Update on the former Lion Country Safari Monorail

[Avatar]

I am enjoying this whole thread from the first post and the conversation from there, let’s keep it going. But first I need to address Ronny’s comparison to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As great as KI WAH was keep in mind it was a section in the park which at the time was magnificent, but Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a whole park so large that you can fit Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and MGM Studious inside Animal Kingdom with room to spare, not to mention a much larger variety of wild animals. Animal Kingdom also does a lot of research and care for the animals in the wild and has the resources to keep on the cutting edge. Now for the similarities of the two parks, both had/have an attraction to simulate a Safari. KI WAH used a monorail to move guest through the habitat which was used to keep the guest cool, informed and safe, which at the time was spectacular from a guest point of view. DAK Safaris uses large motorized trucks to move guests through the habitat to give a more life like safari experience. There are no windows to look through and you get the wide open feeling complete with all the bumps, sounds and smells of the environment that you are in.

The driver or guide inform guest on what they are seeing and where to spot various animals, you can also asks questions while on Safari.

On my last trip the driver had to stop twice once because of a giraffe came so close to the vehicle and literally lowered his head to look at us as if he was going to join us, if I had wanted to I could have touched him.

If I had to compare the two I would tell you both experiences are/were wonderful and both where unique in their own way in their own time. I am very thankful for KI WAH to being one of the pioneers of the Safari experience.

[Vortex]

Did the monorail leave the park the year after Top Gun was added? Also in the history pictures are can see part of what would become the walk way to Top Gun.

[PKIVortex]

Yes 1993 was the last year for WAH. That tunnel you walk thru was built for the reason the tracks ran above it. The line was routed for Top Gun the same way, but you had to walk around the station for WAH do get for it. So in today's world it would be like walking where DOT is today, and around where those restrooms are, and then into TG's line.

[TOPGUN1993]

That tunnel you walk thru was built for the reason the tracks ran above it.

...orly?

[WooferBearATL]

I am enjoying this whole thread from the first post and the conversation from there, let’s keep it going. But first I need to address Ronny’s comparison to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As great as KI WAH was keep in mind it was a section in the park which at the time was magnificent, but Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a whole park so large that you can fit Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and MGM Studious inside Animal Kingdom with room to spare, not to mention a much larger variety of wild animals. Animal Kingdom also does a lot of research and care for the animals in the wild and has the resources to keep on the cutting edge. Now for the similarities of the two parks, both had/have an attraction to simulate a Safari. KI WAH used a monorail to move guest through the habitat which was used to keep the guest cool, informed and safe, which at the time was spectacular from a guest point of view. DAK Safaris uses large motorized trucks to move guests through the habitat to give a more life like safari experience. There are no windows to look through and you get the wide open feeling complete with all the bumps, sounds and smells of the environment that you are in.

The driver or guide inform guest on what they are seeing and where to spot various animals, you can also asks questions while on Safari.

On my last trip the driver had to stop twice once because of a giraffe come to close to the vehicle and literally lowered his head to look at us as if he was going to join us, if I had wanted to I could have touched him.

If I had to compare the two I would tell you both experiences are/were wonderful and both where unique in their own way in their own time. I am very thankful for KI WAH to being on of the pioneers of the Safari experience.

Though I truly appreciated WAH/Safari and fail to see anything really of value in Animal Kingdom, the vast majority of credit for the "Safari Experience" should really go the the Busch Parks. They've set the standard there.

[Train Driver]

I must admit I'm a little confused about a few things. I'm not sure I understand why they would have one piece of transfer rail longer than the others. The track doesn't rotate, does it?

None of the actual monorail track in your pictures looks like it came from KI - For one thing, the rail at KI was not a boxed-in enclosure, but was open on the inside, I never checked this out for sure, but I thought the power pickups came down the center, between the two rails, and curved around up inside. This new rail suggests that the power pickups have been moved to the outside. Honestly, they could have been there all along, because there were lips on the outside as well as the inside. I just figured it would be safer having them on the inside.

At any rate, on your picture of the random rusted piece, you can see that there is no place to pick up power - so I'm not sure if that's for display only or what?

