Steel roller coaster
Encyclopedia
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...
that is defined by having a track made of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
-coated wheels, the steel roller coasters can provide a taller, smoother, and faster ride with more inversions than a traditional wooden roller coaster
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...
.
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...
first introduced the steel roller coaster to feature tubular track to the thrill industry with their creations of the Matterhorn (Disneyland) and the Runaway Mine Train (Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...
).
As of 2006, the oldest operating steel roller coaster in North America is Little Dipper at Memphis Kiddie Park
Memphis Kiddie Park
Memphis Kiddie Park is an 11-ride amusement park located in Brooklyn, Ohio, designed specifically for children and families.Memphis Kiddie Park opened on May 28, 1952. The park was one of several designed and opened by Stuart Winter, who eventually closed all but the Memphis Kiddie Park to focus...
in Brooklyn, Ohio
Brooklyn, Ohio
Brooklyn is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,169 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Brooklyn is located at ....
and has been operating since April 1952. The oldest operating steel rollercoaster in the world is rodelbaan at de Waarbeek (Netherlands). It has been operating since 1930.
Characteristics
- Steel coasters have a generally smoother ride than their wooden counterparts, although it is sometimes argued that wooden roller coasters provide a bigger feeling of "threat" due to their rougher ride and can be more intense than steel roller coasters.
- Almost all world records for tallest, fastest, and longest coasters are currently held by steel roller coasters.
- The fact that fewer supports are needed means steel roller coasters have made a large variety of features possible, such as Loops, Barrel Rolls, Corkscrews, Zero-G Rolls and Beyond 90° Drops
There are different types of steel coasters, such as flying
Flying roller coaster
A flying roller coaster is a variation of roller coaster meant to simulate the sensations of flight by harnessing riders in a prone position during the duration of the ride. The roller coaster cars are suspended below the track, with riders secured such that their backs are parallel to the track...
, inverted
Inverted roller coaster
An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but "swings" via a pivoting bar attached to the...
, floorless
Floorless roller coaster
A floorless roller coaster is a roller coaster with trains that ride above the track and allow the passenger's legs to dangle. It is a fairly new concept in roller coaster design brought forth by manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard. The first ever floorless coaster debuted in 1999 at Six Flags Great...
, and suspended swinging.
Notable steel roller coasters
- AirAir (roller coaster)Air is a steel flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The ride was the first flying roller coaster designed by the Swiss manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard...
at Alton TowersAlton TowersAlton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
- Worlds first flying roller coaster - AlpengeistAlpengeistAlpengeist is a full-circuit inverted roller coaster, built by Bolliger & Mabillard, in 1997 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Alpengeist has an Alpine mountain region theme...
at Busch Gardens Williamsburg - world's tallest full-circuit inverted coaster - Batman: The RideBatman: The RideBatman: The Ride is a steel inverted roller coaster found in many Six Flags theme parks, as well as other parks around the world, including Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Fiesta Texas , Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags...
at Six Flags Great AmericaSix Flags Great AmericaSix Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...
- first inverted roller coaster - Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. CylonBattlestar Galactica (roller coaster)Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon is a pair of steel, dueling roller coasters at Universal Studios Singapore. One half of the ride features an inverted roller coaster track in blue, and the other half features the traditional seated roller coaster track design in red. It is the tallest dueling...
at Universal Studios SingaporeUniversal Studios SingaporeUniversal Studios Singapore is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It was a key component of Genting's bid for the right to build Singapore's second integrated resort. On 8 December 2006, the Singapore government announced that the consortium had won the...
- World's tallest pair of dueling coasters - BehemothBehemoth (roller coaster)Behemoth is a steel roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is a Hyper Coaster designed and developed by Swiss manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard. Behemoth is currently the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Canada...
at Canada's Wonderland is the tallest and fastest in Canada. - ColossusColossus (Thorpe Park)Colossus is a roller coaster at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England, UK. It was built by Swiss manufacturers Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel as an adaptation of Monte Makaya in Brazil. Tussauds designer John Wardley adapted the project to include an extra two inversions as well as reducing its...
at Thorpe ParkThorpe ParkThorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded, the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
- world's first coaster with 10 inversions - GriffonGriffonGriffon is a type of dog, a collection of breeds of originally hunting dogs. There are three recognized lines of the griffon type Fédération Cynologique Internationale FCI, the griffon vendéens, the wirehaired pointers, and the smousje...
at Busch Gardens Williamsburg - world's tallest and fastest dive coaster - Kingda KaKingda KaKingda Ka is a roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, USA. It is the world's tallest roller coaster, and was the world's fastest until Formula Rossa opened in November 2010. The train is launched by a hydraulic launch mechanism to in 3.5 seconds. At the end of...
at Six Flags Great AdventureSix Flags Great AdventureSix 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...
