High Speed Thrill Coaster

40°52′49″N 76°30′10″W / 40.880140°N 76.502711°W / 40.880140; -76.502711StatusRemovedOpening date1955 (1955)Closing date2008 (2008)Replaced byKozmo's KurvesGeneral statisticsTypeSteelDesignerOverland Amusement CompanyTrack layoutOvalLift/launch systemChain lift hillHeight18 ft (5.5 m)Drop12 ft (3.7 m)Length200 ft (61 m)Inversions0Height restriction42 in (107 cm)High Speed Thrill Coaster at RCDB

High Speed Thrill Coaster was a steel junior roller coaster located at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania.

History

Built by Overland Amusement Company, it opened in 1955 and operated until 2008. The installation at Knoebels was the last operating roller coaster in the world from Overland.

The layout consisted of a small 18-foot-high (5.5 m) lift hill, followed by a diving 180° turn and several small hills, ending with another 180° turn back to the station. High Speed Thrill Coaster's lift hill was powered by a six-cylinder Ford engine. The operator could control the coaster's overall speed by adjusting the speed of the chain through a clutch lever to engage and disengage the engine from the lift chain.^[1]

The ride was dismantled beginning in late 2008.^[2] According to their website, the ride was "worn out". It was the first roller coaster to be built at Knoebels, and as such was the longest continually-operating roller coaster at the park.

The area where the coaster was located is still used for a junior roller coaster known as Kozmo's Kurves,^[3] the successor to High Speed Thrill Coaster. Kozmo's Kurves opened on August 1, 2009.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Knoebels.

^ Futrell, Jim (2002). Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania. Stackpole Books. p. 163. ISBN 9780811726719. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
^ "Knoebels". Screamscape.com. 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
^ "Knoebels Amusement Resort". Knoebels.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2010-08-09.