originally posted on 4/23/2021
A new display constructed by Great Coasters International, Inc. is standing in the new museum expansion.
Photo: Hunter Novotny. View full-sized image.
Idlewild’s Rollo Coaster Train Ready for Exhibit
As the Beatles sang, “… with a little help from my friends…” the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives (NRCMA) is nearing completion of its epic expansion with a little help from its friends. Allies and partners from the amusement park industry have lined up to help with the completion of the museum’s largest expansion.
Larson International and Rocky Mountain Construction have been fabricating key elements inside the museum, including the stairwell constructed from the steel columns used to support the former Big Bad Wolf coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Virginia). The mezzanine floor has been fabricated with wood from the former Gwazi wooden coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Florida), while the railings have been created from hand railings off many coasters across the globe.
Photo: Gary Slade. View full-sized image.
The museum exhibits are also being constructed with the help of several manufacturing partners. The most recent addition is a track and train display of the 1938 Rollo Coaster from Idlewild and Soak Zone (Ligonier, Pennsylvania) by Great Coasters International, Inc. The train on display is one that ran for decades when the coaster operated as an ACE Coaster Classic. The impressive 12-foot-high, 30-foot-long display joins a track and train display of the Cobb and Rosser-designed Texas Cyclone from the former AstroWorld park in Houston as well as a display of the 1977 Schwarzkopf superdooperLooper train from Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania).
“GCII is honored to be part of such a prestigious museum,” said Clair Hain, president. “We are proud that our craftsmanship is being celebrated and displayed.”
The Great Coasters team stands in front of the Rollo Coaster display.
Photo: Hunter Novotny. View full-sized image.
The museum continues to acquire priceless pieces of history. It recently took possession of a car from the former Rocky Springs Jack Rabbit coaster in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where it was in operation from 1918 to 1927. In addition to the Jack Rabbit car, the museum received a collection of antique wooden coaster brake handles and a model of the Phoenix wooden coaster (Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pennsylvania) which recently underwent a three-year restoration by model builder Dave Rouse of Arlington, Texas. The model was originally built by ACE member John Hunt and was donated to the NRCMA by North Carolina resident Beth Remhoff. A display base and stand, complete with acrylic cover, are currently under construction. When complete, the model will be on display at the NRCMA’s new building, which also is under construction in Plainview, Texas.
ACE members interested in seeing the facility can do so at the upcoming regional event, West Texas Roundup, being hosted by ACE South Central on July 3 and 4. That event will also include visits to Wonderland Park in Amarillo and Joyland in Lubbock. (See ACE’s event page for details.) While the facility will still be under construction, attendees should be able to see the progress and a large selection of the NRCMA’s massive collection.
— Pete Owens, NRCMA, and Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
Photo: Gary Slade. View full-sized image.
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