29yrswithaGApass Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 Click here to see the whole Spotlight! Comments and discussions welcomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkKnight Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 THANK GOD!!! FINALLY! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Railer Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 Nice Spotlight. I take it all the pics. from the park came from your work on the book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted October 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 Nice Spotlight. I take it all the pics. from the park came from your work on the book? Yes, from working on the book and also from digitizing their archive photo collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 There were so many great pictures, I never knew single riders weren't allowed at one point. I'm glad that rule is no longer in effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted October 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 For anyone who had difficulties viewing the videos, they should now both be available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 Best. Spotlight. EVER! Rolling Thunder holds a very special place in my heart. It's the first wooden roller coaster I've ever ridden, and was also the first "big" roller coaster I ever rode in GA. It was always my favorite coaster in the park, and it still is. Also, it's the first ride I ever worked at in my life This ride holds a lot of life-long memories =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseywolfe Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 Nice job. Its the first ride i worked on. I liked walking the track in the morning and i loved when single riders would come on. I used to ride at least 10 times a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yankees99 Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 A round of thanks for putting up pictures of one of my all-time favorite wooden coasters. Remember getting a T-shirt after riding it the first time in 1979 with my father, who went on despite having some minor back problems at the time. Ironically, we were supposed to go to GA the day after the accident in 1981, but we waited until we knew the ride would be reopened. Thanks for all of those great pictures. I needed that!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterPete Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 Great Spotlight! I had the opportunity to participate in a backstage guided tour at Coaster Celebration and chose the RT/GASM tour instead of the popular Medusa tour. A couple of quick questions that I didn't see addressed that perhaps you could answer. My apologies if they were answered in the spotlight and I missed them.... 1. Do you know if the ride was constructed with the lumber pre-painted or was it painted after assembly? 2. Do you know why the train was reduced from 5 cars to 4? The spotlight just mentions that it was reduced to four. Was it due to a weight issue? Again, great spotlight! Loved all of the different pictures! Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hot Dog Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 I must say, I really enjoyed the Rolling Thunder spotlight. You guys really do a great job with this site, and your recollection and attention to detail is awesome. How in the world did you have the foresight to take all your pictures and make mental notes about everything? Well done. It's funny how RT went from a big scary ride to an entry level coaster. I refused to ride it as a kid, fearing that "terrifying" first drop. My dad rode it once and said that it nearly rattled the fillings right out of his teeth, which scared me even more! Times sure do change. A friend just went to GA for the first time this summer and mentioned how they didn't have time to ride "the little one" near El Toro. Blasphemy! "You mean the classic one," I said. By the way, talk about assuming an unauthorized riding position (upper left): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted October 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 ^ I have Costco to thank for my extensive photo collection. Up until I first joined Costco (then The Price Club) in the '80s, I only took a limited number of photos because film was pretty expensive - especially on a paperboy's salary. Once they opened up, I was able to buy six-pack rolls of film for much cheaper and that made taking a lot of pictures much more of a reality. Now that it is digital, there is no limit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 Great Spotlight! I had the opportunity to participate in a backstage guided tour at Coaster Celebration and chose the RT/GASM tour instead of the popular Medusa tour. A couple of quick questions that I didn't see addressed that perhaps you could answer. My apologies if they were answered in the spotlight and I missed them.... 1. Do you know if the ride was constructed with the lumber pre-painted or was it painted after assembly? 2. Do you know why the train was reduced from 5 cars to 4? The spotlight just mentions that it was reduced to four. Was it due to a weight issue? Again, great spotlight! Loved all of the different pictures! Pete I know that the last car of each train made the first train on Judge Roy Scream at Six Flags Over Georgia. Also, I believe the wood was pre-painted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted October 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 I would hope for the rider in the third car's sake that this photo was BEFORE the seat dividers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scipiomask Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 Hey, that's me! No, just kidding. GREAT, GREAT, GREAT spotlight. What I'd really like to see would be a new GCI woodie on the other side of the park, and new trains for both that ride and for Rolling Thunder. It's still a great ride, even if it is a little rough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted October 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2010 Do you know if the ride was constructed with the lumber pre-painted or was it painted after assembly? Good question Pete! I've always believed that the wood was painted before it was assembled. That was the common practice at the time. I'll try to find a color construction shot to verify this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarioSonic94 Posted October 9, 2010 Report Share Posted October 9, 2010 Excellent spotlight. Even though the ride is in deperate need of a retracking, it's still an enjoyable and sentimental favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted October 10, 2010 Report Share Posted October 10, 2010 Nice spotlight as usually, I remember that they left the old no longer used air compressor for the brakes by the queue for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Adventurer Posted October 10, 2010 Report Share Posted October 10, 2010 Great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulieGBones Posted October 12, 2010 Report Share Posted October 12, 2010 Two thumbs up for this spotlight. It was a long wait but a worthwhile one. Great pictures, great reading about the history of a legendary roller coaster. If I could, I'd buy you guys a drink so we could sit and chat more about this and the other rides that made the park great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThemeParkRider Posted October 14, 2010 Report Share Posted October 14, 2010 Good job, I loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted October 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 After Rolling Thunder first opened, actor John Houseman filmed a Smith Barney commercial going up the lift of the ride. Just before getting to the top of the ride the train stopped, he exited the train, and he delivered the famous line "Smith Barney makes money the old fashioned way - they EARN it.". The train then proceeded down the tracks. If anyone has a copy of this commercial we would love to see it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted October 19, 2010 Report Share Posted October 19, 2010 "Buy low, sell high..." was his opening line as the train came to a stop at the top of the lift, and RMT was running off in the distance behind him. That commercial used to run every morning during Good Morning America while I was getting ready for school. I always watched it and wondered if he walked down the lift hill or if they sent another train up to take him the through the whole ride since after he got to the top the train stopped and then restarted once he got off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafreak Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 Id love to see Thunder get a Rehab, would be a great 2012 attration, new up to date trains and a smooth ride like when it opened, maybe even a texas giant stlye rehab, making it a steel track system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThemeParkRider Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Hey has anyone noticed that Red Train is seriously slow? Even with a few seconds of a head start, the train is really lagging behind. It seems like there is an issue with the friction or a few wheels popped down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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