The World's Best DEFUNCT Coasters - From A to Z

[@CarolinaCycloneJames]

Back wabbit is honestly the most adorable and funny name I've heard for a coaster

[@Thelightning1out]

I remember volcano being such a good ride, best defunct coaster I’ve ridden tbh.

[@muppetsretrofan8873]

I'm so glad that some Astroworld coasters are on this list. I never got the chance to go to Astroworld, it closed when I was only three. And now the only theme park/amusement park close to me is Blue Bayou's sister park, which is seasonal. My mom grew up with Astroworld and other defunct parks, as well as vintage Disney World/Epcot and often tells me stories of what it was like to go there. We've watched the Astroworld documentary, but it was very hard to watch, given how it ended. It was good, just hard to watch.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Thanks for checking out the doc

[@aliciaschwartz2640]

The one at Kentucky Kingdom was at Six Flags Great America first as tidal wave

[@hunterbest1235]

@@AirtimeThrillsfor s you should should have done son of best

[@timbeam00]

Speed the Ride was a lot of fun. But the only right answer for S is Shockwave (SFGAm)

[@VelvetteSimp]

Vortex is my favorite defunct credit it was extremely forceful and smooth

[@pizzafroth1521]

Im VERY lucky I have a segment of Vortex's track!! Its my favorite arrow looper.

[@CoasterHead]

@@pizzafroth1521how much would you offer for it?

[@michael7054]

Same here

[@captainofthedogs]

@@michael7054 same im willing to double what they say

[@michael7054]

@@captainofthedogs lol yeah. I dont have the money though

[@MrVekoma1979]

Despite what people say, there were only 4 vekoma inverted boomerangs made, people often get it mixed up because rcdb lists one of the relocations as a “new ride” for some reason, there was never five of them

[@jzckvsn]

I really think if Firehawk stayed around, it could have continued to be a popular coaster at the park. But Orion is a good replacement for it

[@captainofthedogs]

im going to kings island in a year and i really wish i could ride firehawk

[@UltimateGamer34]

I mean batwing is a clone of firehawk

[@ItsSiebay]

If only one of those trains made its way to Six Flags America. One train ops on this thing make it a nightmare to try and ride. You basically have to go straight for it at opening and wait and hope that it opens at 12, or buy a flash pass.

[@ydinoh]

Yea.. would have been nice if they just moved it but... only in a perfect world

[@Binx345me]

isnt borg (or whatever the new name is, its borg to me!) at carowinds the same exact model as firehawk?

[@kgc0609]

Eagle fortress... I really miss that ride. Everland probably won't add any roller coaster for the next 10 years but at least with eagle fortress still there it would be a solid complementary coaster for T express.

[@kotchapakmaneechote2062]

K: Katapult Me: **Cries in Knightmare at Camelot**

[@psychopompinc.646]

I got to ride Alpine Bobsled when it was Rolling Thunder at SFGA. It was one of my favorite rides at the park. So much fun. And at SFMM, I miss old Colossus and actually prefer it to the RMC Twisted version. Vortex at King's Island was a great, now defunct coaster too, as was Shock Wave at SFGA. Glad I still have Viper at SFMM since Shock Wave is gone.

[@Mythyval]

These lists never seem to have any coasters that went defunct before 1980. Maybe it’s just too hard to evaluate them because we don’t have reports comparing them to modern coasters.

[@nickbrennan9807]

Video idea: Coasters built in the last 10 (or however many) years that will be considered “the classics” in the future

[@roller12coaster]

Cool idea!

[@micahmagnet]

Airtime Thrills casually saying he’s going to Japan 12:17

[@captainofthedogs]

yea i noticed that too

[@AirtimeThrills]

Ive mentioned it before, but not officially

[@captainofthedogs]

@@AirtimeThrillsWhat parks are you going to?

[@OriginalJoe]

Wacky Soap Box Racers was great. So sad it’s gone. Light on forces, but four-track racing.

[@Binx345me]

that sounds like a really fun ride

[@JamesAC17GA]

Fun beats thrill!

[@ThePirateprincess23]

It was a great first love for those kids who were first getting into coasters.

[@KnotWithJosh]

The amount of Schwarzkopfs on this list shows there really isn’t a bad coaster from them. Also roaring tornado isn’t defunct it’s at my home park elitch gardens and is reopening in June (I hope).

[@ChibiProwl]

I miss Dueling Dragons at Islands of Adventure and Cheetah at Wild Adventures.😢😢

[@mitchellries256]

Some of my favorite defunct coasters include Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Dragon Challenge at Universal's Islands of Adventure, Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Volcano: The Blast Coaster at Kings Dominion, Firehawk and Vortex at Kings Island, Wicked Twister at Cedar Point, Primeval Whirl at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa.

