Thanks to everyone who has commented so far! A couple of notes and corrections: -The Mini Helicopters more closely resemble the monorail rides built by Caripro, such as Woodstock Whirlybirds at Kings Island: coasterpedia.net/wiki/Woodstock_Whirlybirds_(Kings_Island) Thanks to drdreadfuk2 for being the first to point this out. -The Monster Trucks could have been inspired by the Camp Jeep demos that they put on at car shows: www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/camp-jeep-returns-to-the-2022-new-york-international-auto-show-with-new-28-foot-mountain-301525576.html Thanks to Thrill Seekers And Hell Raisers for suggesting this! -The Small Monorail cars seem to more closely resemble the monorail at Laussane's Expo 1964, manufactured by Habegger Maschinenfabrik and VonRoll: blogs.ethz.ch/crowdsourcing/2018/06/11/expo-1964-quadratisch-schoen-fotografiert/ Thanks to CheesecakeMilitia and Thoney27 for their comments on this. -The Cycle Railway may have been inspired by an ancient ride from (of course) Blackpool Pleasure Beach, their version of the Hotchkiss Bicycle Railway: blackpool-pleasurepedia.fandom.com/wiki/Hotchkiss%27_Bicycle_Railway Shoutout to Tom L for mentioning this!
Seems like all the car rides might be based on a Zamperla system? Cedar point has Peanuts Road Rally, which is monster truck themed, but with no monster truck "off road" elements. It could just be various Zamperla systems that have the cars switched out. Camp Jeep is definitely too new to be an inspiration, as they didn’t do that in the 90s when RCT and RCT2 were getting made
After RCT was originally released in 1999, Chris Sawyer actually took a tour of the US visiting various parks, which resulted in many of the rides in the AA/CF expansion pack being based on American rides, while most of the rides in the original game were based on ride around the UK
Six Flags New England has a ride similar to the Monster Trucks in the game called Taz Prop Delivery Company, but it doesn't have the brown track or any logs or slopes.
There's a ride that looks pretty much exactly like the Hini Helicopter scene in game. It's called Treetop Adventures at Wonderland It's pretty much spot-on.
Awesome research pulls! 90% of these examples were rides I had never heard of, and I appreciated the little visual nods to park inspirations behind Rainbow Summit (Lake Compounce) and Karts and Coasters (Mt. Olympus). I would only note that, like the phrase "Arrow invented inversions", the phrase "Arrow invented log flumes" needs a big asterisk (*modern installation of). It's so hard to research the history of water rides from old mills to shoot the chutes, but Arrow definitely had prior installations to pull inspiration from. Most notable one I encountered was "Over the Falls" at Seabreeze in New York, which was built in 1958 with plans purchased from Euclid Beach in Ohio. The ride was rebuilt with pretty much the same layout by Hopkins in the '80's. Also another monorail I've seen in person was La Ronde's, which I can't decide if it more resembles Small or Retro Monorail trains in-game. I'm only researching this as I write and I'm not quite clear on all the facts, but the track and trains were originally designed/relocated to Montreal for Expo '67 by Swiss manufacturer Maschinenfabrik Habegger, after debuting at a 1964 Swiss exhibition. La Ronde wouldn't get all the trains from that expo though (and had to order extra rolling stock from Von Roll), as the rest would end up at none other than Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which opened their monorail in 1966. The trains don't exactly match in-game as I think Blackpool ran theirs with an operator driving the first car (though La Ronde's would eventually be automated and run without a lead car, more closely resembling the in-game model), but I believe that to be the real inspiration behind the Small Monorail cars. Unfortunately Blackpool demolished their monorail in 2012, and La Ronde closed theirs in 2019 with the ride's future uncertain. Glad to have another great video that I hope generates more discussion and theorizing, hehe.
Thank you! Agreed that the asterisk on Arrow's log flume is warranted. This is now the second video where I've given Arrow credit for something that they didn't completely invent themselves (the first being a coaster history video where I said that they invented the suspended coaster, woops). I spent an ungodly amount of time reading about monorails and somehow never came across La Ronde's. Really nice callout there. I was aware of Blackpool's monorail, but as you mention the trains didn't seem to neatly match any of the in-game models so I didn't mention it in an attempt to uncomplicate things, but the more I look at them the more I see how they could have been the basis for the design of the small monorail cars. Anyway, thanks again for the comment and for your help with some of the research!
