West View Park Pt. 2

It's always nice to see when an old amusement park is remembered by its community, even decades after its closure. West View Park, which we took a brief look at yesterday (HERE), has found this in the form of a community center and library, called the "Hub," located in an old bank. It just opened this year, and since the amusement park was such a big part of the town long ago, several artifacts pay tribute to it.

This was the coolest thing for me - the old mural that was in the station of the park's biggest roller coaster, the Dips. This detailed picture of the ride has lightbulbs that would indicate to the operators which point the train was at along the track. The sign has been in storage for years, but it's finally returned, working lights intact!

A work in progress is this mural of the park's old "Alpine" Sky Ride.

This car was part of a kiddie-Turnpike-styled ride in the park's Kiddieland area, and a picture of the old cars can be seen in the deli across the street.

And of course, the ubiquitous amusement park height requirement sign

 Even though it's a small collection, it's very nice to see an old park being remembered in such a nice way!

West View Park Pt. 1

West View, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, once had an amazing traditional amusement park called West View Park.  It had some memorable wooden roller coasters, classic flat rides, and even a handful of darkrides. West View operated from 1906-1977; I wish it was still open, as I would've been practically able to bike there from where I live! The area where the park was is a very plain-looking shopping center today, but the memory of the place lives on.

What's now a parking lot was once a wonderland of fun...

One of the things that help people remember this amusement park that closed over 40 years ago can be found in this neighborhood diner and deli shop, Isaly's. All along the wall are pictures of the park when it was in its heyday as well as the roughly decade of abandonment it had after its closure.

 One of the things that West View did to try to drum up some attention in its later years was to add an antique car ride, seen here. However, in the end, they realized that they just couldn't compete with parks such as Kennywood and Cedar Point, which were adding million-dollar attractions.

Here's a news story of the park in its final (non-operable) years. Vandals burned some structures down, but early coaster fan clubs still went and checked things out. They even took one last ride on the kiddie coaster by pushing the car to the top of its hill and letting it go!

There's a community center right across the street from here that has some more artifacts of the park. We'll be taking a look at that tomorrow.

The Chance Giant Wheel

Around the 1980s, amusement ride manufacturer Chance, known for their carousels and train rides, put a new spin (ha) on an old amusement park classic. The Giant Wheel was instantly popular among parks, for it didn't need nearly as much meticulous care of the operator as the older Eli Bridge-made models. Although it was certainly a larger investment, the parks that installed them have mostly kept them around to the present. This is the wheel at Waldameer Park in Erie, Pennsylvania.

On the ramp leading up to the ride is this poster with some background information on Ferris Wheels and the man who invented them: George Ferris. He came from Pittsburgh, but ironically, Pittsburgh is not home to a Ferris Wheel. (There are some rather lavish drawings depicting a huge wheel in a new multi-use complex on the town's north shore, though. Who knows if that will come to fruition?)

The striking (in a good or bad way?) $300 million proposed "Esplanade" development 

Sorry for that sidetrack, but here's another Chance Giant Wheel I've been on, at the I-X Indoor Amusement Park in Cleveland, Ohio. This Ferris Wheel, which provides a soaring ride through a glass skylight, is a permanent fixture at the Center, but there are also lots of other rides that are brought in temporarily for the event.

Bill Tracy Darkrides

William "Bill" Tracy was one of the best-known designers of darkrides, or "haunted house" type attractions throughout the 1960s and 70s. From a brief stint designing parade floats, Tracy went on to typify the dark attraction with his characteristic whimsy and recognizable style. (The Bill Tracy Project is a great source to learn more.) Although he designed over 50 darkrides and walkthroughs throughout his career, only six remain in a mostly intact state today. Interestingly, the remaining rides exist in pairs. 

We'll start off our whirlwind tour of Tracy's work close to home, at Waldameer Park in Erie, Pennsylvania. This ride, the Whacky Shack, was built in 1970 and is the most untouched of his remaining darkrides. The front is instantly iconic, despite being so different for this kind of ride - who couldn't forget those whirling eyes?                                                                                    Waldameer also has a nice, Tracy-designed walkthrough called Pirate's Cove, built in 1972. These two attractions are just steps away from each other!