[@BuccaneerBruce]

8:29 Should have been Orient Express at World's Of Fun.

[@MattMcIrvin]

While I haven't ridden many defunct coasters, the number keeps increasing. The best ones were probably Big Bad Wolf, and Elitch Gardens' Mr. Twister (the ride the Knoebels Twister and neo-Elitch's Twister II are both attempting to pay tribute to). These were both among the first coasters I ever rode. I missed my chance to ride Dueling Dragons (then called Dragon Challenge): I saw it run, but I was feeling some uncomfortable indigestion that day and wasn't really up to it.

[@clairefunnell8481]

Skyrider at Canada's Wonderland. Opened in 1985 and closed in 2014. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@ThePirateprincess23]

Thanks for the shout out! I am happy to have at least 4 credits mentioned here: Colossus at Magic Mountain, Dueling Dragons (Dragon Challenge when I rode it in 2015) at Islands of Adventure, Déjà Vu at Magic Mountain (honorable mention for D), and Wacky Soap Box Racers at Knotts Berry Farm (honorable mention for W and my favorite defunct coaster credit).

[@AirtimeThrills]

I have those also except Wacky Soap Box, but I am pretty sure it was there when I went as a kid, I was just too small to ride. By the time I started riding coasters it was Windjammer

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

I think I’ll go to my grave being upset that Volcano is gone 😭

[@Binx345me]

same along with the entire myrtle beach pavilion , most huss rainbows,and alien encounter at disney world, super saturator at carowinds too!

[@btk22279]

Laser was ok. Definitely made me nervous to ride as a kid. First looping coaster I rode without over the shoulder restraints. H could have been Hercules.

[@alex33952]

I was sad to see alpine bobsled removed. Was happy to ride it twice including last year. My daughter loved the usa car. However the great escape was great to replace it with a solid replacement and was getting old and couldn’t run in the rain

[@Verdelite]

i dont get why cp couldnt keep wicked twister on the boardwalk, it wouldve looked so good there

[@michael7054]

Great video! I think for D Do Do Dompa would be a good one for its uniqueness. I liked riding Vortex at KI a lot but I knew Volcano would win for V.

[@michael7054]

I saw it was on there when I went back and watched ( Do Do Dompa )

[@donaldkennedy9573]

The Original Colossus at SFMM was indeed fast in 1978. That is when I first rode it. And also at SFMM was the Mountain Express. It was very good.

[@MrSRArter]

2:23 There was also the only enclosed bobsled coaster, Disaster Transport.

[@coreyrobertson7858]

Roaring tornado is far from defunct standing but not operating most of the time but it's definitely still at elitch's

[@sunsetgemma]

dueling dragons was such a great ride, i'm so sad i only got to ride it the once before it closed

[@COASTER_CHASER_1]

Nightmare was supper fun unfortunately it had terrible capacity and on top of it suffered from maintenance issues

[@madmax2010ok]

I agree with the original Colossus at Magic Mountain. I rode it first year open and it was just wild. It bounced down the first hill like only touching the track half the time. And the ejector air time was so strong I got bruises on my thighs from the lap bars!

[@srphillips19]

Funny story, I actually visited Joyland in Texas and happened to run into the owner. I asked him about what happened to Greezed Lightning, (or Greasie, as he called it). They had intended to rebuild the coaster and operate it at the park, but it was too expensive for them to run it and the terrain selected for the footers was unstable. Even though it was a small park, it’s a shame they couldn’t make it work.

[@AirtimeThrills]

I have a feeling that happens to most relocated coasters. So many get moved and scrapped

[@purevalunboxing]

I would have gone with Great American Scream Machine for G. I miss that coaster.

[@ShockerTopper]

Wait Greased Lightning was essentially a Montezuma's Revenge right? That ride is a flywheel I believe...or was, I don't know how they're going to run it when they finally finish working on the remodel. Such morons (the original contractors) taking apart more than they were supposed to.

[@tigerrocks503chase8]

In the theme song of Demon at Six Flags Great America, there is a cheesy story in its soundtrack where it take about the park trying to tearing it down to get rid of the evil spirit, only for the Demon to destroy every bulldozer who goes near the coaster that he possesses and ever worker is scared off. Maybe that’s why it’s lasting so long. 😂

[@mrthanksgivin9720]

Greezed Lighting over Great American Scream Machine is criminal

[@AirtimeThrills]

Some people may say GASM was the worst. I didnt hate it but thought it wasnt all that great either

[@kaitakeo]

Can't wait for the worlds worst defunct coasters A to Z 😊

[@UltimateGamer34]

I have a cool idea for a vid defunct coasters that could have been saved like how the cyclone at coney island was about to be torn down but got saved by the public

[@tylertyus9507]

Watched this specifically to make sure “Volcano, the Blast Coaster” was selected for V. Absolute legend of a coaster.

