My second stop on this year's summer road trip was Six Flags America. It was a perfect midway stopping point between Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Six Flags Great Adventure. I was particularly excited for Superman: Ride of Steel, their Intamin hyper, and the Wild One, a classic wood coaster that was moved to Maryland from its original location mere minutes from where I grew up. Join me for my first ever visit to the closest park to our nation's capitol.
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My second stop on this year's summer road trip was Six Flags America. It was a perfect midway stopping point between Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Six Flags Great Adventure. I was particularly excited for Superman: Ride of Steel, their Intamin hyper, and the Wild One, a classic wood coaster that was moved to Maryland from its original location mere minutes from where I grew up. Join me for my first ever visit to the closest park to our nation's capitol.
If you enjoyed this episode, please help me out by rating, sharing, and subscribing. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @coasterredux.
Welcome to Episode 14 of Coaster Redux. My name is Erik and I am a life-long roller coaster enthusiast, but up until lately, I’ve been kind of a lazy one. For years, I’d all but forgotten my roller coaster obsession from high school and college. Then during the pandemic, I started following the coaster world again, and after last year’s road trip, I’m now on a mission to ride as many new coasters as I can.
This is the story of my revived roller coaster fandom, and I’m heading out on my second road trip, this time for two full weeks. I’m driving from Florida to Massachusetts to spend time with family and friends where I grew up, while visiting six parks on the way up and back. Yesterday, I visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and had a stellar day riding Pantheon, DarKoaster, and the rest of their excellent attractions. I’m heading north to Jackson, NJ to return to Six Flags Great Adventure tomorrow, but I’ve got a couple hours in the middle of the day, and Six Flags America is a perfect midway stopping point. While it’s not known as the best park in the Six Flags chain, I’m excited to stop at a new park, especially one that has an Intamin hypercoaster, Superman: Ride of Steel.
I know as a roller coaster fan that one of my favorite parts of the hobby is getting the reaction of somebody coming off of a ride they’ve never ridden before. That’s what I want to share with you.
And with that, join me for my first time visit to Six Flags America as we drop into this episode of Coaster Redux.
I awoke to partly cloudy skies, and departed the Williamsburg area around 9:00 am. I had three hours between me and Bowie, MD, situated just east of the Capitol Beltway. Six Flags America didn’t open until noon, and I hoped my midday journey would be traffic free. Merged onto I-95 just north of Richmond, and passed the massive sign for Kings Dominion in Doswell, VA. Part of me wished I had chosen to stop here for a quality Cedar Fair experience riding Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers, but I had a different agenda.
A big question that I wanted to answer on this trip was why Superman: The Bizzarro Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England had fallen out of favor with enthusiasts over the years. The answer appeared to lie with the trains that received new lapbars since I last rode in 2005. Six Flags America has another Superman Intamin mega coaster that opened the same year as New England’s ride which still operates the original train design. I wanted to have a fresh comparison going into my visit to my former home park on the return part of the trip.
Plus, Six Flags America is also home to the Wild One, a classic wood coaster that originally operated as Giant Coaster at the defunct Paragon Park in Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts. This park was located only a few minutes from where I grew up, and while it closed before I was old enough to visit, they did maintain their gorgeous 1928 PTC carousel that still operates today. Riding that carousel before enjoying a soft serve ice cream cone was a regular childhood memory, and I attended more than a few birthday parties where we got seemingly unlimited ERT on the ride. Being able to say I’ve ridden the Giant Coaster was a feather I wanted for my cap.
And so I forwent re-riding my first Intamin giga, my first RMC, and the newly Titan-track refurbed Grizzly in favor of new credits, knowing full well that my experience at Six Flags America would likely pale in comparison to what could have been at Kings Dominion. Yet unless the Maryland park were to add a spectacular new attraction, this would likely be my one time visiting this park.
So I passed that massive red lift hill and settled into my drive, listening to the Everland episode to make sure it was ready to drop when I got to my hotel. The drive was uneventful and traffic flowed fluidly. I soon passed Quantico with signs for all the government installations, then crossed the Potomac as aircraft lined up over the river to land at Reagan National. I soon exited the highway onto nondescript roads through an unassuming suburban neighborhood before encountering the entrance sign for Six Flags America. Nothing about the entry area was impressive. I couldn’t see any rides from the park in the distance. I parked my car in a lot looking at the back side of the waterpark. Only a handful of other patrons joined me for the trek past Hurricane Harbor to the park’s main entrance.
