J4Sing Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 Hi- I'm Jay, and this is my first post. My first visit to Great Adventure was in 1979, the year Rolling Thunder opened. At the location that would later be Splashwater Falls was a "wild mouse" type coaster that my sister and I loved. On the 1979 map, it is called "Wild Rider". It was also there in 1980, then it was gone in 1981. This ride seems to be located at the same spot as the "Big Fury" that was there from 1974-1977. Is it the same ride? The archives also show that there was another ride called "Wild Rider" that existed at the park during the same time as Big Fury, but it was not a roller coaster at all. If anyone can shed some light onto this confusion, I would be much obliged. Thanks! JS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 Hi Jay, Welcome! Big Fury and Wild Rider were actually two different but very similar coasters. Big Fury was installed in 1974 and did not open until very late in the season. It remained in the park throughout the 1977 season. It was replaced in 1978 with a Schwarzkopf Wild Cat model called Wild Rider which was on the same site as the original. This ride remained in operation through 1980 and sat standing but not operating in 1981. It was removed from the park in the Spring of 1982 prrior to the start of the season. Pictures of Big Fury can be seen here. The original "Big Fury" coaster: The replacement "Wild Rider" coaster: I hope this helps and enjoy the site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 And lastly, the other "Wild Rider" was a Huss Troika ride which was added with the Fun Fair section of the park in 1975 and operated through the 1977 season. Most of the rides added to Fun Fair were leased so there was a high turnover of attractions in the '70s when the leases expired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J4Sing Posted March 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 (edited) Thanks for the info! I remember now going in 1981 and making a beeline for the Wild Rider, only to discover it was closed but still standing. Completely forgot about that till you mentioned it! Edited March 4, 2008 by J4Sing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.