Old Magnum Info / Photos

Hey everyone,

I'm working on editing an article written by one of our GOCC members for our May 2019 issue of The Streak which pertains to the 30th anniversary of Magnum's debut. The article is pretty good but most of the stuff originally included is well-known information, the layout, stats, etc.

So, what I'm wondering if is anybody has any anecdotes, little-known facts, early photos, etc. that they would be willing to share for the article?

I don't come on here very often, so if you have anything that I might be able to use, please feel free to shoot me an email at editor@greatohiocc.org - I will credit you or whoever provides the information. The lesser-known, the better.

Thanks for anything you might be able to provide - see some of you Saturday at WCO!

Bob K.

GOCC Editor

Instagram: @bkphotopage

Some quotes by John Hildebrandt in his Always Cedar Point memoir:

"The word derives from the Latin word 'magnus,', which means large, And that's the context of the name of the roller coaster. The 'XL-200' was added to reinforce the message and size and the world record-breaking height of the ride. It was Lee Jewett's idea, and it was a good one."

"Magnum was not originally designed to be 205 feet high. An extra 20 feet was added at the suggestion of a board member, which proved to be one of the best marketing decisions in the history of Cedar Point."

"For those with height issues, the right side of the train is a much better option [stairs/railing obscures the view of the ground]."

"There were some in park industry in the 1980s who believed that all future steel coasters would include inversions. Dick Kinzel wasn't one of them. He was not a fan of riding upside down and suspected he was not alone."

"There's no question Magnum was Dick Kinzel's favorite ride."

"[Magnum] generated the biggest YOY (year over year) attendance increase in the park's history."

One of the prizes at the guessing game adjacent to Magnum XL 200 on the midway during the 1989 debut season was an inflatable beach ball type of prize. Guests would partake in a game of volleyball while waiting 1-1/2 hours to wait for the ride. There were times you would see 3 or 4 going at one time. {Now we have matured because we have cell phones}

There was no padding on the seats of the train which led to people banging their back especially on the return air time ejector hills.

^ "{Now we have matured because we have cell phones} "

That must explain why there's definitely not a very long thread on here about cell phone privilege. ;)

In regards to Magnum, I wish I had some good trivia. But I'll just say that when every season rolls around, I often ask my friends what 3 rides they're most looking forward to. And while the answers all vary, even with the modern behemoths, everyone's list includes Magnum. It's truly an iconic ride.

Yes! I was one of those in line that summer (1989) who played with the beach ball. It made the time pass. A lot of fun.

Still a fun ride.

I wasn't there, but the one thing I always remember people saying is that it snowed on opening day.

I was working my first season as a full-timer on Magnum's Opening Day in 1989; there wasn't an accumulation of snow, but the thick, gray clouds were occasionally spitting some white stuff.

There were a number of historical Magnum items on display at Planning and Design during Winter Chill Out including a model of the station and lift hill. The big display board also had some concept art for the logo and the rode itself.

I saw them and got some pictures, thanks. Still working on gathering more interesting information.

I’ve always wanted to see a side by side photo comparison of the turnaround before and after the reprofile. Same with the trains before the padding was added. Sadly I don’t have any pictures to help you with the article, but I’m looking forward to reading it.

Does anyone have a picture of sparks flying off the trains before upstop wheels were added?