CONEY ISLAND OHIO amusement park, pre-1971 roller coasters

[Lmmarcher09]

It's sad now that all a roller coasters require that riders be comparatively stapled from those days... Ita would be so much more fun to ride the beast at kings island without. Being so pinned into the seat like today. Cool video man showing it to my dad who loved the shooting star and remembers it fondly! Thanks so much!

[ryanweiskopf]

What song is this? I would have appreciated if "coney island" by death cab was the song in this video.

[vanseventy]

What is the name of the songs and by who. good instrumentals!

[delhiskatingdays]

why all the coasters gone?

[jjhtr]

My father was a lifeguard at the pool in the late 30's and would give high diving expos off the tower in the pool area. Evil Kneevel used to preform there in the early '60s

[MsSoundguy]

Well done, swampfoxer. I got a great feel for the place. And the POVs were wonderful. The similarities between Coney Island and the park I grew up in (Rocky Springs near Lancaster, PA) are striking, in some cases...right down to the right colors on the Cuddle Up and the proper cars in Dodgem. Excellent.

[cincybengals101]

I really hope someday it turns back like this. I went today, and while it was fun, it is so small and the rides are so small.

[jenniferbranch3]

I'm so upset I never got to see Coney Island in it's glory days



[ampana]

You never, ever appreciate anything until it is GONE.Things look better in the rear view mirror and this will never change.

For me, the greatest thing that could ever have been about Coney would have been to ride there on the old Island Queen steamboat from the public landing downtown. That would be the best ride on the planet just behind the space shuttle.

[bohrokthunder]

i see wild cat

[TheTrackwalker]

I have a two by six board from the Shooting Star. It is 1 3/4 inches thick. If you measure the thickness of a two by six board today you'll find that it is 1 5/8 inches thick. Again, the track on the Shooting Star was 18 inches thick, making it the smoothest roller coaster ever built.

[TheTrackwalker]

In my opinion, the Shooting Star was a much more exciting coaster than the Racer at Kings Island because of the 360 degree tunnel enclosed curve at the end of the ride. It was something you didn't expect from an out and back coaster. Kings Island still has the merry-go-round from Coney, the Monster, the Log Flume, Scrambler, Dogem. Some of the other rides like the Tumble Bug, Flying Scooter and Super Slide, Galaxi 500 coaster, have been removed over the years.

[TheTrackwalker]

The Shooting Star was not moved to Kings Island. It was torn down about a year after Kings Island opened. The Racer at Kings Island was a brand new roller coaster designed by John Allen of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. They may have moved two of the PTC Shooting Star trains to Kings Island. But the Racer has four trains so two of the Racers trains had to be new and not from Coney Island. The Racer was constructed with all new wood so none of it was from the Shooting Star.

[TheTrackwalker]

Herbert Schmeck of the Philadelphia Toboggan Co. took the Clipper roller coaster's lift hill and final enclosed 360 degree turn and converted it into the Shooting Star. What's missing in the video of the Shooting Star is the final enclosed 360 degree turn which was the most exciting part of the ride. In fact, that enclosed turn was the inspiration for the helix on The Beast at Kings Island. The Shooting Star was also loaded with air time or negative G that kept you out of the seat.

[TheTrackwalker]

That was a great video of Cinci's Coney Island on Kellogg Ave. swampfoxer. I especially liked to see the Shooting Star roller coaster. Did everybody notice how smooth the camera was when the Shooting Star train went down the first drop and over some of the hills? Why was it so smooth? Here's the reason. The track was made of nine (9) laminations of two (2) inch thick rough cut lumber, making the track a total of eighteen (18) inches thick ... thicker than any other roller coaster then or now.

[NanBayKid1]

Coney Island was one helluva fun place to go. Couple it with the faboulous ride on the ISLAND QUEEN from downtown Cincy and you had a day that will never be forgotten. OH. the fabulous days here in my childhood and the great MUSIC at Moonlight Gardens in the 50`s. NOTHING has been able to replace those good times

[callmemarc]

I wish there was still a real amusement park at Coney because I live like 2 minutes away

[masterblaster273]

Brings back a lot of memories, used to go there every summer when I ws very young, thanks for posting!

[bigretrorod]

Great video, thanks. I was there in 1960 it was a truly great place. The last time I was there was the last year it was open for our 9th grade School trip. Great memories of the park then too. Sorry to have see it partially torn down. I feel many of the older rides should have made there way into the new Kings Island that replaced it. Bet there sorry now that didn't happen.

[grandmar51]

I have fond memories of old coney in Aug. 1961 the Day my Father Died he was working just to take us there went he was finish, never maded it but ever year after my mother

made sure we went love the old coney!!!

[jldc072100]

ugh, that looks terrible compared to what its like NOW 

[abbeykroeter]

@jldc072100 of COURSE today's rides and amusements look better. They're NEWER you idiot. As people inevitably learn from previous things to build newer things, they usually improve. I'm always shocked when somebody actually has to point it out!! Someday people younger than you are going to say "that old stuff in 2011 was terrible compared to today" and you'll see the new place has no soul or style, terrifyingly overpopulated with fickle, impatient kids. Print this and save it for 30 years.

