I have recently been working on a Timberwolf story for the ACE regional newsletter, and have been doing some research on the coasters that inspired Timberwolf. Like Orient Express Hunt and co. went on coaster riding trips to get ideas on what coasters they liked. (think Loch Ness to Orient Express), and I was trying to figure out the inspiration for Timberwolf. Well in KC Star Article from Nov 10, 1988 and I quote
"Worlds of Fun set aside $3 million to build it and flew staff members to the best wooden rides in the country for research. Susan Longmire the park's director of marketing, found that her ride on a wooden design in New Jersey was vastly different from those on the steel Orient Express and Zambezi Zinger"
Welll with that quote I went looking. There were VERY few wooden coasters operating in the 1988-89 time frame, I think 88 total. But I did find this. The Flyer at Dinosaur/Hunt's Pier in NJ. Its small, but if you look at the photos the beginning seems to mimic another coaster we are familiar with. here is another quote from the same article that makes me think this.
Here are some photos:
http://www.funchase.com/Images/Flyer/Flyer.htm"And Worlds of Fun ride she noted will be much larger the the one she was on"
So it was obviously smaller, but hey I wouldn't mind having a coaster patterned off a John Allen.
Anyway just found that interesting.
Jennifer
