Roller Coaster Dilemma

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Several years ago I lucked into obtaining the original blueprint for an extemely intense 1928 wooden roller coaster. It was never built. And although I am 99% sure who designed it, he did not sign the blueprint. This is the only blueprint of this roller coaster in existence. In essence, it is my roller coaster.

What do I do with it?

I could do nothing and just keep it stashed away amongst my other blueprints.
I could build an HO scale model of it for my train layout.

But, what if???

I would love to see this thing built in real life. But I would have to find an amusement park willing to do it. And I'm not going to give this blueprint away. They would have to pay me for it. But since this ride is small by today's standards, it would be perfect for a park on a limited budget wanting to have an intense roller coaster---a wild 1920's bone crushing roller coaster.

It could go to a musuem dealing with amusement parks or perhaps the historical society for where the ride was to be built. But again, I don't want to give this away. It is worth money.

I could sell it to a collector. But it would have to be enough money to make a difference in my life. It means a great deal to me having this blueprint.

I just wonder what I am supposed to do with this blueprint. What would the designer back in 1928 want? I wish I knew. I wish this designer, whose first name was Harry, would tell me. I feel like fate landed this blueprint in my hands. I have tried to build an HO scale model of it. But things keep happening to it---someone in the family for example accidentally drops something on it. Or something mysteriously happens to it. Am I supposed to do more than build an HO scale model of it? Would Harry want it built in real?

Sorry for my rambling. I am just giving a lot of thought to this roller coaster lately.

Do you have any O scale models? maybe it would be easier to keep an eye on an O scale model roller coaster.

Maybe someone on the east coast would be interested in bringing back a bit of nostalgia when re-building. So many amusement piers were damaged or destroyed during the recent super-storm.

Maybe you could show it to the History Dectives on PBS. Maybe they could track down who made the design. And ...how do you know it was never built? They might be able to track down whether it was or not.

Although it would make sense- the year 1928 was just before the great depression and the war-that it was never built. Maybe the market of amusement park rides bottomed out and probably never recovered until 1946 (when the war was over). By that time technology may have made it outmoded or something.

Thanks for your replies. I had a lengthy response for your valued comments. But my crazy computer's touch pad always causes stuff to get lost---too many functions on the pad---I wish it just moved my cursor. Anyway, I like your ideas, but I'm getting ready for work right now and can't type all that I lost back. Again thanks---great ideas.

I believe my roller coaster blueprint mystery has been solved after around 15 years of searching (off and on).

The original linen cloth is actually a vellum. So it is the designer's actual hand drawing from 1928.

I just acquired a Harry Baker 1924 blueprint with numbering and lettering matching that on my mystery vellum. It appears Harry Baker (the man who built the Coney Island Cyclone) was the designer of my mystery roller coaster based on the handwriting match. Also, the design of this ride very closely resembles the Crystal City Zingo that was designed by Harry Baker in 1928 in Oklahoma.

I now have 5 original blueprints (4 from the 1920s and one from 1980) and numerous copied blueprints. This is a special intense interest of mine.

When I first read your post, I thought Harry Traver, although it is unlikely that any of his creations would ever be built (or rebuilt, in the case of the Crystal Beach Cyclone), especially with today's modern safety standards and public expectations.

If you were to give it to a park (and even then, I would not count on demand), it would have to be a smaller family-owned park. Knoebels immediately comes to mind, but after spending many years trying to get Flying Turns running, I doubt they would be likely to immediately start construction on another wooden coaster at this time.

Although a physical model has been difficult, have you thought of building a 3D computer model using CAD software or something like NoLimits?

Hi WillMcC, thanks for responding. I do have No Limits software, but I actually plugged this roller coaster into another software program that calculated the forces exerted on the passengers in terms of being safe to being capable of inflicting harm. Surprisingly, this roller coaster performed as extreme as a ride could get without crossing over to dangerous. After playing around with Traver's Crystal Beach Cyclone (based on a No Limits download of it, if it is an accurate rendition of it), the Baker Cyclone edged it out in the thrill factor.

The Crystal Beach Cyclone had an initial 96 foot spiral drop in a 48 foot radius turn. Obviously that equals a diameter equal to the height of the drop, 96 feet. However, the Baker Cyclone I have has an initial 64 foot drop in a 26 foot radius turn. The 52 foot diameter is less than the drop leading into it, therefore a tighter spiral drop. From the spiral drop, the Baker Cyclone pulls uphill into a high hill that drops into a double dip causing the passengers to rise out of their seats as it drops into another spiral drop. I try to imagine riding it feeling myself levitating out of my seat while staring into a twisting spiral drop below.

Although the 1920s had some standard type rides, the decade definitely became an experiment in terror and extremes not likely to be seen again in the amusement industry. The Baker Cyclone would be an ideal ride because of its dimensions. It stood 64 feet tall with around a half mile of track. It would have set on a plot of land roughly 400 feet long by 70 feet wide. And it had two chain lifts, the first one rising only a few feet before letting the trains coast slowly through a long dark tunnel before ascending the second chain lift to the summit.

I think you should hang onto the blueprint and build an O model.