Thunderbolt (1925 roller coaster) explained

Thunderbolt
Location:Coney Island
Type:Wood
Designer:John A. Miller
Status:Removed
Height Ft:86
Duration:1:17
Rcdb Number:423

The Thunderbolt was a wooden roller coaster located at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by John Miller,[1] it operated from 1925 until 1982 and remained standing until it was demolished in 2000.[2] [3] The demolition was controversial, as the property owner Horace Bullard was not notified, nor had any formal inspection been done on the structure.[4]

In June 2013, it was announced that a new steel roller coaster would be constructed on Coney Island named the Thunderbolt.[5] The steel coaster opened in 2014 and uses a completely different design.[6]

In popular culture

It was featured briefly in Woody Allen's 1977 film Annie Hall as the boyhood home of Alvy Singer (Allen's character).[2] The house was a real residence, built in 1895 as the Kensington Hotel. The roller coaster was constructed with part of its track scaling the top of the building.[7] [8]

The indie rock/slowcore band Red House Painters 1993 album, Red House Painters (Rollercoaster) features a sepia toned photograph of the Thunderbolt as its cover art. The last film to photograph the Thunderbolt was Requiem for a Dream.

In the 1995 IMAX film Across the Sea of Time, the coaster is featured in abandoned condition.

In the 1998 movie He Got Game, Spike Lee features the coaster in its dilapidated state.

Notes and References

  1. Rutherford, Scott (2000) The American Roller Coaster, MBI Publishing Company, Wisconsin. .
  2. Thunderbolt. Coney Island - George Moran. 423. November 16, 2013.
  3. News: End of the line . Spartanburg Herald-Journal . South Carolina . Associated Press . November 19, 2000 . 10A.
  4. News: About New York; Giuliani Razed Roller Coaster, And the Law. The New York Times. Dan Barry. October 4, 2003. B1. December 2, 2020.
  5. Thunderbolt. Luna Park. 8788. November 16, 2013.
  6. Web site: Coney Island's new Thunderbolt roller coaster officially opens. June 14, 2014. NY Daily News. June 29, 2014. Brown. Stephen R..
  7. Web site: The House under the Roller Coaster by Steve Zeitlin. www.nyfolklore.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20020426073548/http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voicjl27/dnstate.html. April 26, 2002. dead.
  8. Web site: Life Under the Thunderbolt. New York Post. Tim. Donnelly. July 28, 2013 . October 15, 2013.