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Corkscrew (Cedar Point)
Encyclopedia
Corkscrew is a roller coaster
at the Cedar Point
amusement park
in Sandusky, Ohio
. When built in 1976, it was the first roller coaster in the world with 3 inversions.
The ride is located on the midway directly across from Top Thrill Dragster
, between Power Tower
and Magnum XL-200
. Corkscrew was the first coaster to have inversions featuring a walkway underneath. It consists of an elevated station that houses the patriotic cars, made in combinations of red & white, white & blue, and blue & white. They are designed in this manner because they debuted in 1976, the U.S. Bicentennial
.
; then riders are dropped 65 feet (19.8 m) at a 45 degree angle, gaining speed up to 48 m.p.h (77 km/h). The next element is a bunny hop, so named for the quick rise and fall. It then goes through a vertical loop (Corkscrew opened only 8 days after the first modern coaster to feature a vertical loop, Revolution
at Six Flags Magic Mountain
). It then coasts up a slight incline and curves around a 180 degree slight decline, heading into the twin corkscrews over the midway of the park. In the "eye" of the corkscrews, it is traveling at 38 mi/h. It completes two corkscrew loops, comes through trim and block brakes, and coasts back into the station.
The ride is 2050 feet (624.8 m) long, consisting of blue tubular steel track with a 48 inches (1,219.2 mm) separation between tubes, built on 5 acres (20,234.3 m²), rides for 1 minute and 40 seconds, and has three 24-passenger trains. Almost daily, a train is transferred off the track once ridership reaches a point that permits two-train operation with little or no waiting in line. A different train is cycled off each day. The ride was designed by Ron Toomer and built by Arrow Dynamics
, and the same can be said for many thrill rides at the park, from the classic Cedar Creek Mine Ride
to the 200+ foot Magnum XL-200
. The total cost of construction was $1.75 million, and the ride has had over 30 million total riders since opening in May 1976.
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 the Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
in Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
. When built in 1976, it was the first roller coaster in the world with 3 inversions.
The ride is located on the midway directly across from Top Thrill Dragster
Top Thrill Dragster
Top Thrill Dragster is a steel, Hydraulic-launched roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. It was the first "Strata Coaster", loosely defined as a complete circuit coaster that is over tall. It was built by Intamin and debuted to the public on May 4, 2003...
, between Power Tower
Power Tower
Power Tower are two similar vertical ascending and descending thrill rides operating at two Cedar Fair-owned amusement parks.The attractions are powered by air in large cylinders in which an aircraft steel cable, connected to the internal piston, travels and is also connected to the external rider...
and Magnum XL-200
Magnum XL-200
Magnum XL-200 is an Arrow Dynamics steel hypercoaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1989, it was the first complete circuit roller coaster to break the barrier...
. Corkscrew was the first coaster to have inversions featuring a walkway underneath. It consists of an elevated station that houses the patriotic cars, made in combinations of red & white, white & blue, and blue & white. They are designed in this manner because they debuted in 1976, the U.S. Bicentennial
United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
.
General
Riders leave the station when the ride operator releases the pneumatic station brakes. The slight decline of the station allows the car to roll out down a small drop and around a declining 180 degree curve until the train reaches the chain lift. The lift operates at or near a speed of 5 mi/h and ascends, at a 30 degree angle, an 85 foot (26 m) lift hillLift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
; then riders are dropped 65 feet (19.8 m) at a 45 degree angle, gaining speed up to 48 m.p.h (77 km/h). The next element is a bunny hop, so named for the quick rise and fall. It then goes through a vertical loop (Corkscrew opened only 8 days after the first modern coaster to feature a vertical loop, Revolution
Revolution (roller coaster)
The Revolution, formerly known as Great American Revolution and La Revolución, is a steel roller coaster manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf of Germany and designed by Werner Stengel. The coaster is located in the Baja Ridge area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California...
at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...
). It then coasts up a slight incline and curves around a 180 degree slight decline, heading into the twin corkscrews over the midway of the park. In the "eye" of the corkscrews, it is traveling at 38 mi/h. It completes two corkscrew loops, comes through trim and block brakes, and coasts back into the station.
The ride is 2050 feet (624.8 m) long, consisting of blue tubular steel track with a 48 inches (1,219.2 mm) separation between tubes, built on 5 acres (20,234.3 m²), rides for 1 minute and 40 seconds, and has three 24-passenger trains. Almost daily, a train is transferred off the track once ridership reaches a point that permits two-train operation with little or no waiting in line. A different train is cycled off each day. The ride was designed by Ron Toomer and built by Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of...
, and the same can be said for many thrill rides at the park, from the classic Cedar Creek Mine Ride
Cedar Creek Mine Ride
Cedar Creek Mine Ride is a roller coaster operating at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio in the Frontiertown section of the park. It is the second oldest operating roller coaster in the park behind Blue Streak...
to the 200+ foot Magnum XL-200
Magnum XL-200
Magnum XL-200 is an Arrow Dynamics steel hypercoaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1989, it was the first complete circuit roller coaster to break the barrier...
. The total cost of construction was $1.75 million, and the ride has had over 30 million total riders since opening in May 1976.