Opened in 1878, Idlewild Park in Ligonier, Pennsylvania is the third oldest amusement park in the country (and when I say "opened," I really mean that they just built this tiny railroad depot and threw in a couple of picnic tables). Although the park lost its classic Caterpillar flat ride in 2013, they still have a nice collection of some fairly standard amusements found at amusement parks all around the country. Let's take a look at them!
The Paratrooper is another standard that's always a fun time.
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| Here's the Whip in its final state in 2017. |
An Eli Bridge Scrambler is also on hand. (Note the identical decals to the Ferris Wheel cars.)
These Flying Scooters look old but have actually only been here since 2007. This was also Idlewild's last new ride, so they are majorly due for something fresh.
I hope you have enjoyed this look at the flat rides of Idlewild. The mid-sized group they have is better than many parks, and hopefully, all of these will stick around for years. However, the Caterpillar is still in storage and needs to come back!
Thanks for reading!
7 comments:
Love the Eli 16 Ferris Wheel. That's the one I used to operate at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This one is cable driven too as opposed to the later rim driven models.
Always loved the Spider and Octopus rides from Eyerly Aircraft. I used to make small versions from my erector set when I was a child. The motion from this simple mechanical flat ride always amazed me.
The Paratrooper is another flat ride classic that I loved. The Paratroopers at the local carnival I found way more intense as they always seem to run faster than at a permanent park.
Glad they brought back the classic Round-Up.
Yes, the Eli Bridge decals are the same on both their Ferris Wheel and Scrambler. Chance Rides is another you can spot the early rides regardless of the ride as the vehicles tend to have the same color scheme of red, orange, yellow and blue cars with a yellow superstructure. Not all the time, but a lot of the time. Sky Diver, Trabant, Zipper, Toboggan and Turbo have the same color scheme if it's done in the classic version.
Also, love the old buildings. Nice post. Thanks, Andrew.
K. Martinez, thanks for all the nice remarks. I can assume that Eli wheels are probably one heck of a ride to operate, especially with the component of needing the proper balance so the cable doesn't "slip." The operator on Idlewild's wheel was even wearing a hard hat! (probably so he didn't get hit on the head by eager riders slamming the lap bar closed)
Years ago, I got a "K'nex" amusement park ride set that operates with the same basic motion as a Spider!
And finally, I know that Chance rides can also be identified by those big letters with the inlaid light bulbs. I find it interesting that you mention a Toboggan; it gave me a good post idea for the future!
We had to wear a hard hat too when operating the Ferris Wheel. I had completely forgotten about that until you brought it up. And yes, we had to size up riders and balance the Wheel. Occasionally we'd screw up and the wheel would slip and sometimes the motor smoked.
"K'nex" is great for creating flat rides. In fact I've got a box of "K'nex" in my extra room. Maybe I'll construct a flat ride this week.
I'd definitely love to hear your take on Chance Rides and the Toboggan. I find that coaster attraction more fun to watch than to ride though.
I like how the rides are all nestled in among the trees. I also like how many of the rides have grass growing right up to them or actually underneath them, like in the case of the "Spider." It looks like the park is just surrounded by "nature."
TokyoMagic!, absolutely. Idlewild is one of the most wooded parks anywhere. The sedate setting is also enhanced by a stream that bisects the park; as a result of this, there's footbridge for guests, and the park's miniature train crosses over the water twice! That train ride also includes a lengthy journey through a deeply forested part of the park. Living where I am, I guess I take it for granted, but Idlewild really is beautiful!
I am really liking these posts of the old parks, especially with Ken's commentary on the various ride types.
Thanks Andrew, for running a parallel GDB for us.
JG
JG, I'm honored by you calling my blog a parallel GDB, but I feel that my sporadic bi-weekly posts can never measure up to the content over there. Thanks for checking in, and I'm glad you're enjoying yourself!
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