- world's tallest (456 ft) and second fastest (128 mph) roller coaster - Matterhorn BobsledsMatterhorn BobsledsThe Matterhorn Bobsleds or the Matterhorn is an attraction composed of two intertwining steel roller coasters, which opened in 1959 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is modeled after the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Swiss Alps...
at DisneylandDisneyland Park (Anaheim)Disneyland Park is a theme park located in Anaheim, California, owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division of the Walt Disney Company. Known as Disneyland when it opened on July 18, 1955, and still almost universally referred to by that name, it is the only theme park to be...
- first tubular steel roller coaster - Millennium ForceMillennium ForceMillennium Force is a steel roller coaster built by Intamin located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It is the fourteenth roller coaster built at the park since the Blue Streak opened in 1964. Standing 310 feet tall at its highest point, the coaster overlooks Lake Erie.On a clear...
at Cedar PointCedar PointCedar 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...
- first full circuit roller coaster to top 300 ft. - NemesisNemesis (roller coaster)Nemesis is Europe's first inverted roller coaster located at Alton Towers, England. The ride's concept was created by John Wardley. It is manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened in 1994...
at Alton TowersAlton TowersAlton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
- Europe's first inverted roller coaster - NinjaNinjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
at Six Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic MountainSix 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...
- world's fastest suspended roller coaster - OblivionOblivion (roller coaster)Oblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in England. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres...
at Alton TowersAlton TowersAlton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
- world's first vertical drop roller coaster - Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic MountainSix 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...
- world's tallest, fastest, and longest stand up roller coaster - Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Over TexasSix Flags Over TexasSix Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...
- first mine train roller coaster; built in 1969. - Superman: The EscapeSuperman: The EscapeSuperman: Escape from Krypton is a launched steel shuttle roller coaster located in the Samurai Summit area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California that opened in 1997. It is similar to Tower of Terror II, which opened two months prior in Dreamworld, Australia...
at Six Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic MountainSix 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...
- first roller coaster to top 400 ft - TatsuTatsuTatsu, meaning "dragon" in Japanese is a steel flying roller coaster operating at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It opened May 13, 2006. The ride was promoted with a Japanese mythology theme. Tatsu is the only flying coaster to have a Zero-G Roll...
at Six Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic MountainSix 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...
- world's tallest, fastest, and longest flying roller coaster - Top Thrill DragsterTop Thrill DragsterTop 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...
at Cedar PointCedar PointCedar 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...
- world's first full-circuit roller coaster to top 400 ft - Tower of Terror at DreamworldDreamworldDreamworld is a large theme park situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is currently Australia's largest theme park with over 27 rides including 4 roller coasters. The park is made up of several themed lands: Ocean Parade, Kid's World, Wiggles World, Gold Rush Country, Rocky Hollow, Tiger...
- first roller coaster to reach 100 mph and first roller coaster to top 300 ft - UltimateUltimate (roller coaster)The Ultimate is a steel roller coaster at Lightwater Valley amusement park, near the small Cathedral city of Ripon, in North Yorkshire England. In 1991 it took the record of longest roller coaster in the world from The Beast at Kings Island...
at Lightwater ValleyLightwater ValleyLightwater Valley is a theme park in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. The park is perhaps best known for being the home of Europe’s longest rollercoaster - The Ultimate....
- Worlds second longest roller coaster - X² at Six Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic MountainSix 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...
- World's first 4th Dimension roller coaster4th Dimension roller coasterA 4th Dimension roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster whereby riders are rotated independently of the orientation of the track, generally about a horizontal axis that is perpendicular to the track. The cars do not necessarily need to be fixed to an angle.-History:John F... - XceleratorXceleratorXcelerator is a steel launched roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Xcelerator was Intamin's first hydraulically-launched coaster. Xcelerator is the fourth Intamin installation at Knott's...
at Knott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
- world's first Intamin Accelerator CoasterAccelerator CoasterThe Accelerator Coaster is Intamin AG's term for their hydraulically-launched roller coaster model. These models are the tradename for some of the fastest rides on earth....
