Ol'FormerRideOp

It's amazing... The ORIGINAL concrete poured back in 1974, had some moderately big stones in it, and it seemed to last forever without any degradation. There are many sections of original concrete that exist today, and still look good after all these years. However, the newer concrete pours have sometimes been problematic - and by trying to go cheap and use tar instead of concrete, they just wind up having to make repairs more often. I wish they'd stop using tar and go back to concrete. Yes, it's bit more costly up front, but it lasts longer and doesn't require annual sealing and maintenance.

^LOL! Everyone stop whining already! We all agree it's not a real "coaster' and the location is a bit questionable... but here are some facts that you all may not understand about GA and theme parks in general: 1. They exist to make money ($$$) 2. Increasing ride counts increases operating costs for every department - think about it: Operations, Maintenance, Landscaping, Security etc. 3. If any souvenir shops or merchandise buildings or food stands or games are added, that too adds to the above costs including Food Service, Merchandise & Games departments. 4. GA NEEDS more flats, and we're getting one. 5. GA just had another record-setting ride added last year. You can't expect that to be done every year. With that said, I would have preferred that they kept Rolling Thunder around... Perhaps they could have started budgeting for a major overhaul last year to include new track and supports and possibly some enhancements including bringing back the 5th car to the trains. GA could have closed the aging coaster for a season (or two if needed) and planned for this much needed maintenance, keeping one of the last dual-track racing coasters in operation for years to come. I'm sure many people would agree that RT was a great loss in many ways. I for one, would have been just fine having no "new" rides and instead letting GA focus on the existing rides - their refurbishment and much needed maintenance of the property overall. Most people have no idea how much maintenance is required and the cost associated with having to maintain not only rides, but buildings, restrooms, equipment and machinery, paths/walkways, lighting, etc.! The bigger the park, the bigger the operating costs. I'd rather see the park slow down in new ride investment, and keep things in a highly-maintained manner, rather than have a few shiny new record-breaking rides lumped in with aging, poorly maintained ones - or worse, entire sections of the park that are in a state of chaos and disrepair (i.e., New Country.) And while I'm thinking of it, who's bright idea was it to start replacing large sections of concrete with asphalt??? Not only does it LOOK cheap, it IS cheap. Not to mention how HOT that stuff gets with the sun beating down on it all day! Covering it with paint (as they've done in some areas) just makes it look horrible too! Bad idea! They could have simply cut back on the amount of concrete needed, by creating cement pathways instead and putting in some sod and trees around them to replace the green that's been cut out of the park over the years! Just my two cents... ;-)

I tend to agree with the others on here, calling this a "coaster" really is a huge stretch! I'm glad a flat ride is going in though... The park really needs a lot more "family style" thrill rides. I would have been happy to see a few of these types added instead of just one however. Bring a new Musik Express or an Enterprise ride back to the "Old Country" section... The Old Country used to be known as the "New Rides" area... but it has since fallen into a sad state... Perhaps re-theming as the "County Fair" section with older nostalgic rides would be a good addition...?!? And to the marketing department: Please just be honest with the guests. Don't "hype" something to the point where nearly everyone has to throw the B.S. flag on the play... Just say something like "Coming in 2015: Exciting new rides for the whole family to enjoy!" and leave it at that!

I've been saying for many years now, that good ol' flat rides are what's needed.... I would take the entire "New Rides" area (from the old Enterprise all the way back to the former Free Fall site) and turn it into a "Fairgrounds" theme and have all the fun, cheesy family rides that people enjoy... with all the light kits and music that these rides can be equipped with... Take a look at http://www.flatrides.com for ideas... I'd definitely have the Enterprise, Monster Spin, Flying Swings, Musik Express, Alpine Bobs, Hexentanz (Witche's Dance), Tilt-A-Whirl, etc. The sad fact, is Great Adventure never kept up with the maintenance of the original artwork and lighting kits of the flat rides - and they became very unattractive and boring. Half of the appeal is the lighting kits and the colorful artwork that is available for the rides. Another flume-style ride would be a welcome addition too! Just sayin'... ;-)

