originally posted on 11/26/2022
#2 Thanks for the Memories:
Paying homage to recently retired coasters
Goliath
Six Flags New England – Agawam, Massachusetts, USA
Opened August 25, 2001 (as Déjà Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Closed October 16, 2011
Opened May 25, 2012 (as Goliath at Six Flags New England)
Closed September 4, 2019
Goliath was one of six Vekoma giant inverted boomerang models built. Goliath’s tallest point was 177 feet, and it reached speeds of 61.5 mph as it made its way through the layout both forward and backward. When it was relocated to Six Flags New England, it was strangely placed directly across from Flashback, a standard Vekoma boomerang model. The coaster was plagued with maintenance issues after its relocation and was outfitted with new trains manufactured by Premier Rides shortly after opening as Goliath. Many riders complained of a rougher, less comfortable ride after experiencing the new trains. Goliath remained standing but not operating for two seasons until deconstruction began in October 2021.
Photo: Jason Wollenberg. View full-sized image.
Photo: A. Reid. View full-sized image.
Wicked Twister
Cedar Point – Sandusky, Ohio, USA
Opened May 5, 2002
Closed September 6, 2021
Wicked Twister was an Intamin impulse coaster powered by a multipass linear induction motor launch system. The coaster reached 72 mph and stood at 216.5 feet, giving it the title of tallest and fastest inverted coaster for the majority of its lifespan until Legendary Twin Dragon opened at Chongqing Sunac Land in Chongqing, China, in February 2021. It was also the first and only impulse coaster with two twisted rollbacks, again until Legendary Twin Dragon opened. Save for one other installation – Linear Gale at Tokyo Dome City in Tokyo, Japan – all Intamin impulse coasters are still in operation. After the coaster closed and was torn down, Cedar Point sold pieces of Wicked Twister for $215.
Photo: Kip Hammond. View full-sized image.
Photo: Curt Schimmel. View full-sized image.
Wildcat
Hersheypark – Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
Opened May 26, 1996
Closed July 31, 2022
Wildcat, named after Hersheypark’s very first coaster, was a Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCII) custom wooden coaster. It was also the first coaster built by GCII. When Wildcat opened, it became the fourth coaster in Hersheypark’s lineup. It stood 106 feet tall with an 85-foot drop and reached speeds of 50 mph. The first drop on Wildcat was curved, which was intended to reduce nausea in riders. Wildcat’s original trains, manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Company, were replaced with GCI’s own Millennium Flyer trains in 2006 in an attempt to make the ride experience smoother for guests. On November 2nd, after months of teasers, Hersheypark announced that Wildcat would receive a makeover from Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC). RMC plans to turn Wildcat into a hybrid (wood and steel) coaster with four inversions and a 140 ft lift hill. The new coaster, named Wildcat’s Revenge, will reach speeds of 62 mph and is set to open in summer 2023.
Photo: Photo: A. Reid. View full-sized image.
Photo: Howard Gillooly. View full-sized image.
Top Thrill Dragster
Cedar Point – Sandusky, Ohio, USA
Opened May 4, 2003
Closed September 5, 2022
Top Thrill Dragster is an Intamin launched strata coaster, which opened in May 2003 as the world’s first full-circuit coaster to exceed 400 feet. Cedar Point used a 480-foot crane, one of only four in the United States, to erect the structure. Top Thrill Dragster, which stands at 420 feet and reaches 120 mph, spent only two years as the world’s tallest and fastest coaster before Kingda Ka opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. In August 2021, a guest standing in line was struck by a piece of a launching train. The ride was immediately closed and remained closed for the rest of 2021 and the entirety of the 2022 season. Cedar Point officially announced in September 2022 that the coaster “as you know it” was being retired and teased a new and reimagined ride experience.
Photo: Alex Rigsby. View full-sized image.
Photo: Harris Lanum. View full-sized image.
Do you have an idea for the next installment of the ACE Member Photo Museum? Email Dana Doyon at ddoyon@aceonline.org!
Do you have a photo of any of the coasters mentioned in this installment of ACE Member Photo Museum? Tag us on any social media platform with #ridewithACE to help grow the #coasterart collection.
– Written and curated by Dana Doyon, ACE Mid-Atlantic
#ACE360