Wooden hybrid roller coaster
Encyclopedia
A hybrid roller coaster is a roller coaster
design in which the track is made from a different material from the structure. The most common is the wooden tracked hybrid. Alternatively, some coasters are steel tracked hybrid coasters with a wooden structure.
A wooden hybrid roller coaster is primarily of traditional coaster design but with the primary structure made of steel and the coaster track is made of wood. This design first gained some popularity in the late 1990s, although it has been used since the early days of wooden roller coasters. The Coney Island Cyclone
, built in 1927, is one such example.
This type of wooden roller coaster
is welcomed by parks because of its overall lower maintenance in terms of daily labor hours and the need for fewer routine replacement parts. Roller coaster enthusiasts and the average park attendee take little notice of this innovation because it generally does not alter the feel of a traditional all wooden roller coaster. The roller coaster track itself is still made of wood and carries traditional wooden roller coaster trains. Though the general "feel" of the ride remains consistent with the common wooden coaster, its overall appearance is most largely affected.
A steel hybrid roller coaster is a steel roller coaster
built with a wooden structure. The coaster itself resembles a traditional wooden roller coaster, however the track is made of tubular steel like a conventional steel roller coaster, providing a smoother ride. Many "Mine Train
" roller coasters are steel hybrid roller coasters. One notable steel hybrid roller coaster is the Arrow Dynamics
designed Gemini
at Cedar Point, a dual tracked racing 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...
design in which the track is made from a different material from the structure. The most common is the wooden tracked hybrid. Alternatively, some coasters are steel tracked hybrid coasters with a wooden structure.
Wooden hybrid
Coney Island Cyclone
The Coney Island Cyclone is a historic hybrid roller coaster in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City. On June 18, 1975, Dewey and Jerome Albert, owners of Astroland Park, contracted to operate the Cyclone under an agreement with New York City...
, built in 1927, is one such example.
This type of 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...
is welcomed by parks because of its overall lower maintenance in terms of daily labor hours and the need for fewer routine replacement parts. Roller coaster enthusiasts and the average park attendee take little notice of this innovation because it generally does not alter the feel of a traditional all wooden roller coaster. The roller coaster track itself is still made of wood and carries traditional wooden roller coaster trains. Though the general "feel" of the ride remains consistent with the common wooden coaster, its overall appearance is most largely affected.
Steel hybrid
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
built with a wooden structure. The coaster itself resembles a traditional wooden roller coaster, however the track is made of tubular steel like a conventional steel roller coaster, providing a smoother ride. Many "Mine Train
Mine Train roller coaster
A Mine Train roller coaster is a steel roller coaster whose trains depict a set of mine carts, sometimes pulled by the reproduction of a steam locomotive which is often designed in a cartoon style...
" roller coasters are steel hybrid roller coasters. One notable steel hybrid roller coaster is the 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...
designed Gemini
Gemini (roller coaster)
Gemini is a hybrid wood and steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1978 by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Ron Toomer, it is a racing roller coaster...
at Cedar Point, a dual tracked racing coaster.
Notable Hybrid roller coasters
- Coney Island CycloneConey Island CycloneThe Coney Island Cyclone is a historic hybrid roller coaster in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City. On June 18, 1975, Dewey and Jerome Albert, owners of Astroland Park, contracted to operate the Cyclone under an agreement with New York City...
at Coney IslandConey IslandConey Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill.... - The VoyageThe Voyage (roller coaster)The Voyage is a hybrid wooden roller coaster at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, USA. It was designed and built beginning in 2005 by The Gravity Group, with the help of designers Mike Graham, Korey Kiepert, Larry Bill, Chad Miller, and former park President Will Koch; it...
at Holiday World - HadesHades (roller coaster)Hades is the name of a wooden roller coaster located at Mount Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The trains were built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. It is the largest roller coaster in the park. It was voted "Best New Ride" by Amusement Today magazine in 2005...