When did you work Mine Train? That was my "home" ride somewhere between '81 & '83... Three trains was always fun... but we had a lot more staff working the ride back then! At the top of the stairs, you had an usher who would open the chain and let 28 people into the station. He/she would tell you to follow another person who would "usher" you into each stall starting at the front, working towards the back. There was no "waiting" for seats. You were assigned a stall to wait for the next train. (This is how the station always remained calm as well, only 28 people at a time!) We also had swinging saloon style doors; not hydraulic gates. On the other side of the station, you had the operator who was responsible for keeping the trains from "setting up"... You also had three attendants; the first person would lock and unlock car one as well as give the spiel over the PA system, then you had another attendant who took care of cars two & three; then the last attendant would handle cars four & five. I remember having to "push" a train out of the station, then rush out to the trim & ready brakes to "pull" the next train in before the third one entered Block "C"... all to avoid a setup. If we DID have a setup, we had to send three attendants up to "safeties"...to release the brakes and push the train down the hill... and we were supposed to send another to the top of the lift to restart it. (But I knew where the RN limit was and could reset it with a screwdriver, and restart the lift with a broom handle by forcing the big switch near the compressor at the bottom of the tower under the operator booth!) Kenny Burns looked at me very puzzled the first time I did that during pre-season training with new staff - and told me to never do it while there were guests on board... I told him we only do that when the trains are empty... (wink wink...) The things you learn from the electricians and maintenance guys! So basically, you had six attendants working the ride at any given time - not to mention additional staff to sweep queue lines or play "crowd control" or to cover for breaks... Today, there's only one or two people running the ride... Due to the "computerization" and safety measures imposed on the ride, they no longer run three trains, and whenever I've been there they've only run one train at a time. The original compressed air skid brakes were replaced with fin-style clamping brakes... No more speed stopping trains here either! The WORST part of not having the compressed air brakes is that young teenage boys can no longer enjoy the festivities of bouncing the train up and down when girls would come to the ride after getting soaked on the Log Flume... Operators and attendants used to call out the car and seat number for each other to watch as the train was bounced... All you'd hear was "51" and then the train would bounce... while the guys would immediately look at car 5, seat 1... (51) or "43", or "11" etc. <sigh>... good times... But there IS a saving grace... There is STILL the exit stairs where wet shirts still offered a wonderful view from the operator's booth... The attendants just had to lean back a little over the edge to get a glimpse...

I never liked rides that were boring to operate... I liked fast paced environments that required a bit of work. It always made the day go by faster, and you had more fun... My favorite rides to operate were (not in any specific order): 1. Mine Train - before the computerization; when you could run three trains... 2. Cables - Loved the workout and constant pace 3. Parachuter's Perch - I moved to that ride the first year it opened and found a rythym to operating two chutes - back and forth. It was non stop and you got a great tan on that pad! 4. Coaster I & II (Rolling Thunder) before head restraints, seat belts, seat dividers, and computerization. As an experienced operator, you learned how to "speed stop" the trains - hardly using the dispatch brakes at all, giving guests the most awesome stop on any coaster! 5. Rapids - way before there were rail guides installed in the water, when the wave machines were running and boats would occsionally jam. Half the fun of working that ride was standing on the outside of the boats, jumping up and down to get them to "un-jam"... Then you got to ride the boat the rest of the way in while on the outside! Emergency Flush ALL was a great time too... Anyone who worked the ride back then will understand! Today though, nobody "hustles" anymore. Everything is slow, there are fewer operators on rides which makes lines longer and in my opinion LESS safe. Put more people back on the ride crews and start getting those hourly numbers back up! ;-)

Please, I'm laughing at the "sewing".... Sewing is what you do to fabric... Suing someone is what you do in court! --- Not to be the spelling police, but that mistake wasn't made just once... ;-)

HA! I remember working with Mike Lisa on many rides back in the 80's!

I remember Paula - she was my lead on Loop II... Well, for a little while that is, until I saddled the train and won a transfer to Bumper I... LOL!

