A roller coaster named Thunderbolt operated in Coney Island from 1925 until 1982 and remained standing until being torn down in 2000. It was a “scenic railway” type of coaster designed by famous ride designer John Miller.

Thunderbolt is also the name of a coaster operating today at Luna Park in Coney Island, but, as you can see, this one is nothing like its namesake. This Thunderbolt, opened to the public since 2014, is made of steel and over 2000 feet tall. It features a 90-degree vertical drop, a 100-foot loop, a zero-gravity roll, multiple dives, hills and a corkscrew.

The orange adds dashes of color to a gray day in early spring, and I can almost hear screams from the riders who will soon fill the seats of the ride and liven up Coney Island again.