[FAQ] Frequently Asked Questions
David Bowers
=================================================
This article is posted regularly to rec.roller-coaster, news.answers,
and rec.answers by David Bowers. It is also available on the World
Wide Web at http://www.coasterville.com/rrcfaq.txt.
This article is the main info posting for rec.roller-coaster, the
net's own asylum for coaster fanatics. In this article, you'll find
everything (or, almost everything) you need to know to be a coaster
fanatic, too.
Enjoy your ride!!!!
Recent Changes
==============
November 1999
No Changes, hey its been a busy month around her1!
October 1999
Ran FAQ through a spell checker.
Updated information on Coaster Club.
Updated Contributor's list.
Updated Definitions section.
Changed Numbering System
Other minor revisions
August 1999
Updated the previous 1994 rec.roller-coaster FAQ, authored by
Geoff Allen.
Contents
--------
Part 1: General info & introduction
1. About rec.roller-coaster
2. About Usenet
3. About this document
Part 2: Coaster information, organizations, and references
4. Common abbreviations
5. Definition of Roller-Coaster terms
6. A Brief History of the Roller Coaster
7. American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE)
8. Mid-Atlantic Coaster Club (MACC)
9. Western New York Coaster Club (WNYCC)
10. European Coaster Club (ECC)
11. National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA)
12. Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada (CEC)
13. Coaster Zombies (CZ)
14. Florida Coaster Club (FCC)
15. Great Ohio Coaster Club (GOCC)
16. Obsessed Roller Coaster Enthusiasts (ORCE)
17. Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain (RCCGB)
18. Wild West Coaster Club
19. Books on Roller Coasters and Amusement Parks
20. Magazines
21. Coaster Software
22. Videos
23. FTP Site
24. Other Stuff of Interest
Part 3: Lists and statistics
25. Roller Coaster Designer Info.
26. Roller Coaster Record Holders
27. ACE's Coaster Classic Roster
28. Amusement Today's Top 25 Coaster Poll
29. Mitch Hawker's Internet Wood Coaster Poll
30. Coming Attractions - new coasters in 2000 and beyond
31. List of Endangered Coasters in USA
1. About rec.roller-coaster
===========================
The official definition of rec.roller-coaster is:
rec.roller-coaster -- Roller coasters and other amusement park rides
rec.roller-coaster is an unmoderated newsgroup which passed its vote
for creation by 184:72 as reported in news.announce.newsgroups on July
21, 1991.
This newsgroup is for the discussion of any amusement park rides,
including (but certainly not limited to) roller coasters. Other
topics include park operating times/season schedules, admission
prices, latest attractions, future expansion efforts, rumors, etc.
You might also want to read rec.parks.theme for pertinent discussions.
2. Usenet info
==============
If you're new to Usenet, I'd really recommend reading the newsgroups
news.announce.newusers and news.newusers, questions for a while. You
can learn a lot of useful things, and maybe even some not so useful
things.
3. About this document
======================
This document is available on the World Wide Web at
http://www.coasterville.com/rrcfaq.txt. It is also available on
Usenet as a regular posting to rec.roller-coaster, rec.answers, and
news.answers. This document consists of three parts. Part 1 offers a
table of contents to the FAQ, plus a general introduction. Part 2
offers general roller coaster information (abbreviations, definitions,
and information on organizations, and references for the roller
coaster/ amusement park enthusiast. Part 3 contains lists and
statistics relating to coasters. It is also the most volatile
section, more likely to be changed.
The rec.roller-coaster FAQ was originally compiled by Dave Rounds,
then maintained by Bill Buckley, then Geoff Allen, and lastly into my
hands (David Bowers). Comments, questions and other feedback are most
welcome via email to David Bowers at da...@coasterville.com
You can get a copy of the latest version of this document at
http://www.coasterville.com/rrcfaq.txt, or watch for it on
rec.roller-coaster.
Special thanks to the following people for creating the previous
version of the FAQ that I am merely updating.
The original design team and contributors: Mark Wyatt, William
Buckley, Geoff Allen, Bonnie Swain, Tom Orbszanski, Ken Denton, Kara
Robinson, Michael Cornell, Chris Toomer, Paul Asente, Patty Winter,
Tom Magilone, Bill Figie, Sharon Crichton, Justin Garvanovic, and
Martin Lewison.
Contributors: Chrisitan Lucht, Mitch Hawker, Sharon Bond (see Sharon
Chrichton aboce), Victor Canfield.
And now, lower those lap bars, fasten those seatbelts, and prepare for
your ride into roller-coaster fanaticism!
4. Common Abbreviations
=======================
A lot of things discussed in rec.roller-coaster are in acronym form.
This is because writing "Six Flags Over Texas" several times in a
posting is tedious, at best. "SFoT" is much easier to write. Here are
a few of the abbreviations you're likely to see in discussions on
rec.roller-coaster.
ACE = American Coaster Enthusiasts, Worldwide, Inc.
AFAIK = As Far As I Know
AT = Alton Towers (UK)
AT = Amusement Today Magazine
B*M = Bolliger & Mabillard
BBW = Big Bad Wolf (at BGW)
BGT = Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
BGW = Busch Gardens Williamsburg
BPB = Blackpool Pleasure Beach (UK)
BTW = By The Way
CCI = Custom Coasters International
CEC = Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada
CI = Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY
CP = Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH
CZ = Coaster Zombies Club
DDM = Down Due to Maintenance
DDW = Down Due to Weather
DF = Drachen Fire
DL = Disneyland
DP = Dorney Park
ECC = European Coaster Club
ERS = Exclusive Ride Session (UK)
ERT = Exclusive Ride Time
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions
FC = Frontier City
FYI = For Your Information
G's = Gravitational Forces
GASM = Great American Scream Machine
GCI = Great Coasters International
GE = Great Escape
GL = Geauga Lake
GOCC = Great Ohio Coaster Club
GP = General Public
HP = Hersheypark
HSTC = High Speed Thrill Coaster
IAAPA = International Assoc. of Amusement Parks and
Attractions
IAD = International Amusement Device
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
IOA = Islands of Adventure
IT = Inside Track Magazine (No longer in print)
ITOT = Informal Take Over Time
KBF = Knott's Berry Farm
KCS = Knott's Camp Snoopy
KW = Kennywood
LIM = Linear Induction Motor
LSM = Linear Synchronous Motor
LOL = Laughing Out Loud
MA = Michigan's Adventure
MACC = Mid Atlantic Coaster Club
NAD = National Amusement Device
NAPHA = National Amusement Park Historical Association
OTSR = Over The Shoulder Restraints
PCwi = Paramount's Carrowinds
PCWo = Paramount Canada's Wonderland
PGA = Paramount's Great America
PKD = Paramount's Kings Dominion
PKI = Paramount's Kings Island
POP = Pay One Price
POV = Point Of View
PPPPP = Phabulous Phoenix Phall Phun Phest
PPR = Pay Per Ride
PTC = Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters
RCCA = Roller Coaster Corporation of America
RCCGB = Roller Coaster Club of Great Britian
ROTFL = Rolling on the Floor Laughing
RRC = rec.roller-coaster (also R.R-C)
R:TGE = Riverside:The Great Escape
RC = Roller Coaster
RRv = Riddler's Revenge
SBNO = Standing But Not Operating
SCBB = Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
SFA = Six Flags America
SFAW = Six Flags Astroworld
SFDL = Six Flags Darien Lake
SFEG = Six Flags Elitch Gardens
SFGadv= Six Flags Great Adventure
SFGAm = Six Flags Great America
SFKK = Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
SFMM = Six Flags Magic Mountain
SFMW = Six Flags Marine World
SFOG = Six Flags Over Georgia
SFOT = Six Flags Over Texas
SFFT = Six Flags Fiesta Texas
SFStL = Six Flags St. Louis
SLC = Suspended Looping Coaster
SOB = Son of Beast
SOP = Standard Operating Procedures
SRM = Stark Raven Mad
ST = Shivering Timbers
TC = Texas Cyclone
TPM = Theme Park Mentality
USF = Universal Studios Florida
USH = Universal Studios Hollywood
VF = Valleyfair!
VL = Visionland
WDW = Walt Disney World
WL = Wyandot Lake
WNYCC = Western New York Coaster Club
WOC = World Of Coasters
WoF = Worlds of Fun
5. Definitions of Roller-Coaster Terms
======================================
Discussions among coaster enthusiasts can soon become awash in jargon.
Below is a list of coaster terms used by enthusiasts when discussing
their favorite subject. This should help in following along with the
discussions live and in rec.roller-coaster. It'll also help you
impress friends and relatives with your knowledge of roller coasters.
-A-
Airtime - The sensation of coming out of your seat while riding a
coaster. This is usually raved about like it is a coaster's most
important attribute. Often found while cresting a hill, if sitting
in the front, or during a drop in the back of the train.
American Coaster Enthusiasts - American coaster club founded on the
preservation and appreciation of the roller coaster.
Anchor Strap - Metal strip used to connect the bent posts to the
concrete footers, or foundation. Found on modern coasters, older
coasters don't have this part.
Animatronics - Robotic devices used on themed coasters and dark rides.
They imitate people, animals, or creatures and are part of the
theming.
Anti Rollback Device - Device found on a coaster to prevent the trains
from rolling backwards. These are found on almost all lift hills,
but can also be used on high or steep assents as well as the final
approach to the brake run. In most cases, but not all this device
works by having a pawl 'ratchet dog' that is mounted to the
underside of the train, mech or glide over a 'toothed' or graded strip
located on the track. This device usually does not interfere with
the rides operation, but the pawl would engage in the toothed
strip and prevent the train from going backwards, if need be. This
device causes the customary "click-click-click..." sound heard
while climbing the lift hill.
Arched hill - A coaster hill that is shaped like an arched bridge,
often used when a walkway has to be built underneath.
Arrow Pipeline Coaster - A prototype coaster that Arrow has been
working on since the late 80's. The concept is to have the track
be along the sides of the car, rather than above or below. This
would allow the train to execute perfect barrel rolls and flips,
as well as other air maneuvers. To date no park has installed a
ride of this type, although Arrow has a prototype 'test track' and has
shown the ride to run successfully. It's fault lies in the problem of
getting the riders in and out of the train, while protecting the
rider from the track.
Auto Coaster - An early 20th century novelty. Instead of using a train
and tracks, you drove your own car, at high speed, over a series
of dips.
-B-
Backbone - The pipe or box like sub-structure that supports the rails
on a steel coaster.
Backwards Riding - A novelty where coaster trains (or sometimes just
selected cars from a train) are turned around to face backwards.
This produces weird sensations which cause the ride to be
different. Can be a special event for a coaster event, a
promotional gimmick run for short time-spans, or in a few cases train
shave been reversed on a permanent basis.
Ball and Socket - one method of coupling coaster cars together.
Similar to the system used on motor vehicles
Banked Turn - A coaster turn, where the track is tilted laterally.
This allows the train to turn at high speeds without causing undue
stress on the riders Designed to eliminate/ reduce lateral forces,
or the sensation of being tossed to the side.
Barrel Roll - A much sought after coaster element, that would turn
riding completely around sideways. Similar to the aerobatic
maneuver. A 360 degree roll. Found on Inverted and Suspended
rollercoasters.
Batter Bracing - Diagonal strips of wood used to stabilize the
laminated track in curved sections against movement.
Batwing -- 1)Arrows name for an element, similar to it's Boomerang
except that the train enters the first inversion from below,
levels out at top, rights itself, travels a short distance and
forms another inversion. In essence this element forms a
turnaround. 2)A B&M element which is similar, except B&M's features
two vertical loops placed at 45 degree angles, and face each other
in a mirror image pattern. Also a turnaround.
Bents - The vertical beams, or posts on a wooden coaster.
Big Old Brake Lever - Large levers which actuated the brakes before
pneumatic or computer control.
Block - A 'segment' of track which is separated from the rest of the
track by brakes, lift hills or other devices capable of halting
the train. The concept is that only one train can enter a block at
one time, A safety feature which is standard on all multi-train
coasters.
Block Safety System - Standard equipment on multi-train coasters. The
block safety system prevents train collisions by ensuring that two
trains can never get close enough to each other. This system is
often computerized on modern coasters, and it controls the lift
hill, and brake area. If a train attempts to enter a segment, or
'block' of track that still has another train in it, the approaching
train will be halted.
Bobsled Coaster - A style of coaster, where the cars/trains travel
through a steel u-shaped trough, instead of on a track. This
allows the train to fly up the sides of the trough during curves.
This ride is meant to simulate a bobsled run. These rides usually
feature helixes and very few drops.
Bogie - The chassis of a coaster car. The underside. The foundation on
which the seats are built. The bogie holds the couplings to other
cars, the wheels, brake fin (if fin brakes are used), as well as
the chain dog, and ratchet dog.
Boomerang - 1)A coaster element that functions as a turnaround, the
train heads back the way it came. It consists of two inversions.
You enter the first inversion from the top, are flipped upside
down, then righted to go through a low piece of track to come back
up into another inversion, which is then exited back in the same
general direction you came from. 2) A Vekoma Roller coaster- This is
the modern equivalent to the shuttle loop. Manufactured by Vekoma,
this 'off the shelf' coaster starts by having your train winched
backwards up the lift, behind the station. The winch is then
disengaged, and you fall back down the same hill, through the station,
through the inversion element described above, then a vertical
loop. You then engage the chain lift which takes you up a second
hill where you are released to do it all over again, backwards!
Booster Wheels - Track mounted wheels, used to push, or help the train
through flat pieces of track, such as in the station, or to the
lift hill.
Bowtie - An element similar to a boomerang, except that the track
twists the other way, after the second inversion, so you continue
on instead of turning around.
Braces - The diagonal beams used to stiffen the structure of a wooden
coaster.
