Thanks for posting this....This had to have been in 1979. There was no tunnel on the final helix and there were 2 separate tunnels mid ride and now they are connected. Nice vid.
Awwww! It's when our sweet baby Beast was a NEWBORN!! I could see construction debris and the logo wasn't even on the front yet and half the cars were YELLOW! Wow!! Great video!
i'm guessing a test run before construction concluded. I know for a fact The Beast opened in April, 1979. The final helix isn't enclosed (don't know if it's always been enclosed) and after the break run about 1/3 into the ride, there's a tunnel that's missing. Amazing video!!
I miss those old trains. We could squeeze an adult and 2 kids in one bench seat, and you only had to deal with the one lap bar for all of you. I'm sure it's a safety nightmare by today's standards, but we loved it as kids.
Wow...you can practically see the whole ride from the top of the first lift....now all the trees have grown up and hide 90% of the ride. Awesome video.
OH MY GOD!! you're right. Plus, if you notice, the tunnels weren't even completed and built. The trees are small as hell too. This is actually a rare vid
GREAT video of the ride sometime before the official opening. The last time I road "The Beast" (summer 2011) it felt smoother than some previous years. Obviously, work has been done on the ride over the years. Hopefully this ride will be around for the rest of MY lifetime... it's a CLASSIC!!
I was on the 2nd ride after it opened way back when. I thought then it was pretty fast and brutal (6 inch bruises). Later it got a lot faster. I haven't riden it in several years though. If you're lucky enough, catch it on a rainy day. It'll take your breath away
@bhollon75 The helix wasn't enclosed in a "tunnel" until at least 1980, although the upper track had a roof. The 2 concrete tunnels after the straight braking section were separate until at least 1980 as well, then were connected by a wooden "tunnel".
LOL, people on the newer videos are saying that the ride is slower now, but it was obviously way slower back when it opened. Maybe it's just because the car wasn't full and therefore didn't have as much momentum.
@Dreadlord67 Early spring of 1979 before its first full season. The tunnels on the helix and between the 2 short concrete tunnels didn't appear until at least 1980.
@JK47Tubing The wooden "tunnel" connecting the 2 short concrete tunnels mid-course and the "tunnel" of the helix weren't there during the first season in 1979. If my memory serves me, they were present by 1980.
they have to test run all the rides every day before they open and the son of the beast takes about 4 hours becuz they have to check all of the wood and make sure its in place
Gotta love this ride. can't wait for Diamondback. What are the official rules on being the first to ride it? Am I able to camp out in front of the park? Or get there as early as I want? Is it a race to the ride? Also, I was there on the 1st, lol, and Nick lachey like pulled up while I was in line for this and I was like OMG!!! Lol.
I emailed the park last year and basically chewed them out for ruining this ride with all those damn magnetic trim breaks..... and i wonder why the Beast is falling in all the annual coaster polls????
@FunAndOnly When someone types a response like with poor grammar, typically means the person is illiterate. See I'm the grown up, I don't have to cuss :)
oh after further view this video still just has the skid breaks... they weren't obtrusive like the new ones they added...... those actually throw you forward in your seat it's terrible
Where did they get a video this old? I mean back then the camcorders were as big as your torso and yeah this is old. From the video The Beast looks slow
lol too muhc trim for a teast run. Glad this wasn't what riders ACTUALLY got when it opened i know this vid isn 't as fats as it is even now, and my dad has told time and time again that it was much faster when it was first opened
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Thanks for posting this....This had to have been in 1979. There was no tunnel on the final helix and there were 2 separate tunnels mid ride and now they are connected. Nice vid.
Love this. No tunnel on the double helix nor any kind of brakes on that drop.
Wow this has to be before they finished building the tunnels back in 79. Great footage.
Awwww! It's when our sweet baby Beast was a NEWBORN!! I could see construction debris and the logo wasn't even on the front yet and half the cars were YELLOW! Wow!! Great video!
i'm guessing a test run before construction concluded. I know for a fact The Beast opened in April, 1979. The final helix isn't enclosed (don't know if it's always been enclosed) and after the break run about 1/3 into the ride, there's a tunnel that's missing. Amazing video!!
i love this ride its my secound fav, it is alot different now with all the trees
The BEAST is always my fav. Let's not forget The Bat was installed before the Vortex. No other wooden monster has ever been as unique as the Beast.
It's unique in that it has 2 big drops and the second is taller than the firsr.
I miss those old trains. We could squeeze an adult and 2 kids in one bench seat, and you only had to deal with the one lap bar for all of you. I'm sure it's a safety nightmare by today's standards, but we loved it as kids.
This is incredible!!!
Wow...you can practically see the whole ride from the top of the first lift....now all the trees have grown up and hide 90% of the ride. Awesome video.
This was from 1979, when Beast debuted as the biggest, baddest, longest, and fastest coaster in the world.
Vortex wouldn't come until 8 years later.
The two concrete tunnels were joined at a later date and the wooden tunnels in the corkscrew were also a later addition.
So freaking cool!
Still the Longest, Baddest Wooden rollercoaster of all time!!
