[FAQ] Official Rec.Roller-Coaster FAQ *PLEASE READ* {Extremly long}
David Bowers
the big thanks goes to Chris Lucht and Jerry Dane for substantial
contributions.
Thanks to Dave Althoff for reminding me to post this.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF ROLLER-COASTER FANATICISM
=================================================
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
==============
February 2000
Updated the Definitions Section
December 1999
Switched to a heirarchical numbering system.
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
1.1 About rec.roller-coaster
1.2 About Usenet
1.3 About this document
Part 2: Coaster information, organizations, and references
2.1 Common abbreviations
2.2 Definition of Roller-Coaster terms
2.3 A Brief History of the Roller Coaster
2.4 Roller-Coaster Clubs
2.4.1 American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE)
2.4.2 Mid-Atlantic Coaster Club (MACC)
2.4.3 Western New York Coaster Club (WNYCC)
2.4.4 European Coaster Club (ECC)
2.4.5 National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA)
2.4.6 National Carousel Association - NCA
2.4.7 Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada (CEC)
2.4.8 Coaster Zombies (CZ)
2.4.9 Florida Coaster Club (FCC)
2.4.10 Great Ohio Coaster Club (GOCC)
2.4.11 Obsessed Roller Coaster Enthusiasts (ORCE)
2.4.12 Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain (RCCGB)
2.4.13 Wild West Coaster Club
2.5 Books on Roller Coasters and Amusement Parks
2.6 Magazines
2.7 Coaster Software
2.8 Videos
2.9 FTP Site
2.10 Other Stuff of Interest
Part 3: Lists and statistics
3.1 Roller Coaster Designer Info.
3.2 Roller Coaster Record Holders
3.3 ACE's Coaster Classic Roster
3.4 Amusement Today's Top 25 Coaster Poll
3.5 Mitch Hawker's Internet Wood Coaster Poll
3.6 Coming Attractions - new coasters in 2000 and beyond
3.7 List of Endangered Coasters in USA
1.1 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.
1.2 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.
1.3 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, Jerry Dane.
And now, lower those lap bars, fasten those seatbelts, and prepare
for your ride into roller-coaster
fanaticism!
2.1 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
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)
RC = Roller Coaster
RRv = Riddler's Revenge
SBNO = Standing But Not Operating
SCBB = Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
SF1 = Six Flags New England (formerly Riverside Park)
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
SFM = Six Flags Mexico
SFMM = Six Flags Magic Mountain
SFMW = Six Flags Marine World
SFO = Six Flags Ohio (formerly Geauga Lake)
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
2.2 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 in the back of the train, during a drop.
American Coaster Enthusiasts - American coaster club founded on the
preservation and appreciation of the rollercoaster.
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 ascents as well as the final
approach to the brake run. This device works by having a pawl 'ratchet
dog' which 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 ride's 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 which is shaped like an arched bridge,
often used when a walkway has to be built underneath.
Arrow Pipeline Coaster - A prototype coaster which 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
aerobatic manuevers. 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 gimmic run for short
time-spans, or in a few cases trains have been reversed on a permanent
basis.
Ball and Socket - one method of coupling coaster cars together.
Similar
to the system used on motor vehicle trailer hitches.
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 manuever.
A
360 degree roll.
Batter Bracing - Diagonal strips of wood used to stabilize the
laminated
track in curved sections against movement.
Batwing -- 1)Arrow's 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 areas. 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.
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
from
which you came. 2) A Vekoma Rollercoaster- This is the modern
equivalant 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 riders, who
contols 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 placed at
strategic places along the track to keep the train within reasonable
speed (as in the ride's 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.
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 trainlengths 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 Vekoma element shaped like a butterfly. Yet
another turnaround element. This one features two normal vertical
loops,
set at angles 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 (or
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 - One lap of a coaster, from leaving station to re-entering.
Circumferential Coaster - A coaster that meanders around an amusement
park, rather than having its own designated area.
Classic Coaster - A coaster that is 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's 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 help 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
riders 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 'shallows' 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.
Double Hill - An upwards section of track that has been divided into
two
by a flat piece of track mid-way.
Double Loop - A large vertical loop, immediately followed by a second
smaller vertical loop, in the same general direction of travel.
Drop - A 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
several 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. Ocasionally, 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 rollercoasters.
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.
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.
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.
Free Fall - A coaster-type 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.
Friction Wheels - Additional wheels added at right angles 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 enthusiast 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 trackwork makes good use of the
natural
topography (or terrain) of the land. These often feature gullys,
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!"
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.
Heartline Spin - A B&M element that closely resembles a barrel roll,
but
not quite there.
Heartline Coaster - A coaster made by TOGO of Japan. The center of
gravity is about the rider's heartline. 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.
Hypercoaster - A roller coaster 200' or taller.
-I-
Immelman Loop - B&M's term for it's Diving Loop when applied to an
Inverted Coaster.
Inclined 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 an 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, with smaller hills and slower speeds. A
coaster built with the kids 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 accomodate
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 padded metal bar that is pulled down,
accross 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 rollercoasters 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 sequence of
elements involved.
Ledger Beam - The beam that supports the trackwork 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, but still require
the
operator to turn them on.
Marathon Riding - Endurance coaster riding, or awards set up for long
term coaster riding, say 100 circuits, or 24 hrs., etc.
Mag-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.
Moebius 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 type of 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 (sometimes of a roller coaster). While the movie runs, computer
controlled hydraulics move either the cabin or your seat to match
those
motions 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 one's inability to judge speed and distance. Also
the coaster may perform better since it has warmed up all day.
Noggins - Vertical wood blocks used to bolt the ledger beams to the
trackwork.
