The Harry Traver-designed ride cars from Kennywood’s former Laff In the Dark ride (1930-1966) were redeployed. The cars, given new bodies by Kennywood carpenters, were designed to look like small, well-weathered boats.
It is believed that Tracy designed and built the first body around one of the cars he had shipped to his shop in Cape May, then Kennywood’s skilled carpenters duplicated Tracy’s design for the remaining vehicles in house.

Looking back on the 1966 off-season installation of the Ghost Ship, maintenance head Fred Weber remembers the weather being cold while he bent the new hot rail track sections for the ride.

A bending jig was set up outside of the dance hall building, and he would go back and forth between the two while fabricating the track.

New sections of track rail were fabricated from 1-inch square steel that the car trolleys followed. Flat plate was placed on the floor where the wheels rode.

Fred Weber recalled seeing the Kennywood carpenters, possibly with Tracy, setting the stunts in place throughout the ride.

Park Superintendent Andy Vettel Sr. had 90-degree bends pre-made earlier to ease assembly.

“We didn’t save any track (from Laff In The Dark).  It was already bent for that ride’s specifications.” remarked Weber.
Top: Traver Laff In The Dark car, converted to Ghost Ship boat theme, stands in the Tracy workshop before
being shipped to Kennywood as a model for similar transformation of the remaining cars.

Above: Ghost Ship manager David Procupp (right) stands behind ride control panel with Ghost Ship crew.