Construction Spotlight: Lightnin' Loops

[29yrswithaGApass]

Click here to see the whole

Spotlight!

 

Samples below.  Comments and discussions are welcomed!

 

 

 

 

 

[29yrswithaGApass]

For years I hoped to run across photos of Lightnin’ Loops under construction but being that happened 45 years ago I thought the odds were against me.  You can imagine how ecstatic I was when this finally happened.   The images are black and white press images scanned from the original negatives.  

[GAcoaster]

It's interesting to me to see they used to ship all the track and supports unpainted. Now days everything comes to the jobsite prepainted before assembly. I just saw Orient Express construction photos on the Worlds of Fun history page the other day, and it was striking how much it looked like Lightnin' Loops construction. 

[I Have No Name]

How common was it to time the launches so that both trains could simultaneously go through their loops?

[29yrswithaGApass]

Once both loops opened in 1978, simultaneous launches were common.  Even though the loops operated independently operators could see the platforms of the other loop.  Over time the novelty wore off some and capacity and efficiency became the focus.  Starting with the opening of FreeFall in 1983, launching at the same time was discontinued due to power demands for the three rides.  In 1987, the lower blue loop was discontinued and only launches from the red loop remained.  

[GAcoaster]

Here's a picture of Orient Express under construction in 1980:

[29yrswithaGApass]

I often wondered why the park didn’t locate the entrance to Lightnin’ Loops on the side facing Fun Fair.  The blue loop’s loading station was already accessible and all they would have needed to do is flip the red loop so the load station and reverse point were switched.  Then the queue house could have been built between the two with the entrance in Fun Fair. 
 

[Daved Thomson]

Just a thought as to why the entrance was not located in Fun Fair.  First, the ride's footprint basically forms an "X"  as opposed to a plus sign (+).  The X results in the area to the right and left of center being larger than the area above and below the center point.  You'll notice that the area between the two loading stations as built, is a smaller area than what it would have been had you simply reversed the red/upper loops loading station with its reverse platform.  The area between the blue/lower loops loading station and red/upper loops reverse platform (as well as the area between the red/upper loops loading station and blue/lower loops reverse platform) are essentially the sides of the "X".  The distance between the two loading platforms would have been significantly larger had you simply reversed the ends of the red/upper loop than how it was actually built.  In addition, had the entrance to the rides been in Fun Fair, it would have put the entrance to the rides, at least partially behind Fun Fair's pizza and hot dog stands as well as the Enchanted Bandstand and restrooms.  As built, they were able to add Lightnin' Loops Cafe to the backside of Gingerbread Fancy (a new revenue source), whereas they might have had to remove the pizza and hot dog stands as well as the bandstand had it been built with the entrance in Fun Fair.  Probably a lot more economical and logistically easier to build as we knew it.  But, who knows?  They may have also had plans for new warehouses, administration building, wardrobe, cash control, etc. on the board already.  We lost the Safari Shootout (a revenue source) after the 1980 season. In its place for 1981, was service vehicle access to the park, new employee parking, wardrobe, a satellite cash control for getting and dropping tills, and the ice house all opening and accessible from its former location.   I like to think that there was a lot more thought put into growing the park and improved efficiencies back then.

[29yrswithaGApass]

Could be but if they considered winding pathways all around the loops an extended pathway to the platforms I don’t think would have been an issue  especially if they placed the entrance to the queue house off center behind the bandstand.  
 

Maybe because Six Flags was new they actually had a multi year plan with things such as Rapids that influenced their decision. 

[Daved Thomson]

I agree that they may have considered the winding walkways and, in all honesty, I think they looked great on the model.  But in the end, there was little to no landscaping or planting of grass beyond the queue.  I think it's very likely that Six Flags had a strong multi-year plan for the park, given their intent to make it the nation's largest seasonal theme park.  For their first season, though, I think they probably inherited alot of prior management's plans for this ride.  Lightnin' Loops (Six Flags' name for the new coasters) are the same two shuttle loops that were to be called the Double Header, under Hardwicke's management and the Pritzker Family's ownership of the park.  I think it's probably very likely that the contract to purchase the two coasters was actually signed by Hardwicke's leaders, especially when you consider that all three of the loop coasters added to SFOT, SFOG, and AstroWorld for the 1978 season were Swartzkopf coasters, and only LL was Arrow.  If I recall correctly, Six Flags claimed to be spending $6 million on capital improvements at GA that year.  LL was $2.7 million of that.  I have no idea what the Americana Music Hall cost or the cost to build the LL Cafe and replace the Big Fury, Dream Street Dazzler, and the Wild Flower.  

[29yrswithaGApass]

Americana Music Hall was said to cost $2 million.  

[29yrswithaGApass]

The image of this Arrow Huss looping coaster car (I am assuming at Arrow in California) was included in a file of Lightnin' Loops information.  It is interesting to note that although it doesn't exactly match the cars used on Lightnin' Loops, the color scheme comes close to the original rendering which was drafted when the ride was going to be called the "Double Header Loop Ride."

 

 

 

While the first and last cars were very different with the nose of the train in the front and the launch platform cover in the back, the middle cars were squared off instead of rounded.

 

 

 

[Daved Thomson]

Just some thoughts on the Arrow-Huss car included in the Lightning' Loops file.  The chassis on that car is a much newer design than that of Lightnin' Loops cars. At some point, perhaps, the park may have been looking to replace the two Lightnin' Loops trains.  The seating position on that car seems to be higher than that for the LL cars.  You really stepped down into the cars on Arrow's looping coasters.  And, as we know, Lightnin' Loops was designed and built when Arrow was still in Mountain View, California.  I know it was called a merger when Arrow-Huss was formed, but in reality, Huss purchased Arrow from Rio Grande Industries.  As we all know, Arrow-Huss went bankrupt only about 5 years after the "merger."  When Arrow emerged as Arrow Dynamics and moved to Utah, I have to believe the sale of their Northern California properties did some serious replenishing of their bank accounts.  The cars on all of three of their Six Flags megaloopers and other loopers produced by Arrow Dynamics reverted to the same design utilized on their original loop coasters.

[ChrisJoe87]

Another great addition, Harry! Thank you for sharing them with us! 
Construction methods have improved by leaps and bounds over the course of the past 45+ years, haven’t they?!
 

Do we know if the delayed opening of the “High Side / Red Loop” caused much in the way of complaints from Guests? 
 

-CJM

 

Bottom Photo:

“Python” (Lightnin’ Loops/Red Loop) 

1998 / Adventure World- Six Flags America 

*The track spine received some modifications either during disassembly at GA; or prior to installation down in Largo, MD-

the “running” rails  were again joined together through welding. The spine sections of track  are bolted together; via the spine “connection” that was a track feature on most (if not all) coasters manufactured  by Arrow Dynamics- between 1986- until 2002.
 

This track arrangement was specific to Arrow Dynamics ; and did not include those coasters designed/manufactured by either  Arrow Development or Arrow-Huss; as you can see in the photos above,  track sections were attached to each other via  welding (When brand-new, anyway)