When did Magnum lose the lift hill spiel?

Watching some videos of the Beast reminded me of when the Magnum used to have speakers and a spiel on the lift hill. I know they don't have it anymore, but I'm trying to pinpoint when specifically the speakers were removed.

As much as it arguably enhanced the experience and made the Magnum seem that much more important and legitimate, I can't really say I miss it, because I definitely remember the speakers getting old and garbled to the point that it sounded more like a NYC subway announcement, even if it was still loud enough that you could hear it from the Soak City lot.

The Magnum's really the only coaster so far at CP that really would work for a lift spiel/music, since Millennium and Maverick are too fast to really let the atmosphere soak in like on the Beast and Magnum, but then again the lift hill should be able to build anticipation by itself anyway.

Off the top of my head, I can't remember ever hearing anything within the past 10 years. I know that at least the past 5 years it hasn't had speakers playing during the lift hill.

Maybe those went away the same time they got rid of the laser sound effects in the tunnels.

I sure do miss those sound effects!

How about that Cedar Fair Themeing! woohooo

I miss the Maverick effects...

That was good for what? one season? two?

What ever happened do the water effect after the tunnel....

They work when they want too. From what I understand the dirty water clogs them up, and someone has to go clean them every so often.

I heard from lemonchill they are plugged from the sinking.

The only place you could actually hear the Magnum lift spiel was in the Soak City parking lot anyway.

Wasn't there a problem with all of the additional sounds waking people up in the nearby hotels?

When did that spiel go away?

Not long enough ago!

--Dave Althoff, Jr

I can remember staying on the wrong side of Sandcastle in the early 90s's and yes, that 'pew pew pew' was clearly heard all night long. Being as the sound was produced in a metal tube next to a large body of water, I assume they got complaints from Pelee Island.

The last time I heard the spiel that I can remember was around 2006. That is not to say it still didn't occasionally play since then.

The lift hill spiels were awful, you could only hear two or three words at a time before it faded away behind the sound of the anti-rollbacks. What a waste for CP to spend money setting those up, I'm sure it was something conceived by lawyers. Good riddance! As Dave said, they went away not long enough ago.

I think it was still there when I moved away in 2009, so I suppose it was within the last two years.

If anyone remembers this thread from 2006, that sound pack included a recording of the Magnum lift hill with bits and pieces of the spiel (which I've uploaded here if anyone cares to hear it).

If it's true that the speakers were removed at the same time that the fog went away in the tunnels, then I'd have to say 2006 was the last year. I distinctly remember fog in the tunnels the first time I rode in 2006, but never again after that.

Thanks for the upload! I would give anything for the pew pew pew and fog again. Now that DK is gone..... maybe we'll get our ride themeing back....

I think they added the lift spiels around the same time they tried to have pre-recorded spiels for all the coaster stations. WT and MF are the only two left, I think.

^I don't think there are any auto-spiels on any of the rides anymore. Calypso had one last year, but it seems it isn't playing this year. Call me crazy, but I kinda like the auto-spiels. Ride hosts at other parks with them seem more focused on dispatching quicker.

I think Monster still has one.