Brakeman - A staff member, who rides on a coaster with the rides, who
controls a train mounted brake. His job is to keep the speed
reasonable. Most often found on Scenic Railways.
Brakes - Devices used to slow or stop the train. These are places at
strategic places along the track to keep the train within
reasonable speed (as in the rides specs. , or within park
tolerances, which are often not the same as the enthusiasts
tolerance) Brakes are almost always located on the track instead
of the train. Brakes come in many different varieties:
Check Brake - A brake that is generally not active, but is
part of the Block Safety system, if a train attempts to pass
these brakes, before the next checkpoint is cleared, the
check brake will stop the train in order to prevent a collision.
Fin Brake - Newer form of coaster brake. Consists of mounting
a 'fin' on the underside of each car. These fins pass
through a set of calipers that can squeeze shut, thus stopping
the train. These brakes are very effective and can cause harsh
stops. Please note that some manufacturers mount their brake fins on
the sides of the car.
Scarf Brake -Used to slow the train down. These are usually
pre-set and are consistent. A scarf brake can only slow the train
down however, they can't stop one.
Skid Brake - Older form of coaster brake, consists of two
long, thin parallel platforms that raise the train up, so it's
wheels aren't touching the track. Train slows/stops due to
friction. This form of brake is ineffective if wet.
Trim Brake = A brake used to slow the train down. These brakes
are variable, and can adjust to keep the train within certain speed
limits. A trim brake can also stop a train if needed.
Brake Run - A flat section of track, usually 2-3 train lengths long,
which is used to halt the train after a ride, so it can then be
eased into the station.
Brake Box - A shed where controls to manually set, mid track brakes
are housed.
Bull Wheels - The large wheels located below the chain lift, at top or
bottom. Their purpose is to reduce friction on the chain.
Butterfly Element - A Venom element shaped like a butterfly. Yet
another turnaround element. This one features two normal vertical
loops, set at angels to each other, so that that the entrance of
the first loop, and exit of the second loop are next to each other
-C-
Camel Back - 1)A series of two or more hills, each slightly smaller
than the last 2)A B&M element on their sit-down and stand-up
coasters. It features an 'in-line' inversion.
Cable Lift - A wire rope used to haul coasters up the lift hill. Used
on early coasters, this device was unreliable and thus replaced by
the chain lift.
Capacity - The number of riders a coaster can carry per hour when
using all of it's trains. (It's maximum persons per hour)
Car - Part of a coaster train. On some coasters the car is by itself,
and not connected in a train-like fashion. Where the riders
sit.(stand, as the case may be)
Catapult - A system of giving a coaster momentum without a chain lift.
Can be as simple as pushing it off the top of a steep hill, to
using weights or flywheels to build speed, to the latest variant
which uses linear induction.
Centrifugal Force- Sideways force. The sensation of being pushed or
thrown to the sides on a coaster turn. Also known as Lateral
Gravity.
Chain Dog - The part of the bogie that engages the lift chain.
Chain Lift - A moving chain that carries the train up to the top of a
lift hill.
Check Brake - See Brakes
Circuit - 1 lap of a coaster, from leaving station to re-entering.
Classic Coaster - A coaster that operated in the "traditional" sense.
These coasters use traditional trains, without added safety
features, like ratcheting lap bars, headrests, seat dividers, etc.
Also an award given by ACE to coasters that operate in this
manner.
Closed Circuit Television - a system of TV cameras that are used to
monitor riders behavior. Now, often linked to printers in order to
sell 'on-ride' souvenir photos.
Clothoid Loop - The mathematical name for the successful vertical
loop. Uses a teardrop shaped loop which is less stressful on
riders.
Coaster - Abbreviation for Roller Coaster
Cobra Roll - B&M' name for a boomerang
Code of Safe Practices - guidelines/rules set up by a park to ensure
safe operation of their rides.
Compressed Air - Used to power pneumatic pistons which are used to
operate brake mechanisms.
Computer Aided Design - Modern way of designing roller coasters using
a computer. Not only can it design the layout, but it can
calculate all forces and stresses on both riders, and ride.
Computer Control - A series of sensors, that monitor the train's
progress. It also controls the chain lift, brakes, and queue
gates. The computer prevents train collisions, and after the ride
is started the computer controls the ride, ensuring each ride is
equal.
Corkscrew - A coaster element that features a horizontal spiral in
which rides are turned upside down. Looks like the kitchen
appliance of the same name.
Cutback - Arrow element consisting of a single inversion in a 180
degree turnaround
Crest - The top of a coaster hill
Crossover - A point where a portion of track crosses another part of
the same track
-D-
Damping - The process of minimizing the noise emitted from a coaster.
Dark Ride - 1)A coaster which is totally enclosed, most of the time in
complete darkness. 2) A genre of ride which involves riding through
a building, often used for haunted house style rides.
Dead Spot - part of a coaster ride where the train looses all momentum
and intensity and just rambles along. Too much of this can ruin a
coaster.
Designer - The person or firm who creates a coaster. Although we have
had several designers, only a few have gained 'legend' status.
Dip - A descending slope which quickly 'shallow' into an ascending
slope.
Diving Loop - A B&M element taken from a stunt plane trick A forward
section of track which arcs to the side, eventually inverting the
rider, and then righting them again. This element is used on their
Stand-up, and sit-down models.
'Do Not Stand Up' - Traditional final warning given on a roller
coaster. Usually on a sign over the lift hill, or announced on the
PA while climbing the lift.
Dog Leg - A sharp bend in an otherwise straight piece of track.
Double Dip - A drop that has been divided into two drops, by having a
flat section mid-way down. Very effective airtime producer. Also
known as a Double-Down.
Double Hill - An upwards section of track that has been divided into
two by a flat piece of track mid-way. Also known as a Double-Up
Double Loop - A large vertical loop, immediately followed by a second
smaller vertical loop, in the same general direction of travel.
Drop - The downwards slope on a roller coaster.
Drop Height - The distance the train drops, often a much requested
roller coaster stat.
Dueling Coaster - A twin track coaster where both sides appear to make
sever near miss head on collisions. Not that the trains ever come
anywhere close to colliding, it just LOOKS like they might.
Duration - The time it takes for a train to complete one ride cycle.
Dynamics - Branch of mechanics which deals with the various forces
encountered on a coaster ride.
-E-
Element - A distinct part of a coaster track. Often used to describe
types of inversions, helixes, spirals, and turnarounds.
Elevated Curve - A banked curve that also descends slightly as it
curves. Most often found on Out and Back designs.
Exclusive Ride Time/Session (ERT/ERS) - Time set aside, by a park, for
a select group of people, usually a coaster or ride club to be
able to ride the ride as a club/group, without the general public.
Participants usually try to cram as many rides as they can into one
of these sessions. Occasionally, a park may make special effort to
have the ride in question operating in 'above average' conditions.
-F-
Fan Curve - A curve where the track ascends while entering the curve,
but descends while exiting the curve. These curves are heavily
banked and are usually braced by 'spokes' that look like a bike
wheel. The term is also used for any curve that has this style of
bracing.
Figure 8 - Early coaster layout. This compact design allows turns to
both left and right. it often crosses itself 2-3 times, as it
descends. The forerunner of the Twister.
Find' Del Capo - Italian term "off with the head". A portion of track
that quickly ducks under some other support structure, giving the
fear of decapitation. Also used to describe tunnel, and brake shed
entrances.
First Drop -The, usually, largest and most significant drop on a
roller coaster. These are often angled at approx. 50 degrees or
steeper.
Flanged Wheels - The type of wheels used on regular railroad trains.
Used only on the earliest roller coasters
Flat Ride - An industry catch all term for rides that do not fit into
other categories (e.g. roller coaster, water ride, dark ride).
Contrary to their name, all flat rides are NOT flat. This categiry
would account for Carousels, Scramblers, Tilt-A-Whirls, Ferris Wheels,
for example.
Flat Spin - A B&M element, a highly banked, high speed helix
Flat Turn - A curve in which the track remains practically flat.
Causes severe lateral forces at high speeds.
Flex - The characteristic bending movement of wooden coasters
Floorless Coaster - The latest innovation from Bolliger & Mabillard,
it looks like a standard looping coaster, but at the last second
before the ride starts the floor drops out and away from the train.
Flush Loading - A system of loading a ride vehicle where the people
getting off the ride exit one side of the vehicle, while the oncoming
riders enter the other side.
Flying Turns - The original Bobsled coaster. Features a u-shape trough
made of Cypress wood.
Flywheel Catapult - Catapult system used in shuttle loop coasters
where energy is derived from a motorized flywheel.
Footprint - How much land a coaster requires. For example a Zkylon
Z40 requires 40x18 meters. Also a 2-d rendering of the layout of a
coaster.
Free Fall - A coaster-like ride. In it's first version a car was taken
up in an elevator shaft, moved forwards and then dropped down a
vertical piece of track that had a curved 'run-out' brake run at
the bottom. Newer versions, use a magnetic braking system and do
not need the 'run-out' and combine both up-and down motions in one
shaft.
Footers - The foundations of a roller coaster, where the uprights or
bents 'rest'
Footprint - The shape of a roller coaster circuit, if traced on the
ground, under the ride. The view shown on plan diagrams.
Friction Wheels - Additional wheels added both at right angled to the
main wheels. These prevent the train from jumping sideways off of
the track. And more recently , under the rails, to prevent the
train from lifting off the track. An essential safety feature
which allows today's looping coasters, as well as for older
coasters to gain speed and intensity.
-G-
Gates - safety feature involving mechanically operated gates, that
keep waiting riders back away from the track until the train is
safely stopped.
G Forces - The various forces your body encounters on a coaster ride.
Such as Negative G, 'airtime' or coming out of your seat, positive
G, or being pushed into your seat, and lateral g's or being pushed
to the sides.
General Public - Literally, any non-staff member who visits a park.
Coaster enthusiasts use this term to describe, non-enthusiasts,
people who tend to like their coasters milder than the enthusiasts
does. Just because you don't belong to a coaster club, does not
mean you fall into this category however.
Gravity Railway - Descriptive name sometimes used for roller coasters.
Also used for transport systems in mines and quarries. As in the
Mauch Chunk Gravity Railway.
Grease - Lubricant applied to the metal running strips on wooden
coasters to reduce friction and excessive noise. It also helps
lessen wear on the track work. Not all parks use grease on a
regular basis, however :(
Guide Rails - Extra rails added to the inside of the track of flanged
wheel coasters, to prevent the cars from overturning.
Guide Wheels - Extra wheels which govern the lateral movement of a
car.
Gully Coaster - A coaster whose track work makes good use of the
natural topography (or terrain) of the land. These often feature
gullies, valleys and hillsides. They are often built low to the
ground to increase the speed sensation. Also known as a terrain
coaster.
-H-
Hairpin Turn - A sharp 180 degree curve, joined by two straight pieces
of track that are either both ascending or descending, in relation
to the turn.
Half Loop Element - A vertical rotation of 180 degrees which has the
effect of turning you upside down.
"Hand's Up!" - A common method of accentuating the G forces by
allowing your body to be thrown with them, rather than fighting
back. Also a universal symbol of being daring. "Look Ma, no
hands!"
Headchopper (Legchopper) - A visual illusion generated by the ride
where it appears that you will loose the mentioned body part. For
example going under a cross beam at high speed. (The closer the cross
beam the better the effect)
Header Beams - Steel beams used to support a part of a coaster whose
lower parts have been cut away either for a crossover, or for a
pathway.
Heart line Spin Element - A B&M element that closely resembles a
barrel roll, but not quite there.
Heart line Coaster - A coaster made by TOGO of Japan. The center of
gravity is about the rider's heart line. This design can
incorporate drops and inversions similar to Arrow's pipeline
coaster, but the trains ride on top of the rails.
Height - A measure of how tall a coaster is. Taken from the highest
point of the coaster, to ground level.
Helix -A spiral section of track through which the train either
ascends or descends.
Hump -A relatively small coaster hill
Hyper coaster - A roller coaster 200' or taller.
-I-
Immemlan Loop - B&M's term for it's Diving Loop when applied to an
Inverted Coaster.
Incline Loop - B&M element featuring a vertical loop angled at 45
degrees. One half- of B&M's Batwing.
In Line Twist - A sharp 180 degree flip, half a barrel roll. Common
usage is a In Line Twist, followed by a flat section of track,
then another In-Line Twist, to right the riders.
Intensity - A subjective term referring to how rapidly the coaster
changes direction, elements, or can disorient you. From a
scientific standpoint, it is how rapidly the G forces fluctuate.
Interlocking Loops - A section of track where two, separate loops are
threaded together like links in a chain
Inside Track - An amusement park magazine that has ceased publication.
Note that the unscrupulous editor will still take subscription money,
and not refund it!
Inversion - Any part of a roller coaster that turns the rider upside
down
Inverted - A relatively new type of coaster where the trains hang
below the track. On an inverted the cars are rigidly attached and
do not swing out, however, loops can be accomplished with this
design.
-J-
Junior Coaster - A gravity powered coaster that is a small replica of
a traditional roller coaster. It is built with smaller hills, and
slower speeds in mind. A coaster built with the kid's in mind.
-K-
Kinetic Energy - The scientific force that 'powers' a coaster, it
deals with gravity and inertia. It states that as kinetic energy
is gained by going down the drop, the coaster has energy to propel
itself.
-L-
Laminated Track - The track style used on a wooden coaster. The track
is formed of several parallel flexible planks, which are bolted
onto the curved surface. The track is actually wider at the top to
accommodate the safety wheels, which limit sideways motion. Thin
metal 'running strips' are then added to this to reduce wear.