Built one year earlier, the main gate is a dead ringer for Six Flags New England’s. I knew this going in, and the colonial buildings with white columns and a red brick facade make sense given the park’s location in our nation’s capitol. Patriotic music plays on the charming main street, and the area looks on par with other Six Flags parks. I was sitting at 148 credits, so my 150th roller coaster would be in this park. Too bad it couldn’t have been Pantheon, but an Intamin hyper isn’t too shabby for a milestone, right?
I turned left at the grand theater and the vibe changed. As I departed Main Street, the place just felt empty. I passed the Shipwreck Falls shoot the chutes and it was deserted. Then the wooden structure of Roar, the park’s GCI wood twister came into view. Knowing how Six Flags does maintaining their wood coasters at their best parks, this was not a ride I was looking forward to, I saw no evidence of new lumber on its track. I bypassed it and continued through the Chesapeake area to start my day on Firebird.
It opened in 1990 as Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America, and introduced the world to a brand new ride manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard. This stand-up coaster operated in Illinois until 2011 when it was moved to its current location the next year and renamed Apocalypse. In 2019, the ride received floorless trains from B&M, as well as its current name and paint scheme. The orange trackwork with red rails and grey supports appeared fluorescent against the cloudy skies, and I entered the queue.
The ride also felt empty, and as I climbed the stairs, Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones was playing over the speakers. Ir should have been a great song to get hyped for my first ride of the day, except the song sounded slowed down, like when the batteries on a cassette player are running low. Little did I know how this rundown rendition of a timeless favorite would perfectly set the tone for the day.
As I entered the station for Firebird, the operators notified us that the coaster had just gone down with a mechanical problem, so I promptly exited and resolved to ride Roar as my 149th roller coaster before heading back to Superman.
The lone PTC train was waiting in the station with the air gates open and I hopped into a middle row. We sat there for a considerable moment while the ride ops looked around for a stick to measure a child’s height. The lady at the control booth said over the PA that they didn’t have one, and they denied the child an opportunity to ride. Then with the mic still hot, she called her supervisor on the phone asking if somebody could bring them a pen since they didn’t have one on the ride. I really felt bad for the staff not having easy access to simple tools to do their jobs.
After at least five minutes, we were finally cleared and dispatched. I braced for impending doom as the train crested the lift, but if I’m being honest, the ride wasn’t that bad. Sure, it was rougher than newer GCI’s, and there was a hint of some floater airtime in some of the transitions, but this was a pretty unremarkable coaster. With better care, I think the layout would have been strong, and it’s got a great presence in the park. My guess is that the major trackwork this ride would need to live up to its potential, would be cost prohibitive, so I guess we’ll just have to hope it gets RMC’d down the road.
I passed under the structure for Wild One and noted that it too had not opened for the day. The Gotham City area lies on the other side, and it’s a concrete jungle of lackluster theming with no trees. I passed Joker’s Jinx, the Premier LIM launched coaster, and made my way back towards the massive 197 foot lift hill of Superman: Ride of Steel, a mirror image of the first Intamin mega coaster that opened in 1999 at Six Flags Darien Lake.
While the coaster looks like it’s still got its original Y2K red paint, I can’t help but get excited as I approach. Superman sits alone in its own plaza with little more than the ride’s logo sign and an empty switchback queue with a tent cover. The station itself is basically a rectangular box with a large S logo and some blue and red diagonal metal work. The Superman theme plays inside, and the constant clacking of the lift chain sounds just like the one in New England. It speeds up as the train engages, then slows back down as the train crests the first drop. I watched the single red Intamin train soar over the camelbacks in the distance and it’s got all the feels of my old favorite from back home.
No more than ten riders were inside ready to walk onto their row of choice for the next train. Of course I selected the back and settled into the worn left hand seat, buckled the seatbelt, and lowered the grimy T-bar to my thighs. While everything about it was dog-eared, the feeling was still right, and the station announcements were nostalgic 2000’s perfection. With a visual scan, the all clear order was given, and the train left the station.
It makes a U-turn before engaging the lift, and it squeaks like a New York subway car as it makes the turn. It’s honestly heartbreaking.
