As our industry begins to emerge from the biggest challenge to it since World War II, many decisions will have to be made on older, classic attractions – the very ones that helped build the attractions industry into the billion-dollar sector it is today.
I’m reminded of a saying from a former park president of mine, who once told me he didn’t like removing rides, “…because that ride is somebody’s favorite.” As great as that sentiment is, we must also be frank: the bottom line is what drives most of these difficult decisions to remove older, classic rides.
But what if you didn’t have to make that difficult decision in the first place?
Despite a lack of parts and service from the original manufacturer, these classic attractions can live on for decades more with just a little bit of TLC and some modern innovations – all at the fraction of the cost of a new ride.
For example, let’s take a look at SooperDooperLooper, the second Schwarzkopf looper to come to the United States. When the second-generation trains were coming up on the end of their service life, Hersheypark reached out to us here at Ride Entertainment to see what could be done.
We were beyond thrilled (pardon the pun) to work with our partner and Schwarzkopf’s spiritual successor, Gerstlauer to create an entirely new, off-the-shelf train design. Not only were we able to preserve the original ride experience, Gerstlauer was able to add smooth, magnetic braking and keep the same, low height requirement for riders.
Perhaps it’s the case not of aging equipment but just increasing maintenance demands on those older attractions. That’s where our team of maintenance specialists at RMI (Ride Maintenance & Installation) comes in. They can become an extra set of hands / eyes to help keep your classic attraction(s) safely thrilling for longer while you focus on the rest of your facility.
New rides are always bright and shiny. Some of them may eventually become classics down the road. But only the best maintained classics slip into the pantheon of legends – the rides that literally sell themselves simply for being there. Let us help your facility’s attractions earn that legendary badge.