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Having operated all of the original KI rides that were still around when I worked at the park in the early 2000's, the Grand Carousel was on a different level. Even though it wasn't the biggest or most exciting ride, it was a joy to operate for hours at a time and take in the history and beauty. Do the ride operators still have a spiel that indicates the age of the carousel? I always enjoyed announcing that before the start of each ride cycle. The park has at least one extra horse and they would consistently have one in the shop, year round, refurbishing and repainting it. They had them all on a rotation. I don't know how many are original, but an educated guess tells me that it's the majority of them. (They don't build 'em like they used to). From my experience, the entire maintenance team really took pride in taking care of the carousel. For example, when the band organ would go out, they would lobby for the resources to get it back up and running. Which seems to still be a continuous battle. (That band organ is finicky and fixes can be costly and time consuming). The operations crew really took pride in it as well. I recall one of the supervisors would bring newspapers from home to clean the mirrors since they wouldn't leave streaks behind. Oh and the lights that were added during Winterfest are terrific!

No link as usual, and I can't find it on Marketplace search.

Check this out. The original concept model for Phantom Theater. A true piece of history. Owner (who is not me) is entertaining offers. Seeking $300. PM me if interested and I will put you in contact with them. First come first serve unless someone is willing to pitch a higher offer.

Are you talking about this? https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1120955158320770/ It doesn't reference KI, no identifying markings, and KI was not the only installation of that model monorail. Edit: This article seems to back up the claim that it is, indeed, a former KI cab obtained from Jungle Jim's. https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2020/12/12/in-the-front-yard-of-a-pinellas-park-home-sits-a-monorail-car-this-is-the-story-of-how-it-got-there

If I had somewhere large enough to store it & display it, that'd be a cool piece to own. It's one of those "totally awesome it still exists, but I don't know what to do with it" items. I can confirm the crate Shaggy references. Wish I had spent some time digging through it when I had the chance. Always wanted a "Bat" head!

Do you by chance know where the long lost cars for the original Bat disappeared to?

The way magnetic brakes work is they oppose movement based on speed, the faster you are going the more noticeable they are. The slower you are going the less they do, which is why you never see them used to stop a train because they cannot. To my knowledge all of the magnetic brakes on The Beast are a kind that cannot be turned on or off, maintenance has to go out and physically remove the brakes, you can sometimes just see them sitting off to the side of the track, typically in the spring and fall when it is cooler. Likely you were just unable to feel the brakes because the train was not moving fast enough for them to grab hard enough for you to notice. There is no such thing as a trim less ride on The Beast for any members of the public.

Back in the 90's, when it was possible for the maintenance folks to easily adjust/lower the old skid brakes, I had the opportunity as an employee to take a spin on The Beast with all the brakes off. They occasionally did this early in the year in preparation for the start of the season to "break in" the ride. Having ridden it in normal operation hundreds of times, I can honestly say the most impressive part of the experience was the amount of speed the ride is capable of in the section between the break shed and the second lift (in the sections of track where the ride hugs the ground). The lack of breaks on the first drop didn't add a whole lot to the experience (although it did allow for the smallest pop of airtime in the back seat on the hill as you come off the first drop). The helix felt a little faster, but mostly a dramatic increase in roughness. Having ridden it without the breaks, I definitely think they are necessary (as much as I hate to say it) for the comfort of most guests and for maintenance purposes - I could see some of the turns needing yearly rebuilding if they let it go "full throttle." And while the speeds today are generally the same as when the skid breaks were used, I just think they are more noticable because of the magnetic trims. The skid breaks slowed more gradually, as opposed to the sudden "grabbing" feeling of the magnets.