Six Flags America
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
June 17 & 18, 2018
American Coaster Enthusiasts
Coaster Con 41
Page Twelve


The Wild One Rollercoaster - The American Coaster Enthusiasts Coaster Con 41 at Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro, MD

When the Wild One opened as the Giant Coaster at Paragon Park in Massachusetts it was the tallest coaster in the world standing at ninety-eight feet tall. 

The Wild One Rollercoaster - The American Coaster Enthusiasts Coaster Con 41 at Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro, MD

That record stood until 1925 when the Revere Beach Cyclone bested the Giant Coaster's height by a whopping two feet.

The Wild One Rollercoaster - The American Coaster Enthusiasts Coaster Con 41 at Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro, MD

The ride was designed by legendary coaster designer John Miller and it originally was a side friction coaster where the cars were not locked onto the track instead they rode on one rail and had rails on the side of the car keeping the train on the track like Leap the Dips at Lakemont Park which is the only remaining coaster with that track design.  In 1932 half of the Giant Coaster burned to the ground and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company with the lead designer Herbert Schmeck were hired to rebuild the ride and update it.

The Wild One Rollercoaster - The American Coaster Enthusiasts Coaster Con 41 at Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro, MD

As a result part of the Wild One is a Miller and part of it is a Schmeck.  It has the lift and basic layout of Miller with Schmeck's fantastic airtime filled hills.

The Wild One Rollercoaster - The American Coaster Enthusiasts Coaster Con 41 at Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro, MD

Paragon Park closed in 1984 and the Giant Coaster went up for auction.  Wild World; as Six Flags America was known at that time, then bid on the ride and won.  In 1986 after the Dinn Corporation dismantled the ride and rebuilt it the coaster was rechristened the Wild One and the rest is history.

This interesting head chopper was added in 1997.  It was for Skull Mountain which was a "reversing boat and water ride" as it was called by Intamin who built it.  Simply the ride was a log flume with a turntable built into it that would spin the boats around and send you on your way forwards or in reverse.  From what I remember it was not the most reliable ride and in 2011 the park called it quits removing it and replacing the ride with Apocalypse.  With the second lift and turntable built over the Wild One and connected to the huge Skull Mountain facade it was easier for the park to just leave it.



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Paul B. Drabek