Coney Island Cyclone
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| Cyclone | |
 Coney Island Cyclone |
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| Location | Coney Island |
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| Type | Wood |
| Status | Open (seasonally) |
| Opened | June 26, 1927 |
| Manufacturer | Harry C. Baker |
| Designer | Vernon Keenan |
| Track layout | Cyclone |
| Lift/launch system | Chain-lift |
| Height | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Length | 2,640 ft (800 m) |
| Max speed | 60 mph (97 km/h) |
| Inversions | none |
| Duration | 1:50 |
| Max vertical angle | 60° |
| Cyclone at RCDB Pictures of Cyclone at RCDB |
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| Cyclone Roller Coaster | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Brooklyn, New York |
| Coordinates: | 40°34′30″N 73°58′44″W / 40.575°N 73.97889°W |
| Built/Founded: | 1927 |
| Architect: | Keenan,Vernon; Baker,Harry C. |
| Governing body: | Private |
| Added to NRHP: | June 25, 1991 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 91000907 |
The Coney Island Cyclone, better known as simply the Cyclone, is a well known roller coaster in Coney Island. It is located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Cyclone is an area in Astroland, which closed on September 7, 2008. The Cyclone was declared a New York City landmark on July 12, 1988 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1991.
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[edit] Early history
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After seeing the success of 1925's Thunderbolt and 1926's Tornado, Jack and Irving Rosenthal bought land at the intersection of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street. A coaster called the Giant Racer (the first roller coaster built in America) was already on the site, but the Rosenthals had it torn down. With a $100,000 investment, they hired Vernan Keenan1 to design a new coaster. A man named Harry C. Baker supervised the construction, which was done by area companies including National Bridge Company (which supplied the steel) and Cross, Austin, & Ireland (which supplied the lumber); the final cost of the Cyclone has been reported as both $146,000 and $175,000. When the Cyclone opened on June 26, 1927, a ride cost only twenty-five cents[2] compared to the $8 in the 2009 Season.
In 1935, the Rosenthals took over management of Palisades Park and the Cyclone was put under the watchful eye of Christopher Feucht, a Coney Island veteran who had built a ride called Drop the Dips in 1907, and then did some minor retracking work on the Cyclone. The ride continued to be extremely popular, and one of its many stories is from 1948, when a coal miner with aphonia visited Coney Island. According to legend, he had not spoken in years but screamed while going down the Cyclone's first drop and said "I feel sick" as his train returned to the station—then prompty fainted after realizing he had just spoken.[citation needed]
[edit] Accidents
On July 31, 2007, a 53-year old man broke several vertebrae while riding the cyclone and died 4 days later.[3] [4]
[edit] Preservation
By the 1960s, attendance at Coney Island had dropped off. By 1968, the Cyclone was deteriorating and it was shut down in 1969.[verification needed]
In 1971, the Cyclone was bought by the city of New York for one million dollars. Lack of riders hurt profits, and the ride was condemned; in 1972 it was nearly destroyed because the New York Aquarium, which is located adjacent to the ride, wanted to expand.[5] A "Save the Cyclone" campaign ensued, and the coaster was leased to the Astroland park for $57,000 per year. The ride is still owned by Astroland, but the land it stands on—75 feet along 834 Surf Avenue and 500 feet along West 10th Street (40°34′30″N 73°58′39″W / 40.575°N 73.9775°W) — is still owned by the Parks Department. The former concession stands, built into the structure of the roller coaster, is now home to the Coney Island History Project.[6] Astroland's owners had the ride refurbished, and it reopened on July 3, 1975. In 1978, it was featured in the film version of The Wiz as the home of its version of the Tinman, and its size compared to the rest of Oz raised to enormous proportions. In the 1980s, events like the Mermaid Parade and Sideshows by the Seashore brought visitors back to Coney Island and the Cyclone. Despite the closing of Astroland Park on September 7, 2008, the Cyclone will remain in operation due to its status as a New York City landmark.[7][8] The Cyclone was declared a city landmark in 1988 and a National Historic Landmark in 1991.[9]
[edit] Legacy
In 1977, Richard Rodriguez, (USA) set a marathon record of 104 hours. Richard was only age 19 when he broke the record. Today, he currently holds the record for the longest marathon on a roller coaster with 401 hours on the Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England.
Its 70th birthday was celebrated in 1997 with a tightrope walk by Tino Wallenda between the ride's two highest points; that year a single ride cost four dollars. The track today is 2,650 feet long (including six fan turns and nine drops) and 26 meter at its highest point; the first drop is at a 60 degree angle. Each of the three trains is made up of three eight-person cars, but only two trains can run simultaneously. The ride's top speed is 97 km/h and it takes about one minute and fifty seconds. As of June 28, 2008, the current cost is eight dollars with a five dollar "reride" option. The "re-ride" option also gives riders the ability to choose their seats. In addition, a souvenir booth located near the exit sells photos of passengers taken at the first drop. The Coney Island Cyclone is an ACE Coaster Classic and Coaster Landmark[10][11]; it has also been honored by baseball's Brooklyn Cyclones as the source for their team name.
[edit] Duplicates
The popularity of the Cyclone has inspired several coasters to share the exact same layout or a mirror version of it. Until 2005, there were four duplicates of the Cyclone at Six Flags parks. Two of these have been demolished:Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain and the Texas Cyclone at Six Flags Astroworld. Two duplicates still run however: the Georgia Cyclone at Six Flags Over Georgia and Viper at Six Flags Great America, both of which are mirror images of the Cyclone but share the same layout. Overseas, duplicates of the Coney Island Cyclone include Bandit at Movie Park Germany, White Canyon at Yomiuriland in Japan, and Aska at Nara Dreamland (demolished in 2006), also in Japan.
| Preceded by Giant Dipper |
World's Fastest Roller Coaster June 1927–April 1972 |
Succeeded by Racer (Kings Island) |
[edit] Video
[edit] References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- ^ "Cyclone 101". The Washington Post. 2002-08-04. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/08/04/AR2005041500851.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-05.
- ^ "Coney Island Cyclone Sending Some Riders to Hospital". http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/44/31_44_mm_cylone.html.
- ^ "Family of man who died after Cyclone ride sues NYC". http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--cyclonelawsuit1030oct30,0,5043046.story.
- ^ John T. McQuiston (1972-03-05). "Aquarium is Getting a Piece of Old Long Island". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E1EFE3C5A137A93C7A91788D85F468785F9. Retrieved on 2008-09-05.
- ^ Andy Newman (2007-05-29). "Beneath the Speeding Cyclone, a Look Back in Time". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/nyregion/29coney.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/N/Newman,%20Andy. Retrieved on 2008-09-05.
- ^ Ryan Chatelain (2008-09-05). "End of an ara at Coney Island" (PDF). AM New York. http://www.amny.com/media/acrobat/2008-09/23136028.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-09-05.
- ^ Rich Calder (2007-05-29). "B'klyn Big Top". The New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/seven/05292007/news/regionalnews/bklyn_big_top_regionalnews_rich_calder.htm. Retrieved on 2008-09-05.
- ^ Kristen King (1995-08-04). "Cyclone Honors to Roll". The Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/ny_local/1995/08/04/1995-08-04_cyclone_honors_to_roll.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-05.
- ^ ACE Coaster Classic Awards
- ^ ACE Coaster Landmark Awards
[edit] External links
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