Penn Groves Amusement Park

[Its Vanilla 0]

I've been working on a city journal for a long time, but I could never get the towns and such to look the way I wanted.  To cure my "city" block, I fired up RCT.  Then I came up with the idea to start a city journal, based on an amusement park.  I'm hoping that it's cool with the mods to put it in here.

That being said, welcome to Penn Groves!

Table of Contents:

Page 1: 1899-1911

Ride the Rides:

Tumbler(1903-1908) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cGuJvDn32I

Big Dipper(1909-present) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0DVEzJpxWg

Haunted Castle(1911-present) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT0B8MbMVc8

[TimeMaster 4]

Wow, it must have been taking lots of time! Congrats, can't wait for pictures! I'm waiting!

[Its Vanilla 0]

Penn Groves - Greensburg's Finest Trolley Park

The story of our park starts in an empty field just outside Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The year is 1899.

A new trolley line connecting the growing town of Greensburg to the city of Pittsburg has just opened. In order to increase ridership to and from Greensburg, the idea of a trolley park has been tossed around. A similar park had opened the year before in West Mifflin and has proven to be very popular.

Head of the Greensburg Trolley Company, Mr. C. Wallace Temperton has just purchased a parcel of unused land from Pennsylvania Coal Limited. The land was originally intended to be mined for coal, but tests found the land unsuitable. The company then set up a picnic grove on the land, which became very popular.

From June 1899 through April 1901, the trolley line was extended to the newly purchased land. Since most of the local population already referred to the land as Penn Groves, Mr. Temperton made it the official name of the Trolley Park.

Penn Groves opened in May of 1901. The park features a dance hall, a picnic grove, and a picnic pavilion.

Here are some pictures.  I apologize for the quality, as the pictures are quite old.

This picture was taken from the entrance of the park prior to opening. On the left is a picnic grove. The building on the right side is the Dance Hall.

Crowds enter and take to the leaf covered dirt paths.

Finally, a shot from inside the covered picnic pavilion.

[Hummer bob 1 4]

Looks cool. Can't wait to see more!

[Schulmanator 5,787]

A cool start. I am interested to see where this leads.

[crazyarchitect 7]

interesting

[Its Vanilla 0]

1902 Season

The park proved quite popular after opening. There was an obvious need for expansion. Prior to the end of the 1901 season, a second restroom was installed (the first being inside the Dance Hall).

For May of 1902, a new Sandwich Shop was added. Now, in addition to bringing their own picnics, patrons had the option of purchasing food as well.

Also, a second large picnic grove was added. This one also contained a small play area for children.

There would be a need for more expansion, however, if the park was to be successful. In August, the park purchased a Carousel to be installed for the 1903 season. C.W. Temperton, general manager of the park, was also in talks with a man who had recently made a big contribution to rival Kennywood Park. However, we'll have to wait until next year to see what they're up to.

A shot of the Restroom building from the Picnic Pavilion.

A wide shot of the Sandwich Shop.

A close up of the Sandwich Shop.

A small garden between the Restrooms and the Sandwich Shop.

A painting of the garden.

[fabsies55 5]

looks good but any simcity pictures?

[Its Vanilla 0]

1903 Season

Opening day for 1903 was a big one. For the first time ever, Penn Groves would have rides. The Carousel was installed during the winter in a beautiful new building, located at the end of the park's main midway, next to the picnic pavilion. The large building, yellow and pink in color, was surrounded by a large garden and a statue.

In order to compete with local rival Kennywood, general manager C.W. Temperton hired Fred Ingersoll to design a new ride for the park. One year earlier, Kennywood and Ingersoll teamed up to build Figure Eight, Kennywood's first gravity railway, or "roller coaster". In order to compete with the larger, more established park, Penn Groves got its own gravity railway, named The Tumbler.

The first hill of the Tumbler lifts guests over 20 feet into the sky.  The largest drop on the ride is a stunning 12 and a half feet, during which the cars reach nearly 20 miles per hour.  The ride is 538 feet long and lasts 31 seconds.