On the trip up the lift, it’s phenomenally impressive how big this park is, and how much land is underused. It looks like a sandbox park from RollerCoaster Tycoon where a novice player cleared an area and plunked down a prefabricated ride with no thought whatsoever. The crest approaches, and I’ve got my hands up pretending I’m a Superman. I’m hoping that while the visuals lack luster, the experience makes up for it.
The first drop is great in the back, and instead of New England’s tunnel, this ride charges into a hard banked right turn before ascending the first airtime hill. The train’s got a certain jank to it that I’ve never felt on an Intamin before. Similar rides of this vintage have a vibration to them but this is different. It just feels clunky.. The first airtime hill provides weak floater, then the ride enters the first of two huge helixes. The entry has a strange lateral shuffle that felt like the train was just loose on the track, then you revolve around 540 degrees and enter a long straight section of track before the second camelback. The airtime is a bit stronger on this one, then there’s a similar rough entry into the second helix. Next up is a twisting bunny hill followed by two more short hops that provide some stronger airtime. Then I was gut punched by deceleration as the front of the train hit the brakes before I’d finished the final bunny hill. It reminded me of the brake run on ArieForce One in the back row.
So I get that this was Intamin’s prototype mega coaster layout. It’s super simple, but even given what it is, I expected better. It’s not the elements or the straight track that’s got me scratching my head. It’s the way the train runs the track. It feels like the wheels haven’t been replaced in years, and the train just isn’t hugging the rails like it should. Millennium Force was built the same year as Superman and it tracked so so much better last year. I would hazard to guess that this roller coaster’s trains have suffered from the same lack of maintenance as the ride’s paint given the squeaking on that initial turnaround.
Another point to mention is that the storage track is empty. There’s no evidence of a blue train to be found. I hope it was undergoing maintenance when I visited and it will return providing a better quality ride. The park’s star attraction deserves better.
With my 150th roller coaster under my belt, I noticed Batwing just starting to cycle test trains. It was the last of three identical Vekoma Flying Dutchmen to open, and one of two remaining in operation today. These rides were the first flying roller coasters in the world, one of many salvos in the coaster wars of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, when every park was trying to outdo the next by building taller, faster, and wilder.
This is another cloned roller coaster model that Six Flags America just plunked down in a field by itself. The pathway to the ride crosses beneath Superman and it’s got high wrought iron fences on both sides with Batman logos painted on the concrete. It’s a cool looking layout, but like its neighbor, it probably still has its original coat of faded yellow paint.
The ride debuted with three trains, and has a double load platform which seems like it is never used. Not that there was a need on this day because the place was dead. There was no sign of another train on the transfer track. The ride was sending its one train around testing, and a handful of us waited in the station for the chance to board.
One entire row of the train was out of commission and was held in the flying position by ratchet straps you could buy at Home Depot. After about ten minutes and a few more test cycles, the first guests were permitted to climb aboard.
Vekoma’s original flying trains roll into the station with riders on their backs, heads facing forward. Then the seats tilt upright and you board your row facing backwards. Once the complicated restraint is secure, the train tilts back down. The tilt mechanism was in serious need of some WD-40 and it screeched like fingernails on a chalkboard as riders assumed the laydown position. I would be on the second train out, and questioned my sanity for even thinking about riding this contraption. I don’t love B&M flying coasters, and most Vekomas from this era are rough as can be.
But I was curious to try one out since Nighhawk was closed at Carowinds last year, so with caution to the wind, I climbed into the fourth row left. I wiggled between the two padded vests and settled into the seat. Then you buckle the vests together and the ride op pushes down a heavy ratcheting lap bar that pushes the vest against you. There’s also a leg guard similar to B&M’s version to keep your feet contained. It’s heavy, you definitely feel secure, and it’s pretty comfortable.
With the all clear, the trains squeal in pain as the seats tilt back, then it’s out of the station with a turn to the left before engaging the lift. Even though it’s overcast, I’m still staring straight into the sun as we ascend. At the top, the train turns left and we quickly invert to assume the flying position, and the sensation is really cool! We swoop to the ground and soar through and overbanked turn to reverse direction. Then you flip outward onto your back again as the train turns into a vertical loop. It’s a cool sensation that is similar to the pretzel loops on B&M’s.
