Belt issue forces Playland Wooden Roller Coaster riders to walk off

Some amusement park goers didn’t get the ride they were hoping for after a mechanical issue with Playland’s Wooden Roller Coaster Wednesday.

According to Laura Ballance, who speaks for the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), 15 guests were on the coaster when there was an “issue with the belt,” which she explains “is the part that moves the chain, which moves the train up the first hill.”

“The only place the belt system is is the first hill, which is where it stopped,” she explained in an email to CityNews.

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According to Ballance, the people who were on the ride at the time were forced to use a walkway next to the train to walk down.

The rollercoaster “was down for a short time, but it’s up and running now,” Ballance says.

Playland’s wooden coaster marked 65 years on Aug. 2.

Representatives with the PNE have previously said, despite the ride’s aged appearance, a lot of work goes into keeping the coaster running smoothly.

“It looks like it’s just a Wooden Roller Coaster, but there is so much care, attention, maintenance, and refurbishment that goes into it. Parts of it get rebuilt every year, but we use very weathered Douglas Fir to make sure that it always looks like it’s its old crickety 65-year-old self,” PNE President and CEO Shelly Frost told OMNI News earlier this month.

The beloved coaster first opened in 1958 and has remained a steadfast favourite for many riders over the decades.

A $2-million restoration was finished on the ride last year.