Craigslist Breaks Cyclone Story

Craigslist breaks another story! Last week, in the middle of Labor Day weekend, the Cyclone was taken out of commission. Initially Astroland Park manager Mark Blumenthal told the press that the ride was shut down for basic repairs from a summer of heavy usage. But then an anonymous post appeared on Craigslist giving the real story ("The steel track snapped, the front wheels came off the first car, sparks were flaying on the wooden track."). That got linked on a number of blogs over the week and now the Post is reporting that Craigslist was right. Kind of. The coaster did break down, though probably with far less severity then the description given by the anonymous poster. "It's an old lady, and it requires a lot of maintenance, and the care that they put into this is extraordinary," an Astroland spokesman told the Post.

Gothamist isn't that surprised that the Cyclone would break down (it is 78-years-old and we've always gone on it with the assumption that it might be the last thing ever do) but we are surprised that it took a week to get into the papers.

Photo from bluejake

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By Garth Johnston in News on September 10, 2005 1:51 PM

Comments [rss]

Jack

In defense of the Cyclone, reports in the neighborhood are that after the first large dip, the train derailed, but not dramatically. Only enough to lose some speed which caused the cars to roll backwards into the hill again. Nowhere near that stupid Craigslist post which made it seem like Michael Bay had directed the accident.

And FWIW, most of the rollercoaster related accidents that happen come from these super-roller-coasters that travel at insance speeds and encounter G-forces comprable to being in a jet fighter. The need-for-speed strains everything on the ride, something gives, people go flying.

While I think it's embarassing there was a cover-up about this, I think the fact the Cyclone is a wooden roller-coaster gives it a bad rap. All in all, it has a great track record (literally!) and I'll ride it again.

bobby

whiplash - absolutely. That's how you know it's working - your back feels completely unaligned when you're done. YEAH CYCLONE!!! I wish they would put a few more roller coasters down at Coney.

sp

hehe, I rode it last saturday, had a blast. the principal rush comes from the fact that it feels like it can break down on you at any moment. I also had a little whiplash in my neck for a couple days after. it was awesome. i hope they get it up and running again soon.