Sunday, February 7, 2016

Cedar Fair Picks Up 7 Classic Flat Rides for Two of its Parks


Top Scan © Mondial Rides
Two of Cedar Fair's parks are going to get a slew of classic flat rides installed sooner than later, the L.A. Times reports.

Some time ago the Times featured a story about Cedar Fair officials heading to Europe to find classic used flat rides that would be installed in the company's chain of parks.

Mack Music Express © Ital
That mission, at least the portion taking place in Europe, is over and officials sat down again with the L.A. Times to go over their results.

Many might wonder why the company would be so interested in 30+ year old rides, however the article features quotes from Monty Jasper, Cedar Fair's VP of Safety and Engineering, explaining how many older rides were built with such quality that they will stand the test of time of given the proper maintenance and care.

The team ended up finding a total of seven rides to bring back, one in England, one in Germany, and five from a used rides dealer in Holland, the article reports.
 Wave Swinger © Zierer
Condor © Huss

The rides listed include a Mondial Top Scan, a Music Express from Mack, a Zierer Wave Swinger, and from Huss Rides a Condor, Breakdance and two Trokias.  All of the rides will undergo a complete refurbishment, including new paint and electrical systems, before being installed in their new homes.
Breakdance © Wiki

Jasper and his team are planning at trip to Japan in the near future to look for additional rides.  The country is filled with older amusement parks that may prove a gold mine for them.

This is all very interesting news, however what is ever better is that the article reveals which parks are receiving the used rides.

Worlds of Fun is said to be opening a Trokia and the Condor attraction for the upcoming season, which is surprising since they already announced a small Planet Snoopy expansion last Fall.

The story is a little less clear on when the remaining five rides will open (perhaps part of a 2017 expansion?), but they are headed to Carowinds.  The story says that the ever-growing Southern park will be home to the Breakdance, Trokia, Wave Swinger, Top Scan and Music Express.  Carowinds is already home to a great assortment of rides, but with growing crowds due to their large expansions, these new rides will help with overall capacity.

Trokia © Amusement-Rides.com


1 comments:

Unknown said...

I thought they were going to actually pick up rides like the paratrooper and round up. These were brought up when they originally mentioned classic rides, and they came back with a top scan?? The others are sort of classic, but now it just seems like an excuse to buy used rides over making real investments. I am also disappointed in the lack of anything going to Dorney or MiAdventure. Both could use ANYTHING at this point and actual classic flat rides might have been perfect. Those 2 parks are what came to mind when they said they were doing this "project"...ah well.