Mine Ride after 1977

A co-worker asked me a few questions today about the Mine Ride experience before and after 1977. I wasn't sure on some of the answers (I'm old, but not that old :) ), so I thought I would post to see if some of the old timers could help out.

I know that the Mine Ride was damaged during the 1977 tornado. So the two questions are, how much was it damaged and was the ride significantly different after the repairs were made?

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Virtual Midway
http://www.virtualmidway.com

*** This post was edited by Gemini 6/5/2002 3:11:14 PM ***

I don't recall any major changes to the ride itself. The first drop (after the dip) and the helix are definitely still the same.

I seem to recall that we used to enter the queue from the right side through the "mine shaft" tho, although the problem with being old enough to remember back that far is details tend to go away.

CCMR was the only coaster I would go on until 1970 when a boyfriend talked me into Blue Streak.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

Not that I am THAT OLD...(friend told me about this time period;))

I do not remember any significant changes to Mine Ride pre and post 1977.

The "line change" happened long before 1977 since a queue area was needed.

I do remember when Mine Ride hieght restriction was LOWERed to under 48 inches accompianed by Adult, and then when Mine Ride was Raised again to it's current 48 inch height restricted.

This is still a "fun coaster" which use to be quite fun to watch with FIVE trains flying around at once...That part of FTown really use to kick it up with Mine Ride, The Frontier Lift and The OUTDOOR Country Show...Heck to this day when ever I hear Rocky Top I first think of walking down the Mine Ride exit and seeing the performers dancing away.

See what you did Walt, Now I'll have to go have a beer and drown my sorrows:)

You know, there don't seem to be many people on the forums who remember CP prior to 1975. It really hit home when I took my son into the CP Museum and showed him pictures of rides that I rode when I was a kid, including the Frontier Lift, the old style "monster", the log ride...
Darn, I think I'm going to have to search my mom's photos.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

Heck with MOM's Photos...I have my OWN photos from back then...

At one time (and if I brushed my brain off I may be able to do it again) I could rattle off each addition to CP and each deletion made by season starting back in 1965 to present day

Hi, I'm Old Timer Tim and I am a CP addict.....

All I remember from that time frame is that I thought the wildcat cars where going to be hard to steer and I would die. I also felt bad for the people that died in the burning boat in the lagoons.

Sad to say I can't remember the ccmr back then......

(Thought I would add that the burning boat was a prop on the boat ride.....Some newer folks might think something really happened...)

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Get with it or die in the process.....
*** This post was edited by jeffgn 6/5/2002 4:47:34 PM ***

Ahhhhh....the burning boat. I forgot all about that! About the Mine Ride..I remember when they ran more cars. They were one after another! Then when I got older we saw maybe 1 or 2 cars on the xfr track. Now there are 3 just sitting there. This is one ride that is capable of being reworked and made more thrilling. Back to the 1977 thing. I don't remember any changes except the que move, but I don't think it was related to a tornado. The old que is still visible on the right after the path goes left up the hill when you are still on the asphalt. I never see lines and I always wonder why they bothered to move it. The old entrance was so much quicker! I don't remember ever hearing about a tornado doing damage. Can someone fill me in?

I remember the burning boat too. What about the train robbery? I also seem to remember that the train ride included some "robbers" who stopped and jumped the train.

CP certainly has changed over the years.

I don't remember any details about the tornado, except that there were a lot of trees lost and damaged. I think there was a woman seriously hurt by a falling branch or tree, but don't remember if that was the tornado incident or another storm.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

The tornado damaged the track on the stretch over the water. This was repaired. The tornado changed only one thing: it sucked out and destroyed a lot of the trees. The Mine Ride used to be very hard to follow through the thickness of the trees. In fact it also took many out where the Gemini was to be built, more than they had actually planned to take out on their own. The Frontier Town train station was damaged as well.

Argh... I'm trying to get my son to try the Mine Ride. Personally I think Woodstock Express is more wicked than the Mine Ride...I wish he would get over his fear and TRY it.... I think he'd like it!!! ::smile::

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God bless ya'll!!!!

The Frontier Town train station was totally smashed. I remember how bare the Mine Ride looked after the tornado. But there were absolutly no changes to the ride, they just fixed what was damaged by the fallen trees.

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It's very hard to drink all day...
Unless you start first thing in the morning.

How many trees are we talking about here? Just a couple or a small forest? I would have loved to have ridden CCMR with lots of trees. Then again, it is a CP custom not to fix any theming they might have after it falls apart...

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*- CP Fan -*
Welcome to...Millennium Force...

That does make a lot for sense to me...I always wondered why the just had a rather large wasted courtyard where it sits. I though it was an uncharacteristic waste of space. I wish they would have put some trees back in.

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Snoopy Rocks! On Ice starts June 22--Do you think they'll let me drive the Zamboni machine?

I want to drive the Zamboni!

Problem is that if they even had put some trees back in, they would have taken forever to reach their previous height. I'm assuming that since it's been said you couldn't see certain parts of Mine Ride that the trees were tall and dense.

A Deanne said above, there were alot of trees which did make it a challenge to follow the track. The dark brown color of the track structure really blended in with the trees. You really felt like you were flying through the forest. I think the ride hasn't been the same since.

If they had put them back we would be having fun now.. Tree's get big in 20+ years....

Did the train bridge get screwed up? It's pretty close to the ride.

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Get with it or die in the process.....

Why cant the still run 5 trians, or do they not run 5 because there is no point

http://www.guidetothepoint.com/content.aspx?channel=32

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

I worked Mill Race in 1977. Mill Race [moved to Cedar Fair? later]finally shut down that day just before height of storm. I saw two purple huge cloud fronts slide one right on top of other. I was right behind Blue streak looking above Marina pier. Front part of park didn't really know how bad back of park was. Mine Ride had an almost 70% loop and was kinda bumpy when finally reopened. I wandered into Ride Ops office after storm. An area super handed me a big flashlight and I went back to camper village area and walked a dozen people through wooded area where the corny animatronics for train and paddle wheel boats passed. Trees down on frontier depot, frontier arcade, the brick carp bridge, and all over. front of park, other than every trash can and a bunch of branches down, not too bad. Of course Mill Race had a bit of rivalry with Shoot the Rapids... Double ferris wheel upfront was still up when I first began there...

OldCPer said:
You know, there don't seem to be many people on the forums who remember CP prior to 1975. It really hit home when I took my son into the CP Museum

Is the museum open? I went there opening weekend and the Town Hall was still closed.