Lap Bar - A safety device, which restrains the rider by keeping them
in their seats. It is composed of a metal bar that is pulled down,
across the rider's lap. It features a locking mechanism that holds
it in place until released at the unloading platform. Their
purpose, other than safety, it to provide a sense of security to
the riders, please insurance companies, and restrain those riders
who want to stand up. Lap bars used to be single position bars,
that when lowered locked into only one set configuration, and was
still loose enough to allow for airtime. In recent years, a
ratcheting form of these bars has been devised, where each rider
is secured by his/her own bar, which can be adjusted to the size
of the rider. In theory this is to lock the bar even tighter on
the rider, killing airtime for added safety, but with skill these
bars can be set looser than the old bars. In addition most looping
roller coasters use an over the shoulder restraint system, where the
bars ratchet down on your shoulders, and cross in front of your
stomach.
Lateral Gravity - The force that pulls or slams you against the side
of the car.
Layout - The footprint of a coaster, can also refer to the series of
elements involved
Ledger Beam - The beam that supports the track work on a wooden
coaster.
Length - The distance a coaster travels in one ride, measured
station-to-station.
Lift Hill - A upwards sloping piece of track, equipped with a
motorized device, capable of hauling the train from the bottom, to
the top. This is most often found on the tallest hill of the ride.
Some rides require the use of multiple lift hills however. A chain
lift is the most common method.
Line - The group of people waiting to ride a coaster.
Loading Platform - Part of the coaster station where riders board the
coaster train.
Looping Coaster - A roller coaster that turns the rider upside down
-M-
Manual Brake - A coaster brake that is directly controlled by the
operator. On older coasters, this is usually by means of large
levers, located in the station. On newer coasters, these levers
have been replaced by a console with power-actuated brakes, that
still require the operator to turn them on.
Marathon Riding - Endurance coaster riding, awards set up for long
term coaster riding, say 100 circuits, or 24 hrs., etc.
Magi-Lev - The newest catapult system, which accelerates the train at
great speed due to linear induction.
Metal Fatigue - A weakening and then breakdown of metal parts caused
by constant flexing.
Movies Racer - A racing coaster where both sides are actually one long
track, cleverly designed so that the left hand train, returns to
the right hand station and vice-versa. A rare coaster.
Motion sickness - illness caused by sudden direction changes, and
disorientation.
Motion Simulator - A 'ride', where people sit in a cabin and watch a
film (commonly about a roller coaster). While the movie runs
computer controlled hydraulics move either the cabin or your seat
to match those you would experience in a real situation. People
tend to either love these or despise them.
Multi-Element - A coaster with multiple types of inversions.
-N-
Name - What a coaster is called, in order to distinguish it from
others. While some parks are very creative with this, others tend
to use the same name over, or even worse just use the name
'coaster' or 'roller coaster'
Negative G - Force that makes you feel light. Often causes you to come
up out of your seat.
Night Riding - Riding a coaster after dark. The experience can be
quite different because of our inability to judge speed and
distance. Also the coaster may perform better since it has warned
up all day.
Noggins - Vertical wood blocks used to bolt the ledger beam to the
track work.
-O-
Oblique Loop -B&M element consisting of two parallel inclined portions
of track, joined at the top by a 180 degree curve, so you go up
into the curve, and then right back down.
Out and Back -A style of roller coaster layout. In this style you
start out at a station, go out to some point and then turnaround
and head right back to the station.
Overhead restraint -The form of safety restraint found on most looping
coasters. It is a heavy metal U-shaped bar that is pivoted so it
comes down over your shoulders, It looks like a yoke or horse
collar.
Overrun - When a coaster train goes past the station without stopping
completely. Most likely to happen on an older coaster with manual
brakes. Not a dangerous situation, and gets you another ride
without lining up again.
-P-
Paint and Protective coatings - Wooden coasters will rot, and steel
coasters will rust unless some form of protectant is applied. Old
wooden coasters are generally painted white (other colors do
exist, however), while steel coasters come in every color possible
and use a resin coasting. Lately to save on the expense of painting
wooden coasters, they are built of pressure treated lumber, with
long life preservatives, resulting in a brown or green look.
Parabolic - A coaster hill that contains a lot of curve track and
little straight track, if any.
Pay One Price - An amusement park admission ticket/package which
includes all rides or shows, as opposed to a pay-per-ride scheme.
Pay Per Ride - An amusement park admission package, requiring you to
pay a separate fee for each ride or show. These parks may charge
little or no up-front grounds admission. Some parks are more
flexible with this and will sell a Pay One Price wristband or hand
stamp at an additional price.
Planning Permission/Building Permit - Legal document that must be
obtained from a local authority before building a roller coaster,
or other building. Sometimes, these are hard to come by for
environmental, or noise reasons.
Pipeline Coaster - A as-of-yet unopened coaster style. It promises a
ride between the rails where true barrel rolls and flips can be
produced.
Platform - Area where riders board/exit a coaster train
Point of View - A view of a roller coaster, of what the rider would
see. Often describes pictures. Companies will sometimes use
computers to simulate a Point of View in order to show the park
what the ride will be like.
Positive G - Forces that make you feel heavier, pushing you into your
seat.
Powered Ascent - A coaster which used motors in the cars to power you
up the lift. After the lift however, the motors shut off and you
have a gravity ride again.
Powered Coaster - A coaster-like ride where the train is powered
through the circuit by motorized wheels.
Pretzel Knot - A double looping element that looks like a pretzel.
Profile - The vertical cross section of a coaster
- Q-
Queue - The wait in line to board a coaster :(
Queue-to-Ride-Ratio (Q.R.R.) - Coaster stat invented by Alan Baldwin
to determine what ratio of your time do you spend waiting for a
coaster, as opposed to riding it. It is arrived at by dividing
wait time by ride time. The higher the Q.R.R. the worse the wait,
the more unbearable the wait is going to be due to slow lines.
- R -
Racer - A coaster with two parallel tracks designed so that two trains
can leave the station at one time and race each other. Note that
not all racing coasters actually race.
Rakers - The diagonal beams that buttress the banked turns on a roller
coaster.
Ratchet - A claw tooth bar located on the track (most often on the
lift hill) into which the anti-rollback device, or ratchet dog
engages that will prevent the train from rolling backwards.
Record Breaking - What parks vie for their coasters to be. Coasters
are judged in all sorts of categories.
Re-Ride - Being allowed to ride a coaster more than once in a row
without having to get out. Most commonly happens during overruns,
or when there is no queue. However, pay-per-ride parks, may still
come and collect another ticket from you, before sending you on
your re-ride. (Most common on the Coney Island Cyclone "Ride Again!
Only $3.00! One More Time! Only $3.00!")
Restraints - Safety bars, OTS harnesses, and other devices which
secure a rider to his seat, not allowing him to get out (stand-up)
and also preventing the rider from falling out. These bars are
locked before the ride, and cannot be unlocked except by a lever
or button that is out of the rider's reach, most commonly in the
station on newer coasters with electric/mechanical bar releases. Other
systems require a key to unlock bars.
Return Wheel - The wheel at the top of the lift hill that the lift
chain rolls around to go back down.
Reverse Curve -The curve where the trains switch sides on a mobius
racer.
Ribbons - The horizontal beams of a wood coasters structure.
Ride - A term for any mechanically operated amusement device where
users are subjected to a variety of motions. Sometimes used by
enthusiasts to denote any amusement park device that is not a
roller coaster.
Ride Costs - The amount of money the park forked out to build the
roller coaster
Ride Operators - The staff members of the park who 'operate' the ride.
Everything from ticket collection, seating, safety checks,
actually running of the ride, and often cleaning the ride. Or if
the ride-operator is an enthusiast - people who spend 8 hours a
day helping strangers into and out of coaster cars, in which they
would rather be riding.
Ripple - A series of small humps, taken at low speed
Road Wheels - The main on-track wheels of a coaster.
Roller Coaster - A gravity railway in which riders are sent along on a
track powered only by sheer gravity, after an initial start, lift
hill, catapult, etc. An amusement park device.
Roller Coaster Ride - The act of riding a roller coaster
Runaway Mine Train - A themed coaster, made to look like a mine
railway.
Running Wheels - Wheels on a coaster that carry the train's weight.
-S-
Scarf Brakes -See Brakes
Scenic Railway - A 'themed' wooden roller coaster. These rides often
had dioramas or even automata of exotic or mountain scenes.
Usually ridden at low speed, since the 'scenes' were more
important than the thrills of the ride. These rides commonly have a
brakeman who rides with the riders and controls the brakes on-ride.
Note that the term scenic railway has been given to all coasters with
an on-ride brakeman whether they feature scenery or not.
Seatbelt - A strap, usually just like the type found in an automobile.
Usually used as a secondary backup to the main restraint system, I
have been on coasters where it is the main restraint. Usually a
lap-belt with an aircraft style buckle (lift flap to release). Also
known to be made out of nylon webbing or leather.
Set-Up - When a train is purposely stopped before completing the
circuit. This can be caused by either the operator, or the
computer. It is usually done for safety reasons.
Serpentine Curves - a series of flat (unbanked) curves in opposite
directions, creating several rapid direction changes. This looks
like a zigzag pattern that generates severe lateral forces. This
is the key element on 'Wild Mouse' style coasters.
Shuttle Coasters (Shuttle Loop)- type of coaster where after the train
leaves the station, it rides forward out to some distant point,
then stops, and rolls backwards through the same section of track
to the station. These almost always involve a vertical loop, and
on Boomerang coasters, a boomerang element as well. Where the early
shuttle loops were one straight piece of track, the Boomerang
version is a U-shape ride.
Shut-Down -See Set Up
Side Friction Coaster -An early style of coaster that relied on
flanged wheels, similar to regular railroad wheels, to keep the
trains on the track. Later additional sets of wheels were invented
to lock the train to the track.
Sidewinder - An Arrow element, producing a 90 degree turn, one half of
its boomerang element.
Slammer - Extreme airtime, usually found on a steep, abrupt drop,
after a hill. It is so names because it slams you into the lap
bar, and then slams you back in your seat. Similarly, a 'side
slammer' slams you into the side of the car on a
'less-than-adequately' banked turn. Note, however, that coaster
enthusiasts like slammers.
Snap Roll -See Barrel Roll
Spacers - Wooden beams used to keep the track gauge on a wooden
coaster consistent.
Speed Bump - A small hill, taken at high speed. Creates airtime. Also
known as a speed dip.
Speed Run - Several speed bumps/dips taken in rapid fire succession.
Usually on a straight section of track, on the return leg of an
out-and-back.
Spine back - See Backbone
Spinning Cars - A style of coaster car, that is free to spin, or
rotate while traversing the track. The car is round, with riders
facing inward.
Spiral - A 360 degree turn, at least.
Splice - A piece of wood used to connect two small posts, so that they
form one large one. Also known as a scab.
Sprocket Wheels - The toothed wheels that drive the lift chain.
Standing But Not Operating (SBNO) - A coaster that is no longer in
operation, but has not been demolished yet.
Stand Up Coaster - A looping coaster novelty. The riders stand up
during the ride, rather than sit down. Riders stand up against
vertical columns, and are secured to them by either an overhead
restraint, on newer models, or a complex series of
stomach/shoulder bars on older models.
Station - The building-like portion of a coaster. This area houses,
the loading area, unloading area. train storage area, control
booth, and often a maintenance area.
Station Brake - The main brake used to stop a coaster at the end of
the circuit. Since coaster trains roll real easily, brakes are
also placed in the unloading/loading area of the station, in order
to hold the train in place while riders board/ get out.
Steel Coaster - coasters that use steel track, usually tubular in
shape. These rides are generally built on a steel structure, but
can be built on a wood structure.
Steeplechase - mall roller coaster with 3 or more narrow tracks.
Riders ride alone on the backs of 'carousel-like horses' mounted
on tiny bogies. These horses race each other around the circuit.
Only one example is still in operation, at Blackpool Pleasure
Beach.
Steepness - The angle of a coaster drop, in relation to the
horizontal. The larger the number the steeped the drop, up to 90
which is straight up, or straight down. Most coaster first drops
are in the 55-60 zone.
Structure - The framework that supports a roller coaster.
Sub-Structure - The backbone that supports the running track on a
steel coaster
Suspended Coaster - A roller coaster where the trains hang down from
the rails. In a suspended model, however, the cars are free to
swing out to the sides in the curves.
Suspended Looping Coaster - Vekoma's name for an inverted coaster.
Developed so that they can say they made the first 'suspended
looping roller coaster'
Switchback - A very early type of wooden coaster. The riders would
climb up a flight of stairs, to board the car, then ride down a
series of slight hills, until they reached the other end. Then the
riders would get out, and walk up another staircase, while workers
hoisted the car back up, and then using a railroad switch moved
the car over to another identical, parallel track, except that it
rode in the opposite direction, back to the station. Riders faces out
sideways on these rides, and their purpose was a sightseeing ride.
Swoop Turn - A high speed turn, where the ride descends into the turn,
but ascends out of the turn.
-T-
Theming (Themed Coaster) - Special effects, added to a coaster, to
increase riders enjoyment. These often involve special lighting
effects, sound effects, smoke/fog effects, and sometimes even
water.
Theme Park -An amusement park, that has been divided into several
sub-sections, each with a distinctive concept, such as the Old
West, or the future.
Theme Park Mentality (TPM) - A slang, negative term, referring to
parks or coasters that have excessive safety rules, precautions,
policies. Also refers to a ride which has been 'toned-down' by
adding extra brakes, extra safety restraints, etc. Note that,
despite the name, you don't have to be at a theme park, to experience
TPM, it can happen at traditional parks, as well. Also some theme
parks have little to no TPM.
Track - The running rails, which the coaster rides on.
Track Gauge - The distance between the centers of the running rails. A
wood coaster gauge is usually 42-44 inches, and a steel coaster is
approx. 27.5 inches. up to 47.5 inches, on the 4-abreast models.
