A classic out-and-back woodie, built by renowned rollercoaster designer Edward Vettel and designated both an ACE Coaster Classic and ACE Rollercoaster Landmark.
A classic out-and-back woodie, built by renowned rollercoaster designer Edward Vettel and designated both an ACE Coaster Classic and ACE Rollercoaster Landmark.
| Theme Park | Conneaut Lake Park |
|---|---|
| Type | Wooden Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 1938 |
| Closed | end of 2019 season (closed) 4 January 2022 (fire and demolition) |
| Manufacturer | Edward Vettel |
| Model | Wooden Coaster |
| Height | 78 ft |
| Length | 2900 ft |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Max Speed | 78 mph |
| Duration | 2½ minutes |
Blue Streak's station
Conneaut Lake Park's Scenic Railway was built in 1909, but by the end of the 1937 season was becoming dated and its gentle drops were no longer giving the thrills that visitors were after. It was demolished to make way for the new and much more exciting Blue Streak rollercoaster, which opened in July 1938. It is likely that parts of the original Scenic Railway were reused during construction.
Blue Streak was designed and built by Edward Vettel of Pittsburgh and featured the latest technology which allowed for sensationally steep drops. The layout followed an out-and-back style, almost 3000 feet in length and nearly 80 feet at its highest point.
The rollercoaster used a rare shallow-track design, named because the wooden track bed was split into an upper and lower section sandwiching its cross supports. Normally, wooden rollercoaster track is formed of a thicker layer of wood sitting on top of the cross supports.
Turnaround section
The ride began with a long winding tunnel to take the train from the ride station to the lift hill. The first drop was intensely steep, and led on to two large hills, before the train climbed again ready to turn right and traverse the sweeping turnaround section. The return leg featured four more hills, followed by a covered turnaround which took the train back to the station and into the manually operated brakes at the unload platform.
Unfortunately, towards the end of its life Blue Streak was quite rough. It was still quite an enjoyable ride, but a few bruises were to be expected if you were not careful!
In 1962, a marathon rollercoaster riding session was attempted on Blue Streak. The charity event involved DJs Brian Emory and Dick Lepley taking 283 circuits on Blue Streak over a period of 14 hours and 15 minutes. This broke the previous world record by 22 circuits and raised $904.05.
Vettel (left) and NAD (right) trains in the station
Also in the 1960s, Blue Streak's original Vettel trains were replaced by two new National Amusement Device Company Century Flyer trains. The Century Flyer trains featured working headlights powered by a battery in the front car of the train. Sadly, one of these trains was later destroyed in a fire.
In 2002, one of the Vettel trains was restored after having only been used to "wear in" the track after winter closures for the previous 30 or so years, and in 2004, it was returned to regular service. Being lighter than the NAD Century Flyer train, it was hoped this decision would also reduce maintenance costs.
Blue Streak was due to be closed in 1992, and the park ran an advertising campaign encouraging the public to come and take their last ride on the classic coaster. Luckily, a change in ownership of the park reversed the decision. However, with the park's ongoing financial problems, Blue Streak did not operate for two periods in the 1990s and early 2000s.
It reopened in 2010, using the remaining NAD Century Flyer train due to the cost of adding modern restraints to the original Vettel train, which could still be seen parked alongside in the ride station.
Blue Streak last ran in 2019. Conneat Lake Park did not open during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused financial problems and bankruptcy for the park. The new owner began demolishing the ride in early January 2022. During demolition, part of a "controlled burn" got out of control and set fire to parts of the coaster yet to be dismantled.
The American Coaster Enthusiasts group designated Blue Streak an ACE Coaster Landmark in 2010, in recognition of its historical significance. It was one of the first coasters to be given ACE Coaster Classic status. A sign outside the ride described the achievement.
Blue Streak's ACE Coaster Landmark designation
Blue Streak station
Blue Streak's station side-on
Inside Blue Streak's station
Blue Streak's original Vettel and NAD Century Flyer trains
A train climbs the lift hill
Riders zoom down one of Blue Streak's hills
A train entering the covered section near the end of the ride
Blue Streak's lift hill
Recent repair work on one of Blue Streak's large drops
Bottom of the first drop, with a strange straight section of track
One of Blue Streak's hills
A train at the bottom of a hill
Turnaround section next to the Picnic Grove
The end of the turnaround section
Track returning into the woods for the second half of the ride
Blue Streak's return bunny hills
Pre-lift tunnel section
Lift hill
Looking back on the curving pre-lift tunnel
Down Blue Streak's steep first drop
The head end of the ride
Turnaround
Returning over a series of bunny hills
Covered section leading to the station
Returning to the station to offload
Blue Streak's shallow track design
