Calypso looking bare

I've always thought the CP of my youth (mid 70's) was more lit up than today. I always attributed it to being young and wide-eyed. On another note, I seem to remember a whole lot more of the yellow bug lights in the old days. I should really grab a few of you old timers and have a 'CP in the 70's' gab session at TGIF or something. (The Saloon seems like a better bet, old times sake & all.)

-Stimps

Dutchman said:
The old spectaculars have a LOT of lights on them. The Giant Wheel was originally set up with 32,608 lamps. The late Jumbo Jet had just over 30,000 on it. The Matterhorn, Schwabinchin, Bayern Kurve, and Super Himalaya all had lamp counts in the 15-20 thousand range. These are specialty lamps. You cant' run down to Lowes and by them. Then there is the cost to light them. It would very often take more electricty to light a ride than actually run it. Not to mention the time it take to make sure that all of those circuits work. During my era at CP there was a dedicated crew that all they ever did was make sure that all of the lights on the rides burned. They had their own cherry picker, and a warehouse full of lamps. It would appear that those days are long gone.

Something else to consider...

At home, I am building a deck/back porch. I work on it in the evening when I get home from work.

Lately, I've been wrapping up work well after 9:00pm, because that's when it gets dark around here.

How much of the loss in amusement park lighting is because of Daylight Savings Time and the fact that it just doesn't get dark until an hour before park close?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Stimpy said:

I seem to remember a whole lot more of the yellow bug lights in the old days.

Inside the station on Cedar Creek Mine Ride! :)

kylepark said:
If you think it looks bad now without the center, try taking a look way back....

http://www.pointbuzz.com/Gallery.aspx?a=372

Ack! Too...much...ATMOSPHERE!

Did the Brady Bunch come and visit the park that day?

Dave, didn't Congress enact Daylight Savings sometime around 1966? Cedar Point still had some pretty good lighting on it's rides all through the 70's.

For what it's worth, Cedar Point added Chaos in 1997. The already fantastic lighting package on that ride was made even better after its relocation and addition of the backdrop flash.

Agreed,

calypso is looking sad compared to what it used to look like. I remember when it was located where raptors loop is, and it was a head turner. It had so many lights on it that it lit up the entire midway.

One of the things I remember was the background with the hearts and the cover over the que area.

This is nothing new. CP cares for the mechanics of rides spectacularly well. They don't seem to care much at all about the aesthetics. Disaster transport queue. Caves on WWL. Themeing on TTD trains. The skirt on Himalaya. "Organs" on the carousels.

They haven't completely given up, though. For example, the Peanuts 500 lighting package was nearly intact during opening weekend this year. A sharp contrast to last year, when a dozen or more lamps were dead the entire season on nearly every camp snoopy ride.

*** Edited 6/10/2005 4:46:45 PM UTC by Brian Noble***

Brian Noble said:
Themeing on TTD trains.

Those were removed for safety reasons. The plastic motors were starting to crack, and cracks were found on the axles that held the tires on. Those tires were very very heavy. They were real rubber tires on metal rims. Pieces and parts were starting to break off so the decision was made to remove them as opposed to finding a way to make them last. If I remember correctly they didn't make it through the first season.

The new lights in games and on the skyway stations are, for the most part, LED lights and very economical (as in power, not sure about price). Wonder if this will be a theme we'll see in the future with lighting the rides?
*** Edited 6/10/2005 5:23:33 PM UTC by CPLurker***

The dynamic lighting on the posts I'm sure isn't cheap. I can't tell what they're using on the overhang that projects up.

I'm hopeful that the new games midway is an indication that they are trying to boost the aesthetic aspects of the park. Restoring a carousel organ sure would be a nice thing at the main gate. It's the first and last thing most people see... it's important to leave that lasting impression of the atmosphere.

yes the spinning CP logo is pretty neat. I'm sure those weren't cheap. The kids have a blast chasing them! Dunno about the carousel organ... can't be too many around that know how to fix those things anymore! I would like that too though.

One of the best band organ men in the country is in Bellfountaine,OH. He USED to take care of all of CP's organs back in the day. I know he would be more than willing to do it again, providided the terms were agreeable.

I rode Calypso, and I have a theory...

Removing the center decoration from the ride means that the operator can see the entire ride at all times from the doghouse. That eliminates the need for a second operator at the base of the ride...and accordingly, I noticed that one operator was running the Calypso.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

No, that was King's Island but check out those clothes in that picture!

CPLurker: I'm well aware of why it was removed. However, they just flat-out gave up, and quickly, rather than try to replace it with something more mechanically stable.

On the other hand, the change resulted in higher capacity, so I'm not exactly complaining. Rather, I'm pointing out that CP has, over the past decade at least, put aesthetic appeal way down its list of priorities.

I, too, am hoping that the games/sky ride station improvements mean this is changing. And there are a few other indications---last year's redesign of the dodgem sign is another example.

The Corkscrew station is due for a facelift.