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Suspended Roller Coaster
A suspended roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster in which the car hangs from the bottom of the rolling stock by a pivoting fulcrum or hinge assembly. This allows the car and riders to swing side to side as the train races along the track. Due to the swing designs, these roller coasters cannot invert riders. History One of the earliest suspended roller coasters was known as ''Bisby's Spiral Airship'', built in Long Beach, California in the early 1900s. Riders on ''Bisby's Spiral Airship'' rode in square gondolas suspended from the track above, which were then carried via lift hill to the top of a tower. The gondolas then rolled down the track, which spiraled down the tower back to the loading platform. The attraction operated at least until the mid 1910s. In 1975, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt debuted ''Alpenflug'' at the annual Oktoberfest fair in Munich, Germany. Featuring multi-car trains and a 2700-foot twisting, spiraling layout, ''Alpenflug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suspended Looping Coaster
The Suspended Looping Coaster (or SLC, as referred to by coaster enthusiasts) is a model of steel inverted roller coaster built by Vekoma. There are at least 39 different installations across the world. The minimum rider height requirement is . Vekoma is now marketing a Suspended Thrill Coaster as a successor to the Suspended Looping Coaster. The Odyssey is the largest, fastest and tallest SLC ever built at Fantasy Island in the UK. History The first Suspended Looping Coaster installation was El Condor at Walibi Holland in the Netherlands. It was initially designed to run with ten cars in each train. Trouble with this configuration led to the trains being shortened to eight cars to a train. T3 at Kentucky Kingdom was the second prototype model Suspended Looping Coaster and the first in the United States. Like El Condor, it was designed to run with ten cars in a train, though T3's trains were shortened to seven cars for similar reasons. The roller coaster is considered to stil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company. It was part of a larger effort to move and expand Coney Island, a popular resort destination along the banks of the Ohio River that was prone to frequent flooding. After more than $300 million in capital investments, the park features over 100 attractions including fourteen roller coasters and a water park. Early in its history, Kings Island appeared in popular sitcoms and received widespread recognition for its record-breaking attractions and events. One of the park's most well-known attractions, The Racer, is often credited with reviving worldwide interest in roller coasters during the 1970s. The Beast and Banshee are among other attractions that have set world records, some of which are still held today. Kings Island's largest single investment is Orion, a giga coaster that open ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canada's Wonderland
Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life Assurance Company, it was the first major theme park in Canada and remains the country's largest. Cedar Fair purchased the park from Paramount Parks in 2006, and in 2019, it was the most-visited, seasonal amusement park in North America with an estimated 3.9 million guests. Canada's Wonderland normally operates from May to Labour Day, and then on weekends until late October or early November. Special events are held throughout the season, including Halloween Haunt and various festivals such as Celebration Canada, a month-long Canada Day festival. Beginning in 2019, the park also hosts WinterFest, a holiday-themed event that extends the park's operating season to late December or early January. With seventeen roller coasters, Canada's Wonde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vortex (Canada's Wonderland)
Vortex is a suspended roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario. It officially opened during the 1991 season. As with other suspended roller coasters, Vortex's trains swing under the track. On Vortex, riders are taken up through the top of the mountain and dropped at high speeds. At some points in the ride, the trains swing just above a river running through the middle of the park, giving riders the illusion that the train will touch the water. It is the fastest roller coaster of its kind in the world, joint with Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain, both with top speeds of . It is also the tallest currently operating suspended coaster in the world, reaching a height of . It is considered to be a terrain coaster due to the influences of the ride track by the mountain and the river. Ride experience Like other suspended roller coasters, the ride's trains are able to swing side to side. The train climbs the lift hill immediately after departing the loading station. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chessington World Of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around southwest of Central London. The complex opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, with the theme park being developed alongside the zoo by The Tussauds Group and opening on 7 July 1987, as one of the first themed amusement parks in Britain. The theme park, which features over 40 rides, is now owned by Merlin Entertainments, following its merger with The Tussauds Group in 2007. Under Merlin, Chessington has been increasingly developed into a resort tourist destination, including two on-site hotels, a high ropes course and camp site. Chessington Zoo has over 1,000 animals, including western lowland gorillas, sea lions, and Sumatran tigers. It is split up into several areas: Trail of the Kings, Sealion Bay, Children's Zoo, Amazu, Penguin Bay and the Wanyama Village and Reserve as well as a Sea Life Centre. Chessington World Of Adventures is usually the 4th mos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vampire (roller Coaster)
