Paramount’s Vaporealm

Paramount Parks, Kings Entertainment Company, TAFT Broadcasting and other cool things.

[paravaporealm]

Welcome to Paramount's Vaporealm, a History/Fanblog for the old Paramount Parks, KECO Parks and other odds and ends (stuff from TAFT Broadcasting, Viacom and Hanna-Barbera too!)

[tacoma-narrows]

Tac Talks Coasters - Post 92: #78

Photo Sources: x / x

Thunder Road at Carowinds!

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Opened: 1976 Closed: 2015 Manufacturer: Philadelphia Toboggan Company Height: 93 ft (28.3 m) Speed: 58 mph (93.3 kph) Length: 3,819 ft (1,164.0 m) My most recent ride: 2015

Given how it's been nearly a decade now since Thunder Road gave it's last rides, and roughly the same amount of time since I last rode it as well, my memories of the ride are not the most clear, but I'll do my best with the recollections I have haha.

Thunder Road, much like it's sister coasters Racer at Kings Island and Racer 75 at Kings Dominion, is an out and back wooded racing coaster, with two tracks that parallel each other throughout the layout. Filled with numerous airtime hills going and coming back, Thunder Road was a fun ride and gave Carowinds the solid wooden coaster that their lineup really needed since their other wooden coasters are either bad (Hurler) or for families (Woodstock Express). It also had the noteworthy attribute of crossing the North Carolina/South Carolina state line halfway through the ride. Given Carowinds' location straddling the border between the two states, it was a great opportunity for a ride like this.

I decided to put Thunder Road in the middle of the wooden racing trio because, again at least from what I can remember, it didn't have the issue of roughness that Racer seemed to have (at least the first time I rode that), but the airtime wasn't as pronounced as Racer 75. Much like those other two wooden racing coasters as well, Thunder Road was much beloved as a classic. When it was announced to be closing in 2015, there was much outcry from fans of the ride. Carowinds knew how much people loved it, so they gave the ride the loving sendoff it deserved.

That makes sense as well, because it could be said that this ride saved Carowinds. For the first few years after the park opened, it struggled a lot financially, not pulling the numbers it needed to stay open. Once Taft Broadcasting (owners of Kings Island and Kings Dominion at the time) came in, they threw Carowinds the same model of coaster that helped put those two parks on the map, and it was a huge success, boosting attendance significantly. If Carowinds hadn't opened Thunder Road when they did, it's possible the park might not be around today. If you want to hear more about the story of Carowinds' early history and the impact of Thunder Road, I recommend checking out this video.

So with Thunder Road long gone, replaced by an expansion to Carowinds' Carolina Harbor waterpark, it now just exists in the memories of those who rode it. Though of course, it lives on in some degree in Racer and Racer 75, as well as in Carowinds' Thunder Road area around Thunder Striker at the front of the park.

Thanks for checking out today's coaster post! Keep an eye out for tomorrow's coaster!

[emaaronv]

[paravaporealm]

eBay Find! Great America Cintas Jacket (2003+), hasn’t arrived yet!

[rushthehollow]

INVERTIGO

[ taken june 2021 ]

[thebatfliesagain]

The bat, Kings Island (Formerly Top Gun (1993-2006, Flight Deck 2006-2014).

-Photo taken by me. Please do not use it for anything. [7/12/23]

7/12/23 trip:

-I rode every coaster at the park that day, except for Invertigo, Backlot Stunt Coaster, and the Great Pumpkin coaster.

-rode The Bat a total of 6 times that day. Got to talk to the ride operators a little about how I'd like to be a ride op for Bat/Drop, and they noticed me on every re-ride.

-Last ride of the night on The Bat. Had to run from Banshee to Bat at 9:57. As soon as I got to the stairs up to the station, "This will be the last ride of the night on The Bat. If you wish to ride, please be in the station before this next train comes in." Only 4 other people on the last train, and they were all in the front cart. I ended up getting in the very back, to the right.

-train was completely empty before us. Ride op: "Alright, guys, as this comes to a full stop, please release your restraints and exit to the left. However, there's nobody on this train, so that's not much of an issue".

-another ride op had noticed my Weezer shirt, and commented on it during dispatch.

Overall, The Bat has an awesome night ride, and it's usually pretty dead, so it's easy to get front or back.

-Final train ran during the fireworks. Very cool going up the lift hill.

Rides ridden:

-The Bat (6x)

-Orion (3x)

-Diamondback (3x)

-Banshee (2x)

-Flight of Fear

-Racer (red, blue was down)

-Mystic Timbers

-The Beast

-Adventure Express

-Flying Ace Areal Chase

-Woodstock Express

-Whitewater Canyon

[arrow-dykenamics]

[magic-lights]

THE MAGIC MIRRORS (Prototype)

Prototype of the Fred Flinstone screen.

In late 1978, Taft Broadcasting commissioned Magic Lights to develop a show for Kings Island. Taft Broadcasting received this photograph from Magic Lights. Taft later wrote a $5M check to the company to further develop the show. Due to frame looking like a mirror, it became known as the "Magic Mirrors".

[doppleganger-rental]

[mitzis-make-believe-band]

You’ll never leave Bleakstone Manor~

[paravaporealm]

Top Gun, Paramount's Kings Island (2005)

Image Credit: Chris Hagerman/Defunctland.com

[nostalgicguts]

Yogi’s Cave at King’s Dominion (Virginia)

This was one of my absolute favorite attractions when I was a kid. It was so wonderfully magical inside! I’d always ask to do the walk through again and again.

[flojector]

spooky scenes at Dominator

[magicaltrash]

I feel the need… the need for… a trash can sitting in the queue of a roller coaster tangentially themed to a 1986 blockbuster film. Top Gun opened at Paramount’s Great America in 1993, and maintained that name through 2006. The park was sold to Cedar Fair, who in turn sunsetted most of the IP associated with Paramount, including the Top Gun name. The coaster is now known as Flight Deck. // Paramount’s Great America, Orleans Place, 2007 [Source: “great-america-16” by giiks is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

[miralanders]

[ghostmadewithlove]

Carowinds yippie ily <3

[heartsoulrocknroll]

Great weekend at Kings Dominion with my new best friends, Twisted Timbers and Intimidator 305. Five rides on each, including one night ride on each. These two coasters at night were my most epic coaster experiences yet. Cannot decide whether I like I-305 or Fury more. Right now, I'm a bit inclined to say I-305, which, prior to my KD visit, is something I wouldn't have believed that I would say. Man, what I would give to take TT and I-305 back home to Carowinds with me.

The other coasters I rode, in order of how much I enjoyed them, were Dominator, Racer 75, Anaconda, Tumbili, Reptilian, and Flight of Fear. Didn't have time for Backlot and Apple Zapple, and Grizzly was closed for the season.