Reaction ranged from sheer terror, to unbridled excitement. The Tumbler was a hit. Penn Groves is well on its way to establishing itself as the premier destination east of Pittsburg.

Prior to opening day, the paths in the park were cleared and packed down. Guests had complained of the messy paths which were covered in leaves.

Another shot of the midway, with the Dance Hall in the background.

A shot of the new Carousel from one of the picnic groves.

The park's new Carousel.

The Carousel garden and statue.

A painting of the park's second midway.

The station on the Tumbler.

The first riders on the Tumbler.

Finally, if you too would like to ride the Tumbler, you should check out this link. I apologize for the quality, but the film is very old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cGuJvDn32I

[Evillions 552]

Why would you do Rollcoaster Tycoon? Simcity is alot better. Just get it (If you don't have it). Then get block all maxis buildings and look for histrocal buildings. Also get some historcail mods and done! You got a histrocail city in Simcity 4!

[panthersimcity4 162]

Interesting idea, as a fan of the RCT series I really like the pics!

[Its Vanilla 0]

Replies:

TimeMaster: Yeah, I would get about a quarter way through a city before the perfectionist in me told me it looked terrible. And I've been lurking for the most part since I've joined, just never posted.

Hummer bob 1: Thanks. There will be plenty more to come.

Schulmanator: Thanks.

crazyarchitect: I hope so.

fabsies55: Thanks, but no SimCity pictures.

Evillions: Thanks for the advice, but I'm on a break from SimCity right now.

panthersimcity4: Thanks. It's good to see another fan.

1904 Season

The opening of the Tumbler a year ago caused attendance to soar. A few changes were made to the park. A new building containing a cotton candy shop opened across from the Carousel building. For the first time, in addition to regular food, guests could buy treats as well.

A slide was also built opposite of the Carousel building. This changed the "focus" of the park from the Dance Hall to the Carousel.

Focus was also changing in the management of the park. This year, C.W. Temperton and Alan Hertz partnered up and purchased a majority stake in the park from the Greensburg Trolley Company. This freed Temperton and Hertz to focus mainly on the park, and GTC to focus on its trolley line. The line would still terminate at Penn Groves, but the park would now be able to financially compete with the other parks in the area.

1904 would also see another first in the park's history. For the first time, you had to pay to get in. 25 cents earned you a general admission "ticket". You were free to roam the picnic groves, or ride all the rides as many times as you want. The only thing not covered by the ticket is the Dance Hall. An additional 10 cents gets you in there.

A shot of the new slide and the Carousel garden.

A rather candid shot of a young woman coming down the slide.

The park's Carousel in action.

The new Cotton Candy Shop.

[nottheboss 1]

great idea

simcity is great but its nice to see something different

keep it up

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Looks like fun!

[fabsies55 5]

yea same as nottheboss but tat the same time its good to have some simcity pictures.

[Its Vanilla 0]

1905 Season

1905 was the first full season of independence for Penn Groves. Last year, Temperton and Hertz purchased a majority share of the park from the Greensburg Trolley Company.

The new owners started making changes right away. Prior to opening for 1905, electric lights were installed, allowing the park to stay open past dusk. While many complimented the beauty of the park at night, bathed in the glow of the electric lightbulb, others weren't sure if riding amusement rides at night were such a good idea. Many people claimed that riding The Tumbler at night was the most frightening experience of their lives.

No new rides were added for the 1905 season; however construction crews were still working at the park. Temperton & Hertz ordered the construction of a park office building.

The park's midway.

The brand new Park Office Building.

Penn Groves at night.

[Its Vanilla 0]

1906 Season

Very few changes occurred for the 1906 season at Penn Groves. A new food shop opened up next to The Tumbler selling hot dogs. During the season, park patrons questioned the location of this stand, as many would flock to the delicious smelling food. That wasn't bad in itself, however right after eating, many wandered right to the Tumbler. This led to increased work for the park's handymen.

The only other change for the year was the opening of a pizza stand along the park's central concourse around the Carousel. Park guests could now sample tastes of Italy. The stand proved to be very popular.

The new hot dog shop next to the Tumbler.

The new pizza shop.

