Six Flags Great Adventure- One Part of Rolling Thunder still stands..

Image from Screamscape

Six Flags Great Adventure- One Part of 'Rolling Thunder' still stands..

 While Six Flags Great Adventure many have demolished the classic wooden coaster "Rolling Thunder" for a pathway to their new drop tower 'Zumanjaro'.. one part of the ride still stands.

 The cross over section which ran under El Toro during a drop hasn't been removed and is still in place. Honestly, I haven't a clue why this piece also wasn't removed during the demolition but while sad, it's nice to see that Rolling Thunder still has some presence in the park. Even if that's only a small part which may be a thorn in the parks side.

Saying Goodbye to a Friend- Rolling Thunder Demolition

Image from Theme Park Review's Twitter Page

 Sad News- It looks like we've go no choice but to say goodbye to a friend.

 The image to the left is from Six Flags Great Adventure, the beloved roller coaster "Rolling Thunder' now seems to be pile of wooden rubble waiting to be removed. Nicknamed "Rotting Lumber" by fans, the park neglected this coaster for years in hopes of finally making it disappear.  It seems as of last week, this is a reality.

 Lumber litters the ground to make way for 'progress'. That progress is called 'Zumanjaro'.. the new drop tower getting attached to the back side of Kingda Ka. Which raises the question- Do we really need ANOTHER drop tower ride?

 Many of us reached out to Six Flags asking them not to remove this attraction- trust me, they've got the land to build fresh but it seems our pleading once again fell upon deaf ears.

  Some days I really, really hate "progress".

  Goodbye my old friend.

Rumor Alert- New Coaster for Six Flags Great Adventure in 2015?

 Screamscape has posted a rumor today regarding Six Flags Great Adventure, one that seems interesting to those of us who know the park.

 Rumor has it that Six Flags Great Adventure may be building a new roller coaster for 2015. This will something to replace the loss of Rolling Thunder which is being removed to make way for the 2014 "Zumanjaro" drop tower that is attached to the back of Kingda Ka.  Apparently this rumor has been popping up since it was announced that Six Flags would be removing Roller Thunder. Screamscapes best guess is that this could be yet another Rocky Mountain Coaster, similar to Goliath which is being added to their Chicago park.

 However, they point out a very valid point which I fully agree with. By removing Rolling Thunder the park now lacks a basic wooden coaster, one that younger and new riders can 'get their feet wet' with before going after some of the bigger rides.  While I'm all for crazy and new things, the classic has a special charm and Six Flags Great Adventure is quickly loosing that as more classic coasters are being removed.

 More on this rumor as gossip filters in!

Six Flags Great Adventure- Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom for 2014

 Well, Six Flags Great Adventure located in Jackson, New Jersey has gone completely batty. It seems today all of the 2014 projects for all the Six Flags amusement parks have gone live and Great Adventure isn't to be left out.

Coming in 2014, they are sticking not one but THREE drop tower cars to the Kingda Ka track. Sitting at 415 feet tall with a top speed of 90 miles per hour, 'Zumanjaro' will plummet riders straight down the structure of the Kingda Ka Coaster.

At which point they claim "Kingda Ka will zoom around you as you drop". I assume that means they expect the giant lawn-ornament to run more in the 2014 season. Although I admit, I'm wondering a lot of this new and massive addition to the structure will also be subject to random closures during windy periods of time? This is often what close's down Kingda Ka.

Image from Coaster-net.com

Sadly, this new drop ride is coming with a very steep price. The classic wooden coaster "Rolling Thunder" (often called 'Rotting Lumber' as Six Flags has willfully neglected this ride for years now) will be removed to make room for this addition.  Honestly, I'd rather they put the money into fixing Rolling Thunder then put a Drop Tower onto the lawn ornament.  Rolling Thunder was and is a great ride, it has just always need a lot more love and affection then Six Flags has ever shown it.

The last day of operations for the classic wooden coaster will be September 8th, not giving fans much time to say their goodbyes. So I suggest you head over there quickly and get your last rides in now.