[@brianfoss571]

Avalanche was a seriously underrated credit, looming in the shadow of Hades 360. Glad I got in 2 rides in 2016 during a 4-state coaster trip. If only more FECs could get a thrill coaster with that much bite.

[@T_128]

Re: R, the Riverside Cyclone was my all time favorite ride before 2001 when the first drop was shortened. That ride was vicious and my love of rollercoasters was created from riding that thing in the last row.

[@ministryinthemaking1927]

I grew up in Arkansas. When Roaring Tornado was there I was way too young and way too terrified to go on it. The unique thing about it was that it was on to of the magic springs sing. Now that I'm definitely old enough I think the closest thing to it is at Frontier City in OKC.

[@RankingTheMouse]

RIP Mindbender, the toughest loss on this list, followed closely by Dueling Dragons 😩

[@Binx345me]

Of the coasters I have ridden - 3. thunder road at carowinds racing backwards vs forwards 2. flying super satuator at carowinds. 1. volcano at kings dominion Soooo lucky I got to ride to volcano once i n 2017!! the 3.5 hour wsit was worth it, especially with what hsppened a year later. Of coasters i never got to ride but really wish i could have- the bat, big bad wolf, son of beast with the loop!

[@KylerCoasters_AndGaming]

The actual reason colossus at magic mountain was closed and rmc’d was because there was a fire on the peak of the lift hill

[@AirtimeThrills]

That actually occurred while RMC was working on it

[@KylerCoasters_AndGaming]

@@AirtimeThrills oh my bad. Thanks for the info

[@user-zk2xh9co3o]

Rode avalanche when it opened as a kid it was raining and mt Olympuswas closed my father and I went there and the guy just let us ride rode it like 25 times it was amazing. Sad to know it's gone

[@caseynedza4612]

Greezed Lightning is just like Montezumas Revenge at Knotts Berry Farm

[@LeedsSTL]

Zingo at Bells was one of my favorites as a kid. Bells also had a great log ride and a neat mouse coaster. RIP Bells Amusement Park

[@StamfordBridge]

A = Airplane Coaster at Rye Playland! That woodie was considered the greatest in the world for a while!

[@dextermorgan1]

0:14 This used to be called Z Force when it was at over Georgia. I know most people hate it, but I have very fond memories of this coaster from when I was 10 or so in 1989. 😊

[@AirtimeThrills]

It just seems like no matter how new it was, the transitons and the OTSR were a bad mix

[@cobytheq1718]

10:03 MAGIC SPRINGS MENTIONED‼️‼️‼️

[@ChloeClements34]

Yeah, not sure I agree with a couple but its your opinion, U- Ultimate Lightwater Valley and W- Wild Mouse Blackpool both crazy, unique and special and deserved it more then a crappy Togo and average launch coaster

[@AirtimeThrills]

Ultimate was super unique but I heard it was rough as hell

[@Coyotek4]

I've been on Lazer and Ultra Twister (the latter while it was at SFGA). I've been on at least one of the cars for Lightning Loops, but I honestly don't know which one (so I may or may not have done 'Python'). I've witnessed Katapult up close when it was at Morey's Pier, but never rode it. I've done both Hon. Mention 'B' rides, and FWIW, I rode Great American Scream Machine at SFGA, while I feel warranted at least an Hon. Mention for 'G'.

[@ayeshagriffith4701]

The Bat at Kings Island was my favorite roller coaster ever. I loved that ride.

[@TheMaverick987]

Think W should have been Wild Mouse at Blackpool Pleasure Brach. A classic wooden wild mouse and one of the most out of control coasters ive ever been on.

[@605coasters]

Roar at SFDK was my first big coaster. I enjoyed it a lot when I was 7 & 12 (The only 2 times I got to ride it 😅). It definitely holds a special place in my heart for that reason though.

[@johnfoltz8183]

Some people would wish Anaconda at Kings Dominion would be the A position here

[@AirtimeThrills]

Soon....soon....

[@fervalencia30]

Quimera was insane. By far one of the most intense coasters ever made. Having no trims you flew into those loops, I heard of people greying or blacking out. You could feel your face reshaping.

