Wicked Cyclone (formerly Cyclone) is a
steel roller coaster located at
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–2000), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts, a western s ...
amusement park. The ride originally opened as a
wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also ...
named Cyclone on June 24, 1983. Its name and design were inspired by the historic 1927
Cyclone roller coaster located at
Coney Island. In 2014, after 32 seasons, Cyclone was closed while being re-tracked with steel. It reopened as Wicked Cyclone on May 24, 2015.
History
In 1983, Riverside Amusement Park decided to open a wooden roller coaster named the ''Riverside Cyclone''.
The ride was the second full-sized roller coaster to open at the park since its re-opening in 1940, following the installation of
Thunderbolt
A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...
in 1941.
The $2.5 million ''Riverside Cyclone'' was designed by
William Cobb & Associates and built by the Frontier Construction Company. The ride officially opened to the public on June 25, 1983, with Cobb as well as Norm Howells from Frontier Construction in attendance. The opening of ''Riverside Cyclone'' was expected to increase park attendance by more than 10% to 1 million annual visitors.
During its first season of operation, ''Riverside Cyclone'' featured two
trains
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often know ...
from
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry Auchey and Chester Albright under the name Philadelphia ...
(PTC) where riders were restrained via a lap bar. Part-way through the first season, shoulder belts were added; however, these were removed prior to its second season. During its second season, the ride's trains were damaged, forcing the park to combine parts from both trains to form a single operational train. Two new replacement trains were purchased from
D. H. Morgan Manufacturing in 1985.
In the late 1990s,
Premier Parks (later Six Flags) purchased Riverside Amusement Park. Over a period of four years, approximately $100 million was invested in the renovation and expansion of the park, culminating in its rebranding to
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–2000), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts, a western s ...
in 2000.
As a result, the Riverside branding was dropped, with the ride being renamed to the ''Cyclone''. The D.H. Morgan Manufacturing trains were replaced with two PTC trains.
The new operators made modifications to the track in 2001, shortening the first drop by between .
A refurbishment of the ''Cyclone'' in 2011 saw
Topper Track
Rocky Mountain Construction, often abbreviated as RMC, is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters.
History
In 20 ...
from
Rocky Mountain Construction
Rocky Mountain Construction, often abbreviated as RMC, is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters.
History
In 20 ...
added to sections of the ride. Topper Track is steel plating that replaces the upper layers of laminated wooden track. This track style is designed to reduce the maintenance typically required for a wooden roller coaster and provide a smoother ride experience.
Conversion to steel track
Over the years, the popularity of Cyclone began to decline.
In June 2014, Six Flags New England announced that the ride would close permanently on July 20, 2014.
A closing ceremony and farewell celebration was held on its last day of operation.
Enthusiasts, including members of
American Coaster Enthusiasts, were onboard for the media shoot, as John Winkler and the mayor of Agawam hosted a small ceremony to cut the cake.
Fireworks were set off that night during the last ride, with wait times to ride reaching 90 minutes long.
After the last rides were given, Six Flags showcased a future announcement scheduled in August using construction signs and a
sandwich board
A sandwich board is a type of advertisement tool composed of two boards with a message or graphic on it and being either carried by a person, with one board in front and one behind in a triangle shape, hinged along the top, creating a "sandwich" ...
near Cyclone's entrance.
During its 31 seasons in operation as a wooden coaster, ''Cyclone'' was ridden by more than 15 million riders.
The decision to close the ride was made over a period of one and half years.
On August 28, 2014, it was announced that Cyclone would undergo a transformation into ''Wicked Cyclone'', converting its wooden track to steel. Manufactured by
Rocky Mountain Construction
Rocky Mountain Construction, often abbreviated as RMC, is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters.
History
In 20 ...
and designed by
Alan Schilke
Alan Schilke is an engineer and roller coaster designer based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. He first made his mark on the industry by designing the 4th Dimension roller coaster, X2 (roller coaster), X2, while working with Arrow Dynamics. Schi ...
, it features a 10-story drop, a maximum speed of , and the world's first "double-reversing bank airtime hill" element. Dubbed a hybrid coaster, it is the first hybrid on the East Coast, and the only one to feature a 200-degree stall and two Zero G Rolls. The ride reopened as Wicked Cyclone in May 2015.
Characteristics
Reception
References
External links
Wicked Cycloneat
Rocky Mountain Construction
Rocky Mountain Construction, often abbreviated as RMC, is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters.
History
In 20 ...
{{SFNE Coasters
Roller coasters in Massachusetts
Roller coasters operated by Six Flags
Six Flags New England
2015 establishments in Massachusetts
Hybrid roller coasters