Magic Flyer Explained

Magic Flyer
Previousnames:Little Dipper (1941-1971) Clown Coaster (1971-1984)
Wile E. Coyote Coaster (1985-1998)
Goliath Jr. (2001-2007)
Percy's Railway (2008-2010)
Location:Six Flags Magic Mountain
Section:Whistlestop Park
Type:Steel
Type2:Kiddie
Status:Operating
Opened:May 29, 1971
Year:1971
Manufacturer:Bradley and Kaye
Designer:Chance Rides
Model:Little Dipper
Track:Oval
Lift:Chain lift hill
Height Ft:10
Length Ft:350
Speed Mph:10
Inversions:0
Duration:0:30
Angle:1
Capacity:360
Gforce:2.1
Rcdb Number:749
Trains:1
Carspertrain:3
Rowspercar:2
Ridersperrow:2
Custom Label 1:Height Restriction
Custom Value 1:54inches or shorter to ride
Extend:
Location:Beverly Park
Status:Relocated to Six Flags Magic Mountain
Opened:1946 or later
Closed:1970

Magic Flyer also known as Percy's Railway, is a small, oval-circuit steel roller coaster made by Bradley and Kaye that opened in 1971. The coaster is located in the Whistlestop Park area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It was an unknown-named coaster at the former Beverly Park prior to operating at Magic Mountain.

History

Magic Flyer was originally located at Beverly Park in the 1940s, known as the Little Dipper.[1] It was relocated to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1971 where it began operation as Clown Coaster. In the 1984-1985 off-season the ride was renamed and rethemed to Wile E. Coyote Coaster to suit the theme of the nearby Bugs Bunny World.[2] [3]

In 1998, the roller coaster closed and was disassembled. In 2000, the coaster was redesigned to look like the larger Goliath roller coaster, located in the same park, and relocated near to it. The old supports were replaced with supports that resembled those found on the Goliath and the trains were rebuilt from the chassis up. It was repainted with Goliath's color scheme and given the name Goliath Jr. (Goliath Junior) to reopen in 2001.[2] [3]

In the 2007-2008 off-season Goliath Jr. was rethemed to Percy's Railway to match Six Flags Magic Mountain's new kids zone, Thomas Town. Similarly to the Goliath Jr. makeover, the cars were rebuilt to resemble Percy the Small Engine (the leading car) and his Troublesome Trucks (the two following cars), all from the television series Thomas & Friends.[2] [3] [4]

In late 2010, Six Flags began the process of removing licensed theming from attractions. They terminated several licenses including that for Thomas the Tank Engine. The Thomas Town at Six Flags Magic Mountain has been renamed and rethemed to Whistlestop Park which reopened on March 19, 2011.[5] Percy's Railway was now again rethemed and renamed to Magic Flyer. The coaster saw very little change aside from Percy's face being removed and the red stripes painted over.[6] [7]

Ride

The train exits out of the station and directly ascends the 10adj=midNaNadj=mid lift hill. The track then makes a small dip before navigating a 180° turn to the left. A second small dip is followed by another ascent before making a second 180° turn to the left and returning to the station.

External links

Notes and References

  1. unknown. Beverly Park. 2795. 15 March 2011.
  2. Percy's Railway. Six Flags Magic Mountain. 749. 15 March 2011.
  3. Web site: Magic Mountain kiddie-coaster makeover. (Percy's Railway arrives at Six Flags, Valencia). Los Angeles Times. 18 January 2008. 21 December 2010.
  4. Web site: Sanchez350. Percy's Railway Offride Clip. 25 August 2008. YouTube. 7 October 2008.
  5. News: MacDonald. Brady. Six Flags amusement parks prepare for thematic makeovers. 27 November 2010. LA Times. 25 November 2010.
  6. Web site: MacDonald. Brady. Five 'new' coasters coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain? Not so fast. News Article. Los Angeles Times. January 18, 2011.
  7. Web site: Percy's Railway Gets A New Name At Six Flags Magic Mountain. 12 March 2011. The Coaster Guy. 14 March 2011.