Maybe you could talk to one of the workers when you get a chance, and ask him about that. But none of this rail looks like the KI rail.

Oh - one of the things that I forgot to mention about the train was that it did have an "automatic" feature. The train would automatically sense when a train was in front of you, and would begin slowing your train down. It would make slow surging noises and slow you down in pulses, but the closer you got to the train in front of you the more rapid the deceleration. So you couldn't run your train into the train in front of you.

This feature became a real problem one day when we had six trains on the tracks, and the one in front broke down. It took 2 hours to back the other 5 trains into the station (which we had never received training to do) and evacuate the patrons. The first train to come in had a problem with overheating motors, so the train would travel 20 feet backwards and shut down. The rest of the trains couldn't back up because the trains ahead of them were backing up and shutting down the trains behind them. It was a real mess!

All of this keeps reminding me of other things, which I will write about later.

Thanks,

Keith

[KIfan73]

Here are some family photos I found of the Lion Country Safari. These are from 1975. I apologize for the clarity, or lack thereof...

[Raptor66]

oooh, nice pictures! I just found out that I HAVE ridden the KI monorail, just too young to remember anything. Maybe I'm just weird for thinking this, but that is really frustrating.

[Avatar]

Though I truly appreciated WAH/Safari and fail to see anything really of value in Animal Kingdom, the vast majority of credit for the "Safari Experience" should really go the the Busch Parks. They've set the standard there.

As one who has done both simulated safari type attractions at KI and DAK, I felt the similarities were so similar in so many ways except for the transporting of guests that I just wanted to share that as Ronny seemed to have not remembered KI WAH to be able to compare. I can understand that DAK may be of no value to some as Cedar Point was of no Value to my neighbor who went last summer. They said they really don’t like coasters, now I could see them really loving DAK.

[KIfan73]

I just really kick myself for not riding the monorail when I went in '92. That was my first visit to KI since those pics above ^ were taken. Looking back to my trip in '92, I honestly don't even remember it being there.

[Guest kwindshawne]

Great pics everyone. I enjoyed that-it was a way to cool off on a hot summer day, getting in the trains. I think the last time I rode it was in 1985-by the time I returned to ohio, it was long gone.

[tubaman]

I must admit I'm a little confused about a few things. I'm not sure I understand why they would have one piece of transfer rail longer than the others. The track doesn't rotate, does it?

Okay, So I wasn't the only one who noticed this. Anybody have input as to why it was like this?

[PKIVortex]

That tunnel you walk thru was built for the reason the tracks ran above it.

...orly?

LOL you just proved me wrong sorry, that's what I thought, but they are an access road up there as well. Sorry I didn't quite remember complete I was 13 when WAH closed.

By the way, do you happen to have a scan of the rest of that map?

[Train Driver]

Anybody know how KD's was compared to KI? Until I saw those recent pictures in the historical gallery and read train drivers story I never realized how extensive KI's Wild Animal Habitat was. It looks even better than Animal Kingdom down at Disney. What was the main reason it was removed? Cost and upkeep? I really wish I had gotten to experience it, but at the time I did I was too young to remember, atleast the mono rail will hopefully see some new life at Jungle Jims. I would love to see what positions as far as working with the ride they'll be hiring for once it gets close to opening.

This really is a great question. I'm thinking about hunting down the head director and asking him that question - I have no idea where he is now, though...

I remember that in the late 80's hearing on the radio that an animal rights group was protesting WAH over the death of an elephant. Supposedly this group claimed that it actually died of loneliness because it was separated from the other animals(!). I found this very hard to believe; so on that one occasion when I was able to ride it again, I sought him out and asked him about it. He told me that the animal was separated from the others because it was sick.

I wouldn't think that would be enough to close it down. I'm guessing that it probably was a financial decision.

Keith

[Cory Butcher]

I found this if anyone wants to read it, its from 1989. A news article about Kings Island in the New York Times. It talks a little about taking a ride on the WAH!

