27 replies to this topic

[29yrswithaGApass]

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Spotlight!

Comments and discussions welcomed.

[CycloneMan]

I have ridden this coaster at it's new home, and I love it. But with the low capacity and constant break downs this ride has, it would never survive if the park had it now!

-Dainan "It's VERY loud though" Rafferty

[redsoxfan0810]

I'd imagine that this would be an exciting ride! Having rode the similar but enclosed Disaster Transport at CP, I think those curves in the open air would be a bit unnerving!

[29yrswithaGApass]

Even though the 1984 Sarajevo Bobsled "Snowball Exchange" promotion was very popular, it was not repeated at the park until 1992.

[BuddyChrist]

With today's debt problems, there's no way they would ever do that today!

[Great Adventurer]

Yeah, that's too bad...

[29yrswithaGApass]

Click the image below to see a gallery of pictures of the relocated Sarajevo Bobsled at The Great Escape in Lake George, NY.

[GAcoaster]

Wow...I love the station building!

[The Master]

That reminds me the first time I was at SFGAdv, remember seeing the bobsleds but I was too small to ride at the time. Got replaced by GASM before I was old enough and would be years before I could ride GASM. 21 years ago this spring, I am getting old LOL!

Edited by The Master, 14 January 2008 - 02:17 PM.

[redsoxfan0810]

It certainly looks very good where it is now. Very nice station and landscaping.

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

What was the ride like on this bad boy. I would love to check something like it out now as it certainly seems unique to say the least.

[29yrswithaGApass]

When the ride was moved to Six Flags Great America the sleds were changed from a single row of six in-line seats to a 2x4 configuration. The side by side seating arrangements first appeared on Avalanche Run at Cedar Point in 1985. Either the design for this type of set-up was engineered after the initial 1984 debuts or the park went for authenticity over increased capacity.



Photos from RCDB.com

[29yrswithaGApass]

When I worked at the park in 1986 the big end of the season rumor was that the Sarajevo Bobsled was being removed at the end of the year and was going to be replaced with the XLR-8 suspended rollercoaster from AstroWorld in Texas. The buzz was that the removal of the ride and construction were two of the reasons why the park was scheduled to close early that year by the end of September.

Six Flags bought two Intamin bobsleds with the intention of rotating them. Magic Mountain's ride was removed after the 1986 season but for whatever reason GA's removal was pushed back to 1987 (even though it stayed on until 1988). It is possible we almost had a suspended coaster (although not the best one) at GA.

[29yrswithaGApass]

Below is the cover from Six Flags Great America's guidebook for 1989, the first season for Great Adventure's relocated Sarajevo Bobsled.

[ThemeParkRider]

Wow, it looks really corny, good picture though! If it were still here, I wonder what the add would look like now?

[gafreak]

you now what would be cool, if they would open a park with all the past rides at ga......hmmmm good idea if we had a adventure theater still we could have ridden them in 180!

[ThemeParkRider]

That's an idea, I would think it would be more likely for each park to have a seperate land with a chunk of each set of unused rides.

[29yrswithaGApass]

As the 2010 Winter Olympics open tonight, it is strange to look the remains of the real "Sarajevo Bobsled":

Then:


The former starting point of the bob and luge track during Olympic competitions.

Now after the Bosnian war in the early 90's:


With its prime position overlooking the city, Trebevic was an important area for Serbian fighters in the war.


After years of use, the mountain site was overrun during the war and left in ruin.


The high, concrete, sloping walls made the track the ideal spot for military trenches.

Photos: Sarajevo Olympic Photography

[29yrswithaGApass]

Below is a postcard from the Great Escape (current home to Great Adventure's Sarajevo Bobsled).

Two observations about the image on the postcard -

(1) The bobsled features single file seating, like when it was at Great Adventure. The bobsleds were retrofitted to side by side seating when they were moved to Six Flags Great America, and feature side by side seating today at the Great Escape.


(2) The image on the card was printed backwards. Note the number '1' on the sled above. Here is the photo properly displayed:


The back of the postcard:

[CablesEric]

Harry, you really have an eagle eye lately.