- Coney Island Cyclone
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"Cyclone (roller coaster)" redirects here. For other roller coasters named Cyclone, see Cyclone (disambiguation).
Cyclone 
Coney Island Cyclone Location Coney Island Coordinates 40°34′30″N 73°58′44″W / 40.575°N 73.97889°W Status Open (seasonally) Opened June 26, 1927 Cost $175,000 Type Wood Designer Vernon Track layout Compact Twister Lift/launch system Chain-lift Height 85 ft (26 m) Drop 85 ft (26 m) Length 2,640 ft (800 m) Max speed 60 mph (97 km/h) Inversions none Duration 1:50 Max vertical angle 58.6° Capacity 1440 riders per hour Max G force 3.75 Height restriction 4 ft 6 in (137 cm) Cyclone at RCDB Pictures of Cyclone at RCDB 
Amusement Parks PortalCyclone Roller Coaster
Location: Brooklyn, New York Coordinates: 40°34′30″N 73°58′44″W / 40.575°N 73.97889°WCoordinates: 40°34′30″N 73°58′44″W / 40.575°N 73.97889°W Built: 1927 Architect: Keenan,Vernon; Baker,Harry C. Governing body: Private NRHP Reference#: 91000907[1] Added to NRHP: June 25, 1991 The Coney Island Cyclone (better known as simply the Cyclone) is a historic hybrid roller coaster in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City. On June 18, 1975, Dewey and Jerome Albert, owners of Astroland Park, contracted to operate the Cyclone under an agreement with New York City. The roller coaster was completely rehabilitated and opened to enthusiastic crowds on July 1, 1975. Since that time, Astroland Park and the Albert family has invested millions of dollars in the upkeep of the Cyclone.[2] Since Astroland closed in 2008, Carol Hill Albert, president of Cyclone Coasters, continues to operate the Cyclone under a lease agreement with the City.[3][4][5] The Cyclone was declared a New York City landmark on July 12, 1988, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1991.
Contents
Early history
The success of 1925's Thunderbolt and 1926's Tornado led Jack and Irving Rosenthal to buy land at the intersection of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street for a coaster of their own. With a $100,000 investment, they hired Vernan Keenan to design a new coaster. A man named Harry C. Baker supervised the construction, which was done by area companies including National Bridge Company (which supplied the steel) and Cross, Austin, & Ireland (which supplied the lumber). The Cyclone was built on the site of America's first roller coaster, known as Switchback Railway(which opened on January 16, 1884). The final cost of the Cyclone has been reported to be around $146,000 to $175,000. When the Cyclone opened on June 26, 1927, a ride cost only twenty-five cents[6] compared to the $8 in the 2011 Season.
In 1935, the Rosenthals took over management of Palisades Park. The Cyclone was put under the supervision of Christopher Feucht, a Coney Island veteran who had built a ride called Drop the Dips in 1907, and then doing minor retracking work on the Cyclone. The ride continued to be extremely popular; one of its many stories is from 1948, when a coal miner with aphonia visited Coney Island. According to legend, he had not spoken in years but screamed while going down the Cyclone's first drop, saying "I feel sick" as his train returned to the station. He prompty fainted after realizing he had just spoken.[7]
Accidents
On July 31, 2007, a 53-year old man broke several vertebrae, while riding the Cyclone. He died four days later.[8][9] This is the only time in the Cyclone's history that a person died after sustaining injuries from the ride.
Preservation
By the 1960s, attendance at Coney Island had lowered. By 1968, the Cyclone was deteriorating and it was shut down in 1969.[verification needed]
In 1971, the Cyclone was bought by the city of New York for one million dollars. Lack of riders hurt profits, and the ride was condemned. In 1972, it was nearly destroyed because the New York Aquarium (which is located adjacent to the ride) wanted to expand.[10] A "Save the Cyclone" campaign ensued, and the coaster was leased to the Astroland amusement park for $57,000 per year. Astroland's owners had the ride refurbished, and it reopened on July 3, 1975.
In 1978, it was featured in the film version of The Wiz as the home of its version of the Tinman, and its size compared to the rest of Oz raised to enormous proportions. In the 1980s, events like the Mermaid Parade and Sideshows by the Seashore brought visitors back to Coney Island and the Cyclone. Despite the closing of Astroland Park on September 7, 2008, the Cyclone will remain in operation due to its status as a New York City landmark.[11][12] The ride (75 feet along 834 Surf Avenue and 500 feet (150 m) along West 10th Street, 40°34′30″N 73°58′39″W / 40.575°N 73.9775°W) is now owned completely by the Parks Department. The former concession stands, built into the structure of the roller coaster, are now home to the Coney Island History Project,[13] and a stand selling Cyclone based shirts, hats, and on-ride photos.