Vampire (originally named The Vampire) is an Arrow suspended swinging roller coaster at Chessington World of Adventures theme park in London, England. It opened in 1990 in the new Transylvania area (now renamed "Wild Woods") and is the only Arrow Dynamics suspended roller coaster still operating outside of North America. The trains hang from the track, and swing freely as the roller coaster completes the course. It has two lift hills, featuring many dives and turns throughout, and takes place almost entirely through a forest. The ride layout was designed by John Wardley and the theme design by British firm Sparks Creative Services. The Vampire underwent modifications in 2001 so that it could use new trains manufactured by Vekoma and reopened in 2002. History Theme The ride has a Gothic theme and was originally very detailed, with a queueline through castle gates, a fog-filled underpass beneath the coaster track, a graveyard canopy with Gothic tombs and dark passageway in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Magic Mountain, is a amusement park located in Valencia, California, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the Newhall Land and Farming Company and Sea World Inc. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added "Six Flags" to the park's name. With 20 roller coasters, Six Flags Magic Mountain holds the world record for most roller coasters in an amusement park. It became the first amusement park to offer 20 roller coasters with the opening of Wonder Woman: Flight of Courage in 2022. In 2017, the park had an estimated 3.3 million visitors, ranking it sixteenth in attendance in North America. History In 1968, Sea World Inc. founder George Millay and his executives began looking for a place in the Los Angeles county to build a theme park. Knowing that Newhall Land and Farming Company had enough undeveloped land in the new town of Valencia, he asked ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ninja (Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Ninja is an Arrow Dynamics steel suspended roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It is the fastest roller coaster of its kind in the world, joint with Vortex at Canada's Wonderland, both with top speeds of 55 mph (89 km/h). History On December 9, 1987, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that Ninja would be added to the park. The attraction opened on May 21, 1988. The coaster is located in the Samurai Summit area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Upon opening, Ninja was the fifth of the ten original Arrow suspended coasters. It is somewhat unusual in that it uses two lift hills — one at the beginning of the ride and a second one just before the end, to return the train to station elevation. Ninja's station building previously served as the upper station for Six Flags Magic Mountain's Dragon tram. The tram carried passengers up and down the hillside until its closure in 1981, and its abandoned lower station can sti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Six Flags Astroworld
Six Flags AstroWorld, also known simply as AstroWorld, was a seasonally operated amusement park in Houston, Texas. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park was situated between Kirby Drive and Fannin Street, directly south of Interstate 610 (Texas), I-610. The park opened on June 1, 1968, and was developed originally and constructed as part of the NRG Park, Astrodomain, the brainchild of local philanthropist and former Houston mayor Roy Hofheinz, who intended it to complement the Astrodome. The Hofheinz family sold AstroWorld to Six Flags in 1978. Notable rides featured at the park included the Texas Cyclone, a wooden roller coaster built in 1976 that was modeled after the well-known Coney Island Cyclone, and Thunder River (ride), Thunder River, considered the world's first successful river rapids ride when it opened in 1980. WaterWorld, an adjacent water park, was acquired and added to AstroWorld in 2002. Following declining revenue, rising property value, and other issues ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
XLR-8
XLR-8 (pronounced "accelerate") was a suspended roller coaster located at the defunct Six Flags AstroWorld. Manufactured by Arrow Huss at a cost of $3.2 million, the ride opened to the public in 1984, where it operated until the park's closure in 2005. It was one of Arrow's first attempts at producing a successful suspended coaster following troubles with The Bat at Kings Island, which operated briefly from 1981 to 1983. History Car reversal For AstroWorld's Fright Fest 2002 event, the last four cars on XLR-8's trains were reversed, a first for a suspended roller coaster. The change proved popular and successful, and the trains remained reversed until the park's closure in 2005. Closure In September 2005, it was announced that AstroWorld would not reopen for the 2006 season. XLR-8 closed along with the rest of the park on October 30, 2005, and was later demolished. A portion of the trains were sent to Six Flags Magic Mountain for use on Ninja. See also *History of the roller c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg (formerly known as Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens: The Old Country) is a amusement park located in Williamsburg, Virginia, James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Located approximately northwest of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Virginia Beach, the park was developed by Anheuser-Busch, Anheuser-Busch (A-B) and is owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. It opened on May 16, 1975, adjacent to Anheuser-Busch's brewery and near its other developments including the Kingsmill, Virginia, Kingsmill Resort complex. The park is themed to a variety of European country themes and was originally named Busch Gardens: The Old Country. In 1993, the park was renamed Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and it was briefly named Busch Gardens Europe from 2006–2008. In 2015, an estimated 2.78 million guests attended the park, ranking it twentieth in overall attendance among amusement parks in North America. In addition to its landscaping and Europea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Big Bad Wolf (roller Coaster)
Big Bad Wolf was a suspended roller coaster in the Oktoberfest section of Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Designed by Arrow Dynamics, the roller coaster opened to the public on June 15, 1984. The ride was in service for more than 25 years before closing permanently on September 7, 2009. The footers, queue line, and station were re-purposed for Verbolten, a roller coaster that was introduced in 2012. History Prior to the construction of Big Bad Wolf, Anton Schwarzkopf had designed a prototype ("Flying Coaster") for the park. Even though three-quarters of the new ride had been built, the ride was never completed, and was later completely scrapped. Busch Gardens then handed the contract to Arrow Dynamics. After the failure of The Bat at Kings Island, the company improved their suspended roller coaster concept with banked turns and brakes above the trains. On November 10, 1983, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced that they would be building a new Arrow suspended coaster. It would be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