Track Sensors - Devices that determine the position of the trains on
the circuit, and usually speed as well. Modern coasters have
numerous sensors, linked to the computer, that can pinpoint just
where everything is, and how it is operating. These sometimes were
used on older coasters, as just a trip switch, witch would sound a
bell to warn the brake attendant.
Traditional Amusement Park - A park that is still operated in the
'traditional' sense. These parks often have long histories as
being 'picnic parks', or 'trolley parks'. They often run older,
classic rides, don't have themed sections, and often use pay-per-ride
pricing schemes.
Train - A series of coaster cars, that are coupled together, for the
purpose of riding the ride.
Transfer Track/Table/Lift - On multi-train coasters, spaces for
holding spare and/or unused trains. These are built such-that,
trains can be swapped easily, to replace a 'broken' train. Often
this area also holds the train-maintenance area, as well as a way to
work 'under the train. Note that the actual switch track used to put
trains on and off is the proper Transfer Track, the sections of track
used as storage bays for spare trains is the Storage track.
Traveling Coaster (Portable Coaster) - A coaster that is designed to
be taken apart, and moved to other sites. Most often used by
traveling carnivals. These rides are mostly found in central
Europe, where multi-looping and inverted models even exist.
Tree Topper - A coaster built in the woods, such that it runs along
the tops of the trees. This enhances the sensation of speed.
Trim Brakes - See Brakes
Tunnels - A popular part of a coaster, that involves going 'inside'
for a brief moment. Tunnels are often dark, and give head chopper
effects. In some coasters special effects take place in the
tunnels.
Turnaround - A 180 degree curve. Found most often on out and back,
coasters as the half-way point.
Turnstile - A person-counting device. The mechanical device, serves as
a gate, that counts how many people pass through it, since it is
designed so only one person can go through it at a time. Most
often found at pay-per-ride parks, as a way of auditing the ticket
count at the end of the day. Also these can be locked, so they
prevent a person from entering a ride/park, until payment has been
made, or prevents people from getting close to the ride, until it
is time to load it. These devices come with an optional 'one-way'
ratchet mechanism, so they are often found at park, and ride exits
to prevent unauthorized access.
Twin Track coaster - A coaster with twin, but separate tracks,
designed for the purpose of racing two trains through a similar
layout. Unfortunately, parks rarely run twin-track coasters in
racing fashion anymore, instead running them as two identical
coasters.
Twister - A coaster with lots of direction changes and crossovers. A
good twister should disorient you.
-U-
Upstop Wheel/Underside Wheel -The undertrack wheels that lock a car to
the track.
Unloading Platform -The part of the station where riders get off out
of the coaster cars. On older rides this was often in a different
place than the loading platform. On newer rides the
loading/unloading area are in the same place, on opposite sides of
the coaster track.
-V-
Vertical Loop - A 360 degree turn in a vertical sense, turns the
riders upside down. What is most commonly thought of as a 'loop'
Virginia Reel - An older type coaster (no known survivors). Riders
sit in round cars (tub shaped) which travel in a troughway. Ride cars
are free to spin while traveling down troughway. The childrens
version was called the Tickler.
-W-
Walkway/Walk Boards - A passageway, to the side of, or between the
tracks of a coaster, to provide a means of access for the
maintenance crew to inspect the trackwork. Also used as a way to
evacuate the train in case of mechanical/electrical failure.
Water Splash (Splashdown Finale) - A steep drop. The track after the
drop runs under a tank of water, so that the water slows down the
train, creating big waves that drench the riders, and by-standers.
Wheels - Several type of wheels exist on a coaster, including guide
wheels, upstop wheels, friction wheels, etc.. each defined
separately.
Whiplash - A condition caused by sudden forwards/backwards direction
changes, or rapid start and stops on a coaster. Headrests are
often added to prevent this injury from happening.
Wild Mouse - A style of roller coaster, using individual 2 seat cars.
It features several sharp unbanked , serpentine curves. These and
sudden drops produce a very rough ride.
Wind Drag - Energy lost by a coaster due to air resistance.
Wind Load - Forces of strong wind against a coaster structure.
Wingover - A B&M element that closely resembles a vertical loop, but
it is not at a vertical angle.
Wooden Coaster - A coaster with a track made of laminated wood. These
generally built on a wooden structure, however a few examples
exist of a wood coaster, built on a steel structure.
Woodie - Slang for wooden coaster
Wristband - A device, used by parks with an admission scheme that is
more flexible than either of the two extremes (Pay one Price, or
Pay per Ride), this consists of buying a bracelet, designed either
of plastic or Tyvek 'unbearable, water proof' paper. These are
designed so that they can be put on the rider easily, but taking
them off requires destroying the wristband. The wristband serves
as an 'unlimited' ticket and is treated like a Pay-one Price
arrangement. This allows parks to admit both ride-lovers, and
park-lovers and charge fair prices to both.
6. A Brief History of the Roller-coaster
========================================
History of Roller Coasters.
Russian Ice Slides
Roller coasters can trace their origins back to the Russian ice
slides. Russian Ice slides, which first appeared in the 1700's were
amusement devices found at fairs all over Russia. A slide consisted of
a steep drop made entirely of ice, occasionally a few creative people
added a small series of bumps at the end. The rider rode in a sled
that was made either of wood or ice, with ice being common. Sand was
placed at the end to slow the sleds down. The person sat on a straw
patch and held on to a rope tied through a hole drilled in the ice
block. These early rides were quite popular, and soon flourished. At
this time sliding down the slides was a risky business and required
skill on behalf of the rider, so skilled guides made their services
available to novice riders for a fee.
While these slides grew in popularity in Russia, a French businessman,
decided to build an Ice Slide in France, unfortunately the French
climate was not suited to this and the ice soon melted, leaving what
some have dubbed a "slurpee slide". Not discouraged, he decided to
build an all weather version of the ride, using a waxed wooden slope
and hills, and a wood sled with rollers on the bottom. This perfectly
simulated the Russian version and allowed for wide-spread exposure, as
well as some private and indoor models to be built. Just as with the
Russian version however, skill was needed to drive the sleds, so
accidents were common. Strangely, however, the more accidents these
early French rides had, the more people were drawn to them.
The next step was to create a crude track structure to insure each
rider goes down in a straight line, as planned, and improving the
safety by avoiding collisions. During this time a racing model was
made with two people sledding from the same high point, taking
opposing curving drops down to the ground level, and then through a
'helix'. This ride proved immensely popular and wagering was even made
on who would finish first.
During this early point in coaster history, the first attempt at a
loop-the-loop was made in France, in the 1850's. This ride called the
Centrifuge Railway, featured a early coaster car (a seat attached to a
chassis) that would travel through a loop with nothing but sheer
centrifugal force holding both the car to the track, and the rider to
the car. This idea was quickly put to death by wary government
officials who stopped it's introduction after one accident.
Mauch Chunk Railway
The Mauch Chunk Railway, is the American beginnings of the roller
coaster. The Mauch Chunk Railway was devised not as a pleasure ride,
but as a transportation system for the coal mine industry. The coal
mines in the area had a basic problem. 'How to cheaply and effectively
transport the coal from the mines on top of the mountain to the port
in Mach Chunk, some 18 miles downhill. To solve this problem, a
railway was devised that would run the 18-mile course in such a way
that all the workers had to do was load the mine cars, push them off
the top of the mountain, and they would follow the 18-mile course
purely by gravity. This was possible since 17 of the 18 miles were
downhill. Mules were employed to haul the empty cars back to the top.
Shortly thereafter, a car for the mules was built so that they could
'ride' back down with the coal. Although it is not recorded, someone
got the bright idea of loading the mine cars with people and pushing
them down the hill. The 'ride' became an instant success. The track
was used for coal mining during the day, and as a pleasure ride at
night. To make life easier, the mules were replaced by a steam engine
that would haul the empty cars up a longer but more gradual incline to
the top of the mountain. This helped efficiency by having a motorized
means to keep empty cars coming up, on a separate track, while coal
was being transported down the main track. Soon both tracks became
part of the Mauch Chunk Scenic Railway. People paid $1 to ride up on
the incline (motorized track), then the engines were removed, and they
were sent back down the main track, with just gravity to push them
along. Think of this in terms of roller coaster stats:
Track length: 40 miles
Max. Speed: >100MPH
If anybody builds a coaster of that length, with that speed, tell me.
Anyway, in 1870 the coal miners found a shorter railway, using tunnels
and steam engines. This left the Much Chuck Railway to be used
exclusively for pleasure rides. A hotel and restaurant were even built
on top of the mountain, and people would eat lunch before starting
back down. (Not wise, IMHO). This 'ride' continued to operate until
the 1930's with an exemplary safety record.
Haverhill Downs:
Haverhill was the American incarnations of the French slides. These
were built inside buildings (often associated with roller-rinks) and
consisted of getting into a toboggan sled with other riders, being
pushed into an elevator that was hoisted to the top of the building,
you then pushed yourself out of the elevator and onto a series of
rollers. These rollers made a figure 8 path that sent you rolling
quickly back and forth across the rink, until you landed on the ground
floor, next to the elevators. Ride cost: 5 cents per ride 6/25 cents.
These operated in late 19th century early 20th.
La Marcus Thompson Switchback railway:
Built is 1890,the switchback railway was the early true "roller
coaster". It was built of wood, on a wooden structure. The ride
consisted of riders climbing up a flight of stairs to board the
coaster car, which was then pushed out of the station, so it went down
a hill and over a few bumps until it ran out of momentum at the other
end. Then the riders would exit, and walk up a second flight of
stairs, while workers hoisted the car back up to the top of a second
station, where a switch track put it in line with an identical course
in the opposite direction, the riders got back in and rode back to the
first station. On the early rides, the focus was more on sightseeing,
than thrills. Thusly, the coaster cars, were a long bench, facing out
sideways, and the ride traveled at 6 MPH. It wasn't too long before
someone made a U-shape version of this that did not involve the
mid-course switchback, lastly a hoisting mechanism was added. At first
these were cable ropes, and then the familiar chain lifts. The ride we
know as the roller coaster was born.
Scenic Railways:
Keeping with the original purpose of the ride, sightseeing, and the
low speeds soon people got tired of just seeing people, so the rides
were built with dioramas on the sides, to make people think they were
traveling through exotic lands. Some even used crude automata. For
these rides, the seats were turned to face forward. A noticeable
feature on this ride is that the brake is built into the train and not
the track, and a skilled brakeman rides with the riders, and controls
speed as well as stops the train. This line of rides, grew to be the
Dark Rides.
Out and backs/ Figure 8's
Soon, track mounted brakes were developed, and the riders were sent in
a train, without a staff member controlling the speed, all brakes were
then controlled by an attendant in the station. The out-and-back was,
and is still the most common type of wooden roller coaster. This is
because they involve a simple layout, and are relatively cheap to
make. These were soon followed by Figure 8's which followed an 8
shaped pattern to allow for more turns in the ride. An early example
of a figure 8 exists at Lakemont Park, in Altoona, PA. This ride is
currently undergoing restoration, and we may be able to ride it in a
few years. Twisters soon followed, including the savage Traver rides.
A Traver coaster was known for it's steep, curving drops and banked
track, little or no track , except brake run and lift on a Traver ride
was straight. Sadly, no example of a Traver coaster has survived/
Loop-the-Loop: Take Two
In 1898, another person tried the loop-the-loop design. Named the
Flip-Flap Railway. This ride used a true circle loop, rather than the
clothoid loops used today. The ride had one problem, however, the
forced in the loop were so strong, they snapped riders necks. Not
discouraged, the built the Loop-the-loop, this time with an oval loop.
Although the ride was all right from a safety standpoint, it was bad
from a profit standpoint. A low capacity ride, 4 people per 5 minutes,
and bad memories of the Flip Flap Coaster kept this one out of the
hall of fame, as it were. It soon dropped out of existence.
John Miller and "safety"
John Miller was a famous coaster designer from the 1920's. He also
made great strides in roller coaster safety, including the up-stop
wheel system that insures that coaster cars can't leave the track,
anti-rollback devices, and other safety devices. He is also known for
his great coasters, such as the Screechin' Eagle, KW Jack Rabbit, KW
Racer and others.
Wood Coaster Mania:
Inventors try to do anything possible with wood. some worked out
better than others. For example the Racing coaster, leap-the-gap
coasters (never saw a rider until the missing section was filled in),
Virginia Reels (coasters with small round tubs that could rotate as
well), Ticklers (or pinball, coasters, place the round car at the top
of an inclined ' pinball' layout and let it fall, never the same ride
twice) The more steady earners however were the out-and-backs, figure
8's and Twisters.
Coaster building flourished from the turn of the century through the
Roaring 20's, with an estimated 2,000 coasters in the USA alone. Every
park of some size had a coaster. While these were not as intense as
todays rides, imagine having one in every major city. Sadly, this
trend did not last too long, and the Great Depression, as well as
World War II, made it seem like the roller coaster fad had ended, with
coasters being demolished at an alarming rate. We came to the brink of
roller-coasters being a novelty item, found in obscure parks, or only
a memory or legend to most of us.
Steel Coasters / Disney
In 1955 Disneyland opened, and the theme park era was on. While theme
parks are often cited as the main reason traditional parks are
failing, Disney helped bring a new form of the roller coaster to the
national spotlight. Matterhorn Mountain, built in 1959, it is the
first tubular steel coaster, made by Arrow. The ride did not do any
loops or anything fancy, just a gradual series of dips through a
mountain. This also made an unofficial line of demarcation,
immediately steel coasters were for theme parks, and wood coasters
were for traditional parks.
John Allen's Racer
The 1960's were a real bad time for wood coasters. Most parks were
either dismissing the coaster as a fad, or clamoring to buy a steel
one, often along the lines of Zyklons or Galaxi's.
