High Speed Thrill Coaster
The High Speed Thrill Coaster was a steel junior roller coaster which was located at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania.
| High Speed Thrill Coaster | |
|---|---|
 Cars coming down the lift hill in 2008 | |
| Knoebels Amusement Resort | |
| Location | Knoebels Amusement Resort |
| Coordinates | 40.880140°N 76.502711°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 1955 |
| Closing date | 2008 |
| Replaced by | Kozmo's Kurves |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Designer | Overland Amusement Company |
| Track layout | Oval |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Drop | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Length | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
| High Speed Thrill Coaster at RCDB | |
History and architectural features
Built by the Overland Amusement Company, it opened in 1955 and operated until 2008. The installation at Knoebels was the last operating roller coaster in the world from Overland.
The layout consisted of a small, 18-foot-high (5.5 m) lift hill, followed by a diving 180° turn and several small hills, ending with another 180° turn back to the station. High Speed Thrill Coaster lift was powered by a six-cylinder Ford engine. The operator could control the coaster's overall speed by adjusting the speed of the chain through a clutch lever to engage and disengage the engine from the lift chain.[1]
The ride was dismantled beginning in late 2008.[2] According to their website, the ride was "worn out". It was the first roller coaster to be built at Knoebels, and as such was the longest continually-operating roller coaster at the park.
The area where the coaster was located at Knoebels – on the island above the motor boat trough – is still used for a junior roller coaster known as Kozmo's Kurves,[3] the successor to High Speed Thrill Coaster that opened on August 1, 2009.
References
- Futrell, Jim (2002). Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania. Stackpole Books. p. 163. ISBN 9780811726719. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- "Knoebels". Screamscape.com. 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- "Knoebels Amusement Resort". Knoebels.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2010-08-09.