From the mind of the editor ... Today we are having some fun and an article that I started writing on October 14, 2014. And at the time the trend of making old things new again was still sort of new. In the 16 months or so since then, it has grown from even that. And this is a trend that just doesn't seem to be stopping. Written by Gregg Condon It seems that the amusement park industry has finally caught on to the fact that they have a vast amount of existing rides that the public still loves, that if they breathe new life into the public will embrace. Think back just a few years. If a new ride was going to be built, more times than not, an existing ride would be replaced. The list is pretty much endless. Log Jammer at Six Flags Magic Mountain is now Full Throttle
Great American Scream Machine at SFGAdv is now Green Lantern
Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg is now Verbolten
Iron Wolf at SFGam is now Goliath
The list goes on. But a few recent announcements from a few different chains have us thinking (hoping) that the new trend of making things new is something we'll be seeing more of. Of course, the biggest trend in recent years has been converting older wooden coasters into "hybrid" coasters to give them new (amazing) lives. This started with New Texas Giant and is continuing in 2016 with The Joker at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Storm Chaser at Kentucky Kingdom. But even more than that, 2016 is seeing two amazing classic coasters in Ghostrider at Knott's Berry Farm and Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain undergoing EXTENSIVE rehabs with new track (Ghostrider), new paint (Revolution), and new trains for both. And the audience in Southern California is eating it up. Now, this could just in reaction to Wizarding World opening in 2016 and the parks knowing that no amount of investment is going to keep up with that, but we like to think that it goes beyond that. And in the case of Knott's, this is certainly par for the course for the past few years. And we hope even more of the recent trends we're seeing are going to continue.
We hope beyond hope that Ghostrider is successful for Knott's this summer and beyond, and that in the years to come it remains in great shape and turns out to be a great investment for the park and chain. Because there are a LOT of coasters out there that could use a similar overhaul. A few of the potentially great woodies we'd love to see re-done. Some of them could benefit from getting an RMC Overhaul (Wildcat and Grizzly) but some just need to receive a great overhaul similar to Ghostrider. (hover over pics to see comments - click for larger versions) Just last week it was announced that the SLC at Morey's Piers (considered one of the worst SLC's) is getting all new track and new trains while using the existing supports. Now at first glance this seems to be akin to putting lipstick on a pig, but when you start to think of the technological advances made since that SLC was built 21 years ago it's not hard to think that maybe, just maybe they can keep the same layout of the SLC and make it an actual good ride. The layouts of these rides aren't terrible, it's the execution. And if this ride does become successful and the park can extend the life of this ride, bring in new riders and guests to the park and prove that it's something that can be done ... imagine the possibilities of simply replacing all of the track on an older ride with track designed and manufactured using today's technology. Universal Studios Orlando is already doing this on The Hulk, a ride that probably didn't need it, but again, extending the life of this ride BEFORE there is a problem is something that many parks should take under advisement (ahem, Disneyland's Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain).
A few of the potentially great steel coasters we'd love to see re-done: No conversation about re-doing an old ride should not include The Matterhorn. Even if none of the other rides we mention below get re-done, if this one does, it's all worth it.  (hover over pics to see comments - click for larger versions) Of course, this is all speculation and a BIG IF depending on how the SLC at Morey's piers turns out. But obviously Universal Orlando thought it was beneficial to them, so we don't need to just look at Vekoma's or Arrow's, any coaster has potential to be "saved". And if coasters weren't enough, Cedar Fair just made a HUGE investment to bring some classic flat rides from Europe into it's parks here in North America. For the cost of maybe 2 or 3 modern thrill rides they've been able to bring in multiple rides for multiple parks that are going to really round-out their collection of flat rides. So what do you think? Do you like this trend of old becoming new again? Do you like to see the classics stick around, or are you all for "new is better"? What classic rides do you want to see stay or go? Let us know in the comments below. Comments are closed.
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