#10

Final Day of Coney Island Operation?!!

Nice! Very Nice! (Especially if you're a CI/KI history nerd!)

And even back then, newspapers called even flat rides "Roller Coaster(s)."

Did anyone notice the attendance was 20,000, not quite the 31,100

from the day before. I just got back from Disney World, and Friday

The Magic Kingdom had 40,000 and they had to shut the gates at 10:00 AM.

I have read and heard that Coney surpassed the 3,000,000 mark in

attendance for the closing year of 1971. Mathmatically, they probably

would have needed 30,000 everyday on average to accomplish this feat.

pilotank

I don`t recall ever hearing Coney attracted 3 million visitors in its final season. Keep in mind, that not even Kings Island broke the 3 million mark its final year. It did, however break the 2 million visitor mark in its first season. And as with moth parks, exact attendance figures are no longer announced.

There was a point in time, when Taft owned the parks, that exact attendance figures were released, right down to the single digits.

This photo is dedicated to Robbie

People back in the Sixties would not believe that nowadays a person in a suit, tie and dress shoes in an amusement park, who does not work there, would arouse suspicion...and does...

And Coney's problems were not just with flooding, but also with access, parking and expansion room...Also a move to what was then a semi-rural area was thought to alleviate some of the problems of being in an urban location...

Imagine what they would think if you walked around with a clipboard and pen as well.

Notice that the Ferris Wheel pictures there is a sixteen seat model, and the current one at Coney is a twelve seat model. We often get asked at the Ferris Wheel if it is the same one that used to be at Coney back in the day. Also, note the lack of fencing around the ride. And note that the cars do not have the hair guards around the edges. One similarity between the two rides, is that they are both cable driven wheels, and hence, Coney`s Ferris Wheel operates almost in the same manner as the one in that picture, some 55 years later!

You can't see it in that picture, but the restraint system, if it could even be called that, was also different...a single bar that clicked into place, with no secondary drop down bar....

Well I am sure they had no fencing around it cause they didn't invent the flip flop at that time in history so no flying objects. But I will say Ferris wheels scare me to death. The one in Chicago terrified me. I was a white knuckled mess.

And in addition to the ride not having a secondary drop down bar, there were no seat belts. In fact, when I first started running the Ferris Wheel back in 2003 there were no seat belts on it either. Those were added in 2007 or 2008 I believe.

I'd love to visit Coney Island sometime... I'm getting to be a real big fan of flat rides.

Coney is well worth a visit...don't miss The Tempest!

Well I am sure they had no fencing around it cause they didn't invent the flip flop at that time in history so no flying objects. But I will say Ferris wheels scare me to death. The one in Chicago terrified me. I was a white knuckled mess.

We had flip-flops when I was growing up but we called them thongs then.

I still do but most people these days think your talking about underwear, *sighs*

^lol.

And when those thongs flip-flop, you are definitely in trouble!

Yeah thats how I ended up with three kids, her thong flip flopped.

People back in the Sixties would not believe that nowadays a person in a suit, tie and dress shoes in an amusement park, who does not work there, would arouse suspicion...and does...

And Coney's problems were not just with flooding, but also with access, parking and expansion room...Also a move to what was then a semi-rural area was thought to alleviate some of the problems of being in an urban location...

I remember when we used to get dressed up just to go to the movies. Could you imagine that today?

I remember doing that somewhat...things sure are different now

Coney is well worth a visit...don't miss The Tempest!

One word of advice-dont drink beer before getting on tempest

you speak from experience?

you speak from experience?

Sure do...bigggg mistake

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!! I dont know what your problem was, I had a beer too and was ready for another round of Tempest!

The building in the background of that first image is Moonlite Gardens. The image was taken looking to the south, with the now demolished shelter for the stage on the right. The two story portion of the building that stands today is barely visible on the left side of the image.

TOPGUN1993, please keep posting these fantastic photographs. Though some are certainly depressing, they are all very interesting, and bring back many memories. You do this place a service!

With regards to the aerial picture showing the train ride and the turnpike cars. The Ferris Wheel today resides about where the station building is for the Turnpike Cars. The current Lakeside Pavilion would be just off the top left of the image, and the current site of the River Runer would be off the top right center portion of the image. The old "tunnels" that the train ride passed through to get underneath the parking lot and to get to the Indian scenes still exist out by the employee parking lot and the overflow runoff for Lake Como by Gate 1.

The coaster next to the log flume is the Shooting Star. The Log Flume was built at Coney for the 1968 season, and operated at Coney for four seasons before being relocated to Kings Island.

I remember the old victorian house in the first picture as the Haunted House-it was all skeletons, very similar to Boo Blasters. ( Just the theming-it wasn't interactive. ) I remember going on that with my dad and sister and being scared half to death-I remember my dad and sister laughing.

Thanks for sharing the great pics Topgun, very cool!

coneyrat