Also opening in 1978 Gemini would be marketed as the tallest coaster in the world. During this time an independent park in Valencia, California was also looking to make a splash in this increasingly competitive thrill market. Cedar Point moved forward with their plans for a large scale racing coaster by hiring Arrow to build 1978’s Gemini as a hybrid coaster, Six Flags turned to former PTC designer William Cobb to create 1979’s racing Rolling Thunder for Great Adventure and 1980’s Judge Roy Scream for Six Flags over Texas, and Marriott turned to Swiss manufacturer Intamin to bring 1981’s American Eagle into reality. The demand for large scale wooden coasters remained strong and parks simply turned to other manufacturers. It could be argued that hyper, giga and strata coasters, including Orion, would not exist without the Racer’s success. Kings Island’s racer was responsible for the return of new-built large-scale thrill coasters. Allen retired, bringing an end to this storied company’s time as a coaster manufacturer. Unfortunately after Screamin’ Eagle’s construction PTC’s president John C.
Other parks took notice and Six Flags added their own series of large scale Philadelphia Toboggan Company(PTC) woodies: Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags over Georgia in 1973 and Screamin’ Eagle at Six Flags St Louis in 1976. Taft Broadcasting/Kings Entertainment followed up this success by opening Kings Dominion with Rebel Yell in 1975 and adding Thunder Road to Carowinds quickly after acquiring the park in 1976. It wasn’t the first large-scale thrill coaster built following World War Two but it was the one that made them essential for regional theme parks across America. It’s been said many times that in 1972 Kings Island’s Racer initiated a second golden age of roller coasters. This article aligns with a special podcast mini-episode! Click the logo below to listen to the podcast! We work hard to provide the coverage that we do, and we encourage our audience to share our content and use our images, BUT ONLY IF proper credit is given to. – In the past, many of our images have been posted, featured, and shared on forums, social media platforms and websites around the web. After Viper Colossus reigned as the king of the California wooden coasters until it’s RMC conversion in 2014, passing the crown to the nearby GhostRider.
From its construction in 1978 until the construction of Viper in 1990 it was the tallest full circuit coaster in all of California. For Magic Mountain’s Colossus this was not a problem for much of its life.
When a park sets out to build the biggest, fastest, and baddest coaster around the problem always arises that its records and stature will eventually be surpassed.