Coaster
Coaster's 50th Birthday Event
ACE 2001 Regional Event

Coaster Thrill Ride
2006 Spring Fair
ACE 2004 Summer Conference
Spring 2003
Spring Fair 2001

Monster Mouse
September Fair 2003
Spring Fair 2003

Timberhawk
Opening year Summer 2003

Timber Terror
Coaster Alley Convergence 2005
Summer 2003
Summer 2002 and 1999

Tiny Toot
Coaster Alley Convergence 2005

Tremors
Coaster Alley Convergence 2005
ACE Summer Conference 2001
Tremors opening year 1999

Wildcat
ACE Summer Conference 2004
Puyallup Fair 2003

Windstorm
Fall 2005
Summer 1999

Zillerator
Evergreen State Fair 2005

Coaster Thrill Ride ~ 2006 Spring Fair

The photos above were taken at the 2006 Spring Fair. The Puyallup Spring Fair takes place every year in April and coincides with the Daffodil Festival. The fair is half the size of the September fair. Coaster Thrill Ride, also known as Giant Coaster or just Roller Coaster to the fair, operates during both fairs. Currently, the coaster is undergoing a transformation process where the old painted white wood is being replaced with new treated lumber. The project started in 2005 and is supposed to take 3 to 5 years to complete.

The Puyallup coaster is considered a classic wooden coaster by ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts). In 1935, Coaster Thrill Ride was designed by John Miller and built by Edward and his son Robert Bollinger. Edward was the owner of Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon. According to Val Dummond's book, Doin' The Puyallup, there was some redesigning that had to be done during the construction of the coaster:

"The man who laid out the foundation for the Fairway (midway) in 1932 was Fred Pyfer. Under Pyfer's care and Bollinger's direction, the wooden roller coaster built in 1935 for $15,000, expanding the fairgrounds to the west. It was extended so close to what was then the south boundary of the grounds that the builder had to engineer the roller coaster to provide a roadway under the turn so that automobiles could go in and out."

As well as the coaster needing to provide access for motorists, John Miller explained that building an extra 50 feet of the ride would make it much better as well. Robert Bollinger's widow Diane, explains more about this:

"John Miller was hired to design the coaster. He designed one for the area the Fair Board had approved but said it would be a much better ride if it were 50 feet longer. After a conversation with the Fair Board, Edward & Robert were given permission for the additional 50 feet.

The additional 50 feet required that delivery trucks drive under the coaster. John Miller stayed up all night redrawing the plans on some butcher paper and plywood. The Douglas fir framework was made on the ground then hoisted into position with Model-A Ford fitted with block and tackle."

In 1949, the coaster was rebuilt to run trains from the defunct Happyland Dipper which were redesigned in the process. It is my understanding that it was in that year that the ride was transformed (reprofiled) into an underfriction coaster. Prior to that time, the coaster was designed as a sidefriction using the Scenic Railway trains from Oaks. Walker LeRoy, Bollinger's Ride Superintendent, was in charge of the coaster's reconstruction process.

In June 1970, the fair was devastated by a horrible fire that took out about 40 feet of the coaster's north end loop (second turnaround). The fire also damaged the grandstand, Old Mill ride, Whip, Crazy House, food and game concessions, the Pretzel and Roll-O-Plane. Many locals were sensitive to the idea that the fire might have been caused by an arsonist since the Vietnam War was raging on and caused much upheavil during that time. Others thought it might have been caused by "faulty electricity". But, regardless of what or who the cuprit was, the fair was able to pull itself together and open in time for the 1970 season.

Since 1970, thirty-six some years later, the Puyallup roller coaster remains well maintained and is probably the most popular thrill ride attraction at the fair. It is loved by locals, patrons, and coaster enthusiasts. And, it is the last wooden coaster that operates Prior and Church rolling stock.

*Doin' The Puyallup by Val Dummond - Page 68

*RBollinger.com - A memorial site about Robert Bollinger

*Old photo: Doin' The Puyallup by Val Dummond - Page 69