Standing but not operating (often abbreviated SBNO) refers to an amusement park or amusement ride that still exists but is no longer operating. Reasons may include damage, pending lawsuits, lack of funding, changing location, or incidents. The status is not used to describe seasonal operation in which closure is the result of a yearly schedule.
Contents
Examples
As of May 2016, there are at least 25 amusement parks and 122 roller coasters worldwide that are standing but not operating.
Australian Theme Parks
Dreamworld: In August 2003, the Thunderbolt was closed. After over 7 months standing but not operating, the Thunderbolt was demolished and sold for scrap metal in March 2004.
On 15 March 2005, the Skylink Chairlift, which provided a link between Gold Rush Country and the Australian Wildlife Experience, closed. It remained standing for several months before the wires were removed. The support poles remain standing to this day.
In 2006, the Eureka Mountain Mine Ride was decommissioned due to safety concerns yet it remains standing to this day.
Cedar Fair
Cedar Fair currently owns one property, Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio, that is partially SBNO. Formerly known as Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, the property was acquired in 2004 and closed at the end of the 2007 season due to declining attendance. Cedar Fair closed the amusement park side of the property but kept the water park open until 2016. Many rides were transferred to other parks but several remain SBNO, including the Big Dipper. Cedar Fair has not announced future plans for remainder of the park, however, several companies have shown interest in the land.
Merlin Entertainments
Safari Skyway, a monorail ride that opened in 1986 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, ran for almost thirty years before closing abruptly in late July 2015. In January 2016, the park announced that the ride would be retired due to "ongoing maintenance issues".
Six Flags
Six Flags New Orleans has been closed since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Before the hurricane, the park's six roller coasters were fully functional. Two – Batman: The Ride and Road Runner Express – have since been moved to other Six Flags parks.
Seaworld Parks and Entertainment
Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa has been closed since February 1, 2015. During the 2012 season, the Tiger (Blue) side was closed as a result of severe budget cuts, while the Lion (Yellow) side remained open. However, a continuing decline of popularity and budget costs led to the ride's eventual closure in early 2015.
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
Space Mountain at Disneyland was temporarily SBNO after being voluntarily shut down after receiving Cal OSHA citations in April 2013 for inadequate fall protection. In November 2012, an employee fell from the ride while cleaning its exterior and suffered broken bones. Disney was fined $61,000 in relation to the incident. In May 2013, the ride was reopened. Also at Disneyland, the PeopleMover/Rocket Rods track still stands today, over 20 years after the PeopleMover closed and 15 years after the Rocket Rods closed. The track was last used as a highpoint for stormtroopers in the grand opening of Star Tours—The Adventures Continue.
At Walt Disney World, Disney's first water park, River Country, closed in 2001 and Disney announced in 2005 that it would not reopen. The lake surrounding the park and Discovery Island, Bay Lake, was reportedly infested with the amoeba species Naegleria fowleri, leading to the death of at least one guest. At Epcot, the Wonders of Life pavilion closed in 2007 with no official reason why. Since then some of attractions within have remained mostly intact with the animatronic show, Cranium Command, still remaining fully intact, but in a non-operational state.
Independent
Kentucky Kingdom had been SBNO since the end of its 2009 season, after Six Flags closed it indefinitely amid bankruptcy proceedings. Former proprietor Ed Hart led efforts to reopen it and negotiated new lease terms with the Kentucky State Fair Board on January 24, 2013. It officially reopened on May 24, 2014.
Wildfire (Kolmården Wildlife Park) this roller coaster is both the fastest wooden coaster in Europe, and second tallest wooden coaster in the world. Throughout the 2 minute ride, riders will traverse through 3 inversions, reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) and experience 12 air-time hills. On October 28, 2016, the coaster ceased operations due to permit issues with the government and almost demolished due to these issues. Many petitions were being made to save this coaster at this time (October 29, 2016). The rollercoaster was SBNO until it reopened on January 31, 2017.
LeSourdsville Amusement Park (Americana Park) has been SBNO since 2003. Many of its rides have been relocated or demolished, including its two roller coasters: Screechin' Eagle and Serpent. Serpent was relocated to Saginaw, Michigan, in 2009 and Screechin' Eagle was demolished in 2011. The park was featured on the History Channel's Life After People: The Series.
Ghost Town in the Sky in Maggie Valley, North Carolina was SBNO from 2009 until it reopened for the Fourth of July weekend in 2014. As of June 2016, it is again SBNO.
The Hero, a flying roller coaster at Flamingo Land Resort in North Yorkshire, England, became SBNO on May 22, 2015, when a piece of foot rail came off a moving carriage and struck two riders in the head, it reopened in early June.
Loudoun Castle is a Scottish theme park which has been SBNO since 2010, with numerous roller coasters and rides still standing at the defunct site.
Joyland Amusement Park in Wichita, Kansas, has been SBNO since 2006. However, its roller coaster was extensively damaged by strong winds on the morning of April 3, 2015, including the destruction of large portions of elevated track, and may no longer qualify as SBNO.
The Vertigorama coaster at Parque de la Ciudad was track-completed in 1983, but has no electrical systems in place. As of 2016, there are no plans to complete it.
Pattaya Park in Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand, has another curious example of an SBNO roller coaster in an abandoned section of their park. Their coaster, a compressed air-launched reverse freefall coaster called Formula One, has been standing since at least 1999 but has never opened.