[cannibalonXthedead]

@jldc072100 Clearly you don't undeerstand what it takes to make a good amusment park. about 80% of parks today don't even have half the charm this place had. Billions of dollars in record braking coasters and expensive special effects are a nice touch, but it takes real brains to make something with charm and charachter

[PeterMayer]

Kings Island had that old airplane ride where you held the fin.

[Garfina]

I have never been there. Looks like a fun site. I have been to Kings Island many years ago. Great video especially the coaster! Felt like I was on there!

[MsJoyceG]

And the ISLAND QUEEN

[kyroughman1]

superb vid, excellent

[Garfina]

@kyroughman1

Couldn't agree more. The coaster scenes were like you were on there! I have never been to Coney Island but have heard of it.

[tctaylor9696]

coney island didnt close, it's still there, but the rides are pretty much kids rides.

[ericaforbes04]

@tctaylor9696 yeah those rides there suck lol pretty much just go for the pool and the water slides

[48wildcat]

i wish coney island was like that now

[mavennes]

it game alot of it rides to kings island

[smcm5]

Wow - this is FANTASTIC! What memories. We went there throughout the 60s until we moved away in 1970. We used to go sit in a park above the river to watch the fireworks at CI on July 4 - reflected in the river.

[stenger41018]

I think anyone who grew up in the 20's-70's in Cincy would love to see Coney come back to it's prime. But unfortantly, they are kinda stuck in the pre-20's era. It is still one of the cleanliest places to go no doubt, but it's lackluster for sure. I've got the book on Coney Island, and found it amazing. I being 25 years old and a big history nerd for the 20's-early 70's, would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see America's Playground come back to its prime. I've spent many days in this place, and more to come.

[Glitch969]

We went there when I was a kid. I went nuts when I found out that it was the park where they filmed "The Banana Splits Show" - which was the big thing on Saturday mornings at the time.

They had guys wearing the show costumes there to interact with the guests. Every Saturday after that, I watched the show VERY carefully to see if I could see myself somewhere in the show intro.

[thesixtiesguy]

I always thought the Banana Splits stuff was filmed at Six Flags in Texas. I'm pretty sure I saw it in the ending credits. Anyway. I came here many times as a child but never went on the roller coaster. Loved Laugh in the Dark into my teenage years.

[midwife61]

i LOVED the Tumblebug, the Teddy Bear, and the Cuddle Up! I lived close by. It was great - you could go there for a couple hours and not go broke - Mom would drop us off - you could get in for $.75 buy ride tickets for a quarter!

[NightBazaar]

I remember Laugh in the Dark. It was a dark ride with lots of twists and turns and things jumping out at you as your car rolled through it. There was a similar one at the Cincinnati Zoo.

I loved seeing the quick view of the Rotor in the video. That was one of my favorites.

[unclealand]

Does ANYBODY remember the fun house "Laugh in the Dark"? I mean, you'd have to back to pre-history, but there was something that scared me in there, and I can't remember what it was. It was before the mirrors, I think, and it kind of jumped out at you when you pushed a button.

[TWiLiGHtFANpIReS14]

this video makes me want to cry

[GrandTheftAuto707]

Pepsi python is not okay, ill tell you that. That peice of H clap gave me wip lash.lol.

[MestizoFilipino]

Oh well, there's also Kings Island now.

[MestizoFilipino]

At that time or currently?

[MestizoFilipino]

If Coney Island built a new wooden coaster, they could have another "hey day" a little disappointed I missed the chance to ride these coasters. Pepsi Python is okay.

[eitakdid]

great song. whats the name?

[DementedGodsend]

Thank you. Brings back lots of happy family memories. I remember getting off the Shooting Star and getting back in line to ride again.

[J0HN91]

makes me want to cry

[mariosupersluggers98]

actually carrowinds now has the flying skooters but it's based on that dumb danny phantom did you know the coney island log flume is at pki as wild thornberries also the scrambler.

[JozephZone]

actually carowinds now has the flying skooters but it's based on that dumb Danny Phantom did you know the Coney island log flume is at pki as wild thorn berrys also the scrambler.wild

[mariosupersluggers98]

You coppied and pasted my wording!:(

[MestizoFilipino]

That same log flume was at KI since it's opening day, was removed for a while, then put back.

[Shreds8450]

This was the Greatest fotage of Coney Island ever! Ive been looking for fottage of it.My dad used to tell about the Shooting star and Wild Mouse.Now KI has its Carousel.Then paramount had to removing the Flying Scooters for some peice of shit coaster.

[bigretrorod]

They just moved them to another part of the park. They are still there.

[Shreds8450]

no,they didnt move those 2 rollercoasters their. Their were scrapped.

[mhvoivod]

Another masterpiece video compilation from swampfoxer. It must have been a wonderful park, and I've always been intrigued by those coasters. Thanks

[mariosupersluggers98]

From 3:09 to 3:14 you show a rare cuddle up ride.

[taylormade1218]

I'm going Saturday, it's the last weekend for the Zoom Flume!

[mariosupersluggers98]

Finally Someone Who Likes Coney Island History As Musch as Me I f You Have a Photo PM Me And If You Want Some I Have Some I Found On A Website

[NtwProductionsNow]

Cool video. Thanks for the footage.

[jwhoogs]

Great video. I always wondered what Coney was like and now I know. You always come through for me. Thanks

[sjtom57]

Very nice.