How It all began
Okay, be jealous of me, I went to Lincoln Park last month with my Dad!
It was pretty sweet, more overgrown then the last time I went back in the spring, only becuase the leaves had bloomed. I kinda almost threw up because there were a few gypsie moth nests, nastiest things ever! My Dad and I explored the Comet some more, and went into the motor building that drove the chain for the lift hill. Very intersesting! Here’s how it all works.
In the back of the shed there is a GIANT A/C motor connected to a bunch of electric boxes and circuit brakers with fuses the size of my head. On the drive shaft of the A/C motor there is a very large drum/wheel thing. In the front of the shed, there is a cog wheel about the size of 2 VW Beetles that is connected to a drive shaft that goes out of the building and attaches to a wheel that has the chain wrapped onto it. Now, a HUGE roll of thick, thick rubber was wrapped around the cog wheel and then wrapped around the AC motor, like a fan belt. When the AC motor would spin, it would drive the belt which would spin the cog whell, turning the wheels outside the building attached to the chain, making the chain go. I can only imagine the noise inside that building when that motor was running! We also found one of those steriotypical switches on a stand that we discovered to be the main master switch that turns the whole thing on! It didn’t work, obviously for there hasn’t been electric current in that building for almost twenty years, but it was really cool, would’ve been a great souvenier but it was too big, and too great to take out of the Comet. My souvenier instead was a link of the chain from the lift hill that my Dad and I found buried in the ground! I think that is even better. I am giving it a 2 week bath in Marvel Mystery to get the enormous amounts of rust off.
We also checked out the three buildings left, and I would love it if someone could tell me what the ones are that are like 30 feet from the front of the Comet, straight ahead. I believe they were Concession buildings, or a FunHouse and a concession building but I am not sure. In the larger of the two buildings, we found what we think was a motorized, mechanical arm which was probably to the Jack and the Bean Stalk Figure (did his arm wave?). VERY DISSAPOINTED THAT I DIDN’T FIND A TRAIN OF CARS FROM THE COMET!!! The ri/lincolnpark website said that there was an “unmarked concession building on the property, behing which the Comet Cars lie,” but who knows what concession stand this is. ARG! If anyone knows any info on if there is still a train of cars on the property, email me at bttfguy7@hotmail.com Yes, I know Little-a-merrick-a bought a train of em, but I don’t think they bought both. Up until 2000 a train of cars was sitting right there in the station of the Comet. Also according to ri/lincolnpark, “the cars still sat in the station until vandals moved them to somewhere else on the property.” Who knows?
Other than that, we checked out kiddie land, golf, etc. etc. But, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND NOT GOING TO LINCOLN PARK DURING THE SUMMER TIME!!! There is way too much overgrowth, bees, hornets, wasps, gypsie moths, its rediculously hot, etc. The best time to go is definitely during the fall/winter/early spring before everything has mass produced and bloomed.
I will post pictures of my last trip and the trip before that soon, my scanner bites so I have to use my friend’s to scan my glossy photos from CVS!
IF you are LEGALLY interested in visitng the park, email the owner of the land, Joe Delgado at joedelgado@dartmouthbuildingsupply.com He gives permission to everyone, so Im sure he’ll say yes to you. Bring a printed copy of his “Yes” email with you incase the police ask you if you have permission to be on the land.
Anyone know what/what is in that little red shed on the property, like to the left of and behind the two concession stands? I didn’t get a chance to look