O-
Oblique Loop - B&M element consisting of two parallel inclined
portions
ot 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 rollercoaster, in which you start out at a
station, travel out to some point and then turnaround and head right
back to the station.
Overhead or Over-the-Shoulder Restraint - The form of safety restraint
found on most looping coasters. It is a heavy padded metal U-shaped
bar
that is pivoted so it comes down over your shoulders. It looks like a
yoke or horsecollar.
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
coating. 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 curved 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 method, 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 offer a Pay One Price wristband or handstamp at an additional
price.
Planning Permission/Building Permit - Legal document that must be
obtained from a local authority before construction can begin on a
roller coaster or other building. Sometimes, these are hard to come by
for environmental, height, 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 - The area in a station where riders board/exit a coaster
train.
Point of View - A view of a roller coaster from the perspective of
what
the rider would see. Often describes pictures and video. 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 uses 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
oppoosed 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,
which 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 of your seat. 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 or 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
the 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 moebius
racer.
Ribbons - The horizontal beams of a wood coaster's 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, to the
actual
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 themselves 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, LIM launch, 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 - The 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.
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
system. It is usually done for safety reasons.
Serpentine or S-Curves - A series of flat (unbanked) curves in
opposite
directions, creating several rapid direction changes. This looks like
a
zig-zag pattern that generates severe lateral forces. This is the key
element on 'Wild Mouse' style coasters.
Shuttle Coasters - A style of coaster where after the train leaves the
station, it rides forward out to some distant point, then stops, and
then 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 developed to lock the
train
to the track.
Sidewinder - An Arrow element, producing a 90 degree turn; one half of
it's boomerang element. Slammer - Extreme airtime, usually found on a
steep, abrupt drop after a hill. It is so named 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 most 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.
Spineback - See Backbone.
Spinning Cars - A style of coaster car which is free to spin or rotate
while traversing the track. The car is round, with riders facing
inward.
Spiral - A turn of at least 360 degrees. Also called a helix.
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 style of coaster on which 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 and unloading areas, 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 really easily, brakes are also
placed
in the unloading/loading area of the station, in order to hold the
train
in place while riders board and get off.
Steel Coaster - Coasters that use steel track, usually tubular in
shape.
These rides are generally built on a steel structure, but can also be
built on a wood structure.
Steeplechase - A small rollercoaster 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, measured in degrees, in
relation to the horizontal. The larger the number, the steeper the
drop,
up to 90 which is straight up, or straight down. Most coaster first
drops are in the 55-60 degree 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 style of rollercoaster 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
rollercoaster'.
Switchback Railway - 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 faced out sideways on
these rides, and their purpose was primarily 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,
intended
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, or
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 system, that can pinpoint just where
everything is, and how it is operating. These sometimes were used on
older coasters, as just a trip switch, which 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.
Travelling Coaster (Portable Coaster) - A coaster that is designed to
be
taken apart, and moved to other sites. Most often used by travelling
carnivals. These rides are mostly found in central Europe, where
multi-looping and even inverted models 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 headchopper effects.
In
some coasters special effects take place in the tunnels.
Turnaround - A 180 degree curve. Found most often on out-and-back
coasters at the half-way point.
Turnstile - A mechanical device that serves as a gate, which 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 or park until
payment has been made. Also used to prevent 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 areas
are in the same place, on opposite sides of the coaster track.
-V-
Vertical Loop - A 360 degree turn in a vertical plane; it turns the
riders upside down. What is most commonly thought of as a 'loop'.
-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, then 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 - An injury to the neck caused by sudden forward/backward
direction changes, or rapid starts/stops on a coaster. Headrests are
often added to prevent this injury from happening.
Wild Mouse - A style of rollercoaster, often using individual 2 seat
cars. It features several sharp unbanked, serpentine curves. These and
sudden drops can produce a very rough ride.
Wind Drag - Energy lost by a coaster due to air resistance.
Wind Load - The force of a 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 are 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 (untearable, 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.
2.3 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.
2.4 Roller Coaster Clubs
========================
Joining a coaster club is a great way to meet other people that
share your interest in coasters. Many clubs offer newsletters with
industry news and events where you can enjoy ERT.
2.4.1 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.
2.4.2 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>
2.4.3 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/>
2.4.4 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/>
2.4.5 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.
2.4.6 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>
2.4.7 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>
2.4.8 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>
2.4.9 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.
2.4.10 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>
2.4.11 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>
2.4.12 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>
2.4.13 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/>
2.5 Books on Roller-Coasters
=============================
2.5.1 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.
2.5.2 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.
2.5.3 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.
2.5.4 Roller Coasters - Todd Throgmorton. A general history,
checklist and general reference work on roller
coasters.
2.5.5 White Knuckle Ride - Mark Wyatt - a coffee table book full of
great photographs of great coasters.
2.5.6 The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion - Steve Urbanovich.
Another general introduction, reference work
on roller coasters.
2.5.7 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.
2.6 Magazines
=============
2.6.1 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.
2.6.2 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.
2.6.3 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
2.6.4 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.
2.6.5 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
2.6.6 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.
2.7 Coaster Software
====================
Lately some entertainment software has come out for us coaster craved
people in the off-season.
2.7.1 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'
2.7.2 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.
2.7.3 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.
2.7.4 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.
2.8 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.
2.9 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. This site is currently down.
2.10 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
3.1 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
3.2 Roller Coaster Records
==========================
This section being reprofiled.
3.3 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
3.4 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
3.5 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
3.6 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
3.7 Standing But Not Operating Coasters
=======================================
Standing But Not Operating Coasters
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
Christian Lucht
the clubs. The last few are not numbered correctly. I'll fix it and mail
you a copy.
Chris.
David Bowers wrote:
>
> Here it is the belated monthly posting of our FAQ.
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