The Toboggan

I love rollercoasters! That goes without saying. I’ve been on some of the best of ‘em too. I love the solid thrills of the great steel coasters and I love the rough & noisy rides of the great woodies. I not only love the hyperkinetic thrills of some of the biggest, but I also enjoy a good junior coaster. One of my favorites is the Rollo Coaster at Idlewild and someday I’d like to make it back to Great America near Chicago to ride the Little Dipper which they bought and restored from Kiddieland.
The Toboggan however is B-​O-​R-​I-​N-​G.
Rick and I took our niece and nephew Allison & Brian here last year and we each took a ride on the Toboggan. First of all, this thing is supposed to accomodate adults. I’m only 5’6″ and could barely fit in the car. I can’t imagine how Rick who’s 6′ tall wedged himself in. The cars can only accomodate one adult or two kids. This is an extremely uncomfortable ride.
So once you get in your car, you begin by doing a vertical lift. That’s right! You’re on your back when this thing lifts. Then when you emerge from the lift tower, you swirl downwards, round and round til you reach the bottom. Oh yeah, there is one surprise dip, and if you’re not careful – OUCH! You can really bang yourself up on that. I did!
Chance Coasters built a lot of these Toboggan coasters and sold them to carnivals everywhere. I’m pretty sure Lakemont’s served in one. All you have to do is look closely and you’ll see it’s mounted on a trailer. It’s one of the few remaining Toboggans left. But unlike Lakemont’s Leap the Dips coaster, just ‘cos something’s rare doesn’t make it worth saving.