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...75BC0A96F948260

[Train Driver]

I found this if anyone wants to read it, its from 1989. A news article about Kings Island in the New York Times. It talks a little about taking a ride on the WAH!

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...75BC0A96F948260

Thanks for finding that - Now my memory is returning to me - it was 350 SPIECIES of animals. And it's also true that if you were lucky, you could see an animal being born! I remember that the crew would be all excited about it, and it was a feather in your cap if you could come back the train driver who saw the birth. I never got to see a birth, but I see the baby antelope afterwards.

Keith

[flightoffear1996]

I always thought it closed because a Tiger trainer got his arm bit off.

[XGatorHead 8904]

^Nope. A keeper was killed by a lion at one point, but that was years before WAH was closed. (And there were no trainers, as the animals were wild and not trained).

The only other WAH rumor I heard of is that there is still a frozen elephant carcass in one of the sheds near the old WAH. When I heard that, I just looked at the person stupidly and said "That must be a huge freezer". Just goes to show that some people will believe anything.

[flightoffear1996]

Yea I think the preson was feeding the animal when the accident occured. So the WAH was where SOB sits now? How far back did it go. I really did look like to be alot of fun and I wish they would have left that area. Maybe they have even have that adopt a pet like thing in RCT3.

[WHODEY2007]

Yea I think the preson was feeding the animal when the accident occured. So the WAH was where SOB sits now? How far back did it go. I really did look like to be alot of fun and I wish they would have left that area. Maybe they have even have that adopt a pet like thing in RCT3.

The unfortunate event occured when the worker decided to get out of the vehicle and use the restroom. I guess that, "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now" commerical would have fit in with this.

[flightoffear1996]

There was a restroom in the middle of the ride?

[AintNutinElse2Do]

For us guys anywhere can be a restroom as long as no one is looking.

[Train Driver]

For us guys anywhere can be a restroom as long as no one is looking.

The employee was a ranger, not a train driver, and we heard that story in the early 80's as drivers, so it happened much earlier than the 90's. The rangers drove through the preserve caring for the animals - feeding them and keeping the preserve clean, picking up sick animals and bringing them to the vets, etc. If a train were to shut down on the preserve, it was the ranger's job to secure the area and provide transportation to evacuate the patrons. The drivers and the rangers shared a common shack where we would eat lunch. It was a much different job - much more dangerous than what we did. They were exposed to wild animals all day long, and I heard many stories about the close scrapes that they had. One of the most feared animals was Jr. - the male ostrich. Apparently he was real mean and had the ability to kill you with one kick.

I don't think that an accident with an animal would be enough to close down something as large as this preserve. If that were the case, I would think that there would be several large zoos in the US no longer in existence.

I'm going to do a little research and see if I can't come up with some information that would answer this question. It might be after Xmass before I have some answers, though.

[CoastersRZ]

As the resident Kings Island history researcher at Kings Island Central, I can shed some light on this subject. In doing some more general Kings Island research (to enhance the already extensive information collection on this site), I came across some very basic information on this incident. The incident occurred in 1976, and the person killed was named John McCann. He was mauled to death by lions after leaving his jeep. It was reported that he had left his jeep to pet the lions, but that was never confirmed by the park. I could not find an exact reason why he had left his jeep in any published news articles.

[Train Driver]

As the resident Kings Island history researcher at Kings Island Central, I can shed some light on this subject. In doing some more general Kings Island research (to enhance the already extensive information collection on this site), I came across some very basic information on this incident. The incident occurred in 1976, and the person killed was named John McCann. He was mauled to death by lions after leaving his jeep. It was reported that he had left his jeep to pet the lions, but that was never confirmed by the park. I could not find an exact reason why he had left his jeep in any published news articles.

This information is correct. By leaving his jeep without a buddy - besides being a violation of the rules - was a really stupid thing to do. But he would have known that, so it was speculated by the staff that perhaps there was a good reason for him for leaving the jeep. Unfortunately we will never know the exact reason. This whole thing about him getting out to go to the bathroom came from one of the employees as part of the speculation process, and has become urban legend.

