The Cornball Express

If you would have asked most visitors to Monticello, Indiana's local amusement park, Indiana Beach, where the new wooden coaster was going they probably would have stared at you with a look of disbelief. Granted in 1994 the park added a decent-sized out and back coaster called the Hoosier Hurricane, but to do that they put almost all of the structure above the water and kept the station raised above several parking spaces. It was rumored that the park looked at several options before settling on a new wooden roller coaster from the same company that designed their last one, Custom Coasters, Inc. (C.C.I.). Park owner Tom Spackman, Jr. wanted a coaster the whole family could ride, but one that also offered plenty of airtime to keep the park's seasoned guests happy. Instead of simply building over water the park asked the coaster firm to squeeze a twisting wooden coaster around: an Anton Schwarzkopf Jet Star called Tig'rr, a picnic shelter, an O.D. Hopkins log flume, several kiddie rides and the park's Wabash Cannonball train ride. From the start it appeared to be a daunting task but Custom Coasters, ever builders of innovation, was up to the task.

Cornball Express' P.T.C. train climbs the lift hill. The silver steel belongs to Cornball and the white is the structure of the Hoosier Hurricane. The fifth turn and subsequent drop can be seen starting in the top-left corner of the picture.

The ride layout also had to work around the Hurricane coaster and utilize some of the same structure. The coaster's first turn out of the station and the fifth turn after a drop by the lake both go through the Hoosier Hurricane's support structure and both coaster's lift hills are connected to one-another, a very unique sight to behold. The park also bucked recent trends and bought a train from Philadelphia Toboggan Company instead of Gerstlauer. The train's manufacturer was not its only unique feature, the park also requested that the trains have one single lap bar and no headrests- bucking the needless trends found at larger corporate parks. So, hop in the bright yellow car, pull down the lap bar and let's take a ride on Cornball Express.

The brakes hiss, the lift chain rattles and the with a lumbering roar the P.T.C. trains roll out of the station. Already twenty feet above the ground the train picks up some nice speed as it navigates a u-turn into the lift. After a quick rise to the top the train is pulled down a Boodley-esque first drop and flies past the log flume. The second hill is heavily banked and riders catch more air as they speed down and then up into the fourth turn along the lake. The coaster has a lot of speed at this point and passes through some unique support structures that give very interesting headchoppers. A flat left-hand turn through the Hurricane's structure gives a moment of relief before the train is again yanked out into the open and after nice job the train enters the helix. Although not the most intense experience out there the helix is unique in that the track runs parallel for part of its lateral-inducing fun. The train magically continues to pick up speed in the helix, dives out of it (giving more air to the happy riders), flies over another bunny hop and up into the brake run where the fin brakes bring yet another trainload of riders to a stop. Indiana Beach and Custom Coasters most definitely have another hit on their hands. Now this boardwalk park can boast two very different and unique wooden coasters in its repertoire. With the care Indiana Beach has shown its other rides I know that both of these coasters will be thrilling riders for many years to come.


Yet another trainload of riders gets thrown out of their seats on Cornball Express' last bunny hop.	This shot gives a good idea of how cramped the area was. The lake is in the foreground and the red coaster surrounded by Cornball is the Tig'rr.	As the train sits on the brake run one can see the twisting first drop in the background.	This drawing gives a great idea of how detailed the trackwork on C.E. is but it does not show the countless obstacles designers had to overcome. (Drawing courtesy of Custom Coasters.com)