Defunctland: The History of World's of Fun's Orient Express
 

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Felt this was a nice trip down memory lane.

When I was finally tall enough to ride [about 5-6 yo], I subjected my dad [I was tall enough, but had to have an adult accompanying] to about 30 straight rides on the Schussboomer. It was a Bendix/Allied/Honeywell employee appreciation night, so the lines weren't long, so I'd sprint out the exit yelling my head off and run right back into line. Easily 2-2 1/2 hours straight riding the same coaster over and over.

And 2 different times in HS, on school field trip, I won the biggest stuffed animal in the arcade [the one as big as a person] and gave it to a girl I was dating. The 2nd time, I was fortunate the girl in question was a freshman, so she didn't know I'd done this before, and luckier still my friends didn't rat me out.

Orient was always my favorite, though I could never decide if I liked the front [with the view straight down on the first drop], or the back [with the speed of being the tail-end of the acceleration on that drop].

When I went off to university, I kind of dropped WoF as a habit, right around when the Orient started aging. So I missed the decline and demise.

Oh, and many years growing up, my actual favorite part of WoF night with the family was, if I behaved myself my parents would let me get something cool for my bike at the BMX/Freestyle shop at the I-35 turnaround right outside the park. Not a lot of high-end BMX/Freestyle shops and certainly no online shopping in the early 80s.

I'm so very glad that they put that Chicken Exit sign up. Had that not been there, who knows how long it would have been before I finally rode it. Instead, I became a roller coaster junkie. Sadly, once I made it to Cedar Point, I had no desire to visit WoF ever again.

Great times in the early 80’s. Orient Express was my first big coaster

First 'big' coaster was Texas Cyclone at Astroworld [riding it was a point of pride as a kid, because my mom was scared to death of it from a visit before I was born].
Second, Screaming Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis.
Both before Orient was built.
First upside down was of course the Scream Roller. But even the first year, it was a long line for a short-assed ride.

I miss Astroworld.

Went back in summer of 05 before they closed.

The really crazy thing for me was that I was in the park for both of the Orients major accidents.

Orient was my favorite growing up. Even the theming was awesome.

I really like all of Defunctland’s stuff. Great series.

Yep, the Orient Express was my first coaster in 1981, broke me of being scared. Defunctland's series is great as well as his podcast.

It was so mystical when it first came out. I did the chicken exit a time or two before I did my first time. Then it’s all I wanted to do.

Orient was the first real roller coaster I ever rode. Was so scared the first time, got off... immediately ran back through the line to ride it again. The last time I rode it tho, I was so sore from how rough of a ride it had become

Late August 1993 a friend and I went to WOF on a weekday and the park was nearly empty. We road the Orient Express over and over again as there was literally no line. Just ride it, run around and get back on. So F'n great.

Last summer I came back home to KC for a funeral and before I came back to Florida my father and step mother wanted to go do something fun.
My wife and I have Universal Studios and Disney passes and go probably 25 times a year.... WOF has some rides that rival those big guys.
I did miss the ol Orient Express.

I think I saw somewhere that the Zambezi Zinger was repurposed and is being used in a foreign country today.

I love the seat on the Orient- 1 long seat so the girls we picked up walking around- could sit in front and we could cop a feel during the ride. Worked every time.

It is still running. It is all over FB if you search it.

The way that guy described Kansas City like it's in the middle of Kansas annoyed me.

Great video, thanks for sharing.

I grew up in Iowa and used to think the Tornado at Adventureland was terrifying. Then I graduated to Worlds of Fun and remember my heart racing when we would drive down 435 past and I would just SEE the Orient Express...

I remember summers where my cheap family made us go back out to the car for lunch that we packed in coolers, and the pavement was mushy under our feet because it was so hot.

My other favorite thing to do at WOF was the pitching game where you would guess your last throw and win a batting helmet of your choice if you got it right. I collected a crap ton of helmets, some of which are still in my parents' house.

Great memories.

I remember being at Worlds of Fun when I was in high school early on a weekday before the lines got long. We'd ride the Orient Express, then sprint back to get in line to ride it again. Can't even remember how many times we did it, but it was a bunch. That was awesome. Great coaster.

the Zambezi Zinger is still in operation, except that now it thrills riders at the Parque Nacional del Café theme park in Quindío, Colombia

I worked at Worlds of Fun from 1977 to 1983. I started out as a ride operator, and finished as a Ride Operations Supervisor. I just wonder how many of y'all I saw running around that park. We often did "doubles".. 1 shift on your daily ride then another at another ride. I had worked at almost every ride at one point.

