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Colossos (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Colossos is a wooden
roller coaster
at Heide Park
in Soltau
, Lower Saxony
, Germany
. It is the first wooden roller coaster to use prefabricated track. Colossos is the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in Europe and the tallest running wooden roller coaster in the world. The tallest overall is Son of Beast at Kings Island
, which has been SBNO (standing but not operating) since June 2009.
Colossos is very different from a traditional wooden roller coaster because it is prefabricated. Instead of trackers cutting, shaping, and laying down the track by hand, the track is laser cut in a factory, achieving a higher degree of precision than could ever be done by hand. It is also made so that it snaps together like Lego
pieces. The track also is made of more layers of wood that are tightly bonded together instead of being traditionally nailed together by hand. This has three major benefits, two for the park and the other for the riders.
The "Plug and Play" aspect of the coaster speeds construction, since track does not have to be completely manufactured on site. In addition, building costs are lowered due to fewer man-hours being required. The riders benefit from a coaster, that while being wooden, is nearly steel smooth. However, some roller coaster enthusiasts may find that aspect to take away from the ride since it would not have the same character as a traditional wooden roller coaster. Three other prefabricated wooden roller coasters have since been built, Balder
at Liseberg
, El Toro
at Six Flags Great Adventure
, and T Express
at Everland
in South Korea
.
Wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...
roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
at Heide Park
Heide Park
The Heide Park Resort is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony. With an overall area of over 850,000 m², it is one of the biggest German amusement parks and the biggest in Northern Germany....
in Soltau
Soltau
- Middle Ages :The region of the Lüneburg Heath had already been settled by the start of the New Stone Age about 4,000 years ago. The Soltau area was initially occupied by a few individual farms. The parish of Soltau was probably founded around 830 and the first wooden church Sante Johannis...
, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is the first wooden roller coaster to use prefabricated track. Colossos is the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in Europe and the tallest running wooden roller coaster in the world. The tallest overall is Son of Beast at Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
, which has been SBNO (standing but not operating) since June 2009.
Colossos is very different from a traditional wooden roller coaster because it is prefabricated. Instead of trackers cutting, shaping, and laying down the track by hand, the track is laser cut in a factory, achieving a higher degree of precision than could ever be done by hand. It is also made so that it snaps together like Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
pieces. The track also is made of more layers of wood that are tightly bonded together instead of being traditionally nailed together by hand. This has three major benefits, two for the park and the other for the riders.
The "Plug and Play" aspect of the coaster speeds construction, since track does not have to be completely manufactured on site. In addition, building costs are lowered due to fewer man-hours being required. The riders benefit from a coaster, that while being wooden, is nearly steel smooth. However, some roller coaster enthusiasts may find that aspect to take away from the ride since it would not have the same character as a traditional wooden roller coaster. Three other prefabricated wooden roller coasters have since been built, Balder
Balder (roller coaster)
Balder is a wooden roller coaster at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden. It opened in 2003 and was an instant success. Balder has twice, 2003 and 2005, been voted Best Wooden Tracked Roller Coaster in the world in a major international - not because it is the biggest or fastest...
at Liseberg
Liseberg
Liseberg is an amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden, the park opened in 1923. Liseberg is one of the most visited amusement parks in Scandinavia, attracting around 3 million visitors annually. Among the noteworthy attractions is the wooden roller coaster Balder, voted twice as the Best...
, El Toro
El Toro (roller coaster)
El Toro, meaning The Bull in Spanish, is a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. It opened to the public on June 11, 2006. It was designed by Intamin of Switzerland. It had the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world, at 76 degrees, until this record was broken by T...
at Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
, and T Express
T Express
T Express is a wooden roller coaster at Everland in Yongin, South Korea. It is South Korea's first wooden coaster, Intamin's fourth wooden coaster with prefabricated track, the first ride of this type in Asia, and the first to utilize three trains. It is currently the world's steepest wooden...
at Everland
Everland
-External links:*...
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.