| Jumbo Jet | |
|---|---|
 Jumbo Jet | |
| Morey's Piers | |
| Location | Morey's Piers |
| Coordinates | 38°59′10″N 74°48′32″W / 38.986°N 74.809°W / 38.986; -74.809 |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 1976 (1976) |
| Closing date | 1987 (1987) |
| Cost | $400,000 |
| Replaced by | Jet Star |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Designer | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH |
| Model | Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet |
| Lift/launch system | Electric spiral lift |
| Height | 56 ft (17 m) |
| Length | 2,854 ft (870 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:23 |
| Capacity | 1,200 riders per hour |
| Jumbo Jet at RCDB | |
The Jumbo Jet was a prefabricated steel roller coaster at Morey's Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey. Jumbo Jet was a Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet model coaster built by noted roller coaster designer Anton Schwarzkopf. In 1975, the Morey brothers traveled to Germany and purchased the Jumbo Jet for $400,000. Morey's Surfside Pier had to be extended a total of 250 feet (76 m) to make room for the Jumbo Jet. Despite the expense, however, Jumbo Jet became one of the most popular roller coasters on the Jersey Shore, and was credited for increasing attendance at Morey's Piers. It was the second and final Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet model coaster to be built in the state of New Jersey.
Although multiple sources support the purchase of the Morey's Piers Jumbo Jet as occurring in Germany, some sources persist in the rumor that this coaster may have been the relocation of the ill-fated Jumbo Jet from Great Adventure (now Six Flags Great Adventure).
Regardless of the ride's origins, Jumbo Jet was sold in 1987 to a German broker. The broker eventually traded the coaster to Gorky Park in Moscow for two railroad cars of ketchup—as the ruble was not a widely accepted currency outside of the Soviet Union at the time.
Ride layout
Like other coasters of the Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet model line, the Jumbo Jet did not utilize a chain lift or launch mechanism to reach the top of the lift hill. Instead, small wheel motors drove it up the incline of a tight helix. The track was also different on Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet roller coasters than on most later steel roller coasters. The former has much thinner track rails than the tubular steel of the latter. Riders on the Morey's Piers Jumbo Jet cited its high-speed, banking turns as a noteworthy element.
See also
References
- RCDB.com entry for Jumbo Jet (Morey's Piers)
- ^ Futrell, Jim (2004). Amusement Parks of New Jersey. Amusement Parks Series (illustrated ed.). Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0811729737.
- ^ Lilliefors, James (2006). America's Boardwalks: From Coney Island to California (illustrated ed.). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 081353805X.
- RCDB.com search results for Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet model line
- RCDB.com entry for Jumbo Jet (Six Flags Great Adventure)
- "greatadventurehistory.com forums". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- Wright, Jack; Futrell, Jim; Grassi, Ralph; O'Brien, Tim (2009). Fab-o-rama!: the story of Morey's Piers, planet Earth's greatest seaside amusement park: A wild ride!. Cape May, NJ: Exit Zero Publishing. ISBN 978-0979905155. OCLC 786180745.
- Rutherford, Scott (2004). The American Roller Coaster. MBI Publishing. p. 156. ISBN 0760319294.
- Cartmell, Robert (1987). The Incredible Scream Machine: A History of the Roller Coaster. Popular Press. p. 156. ISBN 0-87972-342-4.
| Morey's Piers | |
|---|---|
| Coasters | |
| Dark rides | |
| Other rides | |
| Defunct |
|