at Disney Shanghai
It was back in 1967 that Disney launched the original Pirates of the Caribbean dark ride at Disneyland in California. Now, almost five decades later, it has found its way into three Disney theme parks and spawned four hit Hollywood films. But only one Disney park will be home to a full Pirates-themed land, with the opening of Treasure Cove at Shanghai Disneyland next year. “Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the most iconic attractions in our parks, and we really couldn’t imagine Shanghai Disneyland without Pirates,” Bob Iger, Disney chairman and CEO, told a shareholders’ meeting last month. “We wanted to create a one-of-a-kind experience that would appeal to our Chinese guests while remaining true to its Disney heritage.”
Over the years many operators have integrated pirate theming into their parks, but Disney's attention to detail coupled with the power of the Pirates of the Caribbean brand since the arrival of the movie franchise, mean Treasure Cove should be a real treat. The anchor attraction (excuse the pun) will be the “e-ticket” Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure featuring Captains Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones. As our photo proves, key structural work on the Pirates attraction is now complete, marking another milestone in the development of Shanghai Disneyland and the wider resort Disney is creating in the Chinese city, and which remains on target to open by the end of 2015. “We are extremely proud of all the work underway to bring the Shanghai Disney Resort to life,” says chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Tom Staggs. “And we’re excited to re-imagine the iconic world and characters of Pirates for the first time as an entire land.”
Pirates Cove at Disneyland Shanghai – an artist’s impression APRIL 2014
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