(above) at Mt. Olympus Theme Park - Great White at Morey's PiersMorey's PiersMorey’s Piers is a seaside amusement park located in Wildwood, New Jersey. It started when Morey brothers, Will and Bill bought two boardwalk lots in North Wildwood at 25th and 26th streets. They called it Surfside Pier and opened in the summer of 1969 with a giant fiberglass slide called the Wipe...
- J2 at Clementon Amusement ParkClementon Amusement ParkClementon Park and Splash World is a small amusement park located in Clementon, New Jersey in Camden County, New Jersey, United States right on Clementon Lake and close to the Pine Valley Golf Club. Also known as Clementon Lake Park, it is one of the world's oldest operating amusement parks...
- CheetahCheetah (roller coaster)Cheetah is a hybrid wooden roller coaster by Custom Coasters International, located in the African Pridelands Section of the Wild Adventures theme park...
at Wild AdventuresWild AdventuresWild Adventures Water & Theme Park is located from Valdosta, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. The park features approximately 59 rides and attractions, including eight roller coasters, hundreds of exotic animals, shows, Splash Island water park and... - CometComet (Great Escape)The Comet is a wooden roller coaster located at The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom, Lake George in Queensbury, New York, in the United States.-History:...
at The Great EscapeThe Great Escape & Splashwater KingdomThe Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom is an amusement and waterpark located in Queensbury, New York. It is advertised as being located in Lake George, New York... - Avalanche at Timber Falls Adventure Park
- CycloneTexas CycloneThe Texas Cyclone was a wooden roller coaster at the defunct Six Flags Astroworld in Houston, Texas, and was known for its airtime, speed, and feeling of being out of control. It was tall, had of track, and the ride lasted for two minutes and fifteen seconds...
at AstroWorld - GeminiGemini (roller coaster)Gemini is a hybrid wood and steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1978 by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Ron Toomer, it is a racing roller coaster...
(above) 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... - Excalibur at Valleyfair!Valleyfair!Valleyfair, sometimes stylized Valleyfair! is a 125 acre amusement park located in Shakopee, Minnesota, USA and is currently the largest amusement park in the Upper Midwest United States. The park has over 50 rides and water attractions and currently operates 8 roller coasters, one of the most...
- Hoosier HurricaneHoosier HurricaneHoosier Hurricane is a wooden roller coaster at Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana. The ride was designed by Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill of Custom Coasters International. It opened on May 27, 1994 as the park's largest wooden roller coaster and the first wooden roller coaster built in Indiana...
, Cornball Express, and Lost Coaster of Superstition MountainLost Coaster of Superstition MountainThe Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain is a wooden roller coaster at Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana themed to that of a mine shaft. It was the last coaster Custom Coasters International finished. The ride is unusual as it has an elevator to raise the cars to the top of the track as...
at Indiana BeachIndiana BeachIndiana Beach is an amusement park and resort located on Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana.-History:The resort was developed and owned by the Spackman family, who sold to Morgan RV Resorts LLC in 2008... - Ravine Flyer IIRavine Flyer IIRavine Flyer II is a hybrid wooden roller coaster that is located at Waldameer Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. It was ranked as the best new ride of 2008 by Amusement Today Magazine. The Ravine Flyer II took place of the park's old Ravine Flyer, which was removed in 1938 due to a tragedy...
at Waldameer ParkWaldameer ParkWaldameer Park and Water World is an amusement / water park in Erie, Pennsylvania located at the base of Presque Isle. Waldameer is the fourth oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, and the tenth oldest in the United States. The park is admission-free, with a busy midway, well-appointed grounds,... - Bobsleds at Seabreeze Amusement ParkSeabreeze Amusement ParkSeabreeze Amusement Park, known locally as Seabreeze, is an historic amusement park in Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, New York, United States.Seabreeze is in northeast Irondequoit, where Irondequoit Bay empties into Lake Ontario...
- Texas GiantTexas GiantThe Texas Giant is a hybrid roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. It is currently the tallest steel-hybrid roller coaster in the world at a height of which features a 79° drop of , and turns banked up to 95°. The coaster uses a brand new type of all steel track which...
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...
(note:wooden roller coaster modified to be a hybrid for the 2011 season.)
See also
- Prefabricated wooden roller coaster