The original scream machines

Sunday, 02 July 2006

By MOLLY LINN
mollylinn@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Roller coaster fans around the world are still riding and paying homage to the original scream machines and thrill masters of amusement parks -- wooden roller coasters.

What is it that has people lining and waiting in line for hours to climb aboard these creaking, groaning beasts of physics, architecture and engineering?

Two parks spokespersons and an amusement park industry expert share their points of view:


The trains for Cedar Point's Mean Streak sit in the station while the ride is inspected. Register photo/ABIGAIL BOBROW
For Tony Clark, spokesman for Cedar Point, coasters like the Mean Streak and the Blue Streak are crowd favorites because they are where park guests' first roller coaster memories are often made. They're also a part of park history, the framework and foundation that build Cedar Point into what it is today, Clark said.

"They're living breathing machines that move and bend unlike cold lifeless steel," Clark said. "They're still alive and a part of the park's history. There's almost a duty to maintain them in a historical sense."

-- To Beth Robertson, amusement park industry spokeswoman for the International Association of Amusement Parks, the thrill of wooden roller coasters is their appeal to families. Riders of all ages can enjoy them, Robertson said. "There's a right of passage in riding your first coaster, since they're somewhat gentler than your twirling, whirling zooming steel coasters. They're the first coaster experience for a lot of people."

-- Stacy Frole, spokeswoman for Cedar Fair, said wooden coaster sounds and movements still appeal to riders. From a corporate standpoint, wood coasters are less expensive to build, costing as little as $3 million in comparison to the $20 to $30 million steel coasters cost, Frole said. "As long as people ride them, we will maintain them," Frole said. "We haven't ruled out building other wood coasters on Cedar Fair properties."

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