There's also a third steam train that you missed that was introduced in RCT2, the Maharaja-style steam train that appear in the Asian parks. Those were based of the locomotive "Fairy Queen" in India, which fun fact, is the world's oldest operating steam locomotive.
Never paid too much attention to real life attractions than I did for the in-game ones so this video really opened my eyes. Fantastic work with the effort you put in your research.
@@AHumanBeingNamedAlex Funnily enough, I actually once had to double-take reading one of his comments because his profile picture is so similar to mine.
Though defidently not the inspiration for the Monster Trucks in game, Lakemont Park has a 4x4 ride with a small incline and switch tracks of all things, so that's pretty interesting. Also, I couldve sworn as a kid I remember riding monster truck rides at fairs that had obstacles like in the game. I was pretty big on monster trucks as a kid so I'd always ride them. Pretty sure they were the Wisdom Rides monster truck ride, but the only thing is that it's more of a flat ride than a tracked ride. But it's probably the closest thing to it IRL.
Ah nice callout on the Lakemont Park ride, didn't know that existed. I also had the thought that the Monster Trucks could have been based off of a non-amusement ride, maybe some sort of attraction featuring actual trucks and obstacles. Thanks for the comment!
How about the boat hire? Kind of a tracked ride, or not, depending how you build it! Some generic rowing boats and canoes, but the Swans were definitely Alton Towers inspired! There’s a few interesting vehicles for this ride to be honest including the bumper boats and jet skis.
I was wondering about those too, and my assumption is that they're simply just 'extremely generic'. Maybe the Bumper Boats should've been mentioned but row boats, swan boats, and jet skiis are all just really plain.
In fact, the steam locomotives at Disneyland **are** 19th century American steam trains, every one of them is simply a refurbished and painted classic narrow gauge locomotive, not miniature reproductions.
The river rapids ride reminds me greatly of Thunder River at Six Flags over Georgia. It opened in 1982 (if I remember correctly) it has the same number of seats with the center bar, the boats were yellow back then, it was built by Intamin, and it’s still operating today.
The Rapids boats at Alton Towes, Thorpe Park and Drayton Manor used to look like the ones you concluded were likely the inspiration. So either of those 3 rides were likely the inspiration.
If I remember correctly, the Monorail that operated at the World Fair was made by Mack rides too.. im just not sure anymore if it was 64 or 68... And yes, the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal is amazing. I love to ride it when i visit it ( i live close to Wuppertal ) and also in Dortmund they manufactured a hanging Monorail that looked similar to the boxed shaped Monorail of RCT MAck also produces the Vintage Car Vehicles and Ride system. They have one in theyr own Park and there are also several Traveling ones in Europe.
The steam trains at Disneyland are not generic. They are authentic, and each one has an interesting history. Wish you had vetted that out a bit further..
Great video buddy! Just a quick correction on pronunciation on Derbyshire from someone born there! We say Dah-bee-sheer. The city was originally known as Darbye on the first map of the area! Keep up the good content.
10:42 So this is how I find out Drench Falls is no more! Always seemed a bit out of place in that area of the park though, the "new" coaster in its place looks very good.
Good job on this once again! Cool cool stuff My best guess the racecar, pickup truck, and monster truck models might go back to those convoy kiddie rides that show up at carnivals, but I can't say for sure. The racecars will pop up sometimes, but all the trucks look more like semis than humbler pickup ones. Sometimes the monster trucks are around too, but I'm not sure if they have the log bumps or not. Keep in mind these rides are all incredibly small, as obviously their built for being transportable, so their layouts can be incredibly simple. Although I think they're bigger out in European midways? Also, for the mini helicopter ride, I think there's a ride model that resembles the ones seen in-game. I know one used to operate at Carowinds, not sure what it was called though. It was suspended in the air, had double-rail tracks, and the cars looked a lot like what was seen in RCT. I think they were made by Togo, but I can't fully confirm.
Thanks for calling out that helicopter ride, not sure how I missed that one. Looks like it was called "Woodstock Whirlybirds" and was removed in 2018, but there's still a model operating at Kings Island! coasterpedia.net/wiki/Woodstock_Whirlybirds_(Kings_Island)
Once again a super interesting video with great details and awesome insight! The 19th century bicycle monorail was really cool to learn about. I'd love to see this video for the flat rides as well one day!
