High Speed Thrill Coaster
| High Speed Thrill Coaster | |
|---|---|
|
Cars coming down the lift hill in 2008 | |
| Knoebels | |
| Coordinates | 40°52′49″N 76°30′10″W / 40.880140°N 76.502711°WCoordinates: 40°52′49″N 76°30′10″W / 40.880140°N 76.502711°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | 1955 |
| Closing date | 2008 |
| Replaced by | Kozmo's Kurves |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Designer | Overland Amusement Company |
| Track layout | Oval |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Drop | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Length | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
|
High Speed Thrill Coaster at RCDB Pictures of High Speed Thrill Coaster at RCDB | |
The "High Speed Thrill Coaster" at Knoebels Amusement Resort was a small steel roller coaster built by the Overland Amusement Company. It opened in 1955 and was dismantled before its 54th season. The coaster was the last operating Overland coaster in the world.
The layout consisted of a small, 18-foot-high lift hill, followed by a diving 180° turn, followed by several small hills, and another 180° turn back to the station. While the "High Speed Thrill Coaster" was a small ride intended for children, it could be quite wild when run at full speed, which often occurred during Phun Phest, and other times. It featured a six-cylinder Chevrolet engine converted to run on propane gas with a top speed of 40 mph. The cars did not have locks on the safety bars, which added to the "High Speed Thrill Coaster's" wild nature. It was operated entirely manually; the only controls were a large clutch lever to engage and disengage the engine from the lift chain, a large brake lever that controlled the station brake, and a small throttle lever to control the engine's speed.
The ride was taken apart during late December 2008 and early January 2009.[1] According to their website, the ride was "worn out". It was the first roller coaster to be built at Knoebels, and had the longest time-frame of continual operation for a coaster at the park.
The spot were the coaster was located at Knoebels (on the island above the motor boat trough) is still used for a junior roller coaster. Kozmo's Kurves,[2] the successor to High Speed Thrill Coaster, opened on the site on August 1, 2009.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Knoebels. |
- ↑ "Knoebels". Screamscape.com. 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ↑ "Knoebels Amusement Resort". Knoebels.com. Retrieved 2010-08-09.