It will be interesting to see what pans out.... As a former ride operator, I can't tell you how many people would leave items on loading platforms - expecting the staff to "watch" their items - despite signs that explicitly stated "We are not responsible for personal items left behind." I think providing a few cubbies free of charge is a good thing, but it slows down loading/unloading rides which causes longer wait times. Lockers are a much better option - but they need to be reasonable with charges. It would be great if there was a way to provide free lockers, or at least an option to purchase (reasonably) an all-day storage key/card which can be used at any one locker at a time throughout the park, so you can use ones that are convenient to your location throughout the day. I have never used a locker at a theme park ever, and don't think I would ever want to pay for something like that, unless it was for all-day use at a reasonable price (no more than $5.00.) Just my thoughts...

" During the summer of 1983 through the wonder of a newfangled personnel computing machine, for $1 guests could find out in just 15 seconds "What was happening the day you were born?". The summary of events was provided via a dot-matrix printer on perforated paper with removable tractor-feed margins. " Not to be a spelling nazi... but I believe you meant "personal computing"... ;-)

That was the first ride I worked back in the early 80's... Loop II... I wonder if I worked with your mom back then?!? If we worked together, she'd know me by the fact that I was the one who "saddled' the train... then got transferred to Bumper I... LOL! Being a little OCD, I remember when heading to the ride first thing in the morning, I'd count 92 steps from the ground, all the way to the top of the platform. At some point, you'd have to go back down the 92 steps and walk to the "far end" and climb another 87 steps to relieve the operator at the top. After an hour or so, someone would come to relieve you - then you went back down the 87 steps, walked back across to the station side and climbed the 92 steps again. THEN you'd go on break, and go back down the 92 steps, walk all the way to the canteen... then all the way back.. then back up the 92 steps... Now if you were sent to the far side again for an hour, you'd go back down the 92, across to the far side and up the 87 steps... then after another hour or so, back down the 87 steps, across to the station side, and up the 92 steps again! At the end of the day, you got to go down the 92 steps for the last time that day, but you couldn't just go to wardrobe (which was right next to the ride) and go home... Someone had to walk to the Ops Office (which was across from the canteen back then) to drop off the timesheet, turnstyle logs and other paperwork. Once the Ops Admin folks double-checked your totals, you were then free to walk back to wardrobe and go home! Needless to say, LOTS of steps PLUS a lot of walking every day!!! LOL! I can't believe I STILL remember how many steps there were!!! Jeez, I can't believe I still remember the entire spiel for the Mine Train too! I guess it's second nature if you have to repeat it a thousand times a day!!

<sigh!>.... I miss the Enterprise!!!

Agreed! Seatbelts are just plain ridiculous... the head rests actually do more harm because you bang your head into them, and the dividers suck bigtime!

Holy cow this ride brings back memories..! I remember during the first few days of operation, I went for a "test ride" with the area supervisor (I think it was Tyrone Daly back then?!?) when all of a sudden it started drizzling. The ride's trough was just painted stainless steel, and the cars had rubber wheels that rolled freely within the trough. The cars weren't on a track per se; they could ride anywhere within the trough and the turns were banked. The more weight in the car, the wider the turns... However, because the trains were able to travel freely, ANY amount of moisture (including morning dew) was catastrophic!!! Now as an adrenalin and theme park junkie, I would normally enjoy a hair-raising ride... However,... Once we got past the lift, the ride became ridiculously dangerous!!! The wheels that were on the sides of the cars were SLAMMING into the rail stops along the tops of the turns (which are installed to prevent cars from rolling over or out of the trough completely!) I literally hung on for dear life... Both Tyrone and I came off the right seriously banged up and scared s***less!! We shut the ride down IMMEDIATELY and didn't dispatch another car until the track was COMPLETELY DRY!!! I have seen a more updated version of the ride at Kings Dominion in VA where the trough isn't solid - it's made up of tubular steel and allows for drainage (see photo: http://www.kingsdominion.com/rides/Family-Rides/Avalanche) and also limits the skidding of the cars... In addition, there are multiple cars connected instead of Great Adventure's single-car (6 passenger) vehicles.