3:13 Side note, that lengthy name means nothing other than "Elevated monorail" "Einschienenbahn" is "single rail railway"/"monorail", and "hoch" means high/up.
Disneyland’s Autopia has a small “offroad” section without pavement. the submarines dont dive for safety reasons but do pass under a waterfall and the passenger portholes are submerged.
I am extremely used to the chairlift as an avid skier and mountain biker. I know that Jamberoo Action Park has a chairlift used to serve the bobsled tracks that run down the mountainside. That lift used to operate on our country’s rooftop, from Thredbo to Charlotte Pass ski resorts (for only 2 years in the 60’s due to extreme winds)
Hi, it's more than likely that the retro and small monorail was based on Blackpool Pleasure Beach who over the years had the small, retro, and even a covered modern trains for the same attractions over its life. Also the 'pick up trucks' are likely based on Eddie stobart car ride at Blackpool. - I also believe the chairlift at Southport was the same, or made from, the defunct furntier land as all parks were owned by Blackpool Pleasure Beach at the time.
Just some notes on the Alton Towers rapids ride. The fleet of boats you talked about that have been used for the past 20 years or so aren't the original boats the ride opened with. The fleet of original boats were the Intamin ones with the capacity of 6, a round grab bar in the middle, and high backed seats, like the ones used on the attraction at World's Of Fun. The original boats were still being used up until at least the late 90's when CS was still developing the game. There's still a possibility that they could have been the inspiration for the boats in the game.
Thanks for the info on this. I had a feeling the fleet was replaced at some point, but I wasn't sure. Definitely could have been the ride the in-game boats were based on in that case.
8:25 I'm pretty sure the mini helicopters were actually inspired by the ones built by Caripro Amusement Technologies. For example, Woodstock Whirlybirds at Kings Island!
I was so excited to see this pop up on my feed! Been loving this series so far and this one did not disappoint! I love the extent of the research you engage in, it's always suuuper interesting!! Look forward to seeing more :)
Imma be honest I dont really care about what rides inspired the tracked rides in RCT but your videos are so well made and your narration is so good that i watch every video all the way thru. keep it up brother
fun fact: the basis for the steam train mentioned called Northern Rock is also the basis for a character from the Railway Series named Jock, the little guy gets around
For the pickup trucks, and racing cars car ride vehicles, I've seen these types of vehicles used on those kiddie convoy rides you typically see a traveling fairs and children's sections of amusement parks.
This honestly may be it. I had a feeling it was inspired by some non-amusement ride. Never heard of these demos but based off of a quick Google search, they seem to match what's in the game. Thanks for the comment!
The old-style monorail cars were almost certainly inspired by the open Blackpool Pleasure Beach monorail cars made by Von Roll. As you say, the modern cars are almost certainly based on the Alton Towers monorail, also made by Von Roll. The Blackpool monorail ran similar closed cars at the same time as their open cars, but the paint scheme is a dead giveaway that the RCT model is based on the Alton Towers design. Blackpool Pleasure Beach could have also provided inspiration for the car ride beyond their 'Grand Prix'. Their 'Alice In Wonderland' ride was and is a classic example. The cars are cat-shaped, like the ride in Planet Coaster, but aside from that it's one of the most 'car ride'-y car rides I've ever been on. It even has a spinning tunnel that, aside from the Wonderland-themed paint job, is exactly like those on the in-game Ghost Train.
Blackpool pleasure beach had the cableway built by Von Roll in 1960 and removed in 2000. Given Southport pleasure land and morecambe frontier land were owned by the same family, the inspiration could be any of the 3 BPB also has the Eddie stobart ride which is trucks, I think this may have formerly been alpine rallye
Probably not the inspiration, but Six Flags Darien Lake has a small kiddie ride that closely resembles the monster truck ride in RCT. It's called Tree Stump Turnpike, and while I don't think it has log bumps, the ride vehicles to the ride system is very reminiscent of the game. I'd say if there was any lead to the history on the ride type, that's a good place to start
I was starting to worry we had lost you! What a delightful video. I'm kinda shocked that Disney doesn't pop up more, but I was glad to see a sister park to mine in this video! Kinda disappointed at the lack of information that's out there about the tracked rides. It'd be great if somebody would put info out, but I get that car rides aren't exactly as popular as coasters. A shame; I consistently love them. Thanks for the video; as always, super informative!
