Pony Express is a

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

motorbike roller coaster A motorbike roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster designed with motorcycle type cars. Booster Bike at Toverland was the world's first motorbike roller coaster. Vekoma was the first company to design such a ride, although Intamin and ...

Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year. It features 40 ...

Buena Park, California Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 mi ...

. It is the first

motocoaster A motorbike roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster designed with motorcycle type cars. Booster Bike at Toverland was the world's first motorbike roller coaster. Vekoma was the first company to design such a ride, although Intamin and Za ...

built by

Zamperla Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. is an Italian design and manufacturing company founded in 1966. It is best known for creating family rides, thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin-operated rides commonly found in ...

in the United States, opening on May 22, 2008. The ride features motorbike-style seating and a

flywheel A flywheel is a mechanical device which uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy; a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed. In particular, ass ...

launch system."Cycle Coasters Take Off." Park World Online. Published 28 January 2009. Accessed 16 October 2012. Web. <>

Background

Pony Express was a $9 million project that was added to the Ghost Town section of the park. The theme of the attraction is based on the historic

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

mail service. The attraction is designed to give riders the experience of being part of this delivery system, zooming over hills and around turns. Its "out-and-back" course shows riders views of Boot Hill and Calico River Rapids, two popular attractions also located in Ghost Town. Knott's Berry Farm has given it a thrill rating of "high thrill" (4 out of 5) and is enjoyable for people for all ages.

Design

The ride lasts for 36 seconds and is made up of a 1,300 foot-long steel track that reaches speeds of up to 38 miles per hour and heights of up to 44 feet. Each train has 8 rows, with 2 seats in each row and the ride can accommodate up to 900 passengers per hour. Each rider's seat is shaped like a horse, and the rider straddles the saddle seat to create the feeling that they are riding on a horse. An automated restraint system secures the rider in their seat, pressing against his/her lower back, allowing the upper body to move fairly freely.

Mechanics

The Pony Express was one of the first of its kind to be built in the United States. It is based on a new design called a Motocoaster. This model was manufactured by Zamperla, a roller coaster and attraction company centered in Vicenza, Italy. Riders straddle the seats like a motorcycle or horse, hence the name Motocoaster. Unlike most coasters, the ride doesn't use potential energy attained from ascending a hill via chain lift. Instead, the ride uses a flywheel and clutch system that catches a cable attached to the cars and delivers stored rotational energy, launching riders from 0 to 38 miles per hour down a straight launch track in less than 3 seconds.

Incident

During the first two years of operation, the ride functioned smoothly without difficulties. However, on October 7, 2010, during the park's annual

Knott's Scary Farm Knott's Scary Farm or Knott's Halloween Haunt is a seasonal Halloween event at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It is an event in which the theme park is transformed into "160 acres of horror", via a series of roaming monsters, terri ...

event, a train containing nine riders failed to clear the first hill, rolling backwards into the loading station and crashing into another train. The collision injured 10 people, nine in the car and one preparing to board the stationary train. All 10 were taken to the hospital, but none were reported to have major injuries. The ride reopened a few days later. Since then, no major malfunctions of the Pony Express have been reported.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pony Express (Roller Coaster), The Roller coasters introduced in 2008 Roller coasters operated by Cedar Fair Roller coasters in California Western (genre) amusement rides