I'm just wondering how long we can expect The Beast, Vortex, and Racer to stay with us? How long do such well worn and loved coasters usually survive in such an environment, barring tornadoes, floods, windstorms, etc? Do steel coasters tend to last longer than wooden ones? Is there an average life expectancy for roller coasters that recieve such wear and tear, but are well maintained over the years?

The day that these classics disappear will undoubtedly be a sad one, and I hope that day isn't for decades to come.

So far as I know any coaster will last as long as it's maintained properly. All of the wood coasters at PKI are maintained very well. They are re-tracked when they need to be and wood is replaced all the time on them. I wouldn't worry about your kid's - kid's not being able to ride these great rides. Steel I don't know that much about, I would guess that they work pretty much the same way, so Vortex should also be there.

That's correct. If coasters are maintained, they can stay up and running for ungodly periods of time. If worse comes to worst, then a park can always try take down a coaster, repour footers and build a carbon copy of the old one right where the old one sat. This probably isn't economical unless a park has a classic that is the sole thing that keeps people coming back and keeping the park in business.

Really old coasters like Racer at Kennywood and Comet at Hersheypark are still in operation today.

Coasters are like cars. Treat 'em like sh*t, they die. Treat 'em like royalty and they'll reign forever.

I know there were a couple at Coney Island that lasted for ages, longer than any at PKI, and they had to endure the flooding every spring, and they had no real problems with running them, despite this. This was what prompted my question of whether or not this is normal.

Steel coasters have a lifespan if maintained they can last awhile. If parts are avaliable. If not then they get dis assembled or destoryed. Wood coasters can last 100+ years if maintained.

Hmm.......Wonder why King Cobra comes to mind? Cant figure it out!

At the original Coney Island, the Wildcat lasted from the 30's until it was torn down to make way for the Skyride. The Shooting Star was revamped from another coaster. The original lift and first drop were from the original ride. I don't know when that was built but the Shooting Star opened in 1948-49 and of course lasted till 1972 when the park closed. It was running strong when it was closed so good maintenance will keep a woodie running as long as the park wants to keep it.

StewWill

They tore down a COASTER to build a SKYRIDE???

Quoted from Americana's web site:

"A roller coaster designer visited LeSourdsville Lake in the early 1970s to view the Screechin' Eagle roller coaster. We were standing at the base of the lift hill when I asked him, 'What's the life of a coaster?' Without batting an eye, he seriously replied, 'The first big accident.' Of course, I was referring to the forces of nature acting on the wood structure but he gave me a better answer than the one I was looking for."

Alfred Freeman, former coaster operator