You hit the nail on the head! I've been saying this for years!! Six Flags has put their "corporate branding" in front of every park... They'd rather you just know the park as Six Flags and not Great Adventure. This was the beginning of the fall... Thanks mostly to Time Warner, all of the parks now resemble one another... They all have the same rides (or at least the same names) and the same contracted food venues, and the same insane "nickel and dime you to death" approach to profitability. There is a lack of family thrill rides, restaurants, shops and food stands. Everything is cheap, mass produced junk in my opinion. Gone are the unique "park only" souvenirs... For the park on a whole, attention to detail is completely lost. It's the detail that makes the park shine! The hours of the park should be extended to what they were for years: 10 am - Midnight (Until 2:00 am on concert nights.) 10 am - 8 or 10 pm in off-season. As for the rides, I would love to see a focus on more flat rides that made the park fun for the whole family... Bring back rides and things such as: 1. Flying Wave - (Yes the new swing ride is cool, but not everyone wants to go so high up in the air!) 2. Antique Cars - (They could be electric today!) 3. Grand Prix - (Well, an updated version - something like it without an up-charge. Up-charge rides should not exist in a pay-one price park in my opinion! They don't attract as much of a crowd, and they cost a lot to ride - not worth it again, in my opinion.) 4. Enterprise 5. Monster (Standard ride at ANY park... How we don't have one now, is beyond me!) 6. Rotor - (Another standard park ride... Great for kids!) 7. Tilt-a-Whirl - (Standard fare... Awesome family ride.) 8. Musik Express - (Himalaya ride is desperately needed - with an awesome sound system!) 9. Hydro Flume/Splashwater Falls - (You just NEED another flume/water/boat ride!) 10. Original Roaring Rapids - (Turn on the wave machines again, reprofile the ride - making it longer and more intense. Incorporate lessons learned from other improved rapids rides...) 11. Haunted Castle - (Yes, there's a stigma attached to having one again after the fire, but a great ride-through experience would be fantastic. The Haunted Mansion at Disney does really well... <hint><hint>) 12. The Right Stuff - (This was the only title that worked well in that building! The other movies in my opinion fell short and nothing else matches the decor and theme of the building. Perhaps some other sort of "flight" video can be shot instead?) 13. Super Sidewinder - (This ride got screwed on the attention it deserved... it was moved to a desolate area of the park where it suffered from lack of attendance. It was difficult to find... but was a fun ride for families!) 14. Super Tee Pee - (Yes, those 9-ton logs were heavy and expensive, but how many parks could lay claim to the world's largest tee pee? 35+ years of service, it deserves to be rebuilt!) 15. NIGHTLY FIREWORKS! - (They should also be done at 9;15 pm as they've always been done - before the park closes. This leaves time to enjoy rides and food afterwards, so the parking lot isn't at a stand-still for hours!) 16. Sarajevo Bobsleds - (Great family ride.) 17. Swabinchen - (Another fun family ride.) Rides that need love... attention/rehabilitation: 1. Rolling Thunder - track work needed desperately! Original sign needs to be brought back, it was SO original with the lighting and sounds of thunder! Trains need carriage work as well. 2. Runaway Mine Train - trains should be refitted with all the original ornamentation that's been removed. (i.e., brass lanterns, copper tinting to smoke stacks etc.) Details are important! 3. Musik Express - Either rehab it, or replace it with a new one! 4. Skull Mountain - (Needs love... the curtains and interior looks trashy and poorly maintained.) 5. Nitro - (A covered queue would be nice.) That's all I can think of at the moment....!

While there are no real definitive answers as to the exact reason why, I have a PERSONAL theory that it may not have opened due to safety concerns on other "Jumbo Jet" coasters at the time. I can recall the Jet Star at Seaside Heights being closed for a period of time somewhere around 1975 and soon after, Schwarzkoff introduced the Wild Cat coaster design which may have proven more safe. Perhaps management at Great Adventure believed that Wild Cat would have been a better purchase option for them and perhaps worked a deal with the manufacturer to install the newer Wild Cat instead? Maybe it was never opened because the manufacturer would only take it back "un-used?" Who knows... really....?!?

And notice the starburst pattern of lights on the inside of the roofs of each gondola... Nice touch... Don't remember if those were put back in during the LED overhaul a couple years back...?!? Anyone know?

