Magic Flyer

(Redirected from Goliath Jr.)

Magic Flyer also known as Percy's Railway, is a small, oval-circuit steel roller coaster made by Bradley and Kaye that opened in 1971. The coaster is located in the Whistlestop Park area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It was an unknown-named coaster at the former Beverly Park prior to operating at Magic Mountain.

Magic Flyer
Previously known as Little Dipper (1941-1971) Clown Coaster (1971-1984)
Wile E. Coyote Coaster (1985-1998)
Goliath Jr. (2001-2007)
Percy's Railway (2008-2010)
Magic Flyer, when it was known as Percy's Railway.
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Park sectionWhistlestop Park
Coordinates34°25′29″N 118°35′45″W / 34.424861°N 118.595918°W / 34.424861; -118.595918
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 29, 1971
Beverly Park
Coordinates34°07′18″N 118°25′05″W / 34.12167°N 118.41806°W / 34.12167; -118.41806
StatusRemoved
Opening date1946 or later
Closing date1970
General statistics
TypeSteel – Kiddie
ManufacturerBradley and Kaye
DesignerChance Rides
ModelLittle Dipper
Track layoutOval
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height10 ft (3.0 m)
Length350 ft (110 m)
Speed10 mph (16 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration0:30
Max vertical angle
Capacity360 riders per hour
G-force2.1
TrainsSingle train with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 12 riders per train.
Height Restriction54 in (140 cm) or shorter to ride
Magic Flyer at RCDB
Magic flyer

History

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Magic Flyer was originally located at Beverly Park in the 1940s, known as the Little Dipper.[1] It was relocated to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1971 where it began operation as Clown Coaster. In the 1984-1985 off-season the ride was renamed and rethemed to Wile E. Coyote Coaster to suit the theme of the nearby Bugs Bunny World.[2][3]

In 1998, the roller coaster closed and was disassembled. In 2000, the coaster was redesigned to look like the larger Goliath roller coaster, located in the same park, and relocated near to it. The old supports were replaced with supports that resembled those found on the Goliath and the trains were rebuilt from the chassis up. It was repainted with Goliath's color scheme and given the name Goliath Jr. (Goliath Junior) to reopen in 2001.[2][3]

In the 2007-2008 off-season Goliath Jr. was rethemed to Percy's Railway to match Six Flags Magic Mountain's new kids zone, Thomas Town. Similarly to the Goliath Jr. makeover, the cars were rebuilt to resemble Percy the Small Engine (the leading car) and his Troublesome Trucks (the two following cars), all from the television series Thomas & Friends.[2][3][4]

In late 2010, Six Flags began the process of removing licensed theming from attractions. They terminated several licenses including that for Thomas the Tank Engine. The Thomas Town at Six Flags Magic Mountain has been renamed and rethemed to Whistlestop Park which reopened on March 19, 2011.[5] Percy's Railway was now again rethemed and renamed to Magic Flyer. The coaster saw very little change aside from Percy's face being removed and the red stripes painted over.[6][7]

Ride

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The train exits out of the station and directly ascends the 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) lift hill. The track then makes a small dip before navigating a 180° turn to the left. A second small dip is followed by another ascent before making a second 180° turn to the left and returning to the station.

References

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  1. ^ Marden, Duane. "unknown  (Beverly Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Marden, Duane. "Percy's Railway  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Magic Mountain kiddie-coaster makeover". (Percy's Railway arrives at Six Flags, Valencia). Los Angeles Times. 18 January 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  4. ^ Sanchez350 (25 August 2008). "Percy's Railway Offride Clip". YouTube. Retrieved 7 October 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ MacDonald, Brady (25 November 2010). "Six Flags amusement parks prepare for thematic makeovers". LA Times. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  6. ^ MacDonald, Brady (January 18, 2011). "Five 'new' coasters coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain? Not so fast". News Article. Los Angeles Times.
  7. ^ "Percy's Railway Gets A New Name At Six Flags Magic Mountain". The Coaster Guy. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
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