But amidst all this John Allen kept coaster building alive by building
small to medium size coasters for small parks.
This changed in 1972 when John Allen's Racer opened at Kings Island.
This was a bold move on Kings Island's part, by showing that the
wooden roller coaster was a part of the theme park experience. This
coaster is often cited for the rebirth of the wooden coaster.
Today, wood coasters have grown taller (160'), longer (7,000'+), and
faster than their turn of the century counterparts, and with
interesting designs by CCI, will be around for quite sometime.
Corkscrew:
In 1975 Arrow designed the first successful inverting roller-coaster,
the Corkscrew. This ride features 2 inversions and little else, as the
emphasis on the ride was more for the novelty value of going upside
down. Some parks have added a vertical loop or two to the ride.
Shuttle loops (Loop-the-loop take 3)
This time they finally got it right. With steel track construction,
upstop wheels, and high capacity trains, Arrow, and Intamin were able
to produce shuttle loop coasters that worked. These coasters, which
were purely designed for the novelty of going upside down became quite
popular
Revolution:
The first looping continuous circuit looping roller coaster. This
single loop coaster was the basis for several other coaster designs.
We next had double loops, triple loops, and multi-elements
(combinations of corkscrews, loops, and other elements that have since
been invented)
Suspended Coasters:
First tried in 1982 at Kings Island, this Arrow proto-type ride had
it's trains hanging down from the track to give the effect of flying.
This Kings Island prototype did not work well, but Arrow proceeded to
produce several working models. The features of a suspended coaster
are cars that are free to sing to the side, as well as no loops.
Stand-Up Coasters:
Coasters designed to be ridden standing up. Originally meant as a
novelty ride, making fun of the "do not stand up" signs posted on
several coasters. The first successful example is the King Cobra at
Kings Island.
Inverted Coasters:
This design also uses cars that hang down from the track, but these
cars are rigidly attached, and cannot swing to the side, this allows
for inversion elements.
Launched Coasters:
In the mid to late 1990's, coaster designers started experimenting
with Linear Induction Motors, and Linear Synchronous Motors as ways of
eliminating the traditional lift hill. These coaster pack more
thrills into less space. They can usually launch a train from 0-50 in
4 seconds.
Floorless Coasters:
Our newest coaster play toy, these look like traditional
multi-element coasters, except the chairs sit high off the track, and
the cars have no floors. Makes for a very open feeling.
7. Roller Coaster Clubs
================
American Coaster Enthusiasts - ACE
--------------------------------------
The American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) is a non-profit organization
that was
established to promote roller coasters, and their preservation,
documentation, and information. The annual fee is $50 for an
individual. The
rate for a couple is $65. (ACE has a very loose definition of couple
-- two
people living at the same address.) Family memberships (3 people at
the same
address) are $70. Additional family members can be added for $5 each.
Membership
includes four high-quality Rollercoaster! magazines a year and
bi-monthly
newsletters called ACE News.
Get-togethers include an annual convention and usually two or three
conferences. In many cases these events coincide with the opening of a
new
roller coaster and they almost always will feature some Exclusive Ride
Time.
Several parks provide free or discounted admission to ACE members.
The ACE application is available from a few places on the internet.
You can
get it via ftp (in postscript format) from from elvis.rowan.edu as
/pub/Coasters/ace_appl.ps.
You can also get it from ACE Web Site at <http://www.ACEOnline.org> in
PDF format,
and you can now sign up online.
If you don't have ftp, World Wide Web, or a postscript printer, you
can send
e-mail to ACE membership director at bpe...@aceonline.org
<mailto:bpe...@aceonline.org>.
The slowest way is to write to:
American Coaster Enthusiasts
P.O. Box 8226
Chicago, IL 60680
If you use something other than ftp or World Wide Web, it may take a
few
weeks for the membership directory to process and send the form, so be
patient.
Mid-Atlantic Coaster Club - MACC
-----------------------------------
The Mid-Atlantic Coaster Club is a fairly good sized regional club. It
is
based out of the Virginia area, but members are welcomed from any
state.
There is a monthly newsletter called The Front Seat which keeps
members up
to date on club activities, etc.
Among these activities is the annual Screamfest convention, usually
held in
early Spring, as well as a late summer event called the Summer Send
Off. As
usual, the highlight of these events is the exclusive ride time
available
only to club members.
The annual membership fee is only $15 for an individual, and $25 for a
couple ($5 for each additional member at the same address). For non-US
and
foreign members, see the MACC web site for more information on
pricing.
For membership, please send a check (payable to Steve Thompson) to the
following address:
Steve Thompson
7532 Murillo Street
Springfield, Virginia 22151
ATTN: MACC
You can also sign up online at the MACC web site:
<http://members.aol.com/macclub1/index.html>
Western New York Coaster Club - WNYCC
----------------------------------------
The Western New York Coaster Club (WNYCC) is a fairly good sized
regional
club. It is based in the Buffalo/Rochester area, but there are many
members
from just about every state.
Meetings are held in various areas of western NY state. There is a
monthly
newsletter called the Gravity Gazette that keeps members up to date on
club
activities. The Gravity Gazette centers around articles written by the
members themselves, giving a very intimate, inclusive feeling to the
newsletter.
Among these activities are an annual Coasterfest (usually on Memorial
Day
weekend). As with events of other clubs, you can expect to get in some
exclusive ride time. Most of the time there is *at least* one dinner
included in the registration fee.
The annual membership fee is only $15 for an individual and $20 for a
household. Household membership includes all persons living at the
same
address.
The membership address is:
Mr. Rick Taylor
WNYCC Membership Director
4731 Forest Grove
Ft. Wayne, IN 46835
Or via email at: wild_coa...@juno.com
<mailto:wild_coa...@juno.com>
You can also sign up and get information from the WNYCC web site:
<http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/4980/>
European Coaster Club - ECC
---------------------------------
Coaster clubs are not confined to the U.S.! There is a club in the
United
Kingdom with a bi-monthly newsletter, which keep tabs on all the
coasters
across "the pond", as well as in the US. There has actually been quite
a
bit going on in Europe and the U.K.
The European address is:
European Coaster Club
PO Box 2098
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 9YG
England
For US memberships:
European Coaster Club
PO Box 8994
Cranston, RI 02920-0988
USA
The membership rate, payable in check, postal order, or International
money
order to FIRST DROP is:
U.K.: £18.00
Europe: £20.00
USA and Canada: $35.00
Rest of the world: £25.00
Corporate: £45.00 (UK)
£50.00 (Europe)
£65.00 (Rest of the World)
Additional family members (at same address) are £4.00 (UK, Europe)
each, and $5.00 per person (USA / Canada).
The ECC web site is at <http://ds.dial.pipex.com/ecc/>
National Amusement Park Historical Association - NAPHA
---------------------------------------------------------
NAPHA Is a non-profit organization formed in 1978 to preserve and
display
items of amusement park memorabilia (past and present), document park
history, enable people with common interest in parks to meet and
exchange
ideas, and in the future, to open the Amusement Park Historical
Society.
Membership per year is $40.00/individual or family, $40.00 for
corporate
membership (USA), and $35.00 for the institutional membership
available to
libraries, historical societies, museums, schools and other similar
accredited organizations. International rates are $55.00 individual or
family,
$55.00 for corporate memberships, and $45.00 for institutional
memberships.
Check or money order can be made payable to ``N.A.P.H.A.'' Membership
includes
6 newsletters/year, park discount tickets, regional meetings and
gatherings,
and conventions all over the world.
For membership, write to:
National Amusement Park Historical Association
P.O. Box 83,
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
The NAPHA web site is at <http://www.napha.org/> and includes an
online membership
application.
National Carousel Association - NCA
---------------------------------------
The National Carousel Association is a non-profit organization
dedicated to
the appreciation and conservation of the hand-carved wooden carousels.
This
group is not really coaster-related, but an item of nostalgia which
may be
of interest to readers.
The NCA's annual membership fee is $35.00 (Canadian and foreign
members, add
$6 for postage). Membership benefits include the quarterly magazine,
the
informative Merry-Go-Roundup, a biennial census report of existing
carousels
and a biennial membership listing. Memberships are based on the
calendar year
(January - December) with members receiving all publications
regardless
of the month in which they join.
Inquires for more information on the organization, or for membership
requests, should be sent to:
National Carousel Association
P.O. Box 4333
Evansville, IN 47724-0333
Visit the NCA web site at <http://www.carousel.org/nca/index.htm>
COASTER ENTHUSIASTS OF CANADA - CEC
--------------------------------------
The CEC is a non-profit organization of persons interested in
Amusement &
Theme Parks, County Fair Grounds, and World's Fairs. They are
interested in
their construction, history and day to day running. The rides are the
particular interest of this group, especially roller coasters. They
like to
know about their manufacturers, construction, and history; plus
collect photos,
brochures, postcards, books, and video tape.
Yearly trips, called "Scare-Me Tours", are planned to Canadian &
American
cities to visit their parks and ride the best coasters. A typical
total is 20
to 40 coasters.
Inquires for more information on the organization, or for membership
requests, send an email to ak...@chebucto.ns.ca
<mailto:ak...@chebucto.ns.ca> or visit the CEC web site
at <http://www.ccn.cs.dal.ca/~ak621/CEC/CEC.html>
Coaster Zombies - CZ
-----------------------
Coaster Zombies are dedicated to Roller Coaster and Theme / Amusement
Park
Lovers Worldwide. Coaster Zombies Club was formed to give those who
travel
to distant places and go out of their way to experience Roller
Coasters a
forum of support and fellowship in which members are able to have a
good time,
share views with each other and experience our favorite Amusement
Parks in a
positive and upbeat manner.
There are usually several CZ events, called Invasions, each year.
Invasions
usually include ERT and a meal.
Regular Membership is $15. per person. All membership periods start on
Jan
1st and end December 31st.
Inquires for more information on the organization, or for membership
requests, write to:
Coaster Zombies
P.O. Box 12
Arlington VA 22210-0012
or via email at steel...@aol.com <mailto:steel...@aol.com>
The Coaster Zombies web page is at
<http://members.aol.com/steelforce/index.html>
Great Ohio Coaster Club - GOCC
---------------------------------
The Great Ohio Coaster Club is a non-profit, social organization for
the simple
enjoyment of the roller coaster and amusement parks. It is based
around the
Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown area but members are from all over Ohio
plus 13
other states. To keep gatherings and events friendly the membership is
limited
to 200 members. As of November, 1997 there were 79 active members.
Membership dues are $20.00 individual, $30.00 couple. Jon Blakemore
President,
Ed Learner Vice President, Rosemarie Kusold Membership Director, Jack
Stephan
Treasurer, and Brian Derbin secretary.
WildWest Coaster Club - WWCC
-------------------------------
The official club for roller coaster lovers in the Southwestern US.
Initially, the
club will provide members with a bi-monthly newsletter. Additionally,
various
events will be scheduled each year. Membership cost is $15 for one
year. Additional
members, at the same address, will be $1 each. A special Charter
Membership rate of
$25 for two years is also available. Contact can also be through the
Internet at:
WildW...@AOL.com <mailto:WildW...@AOL.com>
Make check or money order payable to WildWest Coaster Club
Send to:
WildWest Coaster Club
PO BOX 610721
DFW TX 75261-0721.
The web page for the WildWest Coaster Club is at:
<http://members.aol.com/Wildwestcc/WWCC/swcoasterclub.htm>
Obsessed Roller Coaster Enthusiasts - ORCE
---------------------------------------------
Obsessed Roller Coaster Enthusiasts is a rather new club. They started
accepting
members on October 25, 1998. ORCE is different from other clubs in
that there is
no cost to join. As the club grows over the next few months,
conventions will be
planned. Club benefits include a subscription to the club newsletter,
admission
to club meetings at parks from coast to coast, park discounts, park
maps & a lot
more!
The ORCE web site is at <http://members.aol.com/ThriRidInc/orce.html>
Roller Coaster Club Of Great Britain - RCCGB
-----------------------------------------------
Founded in 1988 the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain aims to Unite
Roller
Coaster enthusiasts from all over the world, help preserve Roller
Coasters
endangered with closure, promote the enjoyment and safety of Roller
Coasters and
rides, raise awareness of new Roller Coasters and rides, assist and
encourage
parks & manufacturers to create and build, new, more daring, and
exciting rides.
The Club organises regular visits to major U.K. parks with exclusive
ride sessions
on rollercoasters and social events. Plus trips to parks in mainland
Europe and
America. Publishes a bi-monthly newsletter 'AIRtime' and a yearbook.
Makes annual
'Awards of Excellence' to parks and coasters. Offers special discounts
on coaster
books, videos, clothing etc. Rounds off the year with a fun filled
'End Of Season
Ball'.
Membership of the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain runs for 12
months
commencing at the beginning of February each year.
Membership fees for the period from Feb 1st.1998 to Jan. 31st.1999
are:-
(in POUNDS Sterling)
U.K. 20.00
Europe 22.50
World 25.00
Additional members can be registered for an additional 2.50 per person
providing that they reside at the same
address as the lead member. Additional members are entitled to all the
same Club benefits as the lead member
but will not receive the magazine or year-book.
To join in the fun with The Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain
Write to:
Andrew Hine,
Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain,
P.O. Box 235
Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB10 OSY, England.
E-Mail rc...@aol.com <mailto:rc...@aol.com>
The RCCGB web site is at
<http://www.arvism.demon.co.uk/rccgb/rcgb.html>
The Florida Coaster Club - FCC
---------------------------------
Florida Coaster Club Mission Statement:
"To bring together people who share the love and thrill of riding
roller coasters. To
travel near and far in quest of the ultimate coaster ride...
