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The Giant Dipper rollercoaster at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California

With that breathtaking sky and the Giant Dipper's fan turn in the foreground looking amazing there is no way I could cut this photo.

The Giant Dipper rollercoaster at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California

By the time the 1980's came around the Giant Dipper was in need of trains to replace the aging original trains.  Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk had a close working relationship with Dana Morgan; the son of Arrow Dynamics founder Ed Morgan, who happened to have been the manager of the boardwalk in the 1970's.  Dana left Arrow Dynamics to form  his own company; D.H. Morgan Manufacturing.  One of the first projects for the new company was to design replacement trains for the Giant Dipper.

The Giant Dipper rollercoaster at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California

While I am not really a fan of the fiberglass trains made by Morgan as they tend to be stiff and in general uncomfortable to ride in these trains actually work.

The Giant Dipper rollercoaster at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California

Of course they were designed for this ride as Dana Morgan knew all of the ins and outs of the Giant Dipper having worked on it for so long. 

The Giant Dipper rollercoaster at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California

Spiraling down the Giant Dipper starts the run to the other end of the coaster.



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Paul B. Drabek