Next year, Coney Island is getting back a little bit of its former glory with a familiar roller coaster. Some 14 years after it was demolished, the once famous Thunderbolt coaster is roaring back onto the boardwalk at over 100km/h.
The former Thunderbolt thrilled patrons from 1925 until 1982 before it was torn down to make way for the Cyclones baseball team in 2000. You might recall seeing the original in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” back in 1977. But, next year, a brand-new and improved Thunderbolt with over 600m of track and a 40m tower will be nestled right next to the baseball stadium, near the new B&B carousel. The steel coaster won’t actually take you up to 40m though. It will just take you up a vertical lift of 34m before making your stomach drop.
Once riders reach the top of the lift, the train will be unleashed onto the first vertical drop and then through a series of elements and inversions while travelling at 65 mph. The ride will then make its return through a series of “bunny hills” that will give riders a floating sensation until the train returns back into the station.
Next year can’t come soon enough! I can’t wait!
