cobra1562 Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 I remember as a kid riding the monorail and looking at all the animals. I used to love that ride. Does anyone remember when it was removed, and where it was originally located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastfreak Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 I actually never rode the monorail so I don't know where it all traveled but I do know where the station was. The station was in Action Zone just about where sky flyer is now. The maintanence/storage shed for the trains is still there and was holding the damaged Top Gun train at the end of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FOF Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 I remember riding it when i was a kid, i think it costy like $1 or $1.50. The shed taht was used more the monerails and such is now the Steel Coaster Maintance shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Return of D Posted December 17, 2002 Share Posted December 17, 2002 Well, we can all ride the monorail once again! Once Jungle Jims finishes expansion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrfyter Posted December 18, 2002 Share Posted December 18, 2002 yeah, the only grocery store in the world, that needs a monorail so you can get around it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted December 18, 2002 Share Posted December 18, 2002 The Monerail was actually called the "Wild Animal Safari." The main station building was located right about where Drop Zone's Queue building and the Skyfler are now. It left the building in the direction of the (now) Days of Thunder Go-Karts area. It then traversed behind King Cobra, through the Adventure Express area then through the (now)FOF area and back into the back left corner of the property. It then circled around and made it's way back to the station via the lands near Top gun that now houses Son of Beast. Many of the old sheds that housed the animals can still be found on the property, as well as markings from the former ponds and "Preserves" built for them. The ride was broken down into areas or "Preserves" based on the animal type. For instance, you would have the "Nairobi Preserve" that would house the Hippos etc. Guests rode in enclosed trains that traversed a concrete path with a center guide rail. Each train was motorized and had a driver and narrator. The driver was necessary to stop the monerail whenever animals neared the train or crossed the track ahead.... which they often did. The narrator, of course explained the areas and gave information over a louspeaker about the animals and preserves. When the terrain dictated...such as in the Adventure Express area, the path was elevated up on large concrete pillars. The attraction was added in 1974 when KI opened the "Wild Animal Habitat" portion of the park which later became Adventure Villiage and is now Action Zone. The attraction closed after the 1993 season. It only operated for 1 season under Paramount ownership. In it's final years, the ride was free, but prior had cost a nominal fee. What many do not recall is that it operated nearly year round. And folks could visit the attraction in the off-season for several years. The ride's remains sat in storage until about 4 years ago when Jungle Jims in Fairfield bought it, along with the squirting blue elephant from Hannah Barberra Land. In it's History, the Wild Animal Habitat made national news several times... once when a lion keeper was mauled and killed, once when a female was denied a job there as a trainer and filed a lawsuit, once when several baboons escaped and were retrieved in many nearby neighborhoods, and a few times when animals were born in captivity. Shaggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Kinda Guy Posted December 18, 2002 Share Posted December 18, 2002 Shaggy, do you know if any of the animals were given to the Cincinnati Zoo or did they go to the highest bidder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 Not sure. The Zoo housed some of the animals in the off season during the latter years, so perhaps. However by the time the ride closed for good, most of the animals had gone away. I recall riding it in it's last year and only seeing a handfull of animals... as opposed to hundreds in it's heyday. Shaggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastfreak Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 The animals started disappearing because they were planning on closing the ride. They can not just open the gates and let them all loose or just dump them all on the Cincinnati Zoo. They had to find places to take them and then get them there. This comes from my boss, the VP of the Resale department, who has worked there basically since the park opened. Didn't Jungle Jim's purchase other animal statues besides the squirting elephant? I know they have set up an extensive water pond thing that you walk through with animals in it to get to the entrance. I heard one year before KI sold the elephant someone loaded the fountain with soap and the elephant was just blowing bubbles. That would have been great to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrfyter Posted December 19, 2002 Share Posted December 19, 2002 I don't remember that ever happening at Jungle Jim's,b ut I could ahve missed it. Currently, there are no squirting elephants at Jungle Jims, as that store is a mess, and probably will continue to be one for a while longer, while they finish construction. It will be really cool, though, when it is finished, monorail and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 I didn't say that the elephant was on display. Rather, that they had bought it. Fact is. Jungle Jims has it in storage. Just about 3 years ago, a handful of Fairfield High School Seniors were arrested for trying to sneak it out of storage to place it on the lawn of the high school as a senior prank. That was how I learned they had bought it. Shaggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrfyter Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 I know they have other squirting animals there, but right now, there isn't much of anything due to all the construction. did they buy the other squirting animals from PKI or just the elephant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 Jungle Jims...WHAT IS THIS PLACE??? I was looking in my guide to paintball bood and it says ther have a feild too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FOF Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 I know Jungle Jims has some squirting stuff next to the entrance, and i thought they did have an elephant too, guess not, probably thinking of Kings Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Return of D Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 The best part about Jungle Jims = The different chocolate from around the world. The other day I got some from Ghana, African Gold Coast. Delicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastfreak Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Its been a few months since i was there and i swear that elephant was sitting out front. I had to do a double take cause I passed it and then it donned on me where it was from. Now I'm going to go there tomorrow just to see if it is out front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Jungle Jims is actually a grocery store in Fairfield Ohio. But calling it a grocery store is quite an understatment. It is it's own "unique" experience. It started as a fruit stand and eventually became a store. It began featuring cuisine and hard to find products from around the world. Over time, Jim added fountains, decorations and animated characters to keep the kids entertained. Eventually the decor got more and more elaborate and business grew right with it. Last I heard, there was a plan to eventually build a hotel on site. People come from miles away just to go. Here is a link below. If you want to see the former PKI monerail as it looks today, just use the link below, choose attractions from the menu then scroll all the way down on that page. Shaggy Jungle Jims Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Cool stuff. Thanks for the info Shaggy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrfyter Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Those that want to see the monorail, you will have to wait for a few, as it hasn't been installed yet. They are still contructing the expansion building onto the old one. It should be done the end of this summer I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Dole Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 you can still see the trains, theyre all set up on the tracks that are the storage building Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam12 Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 That is cool! Thanks for the info! -adam12 Last post by "adam12" was on 12-23-2002 at 9:45AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOB_TOM Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Man, just that pic of the tram really gets some great memories going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam12 Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 I only rode it once but it was cool! -adam 12 -Last post by "adam12" was on 12-23-2002 at 3:12PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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