OH MY GOD!! you're right. Plus, if you notice, the tunnels weren't even completed and built. The trees are small as hell too. This is actually a rare vid
GREAT video of the ride sometime before the official opening. The last time I road "The Beast" (summer 2011) it felt smoother than some previous years. Obviously, work has been done on the ride over the years. Hopefully this ride will be around for the rest of MY lifetime... it's a CLASSIC!!
That was filmed from when Beast was the brand-new woodie. There's no Vortex because it wasn't added until 1987.
I was on the 2nd ride after it opened way back when. I thought then it was pretty fast and brutal (6 inch bruises). Later it got a lot faster. I haven't riden it in several years though. If you're lucky enough, catch it on a rainy day. It'll take your breath away
@bhollon75
The helix wasn't enclosed in a "tunnel" until at least 1980, although the upper track had a roof. The 2 concrete tunnels after the straight braking section were separate until at least 1980 as well, then were connected by a wooden "tunnel".
OMFG I've never seen coaster cars this huge. 4 rows would pretty much require large radius turns.
My Favorite ride EVER
@ChophouseProductions That is Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal (1973-2001), a log flume that was located on the plot of land where The Crypt now sits.
It was probably riding empty, so with less weight it would have been going slower. That and they were probably tweaking the trim brakes and such.
this is like a test i think, when theres more people in the car it goes faster.
LOL, people on the newer videos are saying that the ride is slower now, but it was obviously way slower back when it opened. Maybe it's just because the car wasn't full and therefore didn't have as much momentum.
@Dreadlord67
Early spring of 1979 before its first full season. The tunnels on the helix and between the 2 short concrete tunnels didn't appear until at least 1980.
that was filmed in 1979?
@JK47Tubing
The wooden "tunnel" connecting the 2 short concrete tunnels mid-course and the "tunnel" of the helix weren't there during the first season in 1979. If my memory serves me, they were present by 1980.
Looks like they added camber to the helix since original design
@FunAndOnly Wow you just summed yourself up pretty good there! I'm impressed.
they have to test run all the rides every day before they open and the son of the beast takes about 4 hours becuz they have to check all of the wood and make sure its in place
Tunnels were added later, still under construction.
this ride better not be closed when I go!
Gotta love this ride. can't wait for Diamondback. What are the official rules on being the first to ride it? Am I able to camp out in front of the park? Or get there as early as I want? Is it a race to the ride? Also, I was there on the 1st, lol, and Nick lachey like pulled up while I was in line for this and I was like OMG!!! Lol.
thers alot more trees now than back in 1979. (rode in 2009) and my dad says it goes faster than it did before
yeah it must be cus u see workers on the track in the middle of the ride and the cars dont have seats there filled with weights
Vintage
@Lesrevesdhiver All roller coasters look slower than they actually are when on video.
What are those things on the sides at 2:13? They look like tires...
I just noticed that.
am I mistaken or are there skid brakes in place on this ride?
The true first generation BEAST coaster trains with ××× 4 ××× ROW CARS ------ seating for 8 people per car . for that reason it looks slower. .
is the front smooth
its possible that it was a test before the ride was opend completely maybe they were testing it wen it was new i dont know
Oh yeah. When was this taken? Scenery looks way different and the tunnel isn't there.
It kinda looks like roar
this roller coaster dosen't have the tunnel yet? ...
April -1977 to br exact!
stupid question.
how do the ppl know if a train gets stuck on the second lift hill?
@FunAndOnly lmao
@camthegatorfan 8 people per car, I though that is what I counted.
@FunAndOnly You'd be surprised.
I emailed the park last year and basically chewed them out for ruining this ride with all those damn magnetic trim breaks..... and i wonder why the Beast is falling in all the annual coaster polls????
So it originally had only 4 cars per train?
@FunAndOnly When someone types a response like with poor grammar, typically means the person is illiterate.
See I'm the grown up, I don't have to cuss :)
@Gurufail And proud to be!
i know it only has one tunnel.
my 5 yr old brother got brain damage on this ride. warning very very bumpy!!!
oh after further view this video still just has the skid breaks... they weren't obtrusive like the new ones they added...... those actually throw you forward in your seat it's terrible
@FunAndOnly Ah and what about you and your minions? I so can't wait until the KIC people find your comments on their videos.
Where did they get a video this old? I mean back then the camcorders were as big as your torso and yeah this is old.
From the video The Beast looks slow
why r the trains so weird
is this smooth
Always looks so slow on video. Even tho it's not. Great video tho!
@FunAndOnly Uh Six Flags? Beast was never at Six Flags..
I know it is old footage.
no! lol
wow this is old theres no vortex
fat ppl + cart + gravity = faster
this video makes the beast look slow!! when i went it was the most intense ride ive ever been on!
This was likely recorded before the steel rails were installed on top of the wood
lol too muhc trim for a teast run. Glad this wasn't what riders ACTUALLY got when it opened
i know this vid isn 't as fats as it is even now, and my dad has told time and time again that it was much faster when it was first opened
@FunAndOnly Wow grow up
english...