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Thunderbolt
The inactive Thunderbolt in 1986
Coney Island
Location	Coney Island
Coordinates	40°34′26″N 73°58′57″W / 40.57389°N 73.98250°W / 40.57389; -73.98250
Status	Removed
Opening date	1925 (1925)
Closing date	1982 (1982)
General statistics
Type	Wood
Designer	John A. Miller
Height	86 ft (26 m)
Duration	1:17
Thunderbolt at RCDB

The Thunderbolt was a wooden roller coaster located at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by John Miller, it operated from 1925 until 1982 and remained standing until it was demolished in 2000. The demolition was controversial, as the property owner Horace Bullard was not notified, nor had any formal inspection been done on the structure.

In June 2013, it was announced that a new steel roller coaster would be constructed on Coney Island named the Thunderbolt. The steel coaster opened in 2014 and uses a completely different design.

In popular culture

It was featured briefly in Woody Allen's 1977 film Annie Hall as the boyhood home of Alvy Singer (Allen's character). The house was a real residence, built in 1895 as the Kensington Hotel. The roller coaster was constructed with part of its track scaling the top of the building.

The indie rock/slowcore band Red House Painters 1993 album, Red House Painters (Rollercoaster) features a sepia toned photograph of the Thunderbolt as its cover art. The last film to photograph the Thunderbolt was Requiem for a Dream.

In the 1995 IMAX film Across the Sea of Time, the coaster is featured in abandoned condition.

In the 1998 movie He Got Game, Spike Lee features the coaster in its dilapidated state.

References

1. Rutherford, Scott (2000) The American Roller Coaster, MBI Publishing Company, Wisconsin. ISBN 0760306893.
2. ^ Marden, Duane. "Thunderbolt  (Coney Island - George Moran)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
3. "End of the line". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. South Carolina. Associated Press. November 19, 2000. p. 10A.
4. Dan Barry (October 4, 2003). "About New York; Giuliani Razed Roller Coaster, And the Law". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
5. Marden, Duane. "Thunderbolt  (Luna Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
6. Brown, Stephen R. (June 14, 2014). "Coney Island's new Thunderbolt roller coaster officially opens". NY Daily News. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
7. "The House under the Roller Coaster by Steve Zeitlin". www.nyfolklore.org. Archived from the original on April 26, 2002.
8. Donnelly, Tim (July 28, 2013). "Life Under the Thunderbolt". New York Post. Retrieved October 15, 2013.

v t e Coney Island
Brooklyn, New York City
Parks	Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park Luna Park Former Astroland (1962–2008) Dreamland (1904–11) Dreamland (2009) Luna Park (1903–44) Sea Lion Park (1895–1903) Steeplechase Park (1897–1964)
Roller coasters	Circus Coaster Cyclone Soarin' Eagle Sea Serpent Family Coaster Steeplechase The Tickler Thunderbolt (built 2014) Phoenix Starflyer
Other rides	B&B Carousell Ghost Hole Spook-a-Rama The Whip Wonder Wheel
Other attractions	Ford Amphitheater Maimonides Park New York Aquarium Quester I Riegelmann Boardwalk
Defunct	Roller coasters Cannon Coaster Drop the Dip Flip Flap Railway Loop the Loop Rough Riders Switchback Railway Thunderbolt (1925–1982) Tornado Other rides A Trip to the Moon Dante's Inferno Parachute Jump Witching Waves Other attractions Childs Restaurants Surf Avenue Boardwalk Coney Island Velodrome Elephantine Colossus Shoot the Freak Shore Theater
Community	Abraham Lincoln High School Coney Island Creek Park Coney Island Light Coney Island Fire Station Pumping Station Gargiulo's Italian Restaurant Half Moon Hotel Jewish Center of Brighton Beach Kaiser Park Nathan's Rachel Carson High School for Coastal Studies Shore Theater Hotel Totonno's Trump Village
Organizations	Coney Island History Project Coney Island USA Coney Island Beautification Project
Neighborhoods	Brighton Beach Manhattan Beach Sea Gate
Subway stations	Brighton Beach Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue Neptune Avenue Ocean Parkway West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium
Cultural impact	Coney Island in popular culture Coney Island Mermaid Parade Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Steeplechase Face
See also: Brooklyn Community Board 13

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• Removed roller coasters
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• Roller coasters that closed in 1982
• Wooden roller coasters
• Coney Island
• Former roller coasters in New York (state)
• 1925 establishments in New York City
• 1982 disestablishments in New York (state)
• Demolished buildings and structures in Brooklyn
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