The fact of the matter is, even if he had to go, he would have known that it would be better for him to go in the jeep than in the preserve.

Oh, by the way - there were no rest-rooms on the train, so if you had to go - you were in a lot of pain - and the nearest bathroom was off the platform, across an open area, about 70 yards, and inside a little food cafe`.

Part of that cross-training I was talking about included cleanup duty when someone made a mess in one of the cars of the train - usually the mess was vomit, not bathroom accidents.

And that's all I have to say about that!

Keith

[WooferBearATL]

^Nope. A keeper was killed by a lion at one point, but that was years before WAH was closed. (And there were no trainers, as the animals were wild and not trained).

The only other WAH rumor I heard of is that there is still a frozen elephant carcass in one of the sheds near the old WAH. When I heard that, I just looked at the person stupidly and said "That must be a huge freezer". Just goes to show that some people will believe anything.

You ever been in the Sub Zero Freezer in Food Service Warehouse?

Perty Big in there. You could put a couple elephants in there.

[Train Driver]

^Nope. A keeper was killed by a lion at one point, but that was years before WAH was closed. (And there were no trainers, as the animals were wild and not trained).

The only other WAH rumor I heard of is that there is still a frozen elephant carcass in one of the sheds near the old WAH. When I heard that, I just looked at the person stupidly and said "That must be a huge freezer". Just goes to show that some people will believe anything.

You ever been in the Sub Zero Freezer in Food Service Warehouse?

Perty Big in there. You could put a couple elephants in there.

Well folks! All this talk has got me inspired that for Christmas I decided to by a reasonable facsimile of the monorail. I got it here:

http://www.songweetrains.com/Products/monorail.html

I must be crazy... wish me luck!

Keith

[XGatorHead 8904]

^Nope. A keeper was killed by a lion at one point, but that was years before WAH was closed. (And there were no trainers, as the animals were wild and not trained).

The only other WAH rumor I heard of is that there is still a frozen elephant carcass in one of the sheds near the old WAH. When I heard that, I just looked at the person stupidly and said "That must be a huge freezer". Just goes to show that some people will believe anything.

You ever been in the Sub Zero Freezer in Food Service Warehouse?

Perty Big in there. You could put a couple elephants in there.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that one... So that proves there is a dead elephant at the park!

[Train Driver]

I thought they were having new track manufactured, this random piece was just sitting in the parking lot right next to my parking space. TrainDriver, is this the same kind of track that was at Kings Island if so, could this maybe be a piece of original track from KI?

______________________________________________________

Gordon, I just realized that on page one of this post there is a picture of the kind of track that I remember.

I'm going to try to repost it here:

Look down in the lower right corner of the photo. Notice that the track is not enclosed but more like I-beam - this is the kind of track that I recall throughout the park. Unfortunately, you can't tell if the train is getting power from the inside or the outside lip of that track. Perhaps when you guys are able to get back there, you could get a closer shot.

Buy the way, thanks to everyone for the pictures - if you run into any more, I would love to see them.

Keith

[Train Driver]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I would like to make an announcement - Since many of you have expressed an interest in having the Wild Animal Habitat come back, and since it is rather unlikely that it will happen in the near future, I have decided to re-create the entire preserve in my basement, based on my memory as a train driver in 1984. If I get really ambitious, I will add the Screamin’ Demon and the Cobra, which were adjacent to the preserve in 84.

But let's not get too ahead of ourselves - I'm going to need your help: First thing - Although I'm 41, I'm new at posting. I would like to put up some digital pictures, but I'm not quite sure how to do that. If there is anybody out there that has a few minutes to help me with that, I would be grateful.

Also, If there is anyone from that time period that has pictures, I would be very obliged if you would share them with me. I've never built anything this involved before, and the more pictures there are will help me with accuracy. I remember what I saw, but another perspective would help.

Lastly, I wasn't sure if I should start this as a new topic or not. I'm not quite sure what category under which to place it - so I'm putting it here for now.

I began working on construction early Christmas Day - so I already have pictures.

Thank you so much for your help!

Train Driver