Let's Remember Disaster Transport!

Woodstock Express, Jr. Gemini, Iron Dragon, Wild Cat, CCMR. I'd even go so far as to say Blue Streak. All, to me at least, fit in the category of "Family Coasters." More so because that's all they had when I was coming up, with the exception of Woodstock Express, and, for at least a couple of years, Iron Dragon. I remember dragging my parents on CCMR about a dozen times every time we went because I didn't feel ready for the big stuff yet. Let's not pretend like DT is the only option for family rides, it isn't. I rode it when I was 5, the year it went in. Waited damn near two hours in the July sun. Still thought it was lame. I was afraid of inversions until I was 11, and thought Avalanche Run was lame when I was 5. My opinion.

CP put out a press release that DT would be demolished, and a 6 inversion launched Vekoma flyer built in its place. The release was taken off the site, and I think it may just be April Fools.

Proof:

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Looks like an April Fools to me.

While everyone is complaining about poor old DT, let's not forget there is a much more boring pile of wood sitting in the back of the park.

:)

Ohh, SoFnB'd, you nailed it. Opening year AR had a 2+ hour wait on new, white concrete in the sun, very little shade. We were baking! Then you got to this ski chalet building at the top of the stairs to load. It was inconguous to try mixing a winter Olympics sport on a sunny beach. Would have been improved by theming though. They could have moved the Matterhorn and Bayern Kurve nearby to make a Nordic corner of the park, and attached cheap little painted 2-D wooden Alps to the supports for AR's track so the riders could see them. That would have cost what, a couple thousand bucks back then including labor and materials?

OT: As a kid I was fascinated by the boy and girl in the tower of BK, how they would alternate popping up and down. Now that was a great family ride. Used to be located where Wildcat stands now.

I like indoor coasters, and prefer milder ones. My wife and I just visited CP after many years (I grew up in Toledo and went there every summer...who knew so many ppl thought it was such a great park?), and I got to ride Disaster Transport for the first time. Sure, it's not what it was, the theme may be goofy, and even the CP CEO said it was one of his biggest mistakes, but it's still a great ride!! And fills out the variety of coasters at CP (though I was very p.o. to find that the old log water-ride White Water Rapids was turned into the Maverick ride...another steel coaster, replaces a great water coaster!

BUT: my QUESTION is: Does anyone have any idea what the mood music being played in the que for DT was? It's a loop, pretty subtle, of some kind of futuristic sounding choral-like voices, a little eerie and somewhat reminiscent of parts of Philip Glasses choral sounds in Koyaanisquatsi. Any one know anything about this obscure part of the ride??

It sounds like space music, which really adds a lot to the ride. I'm guessing the DT theme must be a space themed ride. Anyways the problem with DT is that it is too short. It's a fun ride but needs to be longer.

It's fun riding it with people who have never been on it and just sit and scream their heads off the whole ride. But the themeing is still tacky and as a loke, they should install bright white lights inside the ride as you zoom through the trough. Then you could see EVERYTHING in the buildings under bright lights! See how ugly the trough is and all the old dusty junk on the walls. :)

This ride could be greatly enhanced with just a little effort in the theming and lighting department. It's too bad that it's been left to rot away.

Miss_Maverick07 said:
It's fun riding it with people who have never been on it and just sit and scream their heads off the whole ride.

My mom did that. :) It is also funny to hear people in the queue behind you talking about how nervous they are to ride it.

I love DT, and always will. It reminds me of my first time at Cedar Point. It is an eye sore though, the theming sucks, and it's way to short of a ride. Yes CPboy77, it believe it used to be space themed. It also used to be Alaska themed. It is supposed to be a dispatch transporter of some sort, (maybe a plane or a space ship) that loses control. Hence the name "Disastor" Transport. :)

Edit: I just read the first post on this thread. DT sounds like it would've been great in it's hay day! Too bad they got rid of all of the theming it used to have.

Anybody who references Phillip Glass or Koyaanisquatsi is okay by me. :)

I think the musical theme really serves to tie together the various rooms and corridors. It definitely adds an eerie tone that it previously missed.

Probably the best thing that could be done to improve DT now would be to remove vestiges of the DT story: get rid of the paintings of various destinations that have apparently been taken over by monsters -- it makes no sense, and it doesn't even work for the Egyptian haunted house either. It's like two wrongs making an even worse wrong. Instead, they should spend a little cash to install generic looking space theming and don't worry so much about the story. Give people that, and they won't need more than that.

Comparison. Cosmic Chaos at Kennywood is alien themed. The ride looks like a flying saucer, there are a few assorted props scattered around, and aliens speaking in some funky alien language is audible at times. And it's enough. We don't need to know if the aliens are hostile, or like amusement parks, or are supporting Barack Obama. It works the way it is, and DT could be the same way.

I think a little simplification -- and scubbing of theming mistakes -- could make DT a much more interesting ride.

Me and my girlfriend rode DT 9 times on thursday just for the AC. Thats all its good for. The sucky thing is that once you get on the ride the lift hill is very hot. They need that part ACed too.

That'd cost a fortune.

So are they taking this POS down or what?

I'd have to disagree with you Factory. DT is an eye sore, and has some theming problems. But it is not a POS. The ride is too short, but it is a fun one...if it is completely dark in there. It takes some of the funness away if they have it lit up.

Would is be possible to simply remove the shell of a building that surrounds disaster transport and return the ride to its Avalanche Run state? I liked it as it was before it was re-themed. That was the dumbest idea ever. Let's box an existing ride in and call it new; as Mr. Pissy says, don't pee on my leg and call it rain.

I think when they boxed it in, they were trying to improve it. So they probably won't remove the building. Plus if they were going to remove the building, they would most likely remove the entire coaster. They use the building for winter and Halloweekends storage.

I asked a couple of years ago if they would consider removing or replacing DT and was told no, because it would cut into the roller coaster total (which, I don't think anyone else is close to anyway). As for possibly replacing it, where would they store all the Halloweekends stuff? I have seen rumors regarding removing Demon Drop, though. Any thoughts on that?

It has ALWAYS been hot like that ever since they re-themed it. It was part of the original experience because you were leaving CP (Sandusky) to go to Alaska in the middle of the summer.

I remember it when it first opened at Avalanche Run. Being younger then it was cool standing in line watching the bobs travel the track. Didnt at one time a Some the themeing get shaken loose and fell in the the track? I thought that was the end of most of the themeing cause i thought Impalled a rider or did I hear that from the lemon chill guy? Oh yea with the price of scrap metal..... Cp could get a return on scraping the ride out lol. I have good idea for a coaster that would be a blast from the past. Knotts Berry Farm use to have an old coaster that was a soap box racer. Take the Idea, Improve on it, It would be a hit. Heres is a link to the old pics of it. http://rcdb.com/id1333.htm