20 rescued when historic Pa. coaster gets stuck
Oct 21, 2013, 4:55 PM
CONNEAUT LAKE, Pa. (AP) – A car on a historic roller coaster got stuck on the top of a hill at a northwestern Pennsylvania amusement park, and emergency crews led 20 riders down a narrow catwalk in wet weather.
A safety brake locked the car on the Blue Streak coaster in place at Conneaut Lake Park on Saturday night, the Meadville Tribune reported Monday (
http://bit.ly/16mMFbo).
Nobody was hurt, and crews put a safety harness on each rider and led them down the 50-foot catwalk one at a time, Summit Township volunteer fire Chief Gig King said. That took about four hours.
The roller coaster will be inspected and repaired, and park officials hope to have it operating by Friday, the next time the park is open.
The roller coaster, one of two remaining Ed Vettel-designed coasters in the world, was built in 1938 and is the park’s main attraction. It was idled in 2006 due to maintenance and other concerns, but park officials used $50,000 from the Pepsi Refresh Project in 2010 to refurbish the ride. The contest allowed people to vote online for worthy arts and culture projects that needed a financial boost.
The coaster is open as part of the park’s Halloween-themed events.
About 90 miles north of Pittsburgh, the 121-year-old park has battled financial problems in recent years and is run by a board of public trustees.
“We greatly appreciate the skill and care the firemen took in keeping everyone safe,” said Jack Moyers, chairman of the park’s board of trustees. “We also appreciated the patience of the people who were on the ride.”
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Information from: The Meadville Tribune,
http://www.meadvilletribune.com
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