Following a five-week and purported $1.6-million renovation, the 100-year-old classic wooden Giant Dipper roller coaster at the revived Belmont Amusement Center at Mission Beach, California, is once again open. Included in this year’s renovation was an extensive replacement of track and added reinforcement of the supporting frame on the Dipper’s north end.
Lots of new batter-bracing reinforces the north end.
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The 70-foot-tall roller coaster has been the flagship of the Mission Beach Amusement Center since it opened on July 4, 1925. It closed when (the renamed) Belmont Park went bankrupt in late 1976. Belmont Park management has changed several times since its rebirth in 1988. The San Diego Coaster Company no longer operates the roller coaster. The company turned over its lease to a major real estate firm, Pacifica Enterprises LLC, that has been running the entire park now for nearly 10 years. Pacifica made the decision to spend $1.6 million in upgrades.
Giant Dipper was saved from certain demolition by a grass roots committee of volunteers in 1982, with full operational restoration done by the new San Diego Seaside Coaster Company (a spin-off from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk) in 1990. It has been in continuous operation since its miraculous reopening on August 11 of that year. Giant Dipper was announced as a local landmark in 1973, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, declared a National Historic Monument in 1987, honored as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark in 2010 and celebrated as ACE’s first Centennial Award winner in 2025.
Totally replaced was 260 feet of track, covering the entire high curve of the north fan turn as well as the lead in and exit. The 1990 restoration, which matched the patent of Prior and Church’s track style, has been replaced with a style of track construction used commonly on coasters built by Great Coasters International, Inc (GCII).
Cutaway of the Prior and Church patented track design.
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Laminated 2 x 2 sticks were once heavily used to build the track on Giant Dipper.
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Prior and Church, who were known for their compact twisters in the 1920s, used a Church-patented track construction that was easy to construct through the many twisting dives. The original design, which included the use of several layers of laminated 2 x 2s (once Douglas fir but replaced with southern yellow pine), was problematic. “They would split, causing us to have to go in and repair sections every three months,” said Dave, one of the leads of Belmont’s maintenance team. Per GCII’s track design, cut dimensional lumber was shaped over the twisting bank with the top three layers made of an expensive, yet more dense and durable, type of wood from Brazil, known as ipe (pronounced “ee-pay”).
Shown is the new track layering, per GCII standards.
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A substantial amount of the supporting wood scaffold has been replaced as well, with southern yellow pine replacing the original Douglas fir. Thicker ledger boards and additional buttressing have given the north turnaround (known as the “Starbucks turn” to employees because of the shop’s close proximity) extra strength. The handrails on either side of the track have been raised about six inches.
An impressive amount of structural beefing up has been done.
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In addition to the track, a lot of supporting structure was also replaced.
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Last year, GCII completed major work to Giant Dipper’s south end, which included retracking the entire first drop and adding a considerable amount of support buttressing inside the curve (similar to the inside of Santa Cruz Giant Dipper’s fan curve). The goal is to change the track style and add extra reinforcement of the entire structure over the next several years.
The new Giant Dipper sign was installed over the station roof on the Dipper's 100th birthday.
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The ride quietly reopened on March 14, 2026, at 2:35 p.m., and this author was there to take the first ride. The transition from a left to a right bank at the bottom of the north turn drop that once rattled passengers now feels super smooth. Once the wood has dried, it will be painted. There are no plans to replace the Morgan wagons.
— Tim Cole
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