[@singthelongswansong]

There’s all this footage of Arrow shuttle loops - and I’ve never seen a station. Help

[@ItsSiebay]

Both of the M choices you listed are great for defunct coasters. If we’re counting SBNO coasters as well, I’m going to throw in Mega Zeph as well just because I was so close to riding it but never got to.

[@IRDeady]

Oh dang. Ki is my home park now and I never knew that was the only inverted boomerang in the US. I've been avoiding riding it, might have to give it a go now.

[@Actualnuclearscientist46]

I got to ride Avalanche in Wisconsin Dells twice... it absolutely RIPPED!!! So much fun. I am from the area and joined the Navy in 2011. When I got out in 2017 and returned to Wisconsin Dells, I was excited to ride it again, only to find out it had been removed... I was so sad, I really feel like we lost something with that one... great ride. RIP

[@X2tream_Arrow]

WAIT YOUR GOING TO JAPAN?!?! THATS AMAZING! 12:19

[@AirtimeThrills]

yep next summer

[@cancercentral9997]

​@@AirtimeThrills Can't wait for the Togo apology video lol

[@zingkoinko1231]

@@AirtimeThrillsmy parents are annoying i cannont upload any pictures if they keep turning of the stuipid internet?? why ?

[@chadenglish4169]

Night rides on Gwazi were awesome the first couple of yrs it was open. Speed was a great ride too.

[@katashworth41]

T I’d have to got for Alton Towers lost Schwarzkopf shuttle loop in Thunderlooper. I saw my dad ride but I was too small to get on.

[@jellybeans95]

I'm glad to see Wicked Twister getting love. I legit miss that one.

[@tractorgt]

Wonderful video! Very happy to have had the original bat as my first big coaster in 81. Definitely was wild!

[@HelenHarp-d6o]

I want to add the most defunk is the Music Pop from Lake Winnie ok????

[@Project_Storm1999]

I have a video idea. What would astroWorld, Kentucky Kingdom and Geauga lake look like today if six flags never closed them how many clones would they have now 😂

[@woelfcen]

Well, I miss Thriller, when it started back in 1986 as the first travelling coaster with 4 loops, operated by Bruch. It went 1998 to Astro World, as Taz's Texas Tornado. being relocated in 2003 to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom as Zonga, the last relocation was to Mexico in 2008 to the fair Isla San Marcos Parque Temático, running for 9 years, then being in storage for 5 years, then torn down forever. It pulled nearly 6,5 G. It was the most extreme Schwarzkopf Coaster ever build.

[@badmoonrising7795]

Hi there chris, I have a great idea for a video. How about top 10 funniest derogatory coaster nicknames! For example… thigh crush, nemesis inferior or even still curtain, there’s some really funny ones outhere my personal favourite is sore the ride . Anyways , you get the picture.

[@FameyFamous]

Yes, Wicked Twister was removed for the new boardwalk. But also, it was removed because it was too much like Top Thrill 2. Why would you want to launch up a 200 foot spike when there's a 400 foot spike across the way.

[@kirkwoita8840]

TT2 wasn't even on the radar when Twister was removed. The TTD accident happened the summer that Twister was removed.

[@FameyFamous]

@@kirkwoita8840 how sure are we that plans for TT2 weren't cooking on a back burner for years? Maybe the plan for a spike and a swing launch was older than the TTD accident.

[@kirkwoita8840]

@@FameyFamous Twister was built before TTD. So why would TTD be redone if it wasn't for the accident. Plus Twister was announced as closing after the 2021 season before anything happened with TTD.

[@FameyFamous]

@@kirkwoita8840For the public, TTD had a lot of downtime. For CP management, TTD's hydrologic launch system was expensive to operate and maintain. TT2 should be more reliable for us and cheaper for them. The accident was probably the final factor that made them commit to replacing the old hydraulic system with the new LSM system.

[@mikematherne3703]

Ultra twister and texas cyclone and all the coasters at astroworld were pretty great, but mega zeph at six flags new orleans will always hold a special place as one of my favorite defunct credits as the only park I could call "home"

[@Jessfrogger88]

Correct me if I'm wrong but is Texas Cyclone the one from the intro for Step by Step the 90s sitcom?

[@aaronroffman3987]

Laser/Teststrecke is still in operation! I believe it's currently in Saudi Arabia. I got to ride it again in Germany a few years back. Dorney ran it faster than its current owners but it still gives a good ride.