Hey thanks for the comment! Agreed about the lack of info on all of the tracked car rides out there, would be interesting to see how they've evolved over the years considering how widespread they are.
The Ski Lift Chairs seem to be inspired by those built by Wito and its American contractor Ski-Lifts International, which can be found in a few ski areas as well as the combined ski area and amusement park Ober Gatlinburg.
I think I may know about the monster truck ride but I'm not sure. There was a ride that I did at a state fair a while ago. It would do wheelies and stuff like that every now and then. I couldn't find any footage of it, but the closest thing I could find in the Convoy, at Hersheypark. The ride was pretty much that with monster truck cars.
Great video! Where the Pickup Truck ride is concerned, the best fit I could find for a single car ride of this nature would be Farfars Bil at Liseberg, in Sweden. While not all of the ride's vehicles are the same, quite a few of them are very closely similar to the pickup truck sprites in RCT!
I've got to comment on the American style steam train analysis. You mention Disneyland and Six Flags over Texas specifically - they use real steam locomotives built in the 19th century, not "generic" i.e. fantasy reproduction locomotives. The locomotive at Silverwood Theme Park is the closest I've seen to the image locomotive.
Great video, I’m not sure if it was the inspiration for Chris thought I’d mention the submarines in the game actually operate more like the ones that were at the west Edmonton Mall, I.e. they actually went up and down in the water
The small monorail car look more closely to the cars of the 1964 Lausanne World's Fair monorail system made by Habegger (later Von Roll), later moved to Montréal for Expo 67. One circuit is still standing at La Ronde today.
Thanks for calling this out! I spent so much time reading up on monorails but somehow never came across this one (or the one at La Ronde). Very well could have been what inspired the design of the Small Monorail Cars, especially with their roof design
the "modern style" monorail cars look closer like the one build by Schwarzkopf at Slagharen. Though these trains have long been removed/replaced, I remember seeing them on the storage track.
Believe it or not, lakeside actually has a REAL miniature steam powered locomotive, like it’s a real train, but small. It looks kinda similar to the trains in rct, especially the passenger cars. I know it’s not the inspiration but I think it’s cool.
The mini helicopter ride could have been inspired by the helicopter Monorail at Wicksteed Park. It was also single rail but made by Vekoma. Closed in 2019 (sadly!). You do make a compelling argument for Flambards when discussing the log flume though!
For the pick up trucks though not exact they look a little like the Tiny truckers from Chessington World Of Adventures. Which originally opened in 1996. As for the racing cars take a look at Silverstone racetrack, these appear to be one rider, they are from Europa park, this opened in 1975.
About the different car ride vehicles, maybe some are inspired by kiddy rides that are trackless. much more like a children driving school ride. But due to limitations of the game are being put on the track? On that kind of rides i find the race cars that closely resemble the ones in RCT (1 seater), and maybe you can find the pick up trucks there too.
Great video, the effort you have put into it is impressing 😇 The pickup trucks could be inspired by some vehicles of "De Oude Tufferbaan" at Efteling in the Netherlands 😊
There is a Truck one here in San Antonio Texas at Morgan’s Wonderland but it’s all flat tracked as it’s a handicapped children’s park for children with special needs
I’m just surprised I’ve ridden most of the uk attractions From the Cycle monorail (There is also a ski style cable car at Gullivers too) to the Alice ride.
I'm unsure if it's still there (haven't been since 2004) but Chessington World Of Adventures, if I remember correctly had small monorail cars that match the rct cars more (tho could be the other)
I had actually gone on a river rapids as a kid with 8 seats and a small circle thing that was barely reachable by the adults. Dont remember where but it was good cuz there were 7 of us so we got our own boat.
Carowinds used to have a kiddie helicopter ride with dual rails. It had pedals inside so you could speed up the cars a little bit. Hard to find specific information since kiddie rides often weren't publicized and Cedar Fair quietly removed it a few years ago, but there are a few RU-vid videos and websites that show what it looked like. I doubt it was unique to Carowinds.
While not a track ride per se, the single seat race car vehicles seem similar to Action Park's go kart attraction. Although I am almost certain the cars themselves are based on either F1 or Indy cars from the time.