The Cyclone was declared a city landmark in 1988 and a National Historic Landmark in 1991.[14]
Legacy
In 1977, Richard Rodriguez, (USA) set a marathon record of 104 hours. Richard was only age 19 when he broke the record. Today, he currently holds the record for the longest marathon on a roller coaster with 104 hours on the Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England.
The roller coaster's 70th birthday was celebrated in 1997 with a tightrope walk by Tino Wallenda between the ride's two highest points; that year, a single ride cost four dollars. The track today is 2,650 feet (810 m) long (including six fan turns and nine drops) and a 85-foot (26 m) drop at its highest point; the first drop is at a 58.1 degree angle. Each of the three trains is made up of three eight-person cars, but only one train can run at a time. The ride's top speed is 60 miles per hour and it takes about one minute and fifty seconds. As of June 28, 2008, the current cost was eight dollars with a five dollar "reride" option. The "re-ride" option also gives riders the ability to choose their seats. In addition, a souvenir booth located near the exit sells photos of passengers taken at the first drop. The Coney Island Cyclone is an ACE Coaster Classic and Coaster Landmark;[15][16] it has also been honored by baseball's Brooklyn Cyclones as the source for their team name.
In the movie The Sting II, with Jackie Gleason, a chase scene is used on the loading dock and ride of the Cyclone, which is seen in its near original condition.
The roller coaster was used in the 1988 action movie Shakedown (film) were Richie Marks (played by Sam Elliott) fights with a hitman on it.
Awards
Golden Ticket Awards: Best Wooden Coaster Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Ranking 11 11 13 16 16 14 16 14 16 14 13[17] 15[18] Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster Year 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Ranking 8 15 9 (tie) 12 14 15 23 21 21 21 26 26 36 36 41 41 Replications
The popularity of the Cyclone has inspired several replica coasters that share a similar (though not exact) layout (or a mirror version of it). Until 2005, there were four replicas of the Cyclone at Six Flags parks. Two of these have been demolished: the Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain and the Texas Cyclone at Six Flags Astroworld. Two replicas still run, however, the Georgia Cyclone at Six Flags Over Georgia and Viper at Six Flags Great America, both of which are mirror replicas. Overseas, replicas of the Coney Island Cyclone include the Bandit at Movie Park Germany, the White Canyon at Yomiuriland (located in Japan), and the Aska at Nara Dreamland (demolished in 2006), which was also in Japan.
The game Grand Theft Auto IV features a roller coaster called "The Screamer", with heavy resemblance to Cyclone.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ http://coneyislandcyclone.com/about_us.php
- ^ Kaminer, Ariel (2010-04-02). "Thrilling Reminder of Old Coney Island". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/nyregion/04critic.html.
- ^ http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2009/03/31/Brooklyns-Cyclone-set-to-re-open/UPI-15271238527987/
- ^ http://coneyislandcyclone.com/blog/2010/03
- ^ "Cyclone 101". The Washington Post. 2002-08-04. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/08/04/AR2005041500851.html. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- ^ http://www.britannica.com/coasters/1920.html
- ^ "Coney Island Cyclone Sending Some Riders to Hospital". http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/44/31_44_mm_cylone.html.
- ^ "Family of man who died after Cyclone ride sues NYC". http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--cyclonelawsuit1030oct30,0,5043046.story.
- ^ John T. McQuiston (1972-03-05). "Aquarium is Getting a Piece of Old Long Island". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E1EFE3C5A137A93C7A91788D85F468785F9. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- ^ Ryan Chatelain (2008-09-05). "End of an ara at Coney Island" (PDF). AM New York. http://www.amny.com/media/acrobat/2008-09/23136028.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-05.[dead link]
- ^ Rich Calder (2007-05-29). "B'klyn Big Top". The New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/seven/05292007/news/regionalnews/bklyn_big_top_regionalnews_rich_calder.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- ^ Andy Newman (2007-05-29). "Beneath the Speeding Cyclone, a Look Back in Time". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/nyregion/29coney.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/N/Newman,%20Andy. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- ^ Kristen King (1995-08-04). "Cyclone Honors to Roll". The Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/ny_local/1995/08/04/1995-08-04_cyclone_honors_to_roll.html. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- ^ ACE Coaster Classic Awards
- ^ ACE Coaster Landmark Awards
- ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2010" (PDF). Amusement Today. http://www.goldenticketawards.com/PDF/GTA2010issue.pdf. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
- ^ Amusement Today 2011 Park and Ride Winners
External links
Preceded by
Giant DipperWorld's Fastest Roller Coaster
June 1927–April 1972Succeeded by
RacerRoller coasters at Coney Island Categories:- Wooden roller coasters
- Coney Island
- Roller coasters in New York
- ACE Coaster Classics
- Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City
- Roller coasters introduced in 1927
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