Pony Express - Coming to Knott's Berry Farm in 2008

Construction of Knott's Pony Express A look back at construction progress of Knott's family adventure. Page 1\| Page 2 \| Page 3
5-15-08 Pony Express is due to open Memorial Day weekend, and Knott's is rushing to finish construction in time.
Putting Boothill back together.	Reconstruction work in the ravine is complete.
A new pedestrian bridge will connect Boothill to the Ranger Station area.
Fencing installed along the launch.	The launch motor. I was hoping this might be covered somehow. It doesn't look like vegetation will be planted around it, either. It's too bad that something loud and mechanical is right next to the once-quiet Boothill.

The midway is paved. More work needs to be done in the guest areas however, so don't expect the midway to reopen until Memorial Day weekend.	The station looks very nice!
Reworking and expanding the Rapids Trader.
Knott's has released a POV video of Pony Express - click here. Besides all the trees and vegetation, you'll notice that a sound tunnel will cover this area of track. This was mandated by the City of Buena Park to protect the neighbors from noise.
4-26-08
An aerial shot of the Pony Express site prior to construction. Courtesy of Microsoft Virtual Earth.	Re-cementing of the ravine is complete, except for paint.
	Looking down the launch towards the nearly completed station.
Almost time for paving outside of Bigfoot Rapids.	The launch motor. The flywheel was spinning when this picture was taken, but the trains were not testing.
Looking down the launch from the Galloping Goose.
A train sits on the track.	Close up of a few cars. The trains for Pony Express actually look pretty cool!
The back half of the ride, as it dips and turns over Bigfoot Rapids.
3-29-08
A new Pony Express photo location is inside the main gate.	Complete with a few construction pictures.
The big news this week is that track construction is complete! The station is also moving along quickly.	The trains will not launch out of the station like Montezuma's Revenge or Xcellerator...
...but will taxi out to a separate launch area.	The launch track heading into Ghost Town.
Most of the dirt has been replaced at Boothill, but so far, no finishing work/re-theming as been done. I hope something is on the agenda.	The first turn from Boothill.
From Screaming Swing.	Riders will then soar over Bigfoot Broiler...
...and into Wild Water Wilderness.	The hills in this part of the ride look like a lot of fun.
You'll twist and turn on the other side of Bigfoot's flume...	...then finish off with one more turn and another hill before coming to the break run.
The end of the breaks and a closer look at the station. I think it's obvious now that Pony Express won't break any records, but it's not supposed to. Pony Express will be a roller coaster aimed at families. With the success of Sierra Sidewinder, I think building a ride like this is a good move. Magic Mountain is learning from the mistake of targeting everything to teens and hard-core thrill seekers. I'm glad Knott's has taken a break from big thrills and opted for a family coaster again this year. Adults who are not up for the major screams of Xcelerator and Silver Bullet, as well as younger kids who are starting out on coasters, should both find Pony Express very enjoyable. Considering the clientele and atmosphere that an all-thrill park attracts in southern California, the last thing Knott's needs to do is turn into Magic Mountain South. I wish everyone a belated happy Easter, and until next time, stay safe out there! -Bob Page 1\| Page 2 \| Page 3 \| Pony Express - Now Open