World's Fair Hand Me Downs

[GAcoaster]

We know that some of the equipment for the park was purchased from the 1964-65 NY World's Fair. The Skyride stations and many of the park's garbage cans were from the World's Fair, but I wonder if the original trams also came from the Fair or if they weere just the same style/manufacturer? They seem to be identical, with the exception of the wider opening on each car for strollers/wheelchairs which the original NYWF trams didn't have, but they could have been modified.

 

 

 

[Daved Thomson]

I am somewhat puzzled by the picture of the tram that is shown taking visitors to the park entrance. Isn't this the same brand/manufacturer of trams that can be found at HersheyPark? Or, at least that was my impression prior to seeing your "Glide-a-Ride" photos... Any idea which season these trams were dropped? I have never seen them before at GA. And, while only a guess, I don't think they could have made it very long at Great Adventure given that GA's parking lot is not close to being flat. These trams have very little ground clearance and I have to imagine would have been torn up pretty quickly by portions of the lot.

 

The only trams I can recall ever seeing at Great Adventure in those early years were those towed by (what I associate with) baggage tractors similar to those used at many U.S. airports even to this day. The trams I am thinking of had passengers seated facing out toward the side of the tram while it moved forward. The picture here is of a tram that, to me, looks visually similar to the Hershey (and, less so, the WDW) trams. I am guessing that they were also of a much higher capacity than the "airport tractor trams" and certainly had to have been safer than the airport trams which people often jumped on and off of while the trams were actually in motion. And a simple thing like getting on a tram really did make it an even more magical experience as you went deeper into that forest.

 

I always felt that Great Adventure's entrance road (prior to Hurricane Harbor) also made you feel like you were really going into a magical place as it curved through the woods and then opened up to the parking lot with nothing visible inside the park other than the Giant Wheel and Skyride.

[29yrswithaGApass]

^ The photo above is from 1974 when the parking lot was still gravel. In 1975, barriers between the park's seven lots were eliminated creating one large area. The surface was paved and striped for better traffic flow. These trams operated until about 1978. In 1979, Firestone began sponsoring the parking lot and brought in a new set of tractor pulled sideways facing tram cars, as well as the Firestone Rescue Station for automobile assistance. As you can imagine, we will be doing Spotlights on the Parking Lot and Entrance Roadways.

 

(We are sort of like Apple... Instead of "There's an App for that" we are "There's a Spotlight for that"!)

[Daved Thomson]

^ The photo above is from 1974 when the parking lot was still gravel. In 1975, barriers between the park's seven lots were eliminated creating one large area. The surface was paved and striped for better traffic flow. These trams operated until about 1978. In 1979, Firestone began sponsoring the parking lot and brought in a new set of tractor pulled sideways facing tram cars, as well as the Firestone Rescue Station for automobile assistance. As you can imagine, we will be doing Spotlights on the Parking Lot and Entrance Roadways.

 

(We are sort of like Apple... Instead of "There's an App for that" we are "There's a Spotlight for that"!)

 

You are certain that these trams operated that long? And, I don't mean to be a PITA about this, but I really am baffled by seeing pictures of this type of tram at GA because they are totally what I had always thought the park should have and NEVER saw or heard even a mention of any other type of tram other than those you mentioned that were sponsored by Firestone beginning in 1978. Those trams (the tractor type), however, were operating at GA before 1978. They were white with blue for the wheel coverings I know as late as 1977. In 1978, they were painted in the white with red trim color scheme which included Firestone logos on the roofs of the trams. If I'm not mistaken, I think you guys even have a photo of these tractor trams in your 1974 park visit topic. I'm just going crazy here thinking that I missed those Glide-a-Ride trams!

[29yrswithaGApass]

The photo of the "wide body" tram is from 1974 and part of a numbered sequeunce of slides which included several of the other original entrance views. We have an aerial shot that contains a portion of the parking lot with these trams in it which dates back to either 1976 or 1977. I am trying to locate that view. It is possible that both types of trams operated during the same season or maybe the older trams at the start of the season and the side loaders later that year.

 

As for the blue tram that was pictured in the 1974 tour, that was an error. Since making that tour three years ago we have learned that the photo we used was actually from another park (possibly SFOG). It was included in our batch of early photos as an illustration as to how corporate sponsorship was being used at parks. You can see the Eastern airline logos in that photo. I am not saying they were never blue and white at GA, just that the one pictured wasn't ours!

[Daved Thomson]

The photo of the "wide body" tram is from 1974 and part of a numbered sequeunce of slides which included several of the other original entrance views. We have an aerial shot that contains a portion of the parking lot with these trams in it which dates back to either 1976 or 1977. I am trying to locate that view. It is possible that both types of trams operated during the same season or maybe the older trams at the start of the season and the side loaders later that year.

 

As for the blue tram that was pictured in the 1974 tour, that was an error. Since making that tour three years ago we have learned that the photo we used was actually from another park (possibly SFOG). It was included in our batch of early photos as an illustration as to how corporate sponsorship was being used at parks. You can see the Eastern airline logos in that photo. I am not saying they were never blue and white at GA, just that the one pictured wasn't ours!

 

As always, I appreciate your attention to detail and, quite frankly, remain completely baffled as to how I missed those Glide-A-Ride trams. Also, I did not mean to imply that the tram shown in the 1974 tour was using the blue color scheme that I referred to. I distinctly remember seeing the tractor trams during a 1977 visit (in the blue and white color scheme) because we actually road on one. Then, later that day (which did nothing but rain) we were eating over in the picnic area outside the theme park and I remember "discovering" (looking behind a wooden fence) that they used the area behind the picnic area (which was still very heavily wooded) for their tram storage area. There were four of the tractor type trams parked in that area at the time. I remember finding it strange because there did not seem to be any roads to get back to that area at the time. Administration, wardrobe, operations, etc. were over at Gate 1 and even employees used the guest entrance road and guest parking areas. I don't think the road that now exists as the employee/service entrance road, existed back then.

 

Interestingly enough, Six Flags operated the tractor type trams at each of their original three parks and GA (at least for some time), while AstroWorld operated those of another manufacturer. Also, you'll notice that the 1975 map depicts the trams as the tractor type. But I would love to see the aerial shot you are referring to showing the trams in the parking lot... And I will continue to remain baffled as to how I missed them! THANKS so much!

Edited April 21, 2011 by Daved Thomson

[29yrswithaGApass]

Switching back to the World's Fair, there is the long standing rumor that the Musik Express came from the 1964 NYC World's Fair. I would love to get confirmation on this.

[Daved Thomson]

Switching back to the World's Fair, there is the long standing rumor that the Musik Express came from the 1964 NYC World's Fair. I would love to get confirmation on this.

Harry... Give me your e-mail address and I will send you a 1976 Asbury Park Press article that talks about all the changes at the park for the 1976 season. Musik Express, Super Sidewinder, and the Alpen Blitz were all added that season and it specifically states that both Super Sidewinder and the Alpen Blitz were rides completely new to the United States. That certainly would leave open the possibility that Musik Express was sourced somewhat closer to home.

[29yrswithaGApass]

Interesting, please send it to feedback@greatadventurehistory.com. Thanks!

[GAcoaster]

In the 1974 map, the illustration is a Glide-A-Ride style tram:

 

 

The 1975 map shows one with a Tug pulling it:

 

I remember the park had a whole fleet of Tugs at one point which were used for pulling the tram cars and for moving dumpsters around. Maybe the original GAR power units were under powered for the parking lot?