Coney Island Cyclone

"Cyclone (roller coaster)" and "Cyclone" redirect here. For other roller coasters named "Cyclone", see Cyclone (disambiguation)#Roller coasters. For other uses, see Cyclone (disambiguation).

Cyclone
Coney Island Cyclone
Coney Island
Coordinates	40°34′30″N 73°58′44″W
Status	Operating
Opening date	June 26, 1927
Cost	$175,000
General Statistics
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	Harry C. Baker
Designer	Vernon
Track layout	Compact Twister
Lift/launch system	Chain-lift
Height	85 ft (26 m)
Drop	85 ft (26 m)
Length	2,650 ft (810 m)
Speed	60 mph (97 km/h)
Inversions	none
Duration	1:50
Max vertical angle	58.6°
Capacity	1440 riders per hour
G-force	3.75
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Cyclone at RCDB Pictures of Cyclone at RCDB

Cyclone Roller Coaster
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	Brooklyn, New York
Coordinates:	40°34′30″N 73°58′44″W
Built:	1927
Architect:	Keenan,Vernon; Baker,Harry C.
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	91000907
Added to NRHP:	June 25, 1991

The Coney Island Cyclone (better known as simply the Cyclone) is a historic wooden roller coaster, that opened on June 26, 1927 in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City. On June 18, 1975, Dewey and Jerome Albert, owners of Astroland Park, contracted to operate it under an agreement with New York City. It was completely rehabilitated and opened to enthusiastic crowds on July 1, 1975. Since that time, Astroland Park and the Albert family has invested millions of dollars in the upkeep of the Cyclone. Since Astroland closed in 2008, Carol Hill Albert, president of Cyclone Coasters, continues to operate it under a lease agreement with the city. It 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.

Early history

The success of 1925's Thunderbolt and 1926's Tornado led Jack and Irving Rosenthal to buy land at the intersection of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street for a coaster of their own. With a $100,000 investment, they hired Vernan Keenan to design a new coaster. 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 Cyclone was built on the site of America's first roller coaster, known as Switchback Railway (which opened on January 16, 1884). Its final cost has been reported to be around $146,000 to $175,000. When it opened on June 26, 1927, a ride cost only twenty-five cents, about $3.50 when adjusted for inflation in 2012 compared to the actual $8 per ride for the 2012 Season.

In 1935, the Rosenthals took over management of Palisades Park. The Cyclone was put under the supervision of Christopher Feucht, a Coney Island veteran who had built a ride called Drop the Dips in 1907, and then doing minor retracking work on it. It continued to be extremely popular; 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, saying "I feel sick" as his train returned to the station. He prompty fainted after realizing he had just spoken.

Incidents

On July 31, 2007, a 53-year old man broke several vertebrae, while riding the Cyclone. He died four days later due to complications from surgery.

On August 23, 1988, a 26-year-old man was killed after falling from the Cyclone. The man was a maintenance worker and was the only passenger at the time, riding in the back seat of the train during his lunch break. Apparently, he eluded the safety bar and was seen standing up as the train began its descent down the first hill. He fell 30 feet and landed on a crossbeam of a lower section of track. He was killed instantly. The ride was closed following the incident, but was reopened a day later after safety inspectors concluded that the ride was safe.

On May 26, 1985, a 29-year-old man was killed while riding the Cyclone. He stood up and struck his head on a crossbeam.

Preservation

By the 1960s, attendance at Coney Island had declined. By 1968, the Cyclone was deteriorating and it was shut down in 1969.

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. A "Save the Cyclone" campaign ensued, and it was leased to the Astroland amusement park for $57,000 per year. Astroland's owners had it 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. The ride (75 feet along 834 Surf Avenue and 500 feet (150 m) along West 10th Street, 40°34′30″N 73°58′39″W) is now owned completely by the Parks Department. The former concession stands, built into the structure of the roller coaster, are formerly home to the Coney Island History Project, which was moved to a space near the Wonder Wheel, and a still remaining souvenir stand selling Cyclone based shirts, hats, and on-ride photos.

The Cyclone was declared a city landmark in 1988 and a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

Legacy

ACE plaque

In 1977, Richard Rodriguez set a marathon record of 104 hours. Rodriguez was only 19 years old when he broke the record. Currently, as of June 2013, he 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 the United Kingdom.

The Cyclone's 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 (810 m) long (including six fan turns and nine drops) and a 85-foot (26 m) drop at its highest point; the first drop is at a 58.1 degree angle. Each of the three trains is made up of three eight-person cars, but only one train can run at a time. The ride's top speed is 60 miles per hour and it takes about one minute and fifty seconds. As of June 28, 2008, the current cost was 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. In 2011 the adjacent Luna Park had taken over management of the Cyclone, and as of 2012 it currently costs $8 to ride and the "reride" policy has been eliminated. Luna Park in 2012 started a major refurbishment of The Cyclone, which is planned to take five years and take place during the off season, allowing for regular season operation. The refurbishment is under control by Great Coasters International. It is an ACE Coaster Classic and Coaster Landmark; it has also been honored by baseball's Brooklyn Cyclones as the source for their team name.

In the movie The Sting II, with Jackie Gleason, a chase scene is used on the loading dock and ride of what appears to be the Cyclone. However, the scene was actually filmed on the Santa Cruz roller coaster, the Giant Dipper. Production had the trains and dock made over to appear identical to the Cyclone.

The Cyclone was used in the 1988 action movie Shakedown (film) where Richie Marks (played by Sam Elliott) fights with a hitman while riding it.

The Cyclone made an appearance in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, but called the Screamer.

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards: Best Wooden Coaster
Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Ranking	11	11	13	16	16	14	16	14	16	14	13	15	14

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Ranking	8	15	9 (tie)	12	14	15	23	21	21	21	26	26	36	36	41	41	48	49

Replications

The popularity of the Cyclone has inspired several replica coasters that share a similar (though not exact) layout (or a mirror version of it). Until 2005, there were four replicas of the Cyclone at Six Flags parks. Two of these have been demolished: the Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain and the Texas Cyclone at Six Flags Astroworld. Two replicas still run, however,: the Georgia Cyclone at Six Flags Over Georgia and the Viper at Six Flags Great America, both of which are mirror replicas. Overseas, replicas of Cyclone include the Bandit at Movie Park Germany, the White Canyon at Yomiuriland (located in Japan), and the Aska at Nara Dreamland (demolished in 2006), which was also in Japan.

External links

• Official site of the Cyclone

Preceded by Giant Dipper

World's Fastest Roller Coaster June 1927–April 1976

Succeeded by Screamin' Eagle