I was a little kid. All I remember is that it was somewhere south-ish of orient express

I haven't been on one in a long long time. When I was a kid Fairyland Park had a wooden roller coaster called (I think) "The Wildcat." Also Worlds of Fun had a small coaster called "The Shushboomer" that was small but steep and really fast with tight turns.

Orient Express was a great coaster for 1980.

This!

Wildfire in Silver Dollar City. That thing has history.

The Screamrollere was WoF's first upside down coaster (and the only one they had until the Orient Express was built). it was built in 1976: http://www.worldsoffun.org/explore/R...ID=27&ParkID=1

I can remember riding the Sky Hi many times. I have no idea about why it was taken down.

Rides of that type used to be popular at alot of amusement parks, but most have been taken down now. Probably safety concerns?

Here's a look at all the past rides at World of Fun. The Zambezi Zinger is still alive, but you have to travel to Bogota, Columbia in South America to ride it. If you click on each ride, it gives you cool facts on each.

http://www.worldsoffun.org/history/index.htm

Here is a recreation of Outlaw Run to the tune of Ecstasy of Gold, the ride and the song go together well.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RgYxhSIizug" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

My first upside down roller coaster, Shock Wave at Six Flags Over Texas. It appears its still running too!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_RqX1kPmaL0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ironically i just rode this one a few weeks ago with my 8 year old son and he loved it. Its still a really great ride. Its freshly painted and looks well maintained. This how WoF should have treated Orient and Zinger.

I'm a big fan of the rolley coasters. The wife and I have been to Japan and Germany in addition to hitting most of the US.

My current top 3 are...

There's no good video of X2 at Magic Mountain but this ride in China is pretty much an exact clone. The flipping is what makes it great.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pdWhDMbGYS0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Voyage at Holiday World. It somehow just keeps going and going. The first time I rode it I was out of breath at the end.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JtUj-sEq3JE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Take a crappy wooden roller coaster add some steel track and modern trains and you wind up with pure awesomeness. This is the New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VtbCi6xts7s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

If you have fond memories of Zambezi Zinger then get your ass up to Chicago and ride Whizzer. It's pretty much the same ride.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QzL6GLvPkWY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And there's still a handful of rides similar to Orient Express across the country but they probably won't be around for long. That style of coaster seems to age poorly and basically just beats the hell of people.

Vortex at Kings Island - if you're a fan of neck and back pain this ride's for you.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mjksVwIJzqE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ONe of the most famous ones is Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens. I rode it about 10 years ago and it was still pretty good. But your right, very jerky compared to todays modern stuff. But that gives it "character"


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ne...roller_coaster)

Zambezi Zinger hands down.

Then the Orient.

:o(

That's a much better example. I don't need "character" I like being able to enjoy the rest of the day.