We are in search of THE ENDLESS SUMMER OF ROLLER COASTERS!"
Benefits include a quarterly newsletter, discounted coaster trips, and
perks from parks.
Single membership - $15.00/year.
Double membership - $20.00/year for two people in the same household.
Out & Back membership - $25.00/year for individuals outside of the
USA.
Write to:
Florida Coaster Club
P.O. Box 320181
Cocoa Beach, FL 32932-181
Phone: 954-792-0981
Fax: 407-784-4602
The executive board members can be reached via email at
FLCoa...@aol.com <mailto:FLCoa...@aol.com>
Kimber Lynch, Director
ken Lynch, VP Operations
Johnny "Zoom", Graphics
The FCC Web Site is at <http://members.aol.com/flcoasters/>
8. Books on Roller-Coasters
=============================
1. Guide to Ride and Guide to Ride Update - often considered THE
roller coaster directory, Guide to Ride lists every major coaster
operating in North America as of 1991, the Update is meant to be kept
along with the book and brings it up to 1995. Rumor has it they are
working on a Guide To Ride 2000. Guide to Ride is a publication of
the American Coaster Enthusiasts and may be ordered from their website
at http://www.aceonline.org. I believe they are currently running a
clearance sale on them.
2. The Amusement Park Guide - by Tim O'Brien often considered the
park enthusiasts bible. A detailed listing of every major and a lot
of minor parks in the US. An excellent resource. Available in
bookstores and through the author.
3. The Incredible Scream Machine by Robert Carmel - considered the
ultimate reference work on the history of the roller coaster. It goes
all the way back to the origins of the roller coaster, clear up to the
late 1980's. A lot of great photographs and interesting reading.
Unfortunately it is also out of print. I am working on obtaining a
copy for myself, when I find a contact, I will pass it along.
4. Roller Coasters - Todd Throgmorton. A general history, checklist
and general reference work on roller coasters.
5. White Knuckle Ride - Mark Wyatt - a coffee table book full of
great photographs of great coasters.
6. The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion - Steve Urbanovich. Another
general introduction, reference work on roller coasters.
7. Roller coasters - David Bennet - Yet another general reference
book on roller coasters. Commonly found in bookstore budget bins.
These and other coaster books may be available from
Gunther Hall, LTD
P.O.Box 140
Alton Bay, NH 03810
(603)875-2248
Call for a price list.
9. Magazines
=============
1. Rollercoaster! - ACE's quarterly magazine. Features literary works
on older coasters and amusement parks, and information on far off
coasters. Available to ACE members as part of their membership.
2. ACE News - ACE's newsletter, a magazine in itself. This is where
ACE details the latest news in coasterdom, as well as coaster event
coverage. Also available to ACE members as part of their membership.
3. Amusement Today - An excellent monthly newspaper about the
amusement park industry, worldwide. A lot of information on new
developments and rides, as well as information on the business side.
Currently $35/year write to:
Amusement Today/PO Box 5427/ Arlington, TX 76005
4. First Drop - An excellent magazine covering international coaster
news. Arguably one of the best available. It comes to ECC members as
part of their membership.
5. Amusement Business - For the hard core coaster fan, this is THE
industry standard weekly news magazine for the entire amusement
industry. (Including concerts, sporting events, amusement parks,
almost anything to do with entertainment venues) This one is pricey
with an annual membership costing over $100. So many packages are
available I'd suggest contacting the following for information:
Amusement Business, Subscription Dept, po box 5022, Brentwood TN 37024
6. A word on Inside Track.
Inside Track *USED* to be an excellent monthly newsmagazine for the
amusement park industry. In fact it *USED* to be very highly
regarded. However no one has seen an issue out of them in well over a
year. Not that this stops the unscrupulous editor from collecting and
retaining subscription fees. They even have a website promising a
bigger and better magazine. Until I hear otherwise, I would strongly
suggest avoiding this one. All of the readers who lost their money to
a No Refund Policy urge you to stay away.
10. Coaster Software
====================
Lately some entertainment software has come out for us coaster craved
people in the off-season.
1. Coaster! - This out of print edutainment package encouraged users
to use a CAD like interface to design their own roller coaster, then a
3d-like viewer module let you ride your coaster, which was then rated
by a panel of 'coaster fanatics'
2. Theme Park - Still available from Bullfrog Software. This took
Coaster a step further, lets give you a Sim-City style interface and
encourage you to design your own park.
3. Roller Coaster Tycoon - A big advancement on Theme Park. Lets let
you keep your sim-city interface and let you still design your own
parks, but now lets allow for a very realistic coaster construction
module. The level of detail in this game is AMAZING! 14 different
styles of coasters, scenario mode, and more entice you to a coaster
game built by a coaster fanatic for coaster fanatics to play. This
was just released in the Spring of 99, and an add-on pack "Added
Attractions" (Corkscrew Follies, US Market) has been announced for
November 99, allows more rides, more features, more scenarios to keep
us busy this off season. By Hasbro.
4. Theme Park World (Sim Theme Park (US Market)) - This is the next
entry in the coaster game war. Not yet released. I will report back
after I get my copy. This sequel to Theme Park is expected out in
November 99.
11. Coaster Videos
===================
For those that like to watch coasters on TV, a variety of coaster
videos are available.
Chiefly:
THE RRC VIDEO PROJECT
=====================
This series started totally by accident in 1998. Mark McKenzie
decided to videotape his massive 12 parks/12 days coaster trip as a
souvenir. Them he gave folks he met along the way copies of it. Those
folks convinced Mark to sell it on RRC. It was a smash hit. With a
professional editing and presentation, this will truly have you in the
coaster spirit. In fact the 1998 edition has already sold out.
We await Sean Flaharty's upcoming movie debut, as he is in charge of
1999. More details to follow.
Ok, need more, from Goldhill Entertainment comes the Americas Greatest
Roller Coaster Thrills Series, now 3 episodes long. Excellent POV of
top coasters. Available at fine video stores.
Several RRC'ers have made their own videos over the years. Watch for
ads to pop up on RRC.
12. FTP Site
===========
Posting binaries such as images, is not welcome on RRC, so courtesy of
Ken Denton, we offer an FTP site at
ftp://elvis.rowan.edu/pub/Coasters
This is an academic server so please limit your usage to after hours.
EST.
13. Other Coaster Goodies
=========================
Coaster Calendar
The European Coaster Club offers their Colossal Coasters calendar.
Information available from the ECC's website.
Coaster Souvenirs
Most enthusiasts want some tangible memento of that big coaster ride
on whats-hot-now. Popular items are t-shirts, pins, patches, and
postcards. However anything the park sells that has a park of coaster
logo on it is fair coaster souvenir material. Please be aware that
not all parks sell coaster souvenirs.
Rec.roller-coaster Buttons
As with any club, rrc'ers like to be able to spot each other at
amusement parks. One inexpensive popular way of doing that is with an
official RRC button. These are on sale at a nominal cost by Chris
Lucht. Just go to http://www.rrcpage.com and pick one out.
Part 3: Roller coaster Statistics and Lists
14. Roller Coaster Designers
============================
Wood:
Current:
Custom Coasters International
Great Coasters International
Roller Coaster Corporation of America
Intamin AG (What don't they build)
Coaster Works
Past:
John F. Pierce
Michael Black
TOGO (Still into steel coasters)
International Coasters, Inc
John Allen
Harry Baker
Oscar Bitler
Bill Cobb
Charlie Dinn
Carl Fehr
T. Harton
Frank Hoover
International Amusement Device
Vernon Keenan
Edward Leis
Loof
Lorenz & Williams
John Miller
James Mitchell
George Moran
National Amusement Device
Prior and Church
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters - (Still makes trains)
Rosser
Herb Schmeck
Amandus Sink
Curtis Summers
Marcus Thompson
Harry Traver
Aurel Vaszin
Andrew and Ed Vettel
Steel
Arrow Dynamics
Bolliger and Mabillard
Intamin
MACK
OD Hopkins
Schwarzkopf
SDC Corp
Pinfari
TOGO
Vekoma
Zamperla
Zierrer
Wisdom
Miler
15. Roller Coaster Records
==========================
This section being reprofiled.
16. ACE Coaster Classics
========================
A word on ACE Coaster Classics from their website:
The concept of Coaster Classics was developed during a period when
changes in the design, equipping, and operation of wood coasters
threatened to erase these time-honored experiences and rituals. ACE
awards Coaster Classic status to coasters that still adhere to these
principles that allow riders to safely experience the thrill of the
classic wooden roller coaster ride. To be eligible for Coaster Classic
status, the coaster must meet the following criteria:
The coaster must use traditional lap bars that allow riders to
experience so-called airtime, or negative G's (that sensation of
floating above the seat!!). Individual, ratcheting lap bars do not
meet this requirement.
The coaster cannot use bucket seats or seat dividers. Instead, Coaster
Classics allow riders to slide from side-to-side.
Coaster Classics allow riders to view the upcoming drops and thrills.
Coasters with headrests on every seat, or the majority of seats,
restrict this view and are not eligible for Coaster Classic status.
On Coaster Classics, riders are free to choose where they sit. Some
parks' operating procedures assign seating; these coasters are not
eligible for Coaster Classic status.
Current Coaster Classics are:
Beastie. Paramount's Kings Island, Kings Mills, OH USA
Big Dipper. Geauga Lake; Aurora, OH USA
Big Dipper. Camden; Huntington, WV USA
Blue Streak. Conneaut Lake Park; Conneaut Lake, PA USA
Comet. Waldameer Park, Erie, PA USA
Cyclone. Pleasureland; Southport, Merseyside, UK
Cyclone. Lakeside; Denver, CO USA
Cyclone. Astroland; Brooklyn, NY USA
Cyclone. Williams Grove; Williams Grove, PA USA
Ghoster Coaster. Paramount's Canada's Wonderland, Toronto, Canada
High Roller. Valleyfair!; Shakopee, MN USA
Jack Rabbit. Kennywood; West Mifflin, PA USA
Kiddy Coaster. Playland; Rye, NY USA
Leap the Dips. Lakemont Park; Altoona, PA USA
Lil Dipper. Camden; Huntington, WV USA
Little Dipper. Hillcrest; Lemont, IL USA
Little Dipper. Kiddieland; Melrose, IL USA
Roller Coaster. Joyland; Wichita, KS USA
Roller Coaster. Pleasure Beach; Great Yarmouth, Norfolk UK
Roller Coaster. Playland; Vancouver, BC Canada
Roller Coaster. Blackpool Pleasure Beach; Blackpool, Lancashire UK
Roller Coaster. Western Washington Fair; Puyallup, WA USA
RolloCoaster. Idlewild Park; Ligonier, PA USA
Runaway Coaster. Rotunda Amusement Park, Folkestone, England
Scenic Railway. Dreamland; Margate, Kent UK
Scooby Doo's Ghoster Coaster. Paramount's Carowinds, Charlotte, NC USA
Scooby Doo. Paramount's King's Dominion, Doswell, VA USA
Sea Dragon. Wyandot Lake; Powell, OH USA
Skyliner. Lakemont; Altoona, PA USA
Teddy Bear. Stricker's Grove, Ross, OH USA
Thunderbolt. Kennywood; West Mifflin, PA USA
Zach's Zoomer. Michigan's Adventure, Muskegon, MI USA
Zipper Dipper. Blackpool Pleasure Beach; Blackpool, Lancashire UK
17. Amusement Today Top Coasters Poll
=====================================
The Top 25 Wooden Coasters, as selected by Amusement Today readers:
1) Texas Giant - Six Flags Over Texas
2) Raven - Holiday World
3) Rampage - Visionland
4) Shivering Timbers - Michigan's Adventure
5) Comet - The Great Escape
6) Phoenix - Knoebels
7) Beast - Paramount's Kings Island
8) Cyclone - Astroland (Coney Island)
9) Georgia Cyclone - Six Flags Over Georgia
10) Megaphobia Oakwood (UK)
11) Thunderbolt - Kennywood
12) Wildcat - Hersheypark
13) Ghost Rider - Knott's Berry Farm
14) Timber Wold - World's of Fun
15) Cyclone - Riverside
16) Giant Dipper - Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
17) Grizzly - Paramount's Kings Dominion
18) Mean Streak - Cedar Point
19) Viper - Six Flags Great America
20) Coaster - Playland (Canada)
21) Wild One - Six Flags America
22) Jack Rabbit - Kennywood
23) Grand National - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (UK)
24) Great White - Wild Wheels Pier
25) Big Dipper - Geauga Lake
The Top 25 Steel coasters as voted by Amusement Today:
1) Magnum XL-200 - Cedar Point
2) Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa
3) Steel Force - Dorney Park
4) Alpengeist - Busch Gardens Williamsburg
5) Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa
6) Raptor - Cedar Point
7) Desperado - Buffalo Bill's Casino
8) Mind Bender - Six Flags over Georgia
9) Mamba - World's of Fun
10) Superman:Ride of Steel - Six Flags Darien Lake
11) Steel Phantom - Kennywood
12) Shockwave - Six Flags over Texas
13) Nemesis - Alton Towers (UK)
14) Raging Bull - Six Flags Great America
15) Big Bad Wolf - Busch Gardens Williamsburg
16) Medusa - Six Flags Great Adventure
17) Mindbender - Galaxyland (Canada)
18) Top Gun - Paramount's Carrowinds
19) Incredible Hulk - Islands of Adventure
20) Apollo's Chariot - Busch Gardens Williamsburg
21) Dueling Dragons - Islands of Adventure
22) Viper - Six Flags Magic Mountain
23) Steel Eel - SeaWorld San Antonio
24) Texas Tornado - Astroworld
25) Batman The Ride - Six Flags Great America
18. Mitch Hawker's Internet Wooden Coaster Poll
===============================================
FINAL RESULTS: 1998 Internet Wooden Tracked Roller Coaster Poll
There is a new #1 coaster this year and three new 1998 rides finished
in
the top seven. All seven new rides did well, placing in the top 50.
