Scrambler has been scrambling riders for nearly 50 years.

here's a tribute to one of the rides people don't talk much, the Scrambler. I read where the Scrambler was added to the park in 1960. That was just 5 years after the Scrambler was introduced by the Eli Bridge Co.

I think the ride was located near where Burger Patio is when it was first added and moved where it is now in 1965. Most of the rides nearby have been moved or removed but the Scrambler keeps going strong.

And Cedar Point's Scrambler is one of the best looking ones around.

I'll bet for most of you this ride was one of the first non kiddie rides you ever went on. I know it was one of my first "big" rides.

If only they had a respectable ride length. CP's scrambler is the worst Ive ridden because of the horribly short ride program, it seems like you just get up to speed when the thing starts slowing down again.

That's exactly what they do: one rotation at 11.6 RPM, then kill the power. Hardly worth riding if they run it like that!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

When I was younger, the Scrambler was my favorite ride. Fast forward to now and the damn thing makes me sick if I try and ride it. Oh well, always got coasters:)

Just an FYI if you are ever in the Orlando area. Old Town on 192 has the "orriginal" Scrambler! The ride op's are very proud, and will gladly show you the serial number.....#000001! And they crank that thing up!

My daughter loves the Scrambler. It is her first bigger ride too.

Not to mention the other Scrambler-esque rides in the park (Calypso, Troika) give a much longer ride cycle, which is why I always seem to ride each of them once per trip as opposed to the 2-3 times a season a short line tempts me to ride the Scrambler.

My annual ride on the Scrambler is usually on a weekday in May and I've never had a complaint with the ride cycle. Maybe there's different cycles depending on crowd conditions. (Or maybe I'm automatically accustomed to the short cycles on Cedar Point rides, they've been like that since the 60's it seems.)

I always point out the Scrambler as one of Cedar Point's oldest continuously operating rides, and it's hard to believe the same machine was there spinning when I made my first visit in 1962. The ride has had a couple of different locations, but has been in it's current spot the longest by far. '65 seems a little early, but it may have been. Is that when the original Trabant arrived? I think they were placed side by side when that happened. Anyway, I can't imagine looking down that side of the midway and not seeing it.

I was at Old Town in February and paid little attention to the Scrambler there. Had I known it was #1 I definitely would have given it a spin. Now I have an excuse to go back to that strange place. (the night I was there it was really cold and the place was like a ghost town.)

This is certainly a tribute to the venerability of Eli Bridge Co.'s rides. Many of their old wheels still operate as well.

What's the difference between Troika! Troika! Troika! and Scrambler?

Old Town's Scrambler is the first one built, but it does not carry the original seats anymore. Ms. Sullivan says those went back to the factory where they cut them in half to destroy them.

You can check out the serial number on a Scrambler by looking at the data plate on the center. Typically on those Eli rides, the first two digits are the year, the other digits are the serial number. I think the serial numbers are sequential , not related to the year (so if they built ride #50 in '65, then the first '66 ride would be 66-51).

As for the difference between the Scrambler and the Troika...
The Scrambler is a flat ride from the Eli Bridge Co., which generates a cloverleaf acceleration pattern which exerts an almost entirely sideways force of up to either 2 or 3 G's (I forget which). Scrambler has four tubs on each unit pole, three primary sweeps for a total of 12 tubs carrying up to 24 adults or 36 children.

Troika is a high ride from Huss which generates an acceleration pattern similar to the Scrambler but on a smaller scale. Also, the Troika unit arms rise up to a position where the unit rotation is on a plane approaching vertical. Furthermore, the ride tubs are able to swing, so the primary acceleration you feel on a Troika is actually downward, not to the outside as on a Scrambler.

Troika has three main sweeps, each carrying a wheel of seven swinging cars, for a total of 21 cars carrying up to 42 riders.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Two of the best Scramblers I have ever been on are Waldameer and Indiana Beach. Both of these have VERY long cycles, and have some great g-forces.

I quickly found out last weekend, that Waldameer's spinning rides and I, might not be the best fit for one another. :)

Those rides go on and on forever, and I was feeling a little queasy. Could have been any number of other factors, though.

I don't get the point of taming a flat ride. KI's Viking Fury seemed tamed this year. It used to be much better than Ocean Motion, but not anymore. I'm not sure if they are the same company or not.

Viking Fury is actually an Intamin. Ocean Motion is a Huss.

The best pirate ship rides I have been on are the Chance Morgan variety (Sea Dragon)

The year Vicking Fury went in it was actually early, opened mid-season the year before it was planned. (As some sort of apology for a non-operating Bat. I think that same summer Racer was turned around backwards, too.) Anyway, it was the largest swinging ship anybody ever saw, and was a huge hit with long lines every day. It also operated really well, with a very high swing that sent it well past the station. Not so much now, in fact I rode it last fall and remembered how much fun it used to be.

The excruciating Waldameer ride for me was the Spider. It went on forever and the motion got so repetative I kinda couldn't wait for it to be over. I'm always appreciative of smaller parks that have decent ride cycles on their flats, though.

Wipeout at Waldameer has one of the most ridiculous finales of any flat I've been on.

I remember going to Kings Island in 1982 and riding the Viking Fury. It was supposed to go in in 1983and on the souvinir map it said Swinging Ship 1983. I don't think they even had a name for it yet. It was not in the park guide that year. It's a beautiful ride.

Viking Fury is probably (as of a few weeks ago) the worst swinging ship I've ever bothered to ride. Every pass of the boat over the wheel is like driving over fallen timber. Coupled with the lack of decent air time and the short cycle, it's not worth a walk-on. Though I admit it is beautiful to look at -- begin the Mean Streak jokes now....

I used to love the Scrambler when I was younger, but ever since I had kids, I don' t do spinning well...I don't get sick, just very dizzy, but I am glad I can still do my coasters!