The wood itself was also given a makeover - it was replaced with a much stronger Brazilian variety (so strong that steel blades are used to cut through it). Banking was added as well, giving riders more “hills” and more gradual turns, according to Gahagan. “Because of that, you have a very different ride.”įor the nine-month renovation, most of the 4,533 feet of the track was replaced, the motor and chain on the coaster’s lift was replaced and a magnetic braking system was installed for a much smoother ride. “Wood actually moves … steel is very stiff,” said Jeff Gahagan, vice president of maintenance and construction at Knott’s, noting that a wooden coaster actually changes with the weather and season because of wood’s flexibility. Plus, because of the expansion and contraction experienced naturally by wooden coasters, every bolt on the coaster is tightened once a year. Every year each of the three trains is completely torn down for maintenance. Indeed, the roller coaster has five mechanics assigned to it for regular maintenance. And keeping a wooden coaster of that magnitude running for nearly 20 years has been no easy feat. GhostRider is considered the fastest, tallest and longest wooden roller coaster on the West Coast - measuring 4,533 feet long and 118 feet high and clocking in at 56 miles per hour. “I was afraid to go on it because of how rickety it was … but it was much better.” “It’s much smoother,” said Jenny Reed of San Bernardino, who was chaperoning a group of children as part of a summer camp program. The improvements were noticeable during the ride’s reopening in June. acquired the park in 1997 from the Knotts. “It was the family’s final gift to the park.” “GhostRider was the last attraction commissioned by the Knott family, and it was built to fascinate the growing guest attendance,” said Knott’s Berry Farm spokeswoman Diana Bahena. 8, 1998 - it also celebrates the most extensive revamping of the ride. Eric Lynxwiler, co-author of “Knott’s Preserved: From boysenberry to theme park, a history of Knott’s Berry Farm.” “It made them more a destination for roller coaster aficionados and thrill-seekers.”Īs Knott’s Berry Farm this year celebrates the 75th anniversary of Ghost Town - where the GhostRider wooden coaster opened Dec. “The wooden roller coast is the one big thing that they were missing,” said Knott’s Berry Farm historian J. Propelling riders from 0 to 55 miles per hour in 5 seconds, Montezooma’s Revenge launched in 1978.īigfoot Rapids made a watery debut in 1988.īut there was still a piercing absence at the Buena Park theme park. The world’s first 360-degree roller coaster - the Corkscrew - opened in 1975. The Calico Mine Ride had been taking guests on a leisurely adventure through an Old West mine since 1960. By 1997, much history had already been made at Knott’s Berry Farm:
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