{"id":8740,"date":"2020-04-23T22:07:12","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T04:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/?page_id=8740"},"modified":"2026-02-20T17:04:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T00:04:04","slug":"musik-express","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/attractions\/musik-express\/","title":{"rendered":"Musik Express"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Opened: 10 Apr 1982
Location: South Midway<\/a>
Manufactured By: Mack Rides – Waldkirch, Germany
Ride Model: Musik Express
Max Speed: 14 rpm
Footprint: 62 x 62 ft
Number Of Cars: 20
Ride Capacity: 60 (3 per car)
Hourly Capacity: 1,500<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musik Express is a descendant of the classic Tumble Bug and Caterpillar rides that originated in the 1920s and has been replicated by a few different manufacturers. Lagoon’s model was manufactured by Mack Rides in Germany, which explains the German spelling of the word “music”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basic idea of the ride is a continuous train that rolls around an undulating, circular track while music blasts from speakers on the ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of an expansion of Lagoon’s South Midway in 1982, Musik Express was added at the west end of the new area with Space Scrambler, Flying Aces and Paratrooper. At the time, Musik Express was positioned at an angle, facing northeast. It wouldn’t be turned to face north until some time after 1987.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Musik Express at night in 1982. From the film Gretta<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Colossus opened the following year, the Flying Aces ride was temporarily removed to make way for a new food court. Space Scrambler moved to the North Midway before Centennial Screamer took its place next to Musik Express in 1987.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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South Midway in 1983. Photo: Utah Geological Survey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lagoon’s Musik Express has undergone many small changes over the years and now looks very different than it did when it opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally, there were orange and yellow panels separating the front half of the ride from the back with openings over the ride’s path. There were mirrors on the inside of each corner post, musical notes on the railings and rows of light bulbs that radiated out from the center of the ride’s rafters to the bottom of the eaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mudslides and flooding in 1983 brought four to eight feet of debris into some parts of the park. It was reported that the “decorations, lights, canopy and scenery had to be refurbished and replaced three times\u201d on Musik Express that year.\u00b9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Musik Express in 2002. Photo: Rick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The last time it was repainted, around 2009 or 2010, the electrical Musik Express sign was taken down from the top of the ride and the remaining rows of lights and fixtures under the eaves were removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many years the ride would spin forward and<\/em> backward, like Jumping Dragon, but now only moves forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Musik Express in October 2014. Photo: B. Miskin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The music remains to be a major feature of Musik Express even as the source of the music has been updated a few times. In the days of cassette tapes, it’s possible riders rode along to a ride operator’s personal mixtape. Later the cassettes were replaced by CDs that were approved by area supervisors. That later gave way to satellite radio. Now the music comes from the same source as the music played at Turn Of The Century and along the Midway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GALLERY<\/h5>\n\n\n