Tornado (Coney Island)
Wood Twister. Opened 1926, closed 1977.
This ride has closed. It last operated in 1977.
- Height
- 71 ft
- Drop
- n/a
- Top speed
- n/a
- Length
- 2,970 ft
- Inversions
- 0
- Ride time
- n/a
- Designer
- Fred Church
Tornado was a wooden roller coaster at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, on Bowery Street. It opened in 1926 under the name Bobs and was later renamed Tornado. RCDB files it under an independent Coney Island operator rather than one of the area's amusement parks.
The coaster was designed by Fred Church and built by the L. A. Thompson Company at a cost of $250,000. It had a twister layout, with a wooden track on a steel structure, much like the nearby Cyclone, and the track wrapped around a tower that carried the ride's name. RCDB lists a height of 71 feet and 2,970 feet of track, with no inversions. The site was narrow, only about 70 feet wide at its widest point and tapering to 50 feet, and part of the ride hung about 5 feet over Henderson Walk.
History
In 1977 much of the coaster was destroyed by arson. It never reopened, and what remained was completely demolished in April 1978.
Sources
- rcdb.com/2984.htm (Tornado, Coney Island - Independent Vendor, Brooklyn; removed; wood twister; credited to Frank Prior, Frederick Church, Frank Darling and LaMarcus A. Thompson; length 2,970 ft, height 71 ft, 0 inversions; former name Bobs; cost $250,000; narrow site 70 to 50 feet wide; overhung Henderson Walk by about 5 feet.)
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_(Coney_Island) (Formerly known as Bobs; Bowery Street, Coney Island; designed by Fred Church, built by the L. A. Thompson Company; opened 1926, closing date 1977; wooden track on steel structure similar to the Cyclone; track around a name tower; arson in 1977; demolished April 1978.)
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.