originally posted on 5/29/2020 12:37:45 PM
Photo: Bobby Nagy. View full-sized image.
Pacific Park in Santa Monica, California, has been featured in numerous Hollywood productions. Television, movies and advertisements have used the “park on a pier” in a multitude of scenes.
While the facility may be limited in space, it isn’t limited in creativity.
Santa Monica West Coaster opened in 1996. For its 25th summer, it could get a snazzy makeover if the COVID-19 events allow. What was estimated to be a six-month project could be modified.
Photo: Richard Koppelman. View full-sized image.
The new moniker for the coaster built by Morgan Manufacturing in 1996 will be Route 66 West Coaster. The snazzy overlay will add a new train for the coaster supplied by Chance Rides, which acquired Morgan in 2001. Stylized after American automobiles typical of the 1950s, the design is a nod to when the Route 66 highway was completed in 1938. The new train should be well received over the boxy, oversized cars of the late 1990s Morgan era.
Photo: Courtesy Pacific Park. View full-sized image.
The famous highway from Chicago to Los Angeles culminated in Santa Monica and soon gained fame for its quirkiness.
Photo: Richard Koppelman. View full-sized image.
Coaster enthusiasts know the ride as being relatively mild and notably short at 1,300 feet. Standing at 55 feet tall, most of the ride is elevated over other rides and the boardwalk below. The layout features a spiral helix at each end of the pier, with some shallow dips thrown into the mix. A dramatic plunge to pier level at the end makes for a good finale.
The revamp will also see adornments in the station and elsewhere to give a flair of homage to Route 66. Themed billboards will highlight towns and cities encountered along the drive, made famous by the song “Route 66,” most notably by Nat King Cole and Depeche Mode. Signage and large props will add to the new experience. The station will adopt a gas station motif and be adorned with vintage gas pumps, license plates and memorabilia. In all, the reconceptualization of West Coaster will cost more than $1 million.
“The Route 66 enthusiast can get hip to this tip to celebrate its namesake roller coaster at the western end of Route 66. Guests are sure to revel in the authenticity of the reconcepted roller coaster,” said Nathan Smithson, director of marketing and business development at Pacific Park, in a press release. “Route 66 presented travelers with an open road from Chicago to Los Angeles that offered unique mom-and-pop dining spots, first-of-its-kind motor lodging and one-of-a-kind roadside attractions; all facets represented in the new Route 66 West Coaster roller coaster.”
Photo: Courtesy Pacific Park. View full-sized image.
Pacific Park is contained within two acres of space, so utilizing every foot of it is of paramount importance. It is in such circumstances that parks should be applauded for reinvesting in their established attractions to bring new life to them, not only for their guests but also for the park itself in an effort to stay fresh. Once the project is completed, coaster fans will be getting their kicks on Route 66 West Coaster.
Santa Monica Pacific Park operates with free admission. Among things to do on the property are 12 rides, including this roller coaster.
—Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
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