San Diego : Giant Dipper Ready to Roll Today
Four days after a faulty sprocket derailed the grand reopening of the Giant Dipper roller coaster in Belmont Park, officials said the 65-year-old wooden structure should be ready to roll again at 11 a.m. today.
During restoration of the coaster, which opened in 1925, officials decided not to replace one of the four original sprockets that turn the chain that pulls the cars up a 71-foot hill.
A few teeth on the sprocket chipped during final testing, and Tuesday’s grand reopening had to be delayed.
But the sprocket has been replaced, and the final testing of the coaster was scheduled to be finished Friday evening, said Judi Lapin, a Belmont Park spokeswoman.
“It’s going real smooth,” Lapin said. “They’re very encouraged. They don’t see anything going wrong with the machinery.”
Rides on the Giant Dipper will cost $2, and the coaster will run during the summer from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., except on Fridays and Saturdays, when it will stay open until 11 p.m. The coaster is at West Mission Bay Drive and Mission Boulevard.
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