The park's concourse.

An oil painting of the park.

[Its Vanilla 0]

1907 Season

1907 saw only one addition to the park. A second restroom building was built next to the pizza stand.

[sc4portugal 10]

Nice.

[Tia-may 0]

Very nice. I hope to see more pictures soon as it is expanding reasonably well.

[Its Vanilla 0]

1908 Season

1908, like 1907 saw very little change at Penn Groves. The Tumbler received a new enclosed station and queuing area.

There is a reason the park hasn't been adding much new recently, however no one would know why until next year.

A picture taken near the new section of the Tumbler.

A picture of the park's concourse, facing the new station of the Tumbler.

[Twenty20 28]

Hmmm... 1901, 1902........1908, and we are currently in 2008. Do you think show us the 100 other years ?

[Its Vanilla 0]

Replies:

nottheboss: Thanks, I'll do my best.

Schulmanator: It is. Riding the rollercoasters is definately the best part.

sc4portugal: Thank you.

Tia-may: You won't be disappointed.

Twenty20: Yeah, we still got about 100 years to go.

1909 Season

1909 was a huge year for the park. The most costly project the park had ever undertaken was completed.

Guests were dismayed to learn upon entry to the park that The Tumbler was no more. Penn Groves had spent the off season reconfiguring and rebuilding the signature roller coaster. Guests expecting to see the small, unpainted Tumbler were treated to a glorious, glossy white structure that pierced the sky at an unprecedented 46 feet tall. The Big Dipper would be the park's first major attempt to compete with local rival parks Kennywood and West View Park.

Patrons who had worked themselves up on the Big Dipper could cool down at a new Lemonade stand, placed conveniently between the Big Dipper and the picnic groves.

Take a ride on the Big Dipper!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0DVEzJpxWg

A shot of the Big Dipper from the picnic grove.

A new shop selling lemonade.

The park concourse with the Big Dipper in the background.

Send your friends a post card from Penn Groves!

[Its Vanilla 0]

1910 Season

1910 was the second year that Penn Groves would make a large addition to the park. But this time it wasn't a ride.

After 2 years of planning, and over a year and a half of construction, the Penn Groves Pool opened. The Olympic sized pool included a stone walkway around each side, with a grandstand at the south end. There is also a concessions building selling juices, pretzels, and hats.

While it was a large addition, rumblings among park guests indicate a disappointment with the lack of rides. Sadly, they'll have to wait until next year for any other new rides.

The pool from the new refreshment stand.

The new refreshment stand.

The pool entrance at night.

The pool at night.

The pool at night.

The pool grandstand.

A new postcard featuring the pool.

[Its Vanilla 0]

1911 Season

Guests looking for more to do in the park would not be disappointed on opening day of 1911. This season would have plenty of new things to experience.

The pool was upgraded slightly with new lounging chairs, tables, diving boards, and lights. A new changing room was also added.

The west end of the park also got a new, large, 2 story building. The first floor of the new building houses games of chance that park patrons could attempt to win prizes at. The second floor contains a brand new, state of the art thrill ride. Haunted Castle is the park's first "dark ride".

Take a ride on Haunted Castle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT0B8MbMVc8

A small fun house was also added next to the building, across from the Slide. Guests can now have more fun than ever at Penn Groves.

A shot of the pool from the path.

Cleaning the pool at night.

New lounge chairs.

Guests enjoying the pool.

The new building.

Looking back at the park.

Games.

The new Fun House.

[TimeMaster 4]

This is very cool but seriously you need a few simcity 4 pictures, and in the time when color/digital cameras are invented will this be in color?? But seriously this will get shut down unless you get some simcity 4 pics, or you could move it to Gaming Talk. But this is still really cool!!

-Time

[jacqulina 162]

interesting very nice pics my friend

[anarchy0029 2]

Hey you have a good start of you CJ. But where are the SimCity Pics? That would be helpful, and TimeMaster is right, if you don't put SimCity 4 Pics they will shut this down.

[WC_EEND 9]

very interresting concept (especially for me as I played all the RCT's)

i'm curious for more