Interestingly enough, they don't discuss the tragedies that happened there. The kid that got killed by the Scream Roller, and a head trauma on the Schushboomer, the park employee that just missed being killed but lost a leg, are the only 3 that I remember well

It was a great place to meet girls. Back then, about 3000 seasonal employees, half were young women, just out from under their parents thumb and very sexually curious. It was a glorious time!

Well Burt, I must to seen you as well. I worked on the Octopus '81-82. You are correct about the girls. I had one of the hottest chicks I have ever met give me her phone number and as I walked away, she pinched my butt. She was from NKC. This is one of my biggest regrets in that I lost her phone number. Bummer.

The landscaping was awesome. The trees and water made the orient that much better.

Who was your ride manager?

Me, doing time cards at WOF...80ish

Hell I can't remember. That was a long time ago.

LOL...I get that. But I have a weird memory...I remember all my managers from their..and every wrestler I faced my senior year.

Went to WoF in college in the late 80's. My buddies and I recorded "living on a prayer" at the place where you sang and then got a cassette. It was horrible and we played it all the time and my buddy still has it...

Took my kids to WoF a month ago. Hadn’t been there in 7-8 years.

Overall, I was impressed. Park was clean, ride operations were quick and it seems Cedar Fair is pumping some money into it with landscaping and new rides

Seemed like it was going downhill last time I was there, but they have course corrected.

I'll never forget the smell of the hot parking lot pavement mixed with the faint smell of propane from the parking lot trams.

"How YOU doin'?"

I was gonna say something mean like 'Patrick Duffy, halfway to pulling a Kaitlyn Jenner.'

;)

That brought back alot of memories. I use to ride the Orient alot and on one trip we rode it like 10-15 times in a row...good times.

Loved riding it at night in the dark.

I went to WoF on Allied Signal night way back in the day, right around the time the Mamba opened. There must have been 3 dozen guests in the park total. My buddies and I rode the Mamba about 6 time in a row without a wait. It was sweet.

I once saw a girl get off the Patriot, take two steps towards the exit and puke strawberry slushy all over the walkway.

Speaking of barfing at WoF, last time I went I drank about 9 margaritas in the adult pool at OOF. Then went to ride the boomerang. I at least made it to a bathroom before I lost my lunch (margaritas)

Excellent vid

That was a nice stroll through memory lane. I had forgotten about the Scream Roller. I remember when they changed to Xtreme Roller. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to try it like that. I haven't been to WoF in about 12 years. It's a shame that they haven't added any major rides in a decade.

Of course BL calls it university.....

Yeah the man who lost his leg was the supervisor of the mechanical department. I was there that evening when it happened it came over my radio just as I was crossing the bridge into the Orient. I ran back to to the schussboomer the mechanics were around him just as the nurse arrived. The car was stuck at the top of the incline hill the mechanics were up working on it and he was at bottom straddling the track watching them. It broke loose rolled back to the que line and he was not able to get his leg off track in time. It severed it clean at mid thigh. The park nurse save his life that night by getting a belt around his leg and closed off artery. I was groundskeeping supervisor we got trash bag from closet filled with ice and the nurses placed his leg in it in case. The paramedics took forever to get there it seemed. He lived and actually came back to work he used a motorized cart about a year later had a heart attack and died his wife said it was due to complications from the amputation. Was one of the worst things I saw and was right there.

Your face is familiar but its been a long time. I worked at WOF at opening day through the 78 season. I started as a ground squirrel sweeping the park. We judged the the vomit by how many bags of voban (deodorized sawdust) it took to clean it up. Liquid was preferred over chunky and on the pavement we hated asswipes who tossed their lunch in the cigarette buttcans or trashbins. It actually was the most fun I ever had working.

The parties and park girls were awesome especially the naughty moulin rouge actresses and cotton blossom merchandising chicks. I could tell some stories there holy crap. If you never went to a maintenance grounds keeping party after the park closed over at airplane park at Bennington and South of Parvin Rd you missed out. Was some good times lifetime of memories in a few short years.

Patriot is a shit name for that new coaster.

Bet you remember the Soligo brothers. I vividly remember the twin girls in groundskeeping, Karen and Sharon. One would, one wouldn't....