- Blue FireBlue FireBlue Fire is a launched roller coaster at Europa-Park. The coaster opened in 2009 as part of a new Iceland-themed expansion to Europa-Park. As the first launched coaster built by MACK Rides, Blue Fire will serve as the park's tenth roller coaster and their first roller coaster with inversions...
at Europa-ParkEuropa-ParkEuropa-Park is the largest theme park in Germany and third most popular theme park resort in Europe. Having over 4.2 million visitors in 2009, it is the second most popular seasonal theme park in the world and is only behind the Tivoli Gardens and Disneyland Paris. Europa-Park is located in Rust,...
- Europe's first coaster with a twisted horseshoe roll - Carolina CycloneCarolina CycloneThe Carolina Cyclone is a roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina and Fort Mill, South Carolina. The Carolina Cyclone, built in 1980 by world renowned coaster builders Arrow Dynamics, was the first ride featuring 4 inversions, two loops and two corkscrews.The Carolina...
at Carowinds - first roller coaster to feature a record breaking 4 inversions - CorkscrewCorkscrew (Silverwood)Corkscrew is the name of an Arrow Dynamics roller coaster formerly located at Knott's Berry Farm and currently located at Silverwood. Developed by Ron Toomer of Arrow Dynamics, a Utah based design firm, the "Corkscrew" was the first steel inverting roller coaster open to the public.Many identical...
at Knott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
(now at SilverwoodSilverwoodSilverwood Theme Park is an amusement park located in northern Idaho, United States, near the town of Coeur d'Alene, and just 47 miles from Spokane, Washington on U.S. Route 95...
) - first modern roller coaster ever to send riders upside down - Déjà VuDéjà Vu (roller coaster)A Giant Inverted Boomerang is a type of steel shuttle roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma. The ride is a larger, inverted version of Vekoma's popular Boomerang sit down roller coasters...
at Six Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic MountainSix 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...
- world's largest boomerang roller coaster - Furius BacoFurius BacoFurius Baco is a hydraulically-launched steel Wing Rider roller coaster located at PortAventura in Salou, Catalonia. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened on June 5, 2007 as the 2nd fastest roller coaster in Europe at 83.9 mph, which the ride reaches in 3.5 seconds...
at Port Aventura - world's first Wing-Rider roller coaster - Magnum XL-200Magnum XL-200Magnum 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...
- first full circuit roller coaster to top 200 ft - MaverickMaverick (roller coaster)Maverick is a Intamin-made linear synchronous motor-launched blitz steel complete-circuit roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. It was manufactured by IntaRide LLC, the United States division of Intamin, and was the five-hundredth roller coaster designed by German engineer Werner Stengel...
at Cedar PointCedar PointCedar 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...
- first Terra Coaster, with Dual LSM launch (launch hill and flat launch) with a 95-degree drop and a terrain hugging layout - Phantom's RevengePhantom's RevengeThe Phantom's Revenge is a steel roller coaster at Kennywood Park, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.-Ride layout:Although the first hill is only 160 feet high, the second hill drops riders 232 feet into a ravine and through the support structure for Thunderbolt...
at KennywoodKennywoodKennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...
- first roller coaster to top 80 mph - RevolutionRevolutionA revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
at Six Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic MountainSix 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...
- world's first looping roller coaster - Space Shuttle at Enchanted Kingdom - world's tallest,longest, and fastest non-inverted Boomerang roller coaster
- Storm RunnerStorm RunnerStorm Runner is an Intamin steel launched roller coaster at Hersheypark. It was constructed in 2004 and was the third Intamin Accelerator Coaster. It reaches a height of 150 ft and catapults riders from 0 to 72 mph in 2 seconds. It features a top hat and three inversions, a dual...
at Hershey Park - world's first rocket coaster to feature inversions - Thirteen at Alton TowersAlton TowersAlton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
- world's first vertical free fall drop coaster - VampireVampire (roller coaster)Vampire is an Arrow suspended swinging roller coaster at Chessington World of Adventures theme park in London, England. It opened in 1990 in the new Transylvania area, and was designed by John Wardley. It originally featured bat-themed trains, which were later replaced with floor less models. The...
at Chessington World of AdventuresChessington World of AdventuresChessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park and zoo in South West London, England. It lies south of Central London. Historically opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, a theme park was developed alongside it, opening in 1987...
- world's first suspended swinging coaster with floorless trains