Iron Dragon

This is the southeastern section of the Cedar Point lagoon.  The paddlewheel boats used to traverse this section of water, but Iron Dragon's installation made it impossible for the large boats to travel through this area.  (Those boats were steerable watercraft, but their paddlewheels were ornamental and not used for propulsion.)  There is a small boat tied up to the shore by the station, but that is only used for maintenance when the ride is not operating.  Some of the dockside cleats from the old boat ride are still along the water's edge by the coaster's station.  When I took this picture, the fountain was operating, but the fog-creating misters were off.

There is a segment of track visible that dives underneath the loading platform.  There is room to place one train under the station, and it allows a sheltered place for maintenance to be performed on a train.  Corkscrew has a similar track diving under it's platform.  Having such a steep drop from the transfer track is not typically used today because it requires a hefty brake system to stop the train as it dives into the building.  It also necessitates a powerful motor and cable to pull the train backward and upward in order to return it to the loading platform.

©2017 Joel A. Rogers.