I watched the entire construction project which started at the very end of the 1982 operating season, and wound up working the ride from it's initial opening day in 1983 - so I have a lot of first-hand knowledge about the construction and inner-workings of the ride system. At the end of the 1982 season, the small pond duck pond located behind the employee canteen was drained and a huge 50-foot deep pit was dug. It is slightly larger in circumference than the "crown" at the top of the ride. TONS of rebar and the actual base/anchor of the tower were installed in the huge pit, along with a lot of electrical conduit and other things. Then, the entire pit was filled in with concrete, making a solid anchor for the 250' tower. The concrete took quite a few weeks for the concrete to cure enough to support the tower construction due to the thickness of the huge slab. So, there is no true "basement" for this ride... just a huge slab of concrete, 50' thick. The counterweights for the parachutes ride up and down the entire length of the tower on the inside - they do not go below ground. There is also a very small service elevator located inside the tower which takes maintenance employees to the top where the winch motors and cable reels are located. Nobody was ever allowed to go up in the elevator other than maintenance workers (they would be fired if they did) - but I DID sneak a ride up with one of the former electricians during construction! It was a VERY tight squeeze up there to fit everything in. I can't imagine how the ride originally had 12 chutes! We even took a walk out onto the catwalk all the way around the crown which was (scary as heck because there is only a handrail on ONE side of the catwalk) and you could feel the whole tower sway in the wind (this was before the guide cables were installed...so it was really bad!) Thank goodness I have no real fear of heights!! LOL! Both of us could have been canned on the spot, but we risked it anyway!

Daved, you are 100% on the money here! I have many old time friends still working at the park (some of them have been there since the beginning) and we've all agreed that the "magic" that existed (created by Warner Le Roy) diminished significantly over time since Six Flags and subsequent owners veered away from the original vision of the park. What made a trip to GA special, was your total immersion into a world of fantasy where everything was unique! Time Warner really made a huge impact on destroying everything unique. I personally watched as Bob Pittman walked through the park with a can of spray paint, marking every tree that wasn't "perfectly straight" to have it removed from the park. Changing the looks of all of the parks to that which can only be described as "concrete and steel" really destroyed the natural beauty and unique charm of Great Adventure (and I'm sure many other parks across the country.) Every park sort of resembled the same look and feel... So why bother going to any other SF park if they all have the same rides, looks and feel? During initial construction, a road was re-routed to avoid cutting down a 300 year old tree... that's the extreme level of care that was taken to preserve the natural setting. You could walk around the park on the hottest day of the summer, and it was STILL comfortable in the shade of the trees. There are so many trees gone now, they've had to install misting fans, cooling stations, canopies and solar shades in most areas. Queue lines are no longer shaded which makes wait times even more unbearable. The Time Warner era also began the marketing of the park to teens - instead of families. In reality, teens don't have money - FAMILIES do! In place of unique food restaurants, we've seen McDonalds, Papa John's and many others come and go... As a guest, I ask myself "why would I want to eat fast food that I can get anywhere outside the park, and pay double the amount it's worth?!?" The plans I would implement within a five year plan to turn the park around and make it extremely profitable once again... <sigh...> if only I could leave my current job and run the park for the next 10 years... five to turn it around, and another five to layout future plans!... if only....

I remember when they instituted the parking charge... Boy were people upset! Parking had been free for many years... It would be understandable if they were to use the p-lot charges to maintain the lot properly over the years - but we can see that's not the case. Now the lot is chaotic - spaces are facing the wrong way as they've tried to re-route traffic patterns which have existed for 30+ years... It's a total cluster @!*) trying to leave the park after closing! Took us 2 hours to get out of the parking lot one evening last year... A total mess!

I think removing the paintball building and opening that pathway back up would certainly improve the flow of traffic in that area. Originally a planter box was installed to re-route traffic through the games square which eventually wound up being this paint ball eyesore/basketball hoop thing... The whole games area is so big now, it's kind of a moot point to need to "direct" traffic to this area. People can find it without being forced to go that way... Besides, it would be very nice to see Dream Street returned to it's glory without blocking the view!

They really need to bring back the parking lot trams! Walking from the butt-end of the parking lot, or even where the water park is located, is ridiculous! Here's a thought... Since they keep building out into sections of the parking lot, why not build a multi-level parking garage and just use the rest of the parking lot for more park space!