Then you’re whipped back into the flying position, and turn around again before two inline aileron rolls followed by a close-to-the-ground helix leading into another half twist to lay you on your back again for the brakes…….And this ride…..was…….surprisingly good! Not jump back in line and ride again good, but for what it is, I enjoyed it. It’s smooth enough and pretty intense. I like how you don’t assume the flying position until you’ve built up some speed, and the transitions have some nice snap to them. The loop was solid, and overall, I was impressed. The ride itself is strong, I just wish it was better cared for, and had better placement and theming within the park.
The trains entered the station, squealed back to upright, and I made my way back to Gotham City to ride Joker’s Jinx. While it had been running earlier, a ride attendant told me it was down as I approached. I walked back under the Wild One, which had still yet to send a train through its course, and found myself back at Firebird. It was back open, and I made my way through the queue for a second time and climbed the stairs into the station.
I hopped right into the back row right and settled into the relatively new B&M train. It rides just like an old school B&M. It’s got a vertical loop and a single corkscrew with a tangled web of twisting track. There is a fire effect as the train passes the corkscrew for a cool visual. Overall, it’s fine. There are some jerky moments, and absolutely nothing special about it. Firebird is a pretty coaster, but one ride was enough for me.
For the first time in my life while in a theme park, I pulled up RCDB on my phone to see what other mediocre credits I needed to ride because that’s just how I felt. The whole place was so drab and uninspiring, and I basically just wanted to check the boxes and get on the road Jersey. I knew the park had an SLC, which I was absolutely dreading. Then I was delighted to find that it was SBNO this season. Sweet! I don’t have to ride that.
All I was missing was Joker’s Jinx, Wild One, and Ragin’ Cajun, a Reverchon spinning wild mouse. I headed back to Gotham City and found Joker’s Jinx had just re-opened. This Premier LIM coaster model shares its layout with Flight of Fear at Kings Island and Kings Dominion, as well as Poltergeist at Fiesta Texas. Its three cousins are all masterfully themed with Cedar Fair’s models being enclosed with a space theme, and Poltergeist sporting a gorgeous haunted house for a queue. This one has the same bare bones station and cut-outs as the rest of the park.
The station was empty and I climbed into the back. There were a few others who boarded the front few rows of the train. With my lap bar secure, the operators stood aside and gave the thumbs up for dispatch. Nobody had checked my restraint. I checked it myself and didn’t make a big thing of it. The operator in the control booth then came over the PA and told his crew, “You need to check every row.” A baffled young lady working the platform, paused, looked around, and stared at the operator. He pointed to me in the back of the train. She then came back to me and tugged up on my lap bar. I’m good.
With a visual scan, the train rocketed out of the station and into the glorious maelstrom of lime green trackwork. These are fun rides with excellent visuals as the train navigates one near miss after another in a rat’s nest of twisting track. It’s a good coaster, but again, once was enough.
I then returned to Superman for a second ride with the same result as the first. It’s fun, but I bet it would run a lot better with improved maintenance. I was getting hungry,and as I passed under the Wild One on the way to Johnny Rocket’s, I saw a train stopped halfway up the lift. It wasn’t there earlier, so at least it’s something.
The inside of the burger joint looked as tired and unloved as the rest of the park with dust on the ceiling and plain white walls. I ordered my double cheeseburger and fountain drink, and it came out quickly enough. With my order in hand, I sat down and took my first bite. The menu advertised a special sauce on the burger, but there was nothing there. I looked around for condiments, but they weren’t available in the dining room. I walked back to the counter and saw packets stashed by the order window looking into the kitchen, but by this time, I was just so exhausted from disappointing experiences in this park that I couldn’t muster the energy to interrupt the employees to ask for something so basic. I ate my dry mediocre burger and some of the fries before heading back out into the park.
I looked up towards Wild One’s lift and saw that the train that had stopped there was gone, but there was no other sign of life in the station. I figured I’d get the Ragin’ Cajun credit and then get on the road. I waited about five minutes to board this tiny roller coaster, and sat in one of the four passenger cars with a couple. We climbed the lift, then did the standard wild mouse thing with a series of hairpin turns before a few drops. Then the car passes a mechanism that unlocks it enabling it to spin freely through more hairpin turns. It was all fine until we entered the final brake that stops the car with incredible ferocity. We happened to be sideways as we entered the brake, and my cheekbone was slammed into the seatback to my right. The lady riding with me thought she wrenched her back. While it didn’t leave me black and blue, my face took a hard hit, and the thought that a child could experience the same thing is seriously problematic.
