originally posted on 4/22/2022
Photo: Randal Strong-Wallace. View full-sized image.
Recently, ACE member Randal Strong-Wallace made the decision to move a considerable amount of memorabilia to the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives (NRCMA). It arrived at the Plainview, Texas, facility on April 9.
Strong-Wallace had accumulated numerous items that would make an avid enthusiast salivate, and he made the decision to make sure they would be preserved.
“I opened a roller coaster toy and model museum back in 2015,” he said. “The museum unfortunately only lasted about eight months. It had basically been taking up space ever since.”
Strong-Wallace attended the West Texas Roundup regional event in July of 2021 and was able to see the NRCMA facility in person.
“While I was there, I said ‘This would be a great place for it.’ I knew it would be preserved. When I actually saw the museum, I figured out they knew what they were doing,” he said.
Randal Strong-Wallace.
Photo: Gary Slade. View full-sized image.
Photo: Randal Strong-Wallace. View full-sized image.
A van filled with hundreds of artifacts arrived on property. He estimates the vintage and contemporary roller coaster toys to be between 40 and 50. There were literally hundreds of items surrounding the movie “Rollercoaster,” which was seminal in the formation of ACE. His personal collection of park maps, brochures, press materials and more dating back to the 1970s was also donated. From a historical standpoint, the collection could be invaluable.
He joked that a member of the team at Larson International, the property on which the NRCMA has been built, was needed to move part of a Super Loop that blocked the loading entrance to the museum facility. NRCMA board member Gary Slade assisted in the unloading of the priceless artifacts.
When asked how he acquired so many memorabilia pieces from the film, his response was “Ebay.” Strong-Wallace said he set up a notification for anything related to the 1970s film.
“After a bit of time, I realized I had a pretty substantial collection of movie memorabilia — and it was the catalyst for the forming of the American Coaster Enthusiasts — and it got parks like Magic Mountain and Kings Dominion in people’s minds. After the movie came out, the parks received letters from all over from people who wanted to come. The movie put them on the map.”
Photo: Randal Strong-Wallace. View full-sized image.
Many pieces of memorabilia documenting the 1977 film “Rollercoaster” have been donated from Randal Strong-Wallace’s collection.
Photo: Randal Strong-Wallace. View full-sized image.
Currently it is too soon for the NRCMA to have determined how the donation will be displayed, although the paper artifacts will be stored in the facility’s climate-controlled areas.
Historians and enthusiasts can be grateful for this ACE member who made the commitment and dedication not only to preserve these items but also to donate them.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
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