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Dear Mr. Coney Island...
My name is Willie Brown I live in Sandusky, Ohio and I volunteer at the Merry Go Round Museum. I am presently restoring a horse and pony cart that was built by the Pinto Brothers. That is all I know about it. The Pinto Brothers tag is on the side. I would really like a photo. If you know where I might obtain one I would really appreciate it.
- Willie Brown

Hello Willie,

The Pinto Brothers ran an amusement factory on West 8th Street in Coney Island, specializing in kiddie rides. Silvio Pinto also operated the Cyclone Roller Coaster for a number of years before selling it to the Parks Department. All of the brothers have passed on but here is a picture of them. Silvio is in the center.

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the pinto family were a group of wonderful people. their acquistion of the cyclone came years after they owned the tornado as well as other amusements in the area. at least one family member lived in seagate.

Silvio Pinto lived in Sea Gate. I was friends with two of his children, Robert and Angela, growing up in Sea Gate during the 70s.

Angela is my mom, silvio was my grandpa.

angela,

your grandpa & his brothers were friends of my family. my dad was alex kargman and his brother morris kargman. my uncle's wife, ruthy, is still alive and lives in florida. she remembers your grandpa and speaks well of him & his siblings. as a youngster i would go over to the tornado during the summer months when it opened in the morning. i was allowed on the ride for free & loved every twist and hill of the coaster. years later i had moved away from ny & was visiting with my firance. she said she loved coasters & i said wait then until you go on this one. it was of course the cyclone. we went on & nancy screamed & kept screaming. she was freightened out of wits. when the ride stopped back in the station it might have been your granddad that recognized me or a brother. he came over & motioned us to sit and ride for gratis. that was very nice of him. however, my poor bride to be was so shaken by the ride it was wisest for me to thank him & leave. that was back in 1970 if i have the year right. we've been married now for 38 years & although i've gone on the cyclone a few times since while visiting ny, my wife never has nor ever will again.

My Grandfather (Andrew Pinto) came from Chieuti, Italy. He married his cousin twice removed (Marguerite) & both had family in NYC. Any relation?

I recently heard about the "pinto bros" and I am wondering if my family is related. The oldest pinto's I know of in my family are bartolomeo, jeanette and andrew pinto, who grew up in brooklyn, probably around the 40's and 50's

OMG!! I remember Aunty Ruthy Steve. Right...she was married to your uncle. Wonderful woman indeed. I don't remember seeing you though around the park and the rides. I'm glad you got on for free though. It was a shame they let so many people on without paying though because in their later years, they didnt live with a lot of money. Such friendly people and they just couldnt say no to the kids. THey loved kids and always wanted to see the smiles after the rides. Well, I'm glad you and I and Angela had a chance to catch up. I am living in Rye, NY now and am still single after all this time. Just havent found the right woman for me. Well..gotta run...hope we stay in touch. Email me anytime.
Chris

My mother's family name is Pinto. Grandfather was Nunzio Pinto. Lived in Red Hook in the 1940's. Any relations out there?

i have come across what seems to be a pinto brothers horse and cart ride that has been put on a platform and made into a coin-op 10cent (dime)ride..possible or did they make them..coin machine is out of st.slouis mo..or hot springs ar..the story i got was it was at the first piggly wiggle in arkansas? help if you can

HI,
Silvio Pinto was my dad. The Cyclone was leased by my dad and uncles for 10 years. They were out bid around 1975, and lost the Cyclone. They ran a small metal coaster, The Jet Star, for a few years and then we moved to Connecticut in 1978. There were very few Pinto relatives in New York, so I don't think we are related to anyone above.
Willie, I would love a picture of the horse any pony cart, if you still have it. My brother, sister, and I have a horse mold from a merry-go-round, and a piece of the chain from the Cyclone. I wish we had something with their plack on it. I'm glad I found this site, I'll be checking in again soon.

Angela

Hi! Did you have an Aunt Rose? I think my godmother’s brother was Silvio Pinto. Her married name was Rezk and she lived in Sea Gate. My mom was Claire Ciranni and lived on West 15th St.

