Blue Streak (Cedar Point)

Blue Streak
Initial drop on Blue Streak
Location Cedar Point
Status Operating
Opened May 23, 1964
Cost $200,000
Type Wood
Manufacturer Philadelphia Toboggan Company
Designer Frank F. Hoover & John C. Allen
Model Out and Back roller coaster
Lift/launch system chain lift hill
Height 78 ft (24 m)
Drop 72 ft (22 m)
Length 2,558 ft (780 m)
Max speed 40 mph (64 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 1:45
Max vertical angle 45°
Capacity 1200 riders per hour
Height restriction 4 ft 0 in (122 cm)
Blue Streak at RCDB
Pictures of Blue Streak at RCDB
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Blue Streak is a wooden roller coaster following the out and back design, and is the oldest operating roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. According to park officials, the roller coaster has given over 54 million rides since its construction in 1964.[1]

Contents

History

Blue Streak is a traditional "out-and-back" wooden roller coaster. It opened to the public on May 23, 1964.

Blue Streak was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (now Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters), and named after "The Blue Streaks", the nickname of the Sandusky High School athletic teams.[2] The coaster cost $200,000 to construct, and was billed as a replacement for the demolished Cyclone.[3]

Now in its 47th year of operation, Blue Streak still offers hundreds of thousands of ride each year. The ride is considered one of Cedar Point's classics and is listed in many coaster enthusiasts' favorite wooden roller coasters. It was ranked 49th best wooden coaster in 2011 in the Golden Ticket Awards. Blue Streak was not always the sky blue color it is today; when it opened, the wood was unpainted.

Ride Experience

The Blue Streak is a classic wooden roller coaster in the sense that it provides riders with lots of airtime and contains many sudden drops. Each hill on the coaster is precisely angled to provide maximum airtime. During Halloweekends, the ride tends to be more thrilling. This is caused by the cool evening weather and due to artificial fog (from the Fear Faire attraction) that tends to drift over the track. This amplifies the ride expericence and tends to turn this classic Wooden Out-and-Back into a "Monster" all its own.

Relinquishment of ACE Coaster Classic title

Blue Streak was considered an ACE Coaster Classic until 1995 when the bench seats were replaced with divided seats, individual lap bars, and headrests. In 2004, the original steel lap bars were replaced with more comfortable molded plastic ones. In 2008, the seat belts were replaced with retractable ones, allowing for a more expediant load & unload process. Queue times tend to be between 10 and 30 minutes, with the longest waits being in the morning and early afternoon hours due to the ride's location at the front of the park.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Blue Streak". Cedar Point. http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/blue_streak/index.cfm. Retrieved 2006-07-21. 
  2. ^ "Blue Streak". PointPics.com. 2007-01-13. http://pointpics.com/details.php?image_id=1037. Retrieved 2007-12-26. 
  3. ^ Cedar Point to hear band of 3,500 The Toledo Blade, May 19, 1964
  4. ^ "Blue Streak". ThePointOL.com. http://www.thepointol.com/bluestreak.html. Retrieved 2008-02-16. 

External links