Amusement Industry Quiz

[rollerfreak83]

this new thread will be more organized than the last one as I have set some rules.
Rules:

1) No other questions can be posted until the current one has been answered

2)The minimum time period is 72 hours but if a guess is correct before that time the person who gave the question may over ride it.

3) If someone guesses correctly, they get to post the next question after the questioner indicates that they guessed correctly.

4) If no one guesses correctly after the 72 hour period has expired, the questioner must answer the question and must ask another question

The first question:
When was Cedar Point's Cyclone built, when was it torn down, and who was the designer?

Built: 1929
Removed:1951
Designer: Harry Traver

[rollerfreak83]

You are correct shock_man. That question was easy for most of us here. Since you guessed correctly, you may now ask the next question.

well i'll keep the subject on CP...

What was the first steel tracked roller coaster at Cedar Point?

That would be 'Kiddieland Roller Coaster.'

from pointhype.com:

Kiddieland roller coaster
(Razed)
The Kiddieland roller coaster opened in 1957 at Kiddieland. This roller coaster was meant for small children and had gentle hills.

Wow, sounds exciting.

Shortly after, a Wild Mouse coaster was added in 1959 where Raptor now stands. That's gone, obviously.

Some fun facts about the Cedar Point Cyclone. The spot where it was built was the spot for the 1902 three way figure 8, and then the spot for the Racer coaster, then Cyclone, then Jumbo Jet (mmm, schwarzkopf), and now, Wildcat. yay.

[Harpo]

Sorry to disappoint you, but Disaster Transport now stands where Jumbo Jets used to stand (by the beach, next to Space Spiral). Wildcat was at that sight for a few years, but was moved when Avalanche Run (which was Disaster Transport before it was enclosed) was built. Wildcat was moved (well, replaced, actually-- the old one was sent to ValleyFair, and a new larger model was brought into Cedar Point) in order to make room for Oceana (now Cedar Point Aquatic Stadium). When Avalanche Run was built, Wildcat was moved to the site next to the Cedar Point Cinema (now the Good Time Theatre). Two "spin-n-go-puke" rides were moved out of that site to make room for Wildcat. One of those was Schwabinchen, which was moved to the Oceana midway replacing the Rotor which was removed from the park (also sent to ValleyFair, but it broke apart during transit). The other was Bayern Kurve, which was removed from the park. Incidentally, when Avalanche Run was built, Matterhorn also had to be moved to its current site, which was previously the site of the Tiki Twirl.

(Notice the "s" on the end of Jumbo Jets. I'm currently looking at a Cedar Point map from 1975, and it has the "s" on the end. Looking over this map, it is truly mindblowing how much the park has changed since 1975.)

Ohiocoaster is correct, nice job i figured most people would say Wild Mouse. your turn.

Alright, here's a tough question.

PAX, a coaster company in Russia, has premiered their largest coaster in the middle east. I want the coaster name, park name, park location, length, and height.

[kbendiksen]

Ok i'll try this.

Coaster Name: Al-Hamra
Park Name: Al-Hamra Village
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Length:402 meters
Height: 24 Meters

darn the rcdb and fright time..

You're right.. I'll have to make these harder next time.

[kbendiksen]

Who built the first actual rollercoaster in the united states.
Where was it located, the year it was built and the name of
the coaster?

[David Ellis]

How about...

La Marcus Thompson

He built the Gravity Pleasure Switchback at Coney Island, New York. Opened in 1884 at a cost of $1600.

David.

[kbendiksen]

That is correct david. Your turn

[flgirl]

Originally posted by kbendiksen
That is correct david. Your turn

I found this on the web, this was the first roller coaster in the US:



Here is the link:

First Coaster in US

[David Ellis]

The Mauch Chunk Railroad was considered the first US coaster, and certainly the longest (18 miles), but it is not a roller coaster as we would normally understand by the term.

My question then...

What was the first European Coaster, and when was it built?

David.

In 1817 France had developed a full-circuit rollercoaster... the name is something I could not find.

[kbendiksen]

flgirl below is the text straight from the history of roller coaster innovations. web site link for the web site is down below.


The first roller coaster actually built in the United States appeared at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York in 1884. It was built by LaMarcus Thompson, and called the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway. Thompsonâs ride incorporated flat steel track nailed onto several layers of wooden planks. Two 45 foot towers were connected with track as shown in Figure 1. The ride reached a top speed of 6 miles per hour, and the train cars had to be manually towed to the top of the hills at the beginning of both tracks; the patrons were required to get out at the end of the first track and climb stairs to the second hill to board the train again for the return trip. Despite this exercise requirement and at only five cents per ride, the Gravity Pleasure Switchback repaid Thompson's capital investment in less than three weeks. LaMarcus Thompson, went on to build 24 more roller coasters. [Cartmell, 1989]

[flgirl]

Oh! I figured that the mine train coaster wouldn't count, but I thought it did fit in with the theme here and it was interesting.

