Post by SoCalCoaster on Jan 30, 2010 11:51:30 GMT -8
Derailed: Crews begin dismantling Libertyland's Zippin Pippin roller coaster
Workers with Wagner General Contractors work on dismantling the Zippin Pippin on Thursday at the Mid-South Fairgrounds. The 1912 roller coaster is the last remnant of the old Libertyland park.
Crews began dismantling the Zippin Pippin roller coaster Thursday, four years after Libertyland was closed to clear the way for Mid-South Fairgrounds redevelopment.
Long known as Elvis Presley's favorite ride, the Zippin Pippin dated to 1912. Workers are taking the wooden roller coaster apart with care in hopes that parts can be preserved, said city Housing and Community Development director Robert Lipscomb.
It has been exposed to the elements with no maintenance since the amusement park closed in October 2005.
In November, crews tore out a piece to see if it was salvageable, and an expert estimated that it would cost the city millions of dollars to restore or rebuild the ride.
Last year, Carousels and Carvings of Marion, Ohio, dismantled the Grand Carousel at Libertyland and stored it in an undisclosed location in Memphis.
Since then, the city approved about $2million to demolish Libertyland and the fairgrounds site, and much of the area has been cleared.
"I've got a lot of calls about that and just about all of them are about how good it looks," said Lipscomb.
But fans of the Zippin Pippin were saddened to hear that it had reached the end of the track.
"I'm crying inside," said Denise Parkinson, co-founder of the grass-roots Save Libertyland group. "It's not OK to go ahead and tear everything down without a plan."
Workers with Wagner General Contractors work on dismantling the Zippin Pippin on Thursday at the Mid-South Fairgrounds. The 1912 roller coaster is the last remnant of the old Libertyland park.
Crews began dismantling the Zippin Pippin roller coaster Thursday, four years after Libertyland was closed to clear the way for Mid-South Fairgrounds redevelopment.
Long known as Elvis Presley's favorite ride, the Zippin Pippin dated to 1912. Workers are taking the wooden roller coaster apart with care in hopes that parts can be preserved, said city Housing and Community Development director Robert Lipscomb.
It has been exposed to the elements with no maintenance since the amusement park closed in October 2005.
In November, crews tore out a piece to see if it was salvageable, and an expert estimated that it would cost the city millions of dollars to restore or rebuild the ride.
Last year, Carousels and Carvings of Marion, Ohio, dismantled the Grand Carousel at Libertyland and stored it in an undisclosed location in Memphis.
Since then, the city approved about $2million to demolish Libertyland and the fairgrounds site, and much of the area has been cleared.
"I've got a lot of calls about that and just about all of them are about how good it looks," said Lipscomb.
But fans of the Zippin Pippin were saddened to hear that it had reached the end of the track.
"I'm crying inside," said Denise Parkinson, co-founder of the grass-roots Save Libertyland group. "It's not OK to go ahead and tear everything down without a plan."
www.rollercoasterpro.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1264877443&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&
Truely a shame, it's sad to see another classic woodie fall. At least there is a glimmer of hope for the Pippin. Lets hope it is reborn elsewhere.
