Magic Flyer (roller coaster)

Magic Flyer

Magic Flyer, when it was known as Percy's Railway.
Previously known as Clown Coaster, Wile E. Coyote Coaster, Goliath Jr., Percy's Railway
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Park section Whistlestop Park
Coordinates 34°25′29″N 118°35′45″W / 34.424861°N 118.595918°WCoordinates: 34°25′29″N 118°35′45″W / 34.424861°N 118.595918°W
Status Operating
Opening date 1971
Beverly Park
Status Relocated to Six Flags Magic Mountain
Opening date 1946 or later
Closing date 1970
General statistics
Type Steel – Kiddie
Manufacturer Bradley and Kaye
Designer Chance Rides
Model Little Dipper
Track layout Oval
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 10 ft (3.0 m)
Length 350 ft (110 m)
Speed 10 mph (16 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 0:30
Max vertical angle 1°
Capacity 360 riders per hour
G-force 2.1
Trains Single train with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 12 riders per train.
Height Restriction 54 in (140 cm) or shorter to ride
Magic Flyer at RCDB
Pictures of Magic Flyer at RCDB

Magic Flyer is a small, oval-circuit wooden 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.[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 for 3 years to be redesigned to look like the larger Goliath roller coaster, located in the same park. 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.[6][7]

Ride

The train exits out of the station and directly ascends the 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) 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.

References

  1. ↑ Marden, Duane. "unknown  (Beverly Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Marden, Duane. "Percy's Railway  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Magic Mountain kiddie-coaster makeover". (Percy's Railway arrives at Six Flags, Valencia). LA Times. 18 January 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  4. ↑ Sanchez350 (25 August 2008). "Percy's Railway Offride Clip". YouTube. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
  5. ↑ MacDonald, Brady (25 November 2010). "Six Flags amusement parks prepare for thematic makeovers". LA Times. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  6. ↑ MacDonald, Brady (January 18, 2011). "Five 'new' coasters coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain? Not so fast". News Article. LA Times.
  7. ↑ "Percy's Railway Gets A New Name At Six Flags Magic Mountain". The Coaster Guy. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2011.

External links