T is for Coney Island's Thunderbolt
Soon, very soon, a new roller coaster will be making its way to Coney Island's Luna Park in Brooklyn, NY. The all new Thunderbolt will be a new twist, in name only, on a classic coaster from the glory days of the park's yesteryear. Here's a piece I penned for Examiner just a couple of months ago on the new ride:
It was just about four years ago that the world's most
iconic amusement area of yesteryear made a bold step towards a bright
future. On February 16, 2010, then New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that Coney Island was coming back
in a big way with Luna
Park, an all new amusement park designed with the intention of hearkening
back to the glory days of its celebrated namesake from years past.
Though Luna Park is a much welcomed and beautiful update to
the long-dilapidated area, and the new for 2011 Scream
Zone park added two coasters to the area, the rides and attractions at the
new Coney Island have done little to attract lovers of major thrill rides. Other than the Coney's legendary Cyclone, the
new Coney Island has been short on big thrills, until now.
This summer, Luna Park will be adding the $10 million Thunderbolt, a new twist
on a classic Coney Island coaster. The
new ride will sit on the very site where its eponymous predecessor thrilled
riders from 1925 to 1982, and though the contemporary coaster carries the same
name, it will not be the same ride by any means.
The classic Thunderbolt roller coaster was a traditional
wood design coaster, like all of the coasters were back in the early days of
thrill rides. The new ride will be of steel
construction and features a 110-foot vertical lift, followed by a 100-foot drop
almost straight into a huge loop.
Several inversions follow as the coaster flies at speeds of up to 65
miles per hour. The ride is not the tallest or the fastest
around, but it finally gives coaster enthusiasts something new to sink their
teeth into at Coney Island.
The original Thunderbolt
"T" Coaster of the Day - Tatsu -
Six Fags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California
Tatsu is Magic Mountain's version of a flying coaster, built nicely along a hilly landscape. I had first seen the ride on a television show about coasters called Coaster Wars and I thought it looked really cool and really scary. My friend Gary, who didn't think it looked so hot, reversed his decision when he visited the Mountain a couple of weeks ago. Check it out...
Check out my A-S posts in this month of Adventure Parks blogging:
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