As a young man at the age of 16 I worked on the cyclone for Sylvio Pinto. He was a good man and treated us all very well. I remember working with Sunshine Eddie, Anthony Catania, Anthony Dellaroca, Angelo Grillo, Leone ALbanese and Joe ALbanese ,who were my cousins. they were great days. I believeit was in 1970-1971

I have a acouple of questions-
I have been doing research on Pinto Brothers and The Mangles Company in coney. I am doing research on the small street horse drawn carousels which have led me to The Marx co. Mangels Co, and the Pinto Brothers. It seems that all three were involved with the making of wagons and then equipping them with animals for street Carousels. Any information in this regard would be appreciated. Who made what for who and etc. Thank you , Myron Duffield OHIO

I have an aluminum pony that is part of the pony and cart ride. I have been researching to find the origin of it and now believe it is from the Pinto Bros ride. I received it from my grandmother through her estate. A picture is available if you are interested in purchasing it.

I would like to contact someone from the family. I've also done research on Pinto Bros. and have a few questions. I would appreciate all replies.

Thanks,

Patrick Wentzel
National Carousel Association Census Chairman

My father Louis(Gino) Di Perna worked for the Pinto Brothers in the 30's to the 60's. He built the fire engines and was devoted to his work. My father died in 1964. My brother and I spent many happy days in Coney Island-- And---my brother Cosmo, during the early 50's worked at the Tornado ride. Does anyone remember those early days?

I can't believe that your dad, "Uncle Gene" to me, worked at Pinto. It's through a strange, circuitous chain of events that led me to your post.

This also explains one of life's mysteries to me. One day in the late 1950s, your dad and my grandfather Enrique, took me to a lunch in CI. Everyone knew your father, but no one knew my grandfather. I asked my mother why, but she didn't have a clue. I'm betting, now, that it was a Pinto Brothers employee get together, and that fellow employees were stopping by the table to say hello. I'll tell you the story one day. Regards. Frank.

Hi Angela!
Wow, it’s been a long time! I’m your cousin from down the street in Seagate (Aunt Mary & Uncle Anthony’s oldest son). I’m in Maryland now, married with two sons and one grandson. Let me tell you what I remember about your dad. Uncle Silvio was a wonderful, caring, generous and a very funny uncle. I remember one day my sister, Susan, and I were waiting for the city bus to take us to Our Lady of Solace school, and down the road came your dad. He asked us if we wanted a ride to school. Well, he took us to school every day after that (until we graduated OLS)! When he couldn’t make it, he had Aunt Rose’s husband (we called him Mr. X) take us to school.
When we rode on the Cyclone, your dad would ride with us because he knew we were scared. One summer, your dad gave us a pass that would let us ride any ride in Coney Island for free–he was a very generous man!!
My son saw this Coney Island History post and recognized the Pinto name–it just so happens that his 2 yr. old son’s favorite ride is located in Rohoboth, Delaware and was made by the Pinto Brothers of Coney Island. He has a picture of it.
Hope all is well with your families–say hi to Virginia and robert for me.
-Mark

I remember a "Ginny" Pinto, and I used to get free rides on the Cyclone with Dave Lassman who was a Seagate resident and knew Ginny. I think I met her once or twice, and the deal was we got to stay on as long as we paid for the first ride.

WORKED ON THE CYCLONE EARLY GOT THE JOB THRU MC OBRIEN MON WORKED THERE THE BROTHERS WHERE GET TO WORK FOR EARLY 60S

Hi Willie,
Silvio Pinto Senior is who did the kiddie rides - in the photo above (top row) Lawrence Squitieri, Victor Rezk. Sitting down (left to right) Henry Pinto, Silvio Pinto junior and Amos Battistoni.
The people in the photo were the owners of the Cyclone at one point, like Angela said.
My grandmother, Anne, was married to Lawrence. That's how I'm connected here.
I have an article about Silvio Senior from the New York Daily News from Dec. 1950 that I would love to share with you. Feel free to email me at kathleen.gilbride@gmail.com - my family would love to know a bit more about how you came about coming into the possession of the horse.
Look forward to hearing from you. I know it's been a few years but hoping to reach you!

There was only 1 Silvio Pinto, my dad. He is in the center of the picture, bottom row. There was no Sr or Jr.

I am writing a book on Funland, an amusement park in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Funland has a fire engine ride that was made by the Pinto Brothers. I would love to talk to anyone who can provide more information on this ride, photos of the Pinto Brothers amusement park factory, and anything else so I can include them in my book. Please feel free to reach out to me at clindsley@starpower.net.

My Gr-Grandfather Angelo Pinto was from NY. Is there a family connection to the Pinto Brothers ?
tkyu

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