17 replies to this topic

[GAcoaster]

Click here to view the whole

Spotlight!

Comments and discussions welcomed.

[darkridedan]

Great spotlight!

I always thought it was a high thrill ride. I didn't ride Typhoon until I was 15! I stopped riding it when by the time we were spoiled in '99, but by the summer of 2002, I rediscovered Taz and had allot of fun on it for a few more seasons.

Not to beat a dead horse, but I have respect for Time Warner for moving the ride when they decided a new ride would take it's location. The same could be said for Bally's. Attendance figures being what they are, it must have added to the good karma!

I was trained for the ride at a time when an operator and an attendant were required to work the ride together. I only worked there for a half a morning, but I think it would have never gotten old to work. Watching people's reaction before, on and after the ride was priceless. It was fun to work as El Sombrero and Rodeo Sombrero. Working Tango, no.

I rode Canobie and SFMM's version, where the floor drops a few feet further. Everybody seemed to have a great time and it was allot of fun for me to experience. SFMM got rid of theirs because it's a family ride, but this spotlight makes me want to go to Lake Compunce and ride their model.

My parents used to call this ride the Hell Hole. Are there any locations that anybody knows of that actually called the ride by that name?

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

Great spotlight as always guys. While I was never a big fan of the ride, it is one I will always remember of my trips to the park. It seemingly always made me sick when I would go on it as Typhoon, yet I would keep on riding figuring one day that might actually change. It certainly got a decent amount of use in the park, and it's unfortunate that the time came that it was no longer feasible to keep it running with minimal repair costs. Nice number two selection for the summer spotlights

[Railer]

The Rotor was known as The Hell Hole in Wildwood. It was a "Haunted Rotor" with smoke and fire effect's. And it has been gone for about 15 or so years. *R*

[redsoxfan0810]

Rotors are very fun rides, I ride the one we have at Lake Compounce all the time. It has the original look like the featured one here first had.

[29yrswithaGApass]

My parents used to call this ride the Hell Hole. Are there any locations that anybody knows of that actually called the ride by that name?

The ride on the Steeplechase Pier in Atlantic City use to be called The Hell Hole. I remember it had a huge devil on the front that reached out towards the crowd. It is the red and blue building in the photo below:


One of my favorite (and sickest) Great Adventure memories of the Rotor occurred in the early 80s when the ride was located on the FreeFall site. Me and three of my friends got on the ride, two of us on each side of the barrel. In between our two groups were about six other people. We started spinning really fast and the floor dropped as usual. After about two minutes the guy next to my friend across from us got sick, tilted his head to the side and proceeded to vomit. You can only imagine how puke looked under the centrifugal force! Well, the puke starts working its way around the wall headed towards my friend in slow motion. If that wasn't funny enough, the look of my friend and his strained desire to move along the wall in the opposite direction was priceless! Luckily for him, the ride slowed down and he was able to peel himself from the wall to escape being splattered.
If they only had on-ride photos for that one!

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

^Wow now that would certainly what I would consider a Hell Hole . Thankfully neither myself or any friends ever got sick on the ride, but the time I remember the most was us eating at one of the places nearby, and then getting on the ride right after before we really experienced the ride before. Well none of us could find a garbage can fast enough after that one, but we thankfully all recovered to enoy the day! If I remember correctly this was around the second year of Batman: The Ride and we were determined to still ride the coaster after the debacle

[The Master]

I have a pretty good story about the Rotor as well. Back years ago when my parents were dating they went to the park often. So during the one and only ride on the Rotor a man directly across from my mother got sick and his vomit went flying and only missed her head by an inch. So they never rode it again after that and I never rode it after hearing that story so many times, LOL. The Rotor's sprit must still be living on in that section of the park because when I rode El Toro last Monday it's exit walkway was lined with vomit, sawdust piles.

Edited by The Master, 09 July 2008 - 10:29 AM.

[Railer]

I always rememberd the Hell Hole being in Wildwood. I'm not saying your wrong Harry (since you have a pic. to prove it) could their possibly have been two of them? And I have an old issue of Weird N.J. that say's Wildwood had a Hell Hole ride. Sorry for the quality of the pic. I really need to invest in a scanner.

*R*

Edited by Railer, 09 July 2008 - 07:32 PM.

[29yrswithaGApass]

I wasn't doubting there was one in Wildwood - I am sure you are right. I was just pointing out there was also one in Atlantic City!

[Railer]

Nowaday's Harry, I have to question myself sometimes. My old Jersey Shore memories sometimes seem like one giant Boardwalk up the whole coast.

[southview2]

I had a guest ask me yesterday where the taz twister was, apparently they rode it last year in movietown and it was a great ride?! So I couldnt help but at least giggle. And I had to "break the news" to them that the ride was in what was hernandos hideaway and was removed in 05. Another funny part is they didnt belive me that it was removed. Yea, weird people...

[The Master]

There's alot of them at parks this time of year.

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

Maybe they figured if they didn't believe you it would magically appear again

[southview2]

Maybe they figured if they didn't believe you it would magically appear again

Lol, I guess, they turned around and the women was like, lets walk this way and keep looking. I was like wtf?

[JetsDevs4Lyf]

Don't worry I am sure that when they left they complained that they coudln't find it and that the person they asked gave them the wrong information.

[southview2]

That sounds like GP.

[29yrswithaGApass]

Sidenote of trivia... Belinda Carlisle's Heaven is a Place on Earth was filmed on Magic Mountain's Chance Rotor ride.  The video was directed by Diane Keaton and the ride has since closed.  You can file that in your brain's useless crap category!