The top 5 rides all had close calls in voting with at least one of the
other four in that group. #1 Shivering Timbers prevailed over #2
Tonnerre
de Zeus with 5 riders preferring ST, 4 preferring TdZ, and 2 rating
them as
equal. #2 TdZ over #3 Megafobia 9-8-1 (Megafobia had won that
comparison
6-2-1 last year). #3 Megafobia tied #4 Rampage 4-4-3. #4 Rampage tied
#5
Comet 12-12-3. Also, #7 GhostRider was preferred 4-0-1 to #5 Comet and
to
#6 Raven and had very close calls with 3 of the top 4.
There had been much speculation about ST vs. Rampage. The final tally
was 21-11-2 in favor of ST.
You may see all the head-to-head comparison numbers by downloading the
spreadsheet from the website <http://www.hitchhikers.net/wcoaster>
Enthusiasts who would like to experience Playland's Roller Coaster in
Vancouver should do so soon as 1999 will probably be the coaster's
final
season of operation. The park is scheduled to move from its' current
location.
Six SBNO (Standing But Not Operating) coasters placed in the top 55.
Any parks out there want to buy a proven winner with a lot of existing
'fans', cheap? Several of these SBNO coasters will reportedly be razed
in the next few months rather than moved and rebuilt.
Our polltakers' favorite steel roller coaster came out 12th in the
poll.
One way that could be interpreted is that the majority of riders of
those
eleven woodies that placed ahead of it would rather ride that woodie
than
any steel coaster they have ever ridden. It is actually a little more
complex than that, but (e.g.) Shivering Timbers won its' matchup with
"My Favorite Steel" 27-12-2.
I think that is remarkable considering the relative cost to the parks
of
the steel rides (up to 8 times the cost of a NEW woodie) and the fact
that
one of those eleven woodies was originally constructed in the 1940's,
one
was built in the 1960's, and the Vancover Coaster (built in 1958)
compared
10-10-1 with "My Favorite Steel".
CCI placed four of six new rides in the top 25, while GCI's new ride
debuted well in the top 30. 1999 is shaping up to be another great
year for
woodies. Among the most anticipated projects will be Knoebel's homage
to
the great SBNO - Twister and RCCA's new ride in Brazil.
This year the results are presented in a tabular format showing 1994
through 1998 placements, giving a better feel for trends and
consistencies
in the poll. When viewing this chart, one should expect a coaster's
rank
to drop slightly from year to year due to additional coasters debuting
in
the poll. Special attention should be paid to the RIDERS column as the
fewer the number of riders, the greater the margin of error.
Symbols:
# - no riders or no riders numerically ranked this coaster that year.
N#- < 3 rider/raters (greater margin for error). (N is the Rank)
Nt- Coaster tied for rank N
S - coaster SBNO or in storage, not included in the poll that year.
x - not included on the ballot that year due to error on my part.
- - coaster was not yet built.
The 1993 results are not included in this chart due to the low number
of ballots received (20) and other differences in the poll that year.
I do not place too much stock in the bottom half of the 1994
poll as not enough people ranked all coasters they had ridden.
72 persons took the poll in 1994 & 1995, 104 in 1996, 130 in 1997, and
141 this year.
Total Number of Ballots = 141
Average Number of Woodies Ridden = 37.4
+---------------------------------------- 1998 Rank
| +----------------------------------- 1997 Rank
| | +------------------------------ 1996 Rank
| | | +------------------------- 1995 Rank
| | | | +-------------------- 1994 Rank
| | | | |
| | | | | '98 POLL
V V V V V COASTER PARK LOC RIDERS
1 - - - - Shivering Timbers Michigan's Adventure MI 54
2 2 - - - Tonnerre de Zeus Parc Asterix FR 25
3 1 1 - - Megafobia Oakwood UK 27
4 - - - - Rampage Visionland AL 42
5 3 2 1 1 Comet Great Escape NY 50
6 4 3 2 - Raven Holiday World IN 60
7 - - - - GhostRider Knott's Berry Farm CA 8
8 7 S S 5 Twister(SBNO) Elitch Gardens CO 30
9 16 S S S Wildcat (SBNO) Idora Park OH 7
10 6 9t 8 2 Texas Giant SFoT TX 56
11 5 4 3 3 Roller Coaster Playland BC 27
12 9 9t 6 4 Phoenix Knoebel's PA 80
13 13 7 9 6 Georgia Cyclone SFoG GA 55
14 12 9t 15 8 Cyclone Astroland NY 63
15 21 12 12 14 Grand National Blackpool UK 33
16 22 18 19 9 Giant Dipper Santa Cruz Bch Bdwk CA 32
17 15 15 10 7 Serpiente de Fuego La Feria MX 16
18 14 5 - - Wildcat Hersheypark PA 88
19 10 6 5 13 Timberwolf Worlds of Fun MO 49
20 19 16 13 - Cyclops Big Chief WI 28
21 24 14 4 12 Wild One Adventure World MD 63
22 - - - - Excalibur Funtown USA ME 30
23 8 - - - Stampida Port Aventura SP 6
24 17 17 7 10 Thunderbolt Kennywood PA 95
25 30 21 18 44 Screechin' Eagle Americana OH 52
26 11 8 - - Timber Terror Silverwood ID 11
27 26 27 20 21 Cyclone Lakeside CO 36
28 - - - - Roar Adventure World MD 42
29 27 35 29 31 Riverside Cyclone Riverside MA 51
30 18 S S S Comet (SBNO) Lincoln Park MA 10
31 43 30 31 20 Giant Dipper Belmont Park CA 35
32 23 20 21 15 The Grizzly Kings Dominion VA 88
33 28 - - - Zeus Big Chief WI 23
34 40 24 37 - Viper SFGAm IL 52
35 35 45 36 52 Big Dipper Blackpool UK 32
36 20 13 - - Great White Wild Wheels Pier NJ 49
37 - - - - Twist Sist - Lola Kentucky Kingdom KY 26
38 25 S S 18 Blue Streak Conneaut Lake Park PA 54
39 41 25 26 28 Jack Rabbit Kennywood PA 95
40 33 26 24 24 Hurler Carowinds NC 36
41 - - - - Twist Sist - Stella Kentucky Kingdom KY 26
42 31 19 17 29 Yankee Cannonball Canobie Lake Park NH 42
43 38 28 22 19 Swamp Fox Family Kingdom SC 28
44 44 35 38 25 Arkansas Twister(S) Magic Springs AR 16
45 39 40 28 23 Le Monstre La Ronde QU 24
46 29 23 16 26 Hurler Kings Dominion VA 81
47 36 31 40 34 Thunderhawk Dorney Park PA 82
48 55 48 32 118# Cyclone Pleasureland UK 23
49 32 22 23 16 Big Dipper Geauga Lake OH 64
50 37 S S 37 Wildcat(SBNO) Elitch Gardens CO 30
51 42 29 11 11 Blue Streak Cedar Point OH 109
52 45 44 27 17 The Beast Kings Island OH 92
53 53 46 50 36 Racer Kennywood PA 95
54 47 41 56 30 Thunder Run Kentucky Kingdom KY 65
55 78 S S S Thunderbolt (SBNO) Coney Island NY 7
56 52 39 54 35 Zingo Bell's OK 26
57 57 50 48 39 Cannonball Lake Winnepesaukah GA 24
58 51 46 14# - Twister II Elitch Gardens CO 22
59 67 68 55 76 Roller Coaster Lagoon UT 13
60 46 43 41 32 Hoosier Hurricane Indiana Beach IN 43
61 69 60 72 49 Grt Am Scrm Mach SFoG GA 60
62 60 38 42 41 Rebel Yell Kings Dominion VA 90
63 54 62 43 96 Rutschebanen Tivoli Gardens DN 9
64 50 52 59 47 Skyliner Lakemont PA 50
65 62 61 53 92 Starliner Miracle Strip FL 16
66 64 34 30 - Cannonball Waterville USA AL 10
67 77 66 65 65 Tornado Adventureland IA 21
68 56 49 49 45 Screamin' Eagle SFMA MO 55
69 73 67 58 116# Wild Mouse Blackpool UK 32
70 58 32 34 33 The Legend Arnolds Park IA 13
71 74 71 75 112# Tree Topper Upper Clements Park NS 5
72 48 53 51 93 Roller Coaster Puyallup Fair WA 19
73 34 37 25 22 Rutschebanen Bakken DN 4
74 59 33 33 27 Predator Darien Lake NY 36
75 49 42 45 53 Outlaw Adventureland IA 21
76 75 65 74 70 High Roller Valleyfair! MN 29
77 65 59 47 48 Roller Coaster Joyland KS 22
78 80 63 67 63 Judge Roy Scream SFoT TX 57
79 91 86 79 68 Thunderbolt Riverside MA 53
80 76 72 68 40 Wildcat Lake Compounce CT 39
81 90 76 60 82 Roller Coaster Blackpool UK 33
82 72 70 64 115# Texas Tornado Frontierland UK 20
83 87 55 35 50 Rattler Fiesta Texas TX 26
84 70 64 88 66 M.Can.Mine Buster Canada's Wonderland ON 43
85 66 54 54 43 Racer Kings Island OH 93
86 71 69 61 71 Zippin' Pippin Libertyland TN 20
87 101 73 73 51 Flyer Comet Whalom Park MA 38
88 82 73 87 64 Wilde Beast Canada's Wonderland ON 42
89 84 80 70 61 Thunder Road Carowinds NC 42
90 68 58 57 59 Comet Hersheypark PA 93
91 102 87 97 69 Texas Cyclone SF Astroworld TX 39
92 83 77 84 94 Roller Coaster Great Yarmouth UK 18
93 81 51 62 38 Tornado Stricker's Grove OH 29
94 61 S S S Jack Rabbit (SBNO) Idora Park OH 8
95 107 98# 103# 100# Anaconda Walibi-Schtroumpf FR 12
96 89 89 80 62 Cyclone Williams Grove PA 38
97 104 82 77 57 Jack Rabbit Seabreeze NY 31
98# 114 94 82 99 Vuoristorata Linnamaki Park FI 2
99 85# 91 91 x Scenic Railway Luna Park-Melbourne AL 3
100 93 57 76 74 Psyclone S.F. Magic Mountain CA 58
101 95 81 71 60 Colossus S.F. Magic Mountain CA 62
102# # S S S Devil's Coach (S) J's Amusements CA 1
103 79 S S S Runaway Coaster Rotunda UK 13
104 109# 90# 53# 102# Hullamvasut Varosliget HU 3
105 105 99 89 67 Rollo Coaster Idlewild PA 44
106 99 85 86 78 American Eagle SFGAm IL 62
107 96 88 118# 119# Scenic Railway Dreamland UK 22
108 97 95 44 54 Wild Mouse Frontierland UK 18
109 94 84 78 56 Dragon Coaster Playland NY 43
110 100 83 101 73 Wildcat Frontier City OK 25
111 110 92 108 75 Rolling Thunder SFGAd NJ 63
112 86 79 81 46 Wolverine Wildcat Michigan's Adventure MI 54
113 92 78 69 55 Big Dipper Camden Park WV 24
114 113 109 - - Pegasus Big Chief WI 25
115 103 73 66 42 Mean Streak Cedar Point OH 106
116 111 96 92 72 Raging Wolf Bobs Geauga Lake OH 63
117 98 S S S Leap the Dips(SBNO) Lakemont PA 3
118 115 106# # # Hochschaubahn Prater Park AU 3
119 117 100 85 91 Jack Rabbit Clementon Lake NJ 29
120 63 - - - Tomahawk Port Aventura SP 3
121 108 97 90 83 Sky Princess Dutch Wonderland PA 34
122 116 101 83 102 Pegasus de Efeling HO 9
123 106 105 # - Antelope Gulliver's World UK 14
124 124 104 93 81 Scooby Doo Carowinds NC 39
125 88 # 39# # Sierra Thunder Mirabilandia Park IT 5
126 121 103 98 79 Beastie Kings Island OH 76
127 112 56# - - Teddy Bear Stricker's Grove OH 11
128 122 114 95 111 Beastie Australia's Wonderl. AL 4
129 118 111 100 86 Scooby Doo Kings Dominion VA 79
130 125 S S S Red Streaker (S) Willow Mill PA 7
131 127 119 99 114 Zach's Zoomer Michigan's Adventure MI 54
132 120 108 96 85 Comet Waldameer PA 36
133 128 102 104 84 Sea Dragon Wyandot Lake OH 20
134 126 115 102 89 Ghoster Coaster Canada's Wonderland ON 39
135 129# 107# 111# 110# Bush Beast Australia's Wonderl. AL 3
136 123 113 107 87 Zipper Dipper Blackpool UK 28
137 119 93 63 58 Hercules Dorney Park PA 82
138 130 112 109 80 Little Dipper Kiddieland IL 16
139 134 116 106 113 Kiddie Coaster Playland NY 14
140 131 110 105 77 Little Dipper Hillcrest IL 12
141 133 117 - - Underground Adventureland IA 15
142 132 118 110 88 Lil' Dipper Camden Park WV 22
143 135 120 112 90 The Grizzly Great America CA 37
The coasters below had no riders take the poll.
# # # # # White Canyon Yomiuriland JA 0
# # # # # Jupiter Nishi-Nihon Korakuen JA 0
# # # # # White Cyclone Nagashima Spaland JA 0
# x x x x Little Dipper Esselworld IN 0
Below, I have listed the 1998 results in more detail.