[@Spike-sk7ql]

Dang it...... I really miss having Geauga Lake 20 mins up the road.😢

[@ytcomment4242]

Actually not surprised to see a coaster from Idora Park on this list, but I was expecting Wildcat (though the W competition was a little stiffer). Jackrabbit was my first coaster, Wildcat my second. Both were excellent, and I thought Back Wabbit was wonderfully insane when I was 8. For T I would definitely consider Top Thrill Dragster defunct. And at the moment I would have Top Thrill 2 as the best (temporarily) defunct, but hopefully it's back up and running fairly soon.

[@Thrills_And_Chills_WQAQ]

Nightmare was allegedly in really bad shape, extremely rough and the building had no ac. Paging @canobiecoaster for this one

[@Colaholiker]

The Bat was actually not the first attempt on a suspended coaster. In the 70s, German aerospace and defense company MBB built the "Alpenflug". They made the same mistakes that Arrow repeated and the ride had to be scrapped after only 16 days of operation at that year's Munich Oktoberfest. There's even video evidence of Anton Schwarzkopf commenting on that epic fail, saying that maybe he should try building helicopters now. (MBB was very successful in that industry, the BO-105 helicopter hit it big in Europe.)

[@TKDragon75]

Shoutout to Blue Streak, some people may have called it the worst coaster they ever ridden, but I thought it was one of the best. It was an airtime machine. Sure it made you feel like you were being turned into a milk shake, but that was part of the fun. I really wish they put in the work to fix it as opposed to burning it down. For those that don't know, it was intentionally burnt down, but the controlled burn went out of control, thought it was being torn down either way.

[@bjornvandenbremt1717]

Great picks, but for G I would've picked Galaxy Express 999 @ Aqua Park (used to be Aqua Stadium, a big arcade that is part of the Shinagawa Prince hotel). It was an indoor Intamin launch coaster that was based of a manga show. Rode it in 2010 and I was very surprised by it. The pre-show lasted 10 minutes, followed by the actual ride that was quite punchy. There's only 1 (bad) pov of it by TPR.

[@VestedUTuber]

It's particularly a shame about Firehawk. It really showed that, even during that older era, Vekoma had the ability to make awesome rides. Its sister ride, Batwing, and "stepsister" Nighthawk are also incredible rides, although Nighthawk being the prototype _and_ having been relocated _AND_ repainted TWICE results in it being incredibly rough and definitely in need of the Great Nor'Easter treatment. Same goes for the Inverted Boomerangs - while seemingly just a combination of the bland Boomerang and the painfully rough SLC, these are actually really good rides and I hope that Vekoma revisits the concept with something based on their newer STC coaster model.

[@ryanb9749]

Flashback and Zonga. The coolest coaster I got to see operating but never got to ride. Officially Flashback closed in 2003. But I'm pretty sure I saw a train do a cycle in 2005 or 2006.

[@InsaneW_Ghrankenstein]

I think not using Orient Express for O was a bit of a miss. It was a ripper when it was built.

[@Spike-sk7ql]

Holy crap Jackrabbit at Idora Park got a mention!!! That park was in my back yard honestly. Closed down just after i was born. Never got to experience it that i can remember, but i was there😂

[@Twiztedgoalie]

Bat over big bad wolf? Oh…oh you…

[@AirtimeThrills]

I knew the BBW fanatics would come out hard on that one, but come on, Bat was so insane it tore itself apart

[@Twiztedgoalie]

@@AirtimeThrills at least you picked eagles fortress

[@David9PM]

I hope Indiana beach got mind bender parts.

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

I miss the shuttle loops

[@sdw92able]

O should have been Orient Express at Worlds of Fun.

[@LancoasterPA]

Of the 5 coasters on this list that I have ridden, the strongest memories, by far, is Ultra Twister. Weird and wonderful, it should have found a home somewhere.

[@brianmacdonald7297]

Wow, I have five of these credits, and a handful of the honorable mentions too. Was not expecting to see Laser on this list.

[@vortexluigirosalina5557]

Wicked Twister was the best defunct coaster i rode last ridden in 2011

[@Melissa2087]

I remember Laser at Dorney Park... what a throwback

[@pyscha]

We got a new best for K now sadly…

[@Neptune5111.1]

true ☹️

[@man_guy09]

as someone who lives near the dells, i was not expecting a dells shoutout (i hate the dells because they bring so much traffic)

[@nixienooo]

I’d like to see a worst defunct coasters a-z!

[@TheOGRicester]

airtime thrills is the goat

[@heather1980]

Just FYI Pont-cha-train Beach. Great video!

[@ryanb9749]

Could we get a top low intensity rollercoaster list? Some people can't ride intense rollercoasters due to disabilities or children. But they still enjoy riding coasters. I'm thinking smooth low force rides with good themeing