Amusement Parks visable from Amtrak?

Following the topic about Stadiums, I was thinking How many amusement parks can be seen from the Train.

I know Knott's and Worlds of Fun can be seen from the Southwest Chief. Disneyland may be visible too.

Cedar Point from the LSL and CL

Kennywood from the Pennsylvanian.

I know Kings Dominion is near the tracks but don't know if its visible, same for Six Flags Great America.

Any others

Also it's funny that the most visible parks, CP, Knotts and WoF and maybe KD are all CedarFair parks.

Six Flags in Mo. on the River Runner Route between STL and KCY and Six Flags in Arlington next to AT&T Cowboy Stadium and the Rangers Stadium are visible from the Texas Eagles.

Also Schlitterbahn Water Park in New Braunfels is partially visible between San Marcos and San Antonio on the #22, it'd dark when #21 passes most of the year.

I can see Great America from the Empire Builder. Also, if you include Wisconsin Dells as an amusement park, the roller coasters there can be seen from the EB.

I wondered about Great America as well, not sure where the tracks are up there.

Does the NE corridor run by Co-op City? That was a former amusement park.

I forgot the Dells, one coaster is right beside the river bridge.

The Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliners go right by the former site of Busch Gardens Van Nuys (i.e., the land around the Anheuser-Busch brewery in the San Fernando Valley).

kneemeister said:

Disneyland may be visible too.

Click to expand...

I believe all you can see is the top of the Matterhorn, and that's if you crane your neck to look at just the right spot -- the direction the tracks take through Anaheim makes the view a bit difficult.

Do fairgrounds count? The Pacific Surfliner stops at and the Coast Starlight passes through the Ventura (Calif) station right across the street from the main entrance to the fairgrounds.

Ditto on Trainman's comment about Busch Gardens. They served free beer back in the day!

The Downeaster passes within visible sight of Palace Playland, a very small beachfront amusement park in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

kneemeister said:

Following the topic about Stadiums, I was thinking How many amusement parks can be seen from the Train.

I know Knott's and Worlds of Fun can be seen from the Southwest Chief. Disneyland may be visible too.

Cedar Point from the LSL and CL

Kennywood from the Pennsylvanian.

I know Kings Dominion is near the tracks but don't know if its visible, same for Six Flags Great America.

Any others

Also it's funny that the most visible parks, CP, Knotts and WoF and maybe KD are all CedarFair parks.

Click to expand...

You forget that there is in fact a station named after an Cedar Fair (previously owned and/or operated by Paramount/Kings/Marriott) amusement park? Look out the window and some of the roller coasters are visible.

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=GAC

Santa Clara, CA (GAC)

Great America

Platform only (no shelter)

5099 Bill Walsh Drive

Under Tasman Drive Overpass

Santa Clara, CA 95054

BCL said:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=GAC

Santa Clara, CA (GAC)

Great America

Platform only (no shelter)

5099 Bill Walsh Drive

Under Tasman Drive Overpass

Santa Clara, CA 95054

Click to expand...

I'm wondering when they changed the address. Google Maps points to the station if I enter the address, but the station is on Stars and Stripes Drive. Bill Walsh Drive is a private road (at San Francisco 49ers headquarters) with a gate that's only accessible through the GAC parking lot.

BTW - I was over there today to check things out and get my ticket, and they've got private security in the GAC lot with sniffer dogs. The Cal-Oregon football game is tonight. I also saw lots of warnings that only residents are allowed to park in the surrounding area, and there's street parking that's clearly marked as no parking on event days (today is listed). I also saw tons of metal barriers stacked up on the sidewalk along Tasman and had to walk around them on the way down. VTA also says that the Lick Mill Station will be closed for 90 minutes after the event and to use the VTA Great America station. I guess they're trying to funnel all event traffic to one area.

The Eiffel Tower at Kings Dominion, just south of Doswell, VA could be seen on the east side of the tracks in the winter when the leaves are gone. Not so easy in the summer, though

I have been riding the CL from Pgh to Was for more years than I can remember. On 10/4/14 the Cap was over 5 hrs. late leaving(one day later and I would have been over 12 hrs late), but for the first time ever I was able to see the roller coaster at Kennywood Park from an Amtrak train.

There's a water park in Ottumwa Iowa you can see from the California Zephyr if you are heading east, and westbound in the summer. Not that exciting, but at least it's there,

Now why would anybody be interested in viewing amusement parks from Amtrak trains? Amtrak trains ARE amusement parks. :giggle:

My first visit to The LA area parks involved the CZ and SWC With a Shuttle Van, Southwest, Alamo and the Green, Blue, and Purple Metro lines in between. (Or as I called it my "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" trip!

On CZ near Glenwood Springs, CO east of Amtrak station, there appears to be a small amusement park with bungee or swing jump, chair swing, and another ride, maybe others, all on top of the north cliff along the Colorado river. The rides seem to swing out over the steep side of the cliffs, offering 1000+ foot open air vertical under the amused rider. There is only a quick vertical glimpse of the park from the train. I don't recall its name, and don't think the park was there 10 years ago when I stayed in GS several days for rafting.

trainman74 said:

The Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliners go right by the former site of Busch Gardens Van Nuys (i.e., the land around the Anheuser-Busch brewery in the San Fernando Valley).

Click to expand...

The pedestrian bridge over the tracks is still there although, access from each end has been removed.