[David Ellis]

Originally posted by raptor4928
In 1817 France had developed a full-circuit rollercoaster... the name is something I could not find.

The Promenades Aeriennes, built at Beaujon Gardens, Paris in 1817 was the first early racing coaster...but the first European coaster was older than that...keep trying!

David.

[flgirl]

Roller-coaster historian Robert Cartmell cites a ride in the Gardens of Orienbaum in St. Petersburg (1784) that featured "carriages which undulated over hills within grooved tracks."

No name for the coaster was given.

[David Ellis]

That's an interesting issue...whether it was a "coaster" but also whether Russia is in Europe. I always considered Russia to be in Asia, but I have also seen it listed as a European Country.

It wasn't the coaster I was thinking of...think more Western Europe.

David.

[flgirl]

Originally posted by David Ellis
That's an interesting issue...whether it was a "coaster" but also whether Russia is in Europe. I always considered Russia to be in Asia, but I have also seen it listed as a European Country.

It wasn't the coaster I was thinking of...think more Western Europe.

David.

In 1884 LaMarcus Thompson built his first roller coaster, known as the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway.

[David Ellis]

Originally posted by flgirl
In 1884 LaMarcus Thompson built his first roller coaster, known as the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway.

That is correct, but is not the answer to my question...which was... "What was the first European Coaster, and when was it built?".

Any more guesses? Bigger clue...it was in Paris.

David.

[Harpo]

Well, alright. Here goes.

In 1817, two wheeled coasters were built in Paris, being Les Montagnes Russes at Belleville, and Promandes Ariennes at the Beaujon Gardens in Paris. They had wooden cars, capable of speeds greater than 30 MPH.

However, historian Robert Cartmell indicated that a wheeled coaster known as the Switchback was built in 1784 in Russia at the Gardens of Oreinbaum in St. Petersburg as part of a pleasure complex known as Katalnaya Gorka.

Does this cover what you were seeking?

Naw Harpo, Mr Ellis had already denied both of those answers at being correct. The Paris rollercoatser you referred to wasnt the first true rollercoaster, and the 1784 coaster around Catherine the Great was Russia. Mr. Ellis, this one stumps me... please include a link to your answer whenever you provide it, if the time exceeds.

[flgirl]

This changed in 1817 when two coasters opened in Paris, Les Montagnes Russes and the Promandes Aeriennes. The cars on these rides were anchored to the track by an extension of the wheel axles projecting into grooves in the sides of the track. This made for a safer ride, which in turn meant that speeds could be increased up to about 30mph. When the cars reached the bottom of the track, at the end of the ride, they were manually pushed back to the top of the track to be used in the next ride. In 1826 a cable system was added, thus making the Paris coasters the first to utilise a mechanical system of hauling the cars up to the start of the ride.

[David Ellis]

Here is the answer I was looking for...

Les Montagnes Russes, built in the Ternes quarter of paris in 1804.

Here is a link

Sorry if it was a tad difficult. Here's an easier one...

Who holds the record for the longest non-stop coaster riding marathon...and how long did they ride for?

David.

[flgirl]

Sydney, Australia - On Tuesday, April 6 after 40 days of riding 14 hours a day the final two contestants in the Whirl ŒTil You Hurl coaster riding marathon at Wonderland amusement park decided to get off the ride at the same time.

Steve Fletcher and Rosa Vacarro began riding the Bush Beast roller coaster on February 26 along with 22 fellow contestants. The two managed to endure forty, 14-hour days on the largest wooden roller coaster in the Southern Hemisphere.

In addition to riding all day, contestants were required to sleep in their seats at night. During the competition eleven walked off, and ten others were disqualified for breaking rules or health reasons.

The two winners will split the $20,000 prize, collecting a little over $6,300 each after taxes. The two contestants took 6,806 laps on the coaster and their winnings compute out to about 93 cents per lap.

[Harpo]

Originally posted by raptor4928
Naw Harpo, Mr Ellis had already denied both of those answers at being correct. The Paris rollercoatser you referred to wasnt the first true rollercoaster, and the 1784 coaster around Catherine the Great was Russia. Mr. Ellis, this one stumps me... please include a link to your answer whenever you provide it, if the time exceeds.

Actually, he listed the answer as Les Montagnes Russes, which is one of the two coasters I mentioned. However, David Bennett, in his book on the history of roller coasters, lists the debut of Les Montagnes Russes as 1817. I did not verify that information at an alternate source.

[David Ellis]

Originally posted by Harpo
Actually, he listed the answer as Les Montagnes Russes, which is one of the two coasters I mentioned. However, David Bennett, in his book on the history of roller coasters, lists the debut of Les Montagnes Russes as 1817. I did not verify that information at an alternate source.

Les Montagnes Russes (Russian Mountains) is a common name for coasters (also Montana Rusa). The 1804 and 1817 coasters are completely different rides!

David.