The columns listed are: RANK, COASTER NAME, PARK, LOC (two letter
abbreviation of state, province, or country), RIDERS (number of
polltakers
who indicated they rode each coaster), W (head to head wins versus
other
coasters), L (losses), T (ties), WinPct (winning percentage), and TiBk
(tiebreaker..head to head preferences between those coasters tied).
Special attention should again be paid to the RIDERS column when
viewing
the results. In general, the rankings of those coasters with more
riders
will be more likely to truly reflect the general sentiment about a
coaster.
I have placed a * in place of a rank for coasters with < 3 riders.
I have inserted a blank line in the listing where >.02 WinPct gaps
exist.
I ran the program twice. Once excluding "My Favorite Steel" to get
the results for the woodies so that they would not be affected by it,
and once including it so I could place it amongst the woodies.
Total Number of Ballots = 141
Average Number of Woodies Ridden = 37.4
RANK COASTER NAME PARK LOC RIDERS W L T WinPct TiBk
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Shivering Timbers Michigan's Adventure MI 54 142 0 0 1.0000
2 Tonnerre de Zeus Parc Asterix FR 25 140 1 0 0.9929
3 Megafobia Oakwood UK 27 138 2 1 0.9823
4 Rampage Visionland AL 42 138 2 2 0.9789
5 Comet Great Escape NY 50 136 4 2 0.9648
6 Raven Holiday World IN 60 136 6 0 0.9577
7 GhostRider Knott's Berry Farm CA 8 120 6 1 0.9488
8 Twister(SBNO) Elitch Gardens CO 30 133 7 2 0.9437
9 Wildcat (SBNO) Idora Park OH 7 128 8 2 0.9348
10 Texas Giant SFoT TX 56 130 8 4 0.9296 10
11 Roller Coaster Playland BC 27 132 10 0 0.9296 9
*** My Favorite Steel Anypark Anywhere ** 98 132 10 0 0.9296
12 Phoenix Knoebel's PA 80 131 11 0 0.9225
13 Georgia Cyclone SFoG GA 55 129 11 2 0.9155
14 Cyclone Astroland NY 63 128 13 1 0.9049
15 Grand National Blackpool UK 33 122 16 3 0.8759
16 Giant Dipper Santa Cruz Bch Bdwk CA 32 123 17 2 0.8732
17 Serpiente de Fuego La Feria MX 16 121 17 4 0.8662
18 Wildcat Hersheypark PA 88 122 19 1 0.8627
19 Timberwolf Worlds of Fun MO 49 122 20 0 0.8592
20 Cyclops Big Chief WI 28 120 20 1 0.8546
21 Wild One Adventure World MD 63 119 20 3 0.8486
22 Excalibur Funtown USA ME 30 119 22 1 0.8415
23 Stampida Port Aventura SP 6 86 12 12 0.8364
24 Thunderbolt Kennywood PA 95 116 23 3 0.8275
25 Screechin' Eagle Americana OH 52 114 24 4 0.8169
26 Timber Terror Silverwood ID 11 113 25 1 0.8165
27 Cyclone Lakeside CO 36 110 24 8 0.8028
28 Roar Adventure World MD 42 112 27 2 0.8014
29 Riverside Cyclone Riverside MA 51 110 31 1 0.7782
30 Comet (SBNO) Lincoln Park MA 10 107 29 5 0.7766
31 Giant Dipper Belmont Park CA 35 108 30 4 0.7746
32 The Grizzly Kings Dominion VA 88 109 32 0 0.7730
33 Zeus Big Chief WI 23 106 30 5 0.7695
34 Viper SFGAm IL 52 106 30 6 0.7676
35 Big Dipper Blackpool UK 32 105 31 5 0.7624
36 Great White Wild Wheels Pier NJ 49 105 36 1 0.7430
37 Twist Sist - Lola Kentucky Kingdom KY 26 100 34 7 0.7340
38 Blue Streak Conneaut Lake Park PA 54 103 37 2 0.7324 26
39 Jack Rabbit Kennywood PA 95 102 36 4 0.7324 24
40 Hurler Carowinds NC 36 100 36 6 0.7254
41 Twist Sist - Stella Kentucky Kingdom KY 26 97 38 6 0.7092
42 Yankee Cannonball Canobie Lake Park NH 42 98 42 2 0.6972
43 Swamp Fox Family Kingdom SC 28 95 44 3 0.6796
44 Arkansas Twister(S) Magic Springs AR 16 92 43 7 0.6725 3
45 Le Monstre La Ronde QU 24 92 43 7 0.6725 10
46 Hurler Kings Dominion VA 81 94 45 3 0.6725 8
47 Thunderhawk Dorney Park PA 82 94 47 1 0.6655
48 Cyclone Pleasureland UK 23 91 46 4 0.6596
49 Big Dipper Geauga Lake OH 64 91 46 5 0.6585
50 Wildcat(SBNO) Elitch Gardens CO 30 91 47 4 0.6549 14
51 Blue Streak Cedar Point OH 109 92 48 2 0.6549 9
52 The Beast Kings Island OH 91 87 49 6 0.6338
53 Racer Kennywood PA 95 87 53 2 0.6197
54 Thunder Run Kentucky Kingdom KY 65 84 53 5 0.6092
55 Thunderbolt (SBNO) Coney Island NY 7 67 38 29 0.6082
56 Zingo Bell's OK 26 82 54 6 0.5986
57 Cannonball Lake Winnepesaukah GA 24 81 55 4 0.5929
58 Twister II Elitch Gardens CO 22 79 56 7 0.5810
59 Roller Coaster Lagoon UT 13 76 56 8 0.5714
60 Hoosier Hurricane Indiana Beach IN 43 78 61 3 0.5599
61 Grt Am Scrm Mach SFoG GA 60 74 61 7 0.5458 26
62 Rebel Yell Kings Dominion VA 90 76 63 3 0.5458 19
63 Rutschebanen Tivoli Gardens DN 9 67 57 15 0.5360
64 Skyliner Lakemont PA 50 73 64 5 0.5317
65 Starliner Miracle Strip FL 16 70 63 6 0.5252
66 Cannonball Waterville USA AL 10 69 62 10 0.5248
67 Tornado Adventureland IA 21 70 64 8 0.5211
68 Screamin' Eagle SFMA MO 55 67 62 11 0.5179
69 Wild Mouse Blackpool UK 32 69 65 7 0.5142
70 The Legend Arnolds Park IA 13 68 67 5 0.5036 2
71 Tree Topper Upper Clements Park NS 5 64 63 13 0.5036 0
72 Roller Coaster Puyallup Fair WA 19 65 65 9 0.5000
73 Rutschebanen Bakken DN 4 55 58 23 0.4890
74 Predator Darien Lake NY 36 62 66 13 0.4858
75 Outlaw Adventureland IA 21 64 70 8 0.4789
76 High Roller Valleyfair! MN 29 64 71 5 0.4750
77 Roller Coaster Joyland KS 22 60 72 8 0.4571
78 Judge Roy Scream SFoT TX 57 61 75 6 0.4507
79 Thunderbolt Riverside MA 53 60 78 4 0.4366
80 Wildcat Lake Compounce CT 39 58 77 7 0.4331
81 Roller Coaster Blackpool UK 33 56 78 7 0.4220 8
82 Texas Tornado Frontierland UK 20 58 80 3 0.4220 7
83 Rattler Fiesta Texas TX 26 51 74 14 0.4173
84 M.Can.Mine Buster Canada's Wonderland ON 43 56 80 6 0.4155
85 Racer Kings Island OH 93 55 82 5 0.4049
86 Zippin' Pippin Libertyland TN 20 52 80 8 0.4000
87 Flyer Comet Whalom Park MA 38 53 82 7 0.3979
88 Wilde Beast Canada's Wonderland ON 42 51 83 8 0.3873
89 Thunder Road Carowinds NC 42 50 84 8 0.3803 19
90 Comet Hersheypark PA 93 53 87 2 0.3803 14
91 Texas Cyclone SF Astroworld TX 39 48 82 10 0.3786
92 Roller Coaster Great Yarmouth UK 18 50 85 6 0.3759
93 Tornado Stricker's Grove OH 29 46 87 7 0.3536
94 Jack Rabbit (SBNO) Idora Park OH 8 35 80 23 0.3370
95 Anaconda Walibi-Schtroumpf FR 12 39 85 16 0.3357
96 Cyclone Williams Grove PA 38 44 91 7 0.3345
97 Jack Rabbit Seabreeze NY 31 43 95 4 0.3169
* Vuoristorata Linnamaki Park FI 2 37 86 9 0.3144
99 Scenic Railway Luna Park-Melbourne AL 3 35 87 15 0.3102
100 Psyclone S.F. Magic Mountain CA 58 40 95 7 0.3063
101 Colossus S.F. Magic Mountain CA 62 37 94 11 0.2993
* Devil's Coach (S) J's Amusements CA 1 0 41 60 0.2970
103 Runaway Coaster Rotunda UK 13 34 95 11 0.2821
104 Hullamvasut Varosliget HU 3 28 87 18 0.2782
105 Rollo Coaster Idlewild PA 44 35 101 6 0.2676
106 American Eagle SFGAm IL 62 33 100 9 0.2641
107 Scenic Railway Dreamland UK 22 34 101 6 0.2624
108 Wild Mouse Frontierland UK 18 32 99 9 0.2607
109 Dragon Coaster Playland NY 43 33 103 6 0.2535
110 Wildcat Frontier City OK 25 30 101 11 0.2500
111 Rolling Thunder SFGAd NJ 63 30 102 10 0.2465
112 Wolverine Wildcat Michigan's Adventure MI 54 28 105 9 0.2289
113 Big Dipper Camden Park WV 24 29 105 5 0.2266
114 Pegasus Big Chief WI 25 29 109 3 0.2163
115 Mean Streak Cedar Point OH 106 27 110 5 0.2077
116 Raging Wolf Bobs Geauga Lake OH 63 25 111 6 0.1972
117 Leap the Dips(SBNO) Lakemont PA 3 22 97 4 0.1951
118 Hochschaubahn Prater Park AU 3 19 100 13 0.1932
119 Jack Rabbit Clementon Lake NJ 29 25 111 4 0.1929
120 Tomahawk Port Aventura SP 3 15 83 11 0.1881
121 Sky Princess Dutch Wonderland PA 34 23 113 4 0.1786
122 Pegasus de Efeling HO 9 16 111 12 0.1583
123 Antelope Gulliver's World UK 14 17 109 6 0.1515
124 Scooby Doo Carowinds NC 39 15 119 8 0.1338
125 Sierra Thunder Mirabilandia Park IT 5 9 111 19 0.1331
126 Beastie Kings Island OH 76 15 121 6 0.1268
127 Teddy Bear Stricker's Grove OH 11 11 115 12 0.1232
128 Beastie Australia's Wonderl. AL 4 11 115 11 0.1204
129 Scooby Doo Kings Dominion VA 79 13 121 7 0.1170
130 Red Streaker (S) Willow Mill PA 7 10 119 11 0.1107
131 Zach's Zoomer Michigan's Adventure MI 54 10 122 10 0.1056
132 Comet Waldameer PA 36 11 126 5 0.0951 6
133 Sea Dragon Wyandot Lake OH 20 10 125 7 0.0951 5
134 Ghoster Coaster Canada's Wonderland ON 39 7 124 11 0.0880
135 Bush Beast Australia's Wonderl. AL 3 9 122 6 0.0876
136 Zipper Dipper Blackpool UK 28 8 129 4 0.0709
137 Hercules Dorney Park PA 82 6 130 6 0.0634
138 Little Dipper Kiddieland IL 16 4 127 9 0.0607
139 Kiddie Coaster Playland NY 14 6 131 4 0.0567
140 Little Dipper Hillcrest IL 12 4 129 7 0.0536
141 Underground Adventureland IA 15 2 136 4 0.0282
142 Lil' Dipper Camden Park WV 22 3 135 1 0.0252
143 The Grizzly Great America CA 37 0 140 2 0.0070
* White Canyon Yomiuriland JA 0 0 0 0 0.0000
* Jupiter Nishi-Nihon Korakuen JA 0 0 0 0 0.0000
* White Cyclone Nagashima Spaland JA 0 0 0 0 0.0000
* Little Dipper Esselworld IN 0 0 0 0 0.0000
19. Coming Attractions
======================
It's really early to talk about next year's coasters, but here is the
start!
New Wooden Coasters for 2000!
1) Son of Beast - Paramount's Kings Island - RCCA (A 200'+ woodie with
a loop!)
2) Legend - Holiday World - CCI
3) Mountain Coaster - Lake Compounce - CCI
4) Zephyr - Jazzland - CCI
5) ? - Garfield's Adventures - CCI
6) Hurricane - Myrtle Beach Pavilion - CCI
7) Lightning Racer - Hersherpark - GCI
New Steel Coasters for 2000!
1) Kraken - Sea World Florida - B&M Floorless
2) Millenium Force - Cedar Point - 300' GIGA coaster
3) "Project Stealth - Paramounts Great America - Vekoma Lay Down
Coaster
20. Standing But Not Operating Coasters
=======================================
Standing But Not Operating Coasters
Arkansas Twister. 1978 Cobb wood out-and-back, Magic Springs, Hot
Springs, AR
Big Dipper. 1925 Pearce out-and-back wood. Chippewa Lake Park; Medina,
OH
Comet. 1946 IAD twister wood. Lincoln Park; N. Dartmouth, MA
Jack Rabbit. 1910 out-and-back wood. Idora Park; Youngstown, OH
Thunderbolt. 1925 Miller twisted wood. Coney Island Boardwalk;
Brooklyn, NY
Wildcat. 1927 Schmeck/PTC twister wood. Idora Park; Youngstown, OH
Drachen Fire, 1991 Arrow Dynamics Multi Element, Busch Gardens
Williamsburg, Willaimsburg, VA