Possibly the most dramatic remaining example of Tracy's flair (especially when seen at night), the Haunted House at Trimper's Rides in Ocean City, Maryland has a typical name, but what's inside this darkride is far from typical. Originally one story tall when constructed in 1964, the ride was upgraded to two stories in 1988. Even though this point was long past Bill Tracy's death, the ride was able to use old Tracy-built stunts, or "spooks" from a neighboring amusement park that had just closed their Tracy darkride. 

Trimper's also is home to another Pirate's Cove walkthrough. This one has the bonus of animatronic parrots on its exterior. It has some matching elements,  but it is a bit different than the attraction of the same name in Pennsylvania.

Trimper's as a whole is a very fun place, and since I'll be visiting this summer for the first time in four years, look for more pictures to come soon!

One last thing: there's two Tracy-designed ride-thrus left in Utah at a park called Lagoon, but I have yet to get there...

Kennywood's Turtle

Over time, some parks looked to upgrade their "old" Tumble Bug rides to make them more appealing to return riders. For several parks, they found that a boost in popularity could be achieved by simply changing the ride's theme. In 1948, Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh decided to do just that.

It really wasn't that complicated: just reskin the cars a bit to give them a turtle-like look and install a new neon sign outside the entrance. Presto! More riders. 

The Turtle's very cool, old-school neon sign - the waves move up and down, and the bubbles rise from the mouths of the turtles.

Anyway, this Tumble was added in 1927. At the time, it had five cars. In 1948, when the current theme was applied, it was upgraded to six cars.

Compared to the noise of Conneaut Lake Park's Tumble Bug, which can be heard throughout the park, Kennywood's ride is relatively quiet; but this may just be due to the ride's position amidst several even louder roller coasters. Another notable contrast is the ride's padding on its seats, which makes riders not slide around as much as opposed to a flat surface, which can be found on Conneaut's Bug.

The Tumble Bug at Conneaut Lake Park

Nearly a century ago, Tumble Bugs were one of the most popular flat rides at any amusement park. Despite having a fairly simple concept, they became a huge hit with park guests. Due to part shortages, however, they have been sadly removed at a majority of parks, to the point that there are only two left in the world today. Interestingly, despite being a national ride, the two remaining models can be found just an hour-and-a-half apart in the same state! This is the ride at Conneaut Lake Park, which has been open since 1925.

 Made by Traver Manufacturing, the ride's cars have an almost bug-like appearance, hence the name.

The actual ride can be best described as a train of individual cars that moves over hills and is provided power from a central column. From this column, arms, which power the electric motors, connect to the train. As the cars pick up speed, riders slide around in their tub. Conneaut's ride is certainly the faster of the two remaining examples. It's hard to describe the exact sensation, but this just might be the best family-friendly flat ride out there!

At 94 years old, this ride is still operating, a truly incredible feat. Here's for many more years of successful operation into the future!

 I think we might take a look at the other Traver Tumble Bug tomorrow...

Universal Studios Florida

Nothing too groundbreaking today, just some more pictures of Universal Orlando. This time, we're park-hopping over to Universal Studios Florida.

 Here are the iconic glove and archway. Needless to say, I was pretty awe-struck seeing this for the first time.

 Transformers: The Ride - Even with my limited experience, I've been able to get on all three rides that use this ride system. I somehow even rode Curse of DarKastle at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in the last year of its operation. Transformers is by far my least favorite of the three. If I hadn't used the Single Rider Line and had waited in the normal queue, I would've been very disappointed. It's not the worst ride on Universal property, though!

 Diagon Alley was another area that was jaw-dropping to see. Escape from Gringotts, the area's main attraction, was solid, too! I really enjoy the Harry Potter books and have read them multiple times, but have still only seen one of the movies. Not sure how that works out...

The Simpsons Ride was fun, but not really that repeatable. I would've loved to ride Back to the Future when it was here!

Here's "Hollywood Boulevard," an area that can be found in both Disney's Hollywood Studios and Universal Studios. In this vicinity is the Horror Make-Up Show, which was a very good time. That building at the end of the street used to house Terminator 2: 3D, but it closed a year before I visited.

Universal Studios Florida was a ton of fun, but it is a "studios park," so I think that Islands of Adventure has a slight edge in my book.