Speaking of the Scream Roller, I vaguely recall them changing the name of the ride and/or converting it to some kind of stand up coaster in the late 80's early 90's?

--> ExtremeRoller --> EXT

It's outlined in the clip in OP as part of the whole WoF story.

Yes I do especially Sonny.

Ron McNabb he was my boss till he went into electrical contacting. I took over after he left untill I left.

orient express must of made quite an impression on you. Orient Express / log ride what hell is the difference? 1 long seat on the express pretty sure the injuries would be a tad bit higher.

Pretty cool stroll down memory lane there.

pavement smell yes takes me back right to that

exp then someone fell out and they made it sit down. It was the first sit down roller coaster I did upside down BTW

I wanted to sing ALASKIN FUR ALASKIN FUR while watching this

I watched this very video a few months ago. I love the Orient AND defunctland.

Loved the pitching game.

The Zulu was the best though for spending time with the ladies.

That Dolphin show would never fly in today’s era.

Oh yes the twins remember well. The Twin Cotton Blossom girls from NY were hot. Debbie W the balloon girl hubba hubba.

It went back to sit down because of the stress it put on the track, it wasn't engineered to be a stand up coaster.

ROFL

some collections of old photos of the defunct WOF attractions here:

http://www.worldsoffun.org/history/d...tractions.html
(click on the attraction name for more photos)

https://i.imgur.com/k9zr2E9.png
https://i.imgur.com/NMfBBVr.jpg

If you want to ride something similar the Loch Ness Monster at BGW also has interlocking loops.

this is interesting - Thanks for sharing

Thanks for sharing, I remember sweating my balls off waiting n that line that seemed to be a mile long.

Uhhhh.....ok. Why?

Um.....

https://www.boston.com/wp-content/up...y-850x478.jpeg

Remember those assholes that strolled through town last January?

What about the burnt electrical smell of the bumper cars?

That thought never even came to mind but okay, I guess. :shake:

Always was fascinated by that and the sparks from the connection to the ceiling cages. As a kid, I should say. Well really, even as an adult, I still am. Bumper cars hold some weird nostalgic appeal to me.

I suppose it couldn't be called that now.

You’re kidding, right? They acknowledged as much last season when they covered it.

Bo Derek at the 9:47 mark.

Christmas gift every year was a season pass we would get at Penney’s at Indian Springs. Saw a lot of my first concerts from this list. Great memories.

http://www.worldsoffun.org/1974/forum.html

Dude wtf, Cheap Trick played Worlds of Fun?

WoF had some great acts.

@DeBarge

I was misremembering- It was the Zinger.

Quite possibly the most missed and most beloved of Worlds of Fun defunct attractions, Zambezi Zinger was Worlds of Fun's first roller coaster. Manufactured, like Schussboomer, by Anton Schwartzkopf of Germany it was one of only three coasters classified as "Speedracer" coasters, built for their quick turns and speed, prior to the advent of the modern looping coaster. Zinger is often remembered for its quiet, spiral lift hill (due to its in-car motor, instead of chain driven lift), intandem seating, (which made it a great ride for a first coaster, and first date), and of course, its dark and foreboding tunnel at the end. The end of Zambezi Zinger at Worlds of Fun was written on the wall when Zinger's parent company, Schwartzkopf Industries declared bankruptcy (the final time) in 1995, and ceased producing replacement parts. Though a few parks have endeavored to keep their well-loved Schwartzkopf coasters, many followed the path of Worlds of Fun and removed them. In the case of Zinger, Zinger was sold by a ride broker to a park near Bogota, Columbia South America where it still continues to operate to this day.

Saw some crazy good acts there. One time they had the cast from Leave it to Beaver there and they performed an episode/skit with a random guy from the audience playing Ward. Such an odd booking. The place was packed though.

In the late 80’s they converted that big yellow and white group party tent in Europa to a teen nightclub every Friday and called it Exit 54. Great place to hit on girls back in the day. Memories man...

I don't see it listed, but I swear one of the first times I ever heard the name 'New Kids on the Block' was girls at school going crazy to see them at WoF.

I could have sworn I saw Head East there, but they're not listed.

Yeah that list is incomplete as I know the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was there 3 times I watched er worked 2 of their shows the list show 1. Souther Hillman Furay Band was there either 74-75.

I agree with those talking about the pavement smell....I can close my eyes and it's like I'm there again.

That smell always gives me a headache