Theme Park Spot

← Ride finder · Williams Grove Amusement Park

Cyclone

Wood Out-and-Back at Williams Grove Amusement Park, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Opened 1933, closed 2005.

This ride has closed. It last operated at Williams Grove Amusement Park in 2005.

By Theme Park Spot · Last reviewed November 9, 2026

Height
65 ft
Drop
60 ft
Top speed
45 mph
Length
2,300 ft
Inversions
0
Ride time
n/a
Designer
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters

Cyclone last ran in 2005, when Williams Grove Amusement Park closed. Its structure still stands on the former park grounds, with its train in the station.

Cyclone is a wooden out-and-back roller coaster at Williams Grove Amusement Park near Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The amusement park closed after the 2005 season, and the coaster has not operated since, although its structure still stands.

Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters built the ride to a design by Oscar Bitler, and it began operating in 1933. It was first called Zipper and was renamed Cyclone to match the name on the trains it used, which came from the Cyclone at Palisades Park. The coaster stands 65 feet tall, with a 60-foot drop and 2,300 feet of track, and it reached a top speed of 45 mph. It ran a single two-car train carrying 12 riders.

History

A fire damaged the Cyclone on September 25, 1995, and on January 26, 1996, the station and part of the track collapsed under the weight of snow. The ride stayed closed through the 1996 season and reopened on June 20, 1997, after $500,000 in repairs. It ran until the park closed in 2005. RCDB has listed it as standing but not operating since 2006, with the train still parked in the station.

Sources

  • rcdb.com/416.htm (RCDB: Cyclone, Williams Grove Amusement Park; wood out-and-back by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, designer Oscar Bitler; formerly Zipper; height 65 ft, drop 60 ft, length 2,300 ft, 0 inversions; operated 1933-1995, reopened 1997-2005, SBNO since 2006)
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_Grove_Amusement_Park (Cyclone built 1933 as Zipper, designer Oscar Bitler, 65 ft, 45 mph; renamed after trains from Palisades Park; fire 1995, snow collapse 1996, $500,000 repairs; still standing with its train at the station)
  • rcdb.com/4681.htm (Williams Grove Amusement Park, Mechanicsburg, PA: operated 1850-2005, SBNO since 2006; coasters Cyclone (SBNO), Wildcat (2001-2005), Kiddie Coaster, Little Dipper.)
  • rcdb.com/5090.htm (Erieview Park, Geneva, Ohio: defunct, operated 1945-2006; its only listed roller coaster is the Brat (1961-2006), no Cyclone.)
  • coasterpedia.net/wiki/Erieview_Park (Erieview Park ride list (the Brat, carousel, Ferris wheel, Fright Zone) with no Cyclone. Fan wiki, used only to support the absence of a Cyclone at Erieview, not for any fact on the page.)

Numbers are from the ride's manufacturer and park where published; "n/a" means we have not confirmed that number yet. Spotted an error? Tell us.