I left Ragin’ Cajun ready to head to the parking lot, yet I saw that guests were onboard the Wild One. I seriously thought about skipping it since my day had started bad and only gotten worse. Should I really subject myself to an old wooden roller coaster at a park that doesn’t take care of their rides? Then I snapped out of it. This was one of my main reasons for coming here, and the chances of me coming back are pretty slim, so let’s get it over with.
As I entered the Wild One’s station, I saw a PTC three-bench train that looked pretty new. It was emblazoned with logos commemorating its 100th anniversary in 2017. While the structure was in dire need of paint, the fact that Six Flags made a splash for this coaster’s centennial was noteworthy. I’d ridden the Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Over Georgia earlier in the season, and it had received substantial love for its 50th anniversary this year. I boarded a middle row towards the front hoping I wouldn’t regret this decision.
I gotta give the operators props for hyping the riders up. This was the first time I’d seen any effort in this area the entire day. Yes, we were ready to ride the Wild One. Woop woop! As we climbed the lift, I tried to imagine the surf from Nantasket Beach off to the left. The ride certainly has that classic feel as we clickety-clack upward.
The train then descended the slightly turning first drop before a large hill leading into a double up and the turnaround. The ride tracks just fine. It feels just like a classic wood coaster should, including a few floater pops. The return trip on this out-and-back is more of the same. Reasonably maintained trackwork, no jarring moments, and a hint of airtime.
As we returned to the station, I was pleased to end my day at Six Flags America on a high note. The Wild One is a solid vintage wood coaster, and I’m happy to have ridden it since it was part of the history of my hometown area. This would be my last ride at the park, and while I was pleased to have ridden everything I wanted to, I made my way towards the exit dejected.
Six Flags America has a ton of potential. It’s located right between the Washington DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas, and it’s got tons of room to expand. The problem seems to be management. Employees were poorly trained, maintenance is lacking, and the place just doesn’t look good. I mean pretty much every coaster’s storage track in the park was empty except for Firebird and Wild One. Where are all the second trains? Are they sitting in a shed somewhere being used as parts donors? Superman’s red train looked like somebody slapped some Rustoleum on it with a paint roller and the seats and lap bars looked like they hadn’t been touched in years. I base a lot of my opinions of parks on the vibe when I visit. Sure, this was an overcast Monday after kids were back to school, but the place felt derelict. This was honestly the first time I’ve visited a park when I’ve thought to myself, “Let me just check the boxes and get out of here.”
The ride collection isn’t bad. If they could maintain the rides better and improve the general aesthetic appeal of the park and its operations, it would be a lot better. Someplace I would enjoy and want to visit again. Unfortunately, as the park stands, there’s simply no reason for me to come back.
After my visit, Six Flags announced that the Mind Eraser SLC will reopen for 2024 with new trains and vest restraints, and that the area will receive a new steampunk theme with a Zamperla Nebulaz flat ride. Crackaxle Canyon at Fiesta Texas is one of the best themed lands at a regional park, and if this is done at that level, it will be a good starting point. Salim Basul, the CEO of Six Flags says he’s all about quality experiences. I would love to see more investment in Six Flags America because it could be an excellent local park with better attention to detail.
I got on the road at 3:30 hoping to beat rush hour, and made it outside the cities unscathed by traffic. I had three hours behind the wheel to get to my hotel in Cranbury, NJ. It was an easy ride, and as I headed northeast, the clouds broke and I encountered clear skies. I hoped the weather would hold for my visit to Six Flags Great Adventure the next day.
Before long, I pulled into the parking lot for the Marriott Courtyard in Cranbury and settled in for the evening. I published the Everland episode after listening to the final draft on my drive, and was pleased to find an excellent Indian restaurant offering two for one Chicken Tikka Masala entrees via Uber Eats.
While I lamented my day at Six Flags America, I’d visited two other Six Flags park so far this year, Fiesta Texas and Over Georgia, and while not perfect, I had very enjoyable experiences at both of those. I hoped Great Adventure wouldmore closely resemble those two parks. I turned in for the evening looking forward to riding my favorite wood coaster of all time, El Toro, as well as my first ever rides on Kingda Ka and Jersey Devil Coaster
Join me for the next episode, when I return to one of the best parks in the Six Flags chain looking forward to my first stratacoaster, more rides on the re-opened El Toro, and the new larger version of RMC’s single rail. The Intamin trip continues from Six Flags Great Adventure next time on Coaster Redux.