Long Beach Pike Cyclone Racer recreation - NoLimits 2

Designed by Frederick Church and built by Harry Traver, this racing coaster lasted from 1930 to 1968 at Long Beach Pike in Southern California. I recreated it in the NoLimits 2 coaster simulator.
Music is "Ragtime Dance" by Scott Joplin, downloaded from freemusicarchive.org.

[@weslogged]

I was convinced to ride the Cyclone Racer when I was about 12, and the 1st drop made me crawl to the bottom of the car for about 10 seconds. The ride speed was 20% faster than this as I remember. The idiots could have rerouted W. Shoreline and Seaside Dr. so the Star attraction of the Pike wouldn't need to be removed. It was a great ride.

[@Missglam67]

I think city officials were looking for excuses to get rid of it and the rest of the park! Once the park closed for good in 1979 they wasted no time or spared expensive to demolish anything that wasn’t cemented down.

[@YourMom777-x3x]

My favorite leave it to Beaver moment is when Eddie convinces the Beaver to ride the cyclone and then Eddie screams all the way through just like a little…

[@JDWALTERSmusic]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOME WORK, ALEX!!! TO THE FUTURE!!! 🤩🎢🎡

[@wideawakeinotown]

i remember when we were on vacation as a kid in the early 70's going to the queen mary with my aunt who had lived in LA since 1950. she told me all about the history of the Pike and the infamous cyclone racer. just her recollection and tales of it had me so excited about it that it's been a legend in my coaster mind ever since. thanks for this recreation!

[@skykitchen867]

There was a TV Show called The Fugitive, and that night would be the last episode. We were at the Nu-Pike, watching it on a tv in the corner of the skee ball building with a bunch of people. When it was over, every one of us there all got together and went to the Cyclone Racer for a few rides. Still can see the neon star at the top of the incline. Best roller coaster ever.

[@Tookewlpara]

60 years ago the worlds largest wood rollercoaster was the most exciting ride I can remember. I just noticed a lot of rickety 2x4s and remember the stories about how once the coaster derailed and the cars went out over the ocean and kept going. Some more Pike Lore of the 60s

[@LiamFlahertyCounterpoint]

Nice job. The 1930s wishes their coasters were this smoothe

[@johnleonard6092]

I would love to see someone do a recreation of the Coaster Dips at Glen Echo Park, Maryland, and the Mountain Speedway at Baltimore's Carlin's Park. Both were wonderful rides!

[@RaptorAlex]

Coaster Dips is on my list, but I need to find more photos. I can't figure out what it did in the turn/drops next to the lift hill.

[@Fahrenheit4051]

Scott Joplin and Harry Traver? It really doesn't get much better than that.

[@kw6stheater539]

I really hope that a park rebuilds one of these classics. Thankfully we have Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Kennywood for all our old fashioned woodie fixes.

[@vulpkip2172]

0_0 rediscovered this masterpiece after 2 years, great job!

[@DanielBlaney]

one thing for a 1930s coaster you need to adjust is that the turns shouldn't have leadins. Same for hill pullouts and pullins. it should instantly switch to the radius of the turn or hill. A good example is turns on old arrow dynamics coasters and the bunny hops how at the very beginning of the crest you get that big pop of airtime. Thats because the radius instantly changes instead of tapering in.

[@DarrylECarr]

Very well done!

[@rct3LP]

Great ride love the beginning in black and white and the peer-side good job :) Though it is a bit too smooth for a woodie :D

[@jbc17c]

rct3LP Depends which company made it, GCI, Intamin, and Gravity Group woodies can be a,most as good as steel coasters.

[@guyt6244]

Nice work!

[@Missglam67]

Was this the wooden coaster at the Pike in Long Beach? I recall in the mid 70s being at the beach and seeing a roller coaster and other amusement rides on the pier and asking my mom if we could go there. I go a very hard “No!” My mom was not a fan of roller coasters or amusement parks. In fact, I found out years later that she actually rode on this coaster Cyclone Racer years earlier.. before I was born. She had the worse experience. She didn’t like the negative g forces. The Airtime terrified her and she ended up being sick to her stomach. From that time one she hated roller coasters. She said they made her anxious and nervous just being around them. But I was different. I was always fascinated by them. I wanted to ride them. I rode on a kiddie coaster at a place called Kiddieland near our house. There is now a medical building on the old sight but I still remember the exact place it stood. I thought the kiddie coaster was faster and sort of scary but at the same time it was fun! I wanted to go again. They had a little kiddy Ferris wheel that I didn’t want to go on but my sister did! Anyway after that my first “real” roller coaster was Matterhorn at Disneyland and then my first trip to Magic Mountain I experienced what fast really was. They didn’t have Colossus yet and Revolution was being built. There was a wild mouse coaster called Mountain Express and was a wild ride for a 7 year old me! But always loved roller coasters! Although for many years I thought I was becoming my mom. I stopped riding them and developed a fear of them. But recently I started getting my roller coaster mojo back

[@RaptorAlex]

That is incredible. I love that your mom got to ride it but am sad to learn it put her off of coasters.

[@Missglam67]

@@RaptorAlex thanks! Yeah she never got over her trauma or her fear. We did manage to get her on Gold Rusher at Magic Mountain once since there was no steep drops and that didn’t go too well either. She screamed like she was being tortured and dying! It was sort of embarrassing but after that we never tried to get her on another coaster.

[@tonybarde2572]

She will come back

[@AydenJennerCarroll]

Could you do an RMC version of this?

[@RaptorAlex]

That's a good idea. I'll start thinking of elements and changes to the layout.

[@worldsgreatestride]

You have it off a mile!

[@tonybarde2572]

There is a movement to rebuild it as it was

[@RaptorAlex]

It sure would be nice to see that happen! But I haven't seen any progress on that in around 10 years.

[@tonybarde2572]

@@RaptorAlexWe will see her again

[@sonnysalim5757]

Super fast trian

[@J.P.SeeburgEandKTSpecial]

Way too tame compared to the Real Deal!

[@alecvip7562]

I don’t think this is the greatest. The elements ante too far apart and are repetitive.

[@RaptorAlex]

That was its slogan. In the 1930s and '40s, it was probably top notch.