The Bobs wasn't all that tall; it topped out at only 87 feet. But it made for an incredible ride. The laterals were fierce, the track was twisted like you wouldn't believe and the P&C cars of their day were little more than padded chariots with a single lapbar. Danger, danger, danger... and yet, kids loved it.
Riverview Park was closed and ignobly demolished in 1967. It's a parking lot today. You'd never have known what awesome stuff was there if you saw it.
Recreations of the Bobs exist for the NoLimits coaster simulator and they're fun and all, but today I found the best goddamn on-ride footage I've ever seen of the ride. I'd seen someone's home movie, I think, but it shook so much you couldn't really tell what was going on. Apparently this bit of footage was taken
It's a shame you probably couldn't get away with a coaster like the Bobs today. The insurance would prohibit it. But at least we can ride it on the Internet. Or work on our time machines.
