A powered roller coaster is a railed amusement ride similar to a standard
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
. Unlike a true roller coaster, the train is powered through the entire course, rather than being allowed to coast after an initial lift or launch. This allows for both compact layouts that start out with curving hills, or long, extended layouts that would need too many lifts to be feasible. The most common manufacturers of powered coasters are
Mack, Wisdom Rides, and
Zamperla. Due to the family-oriented nature of the rides, height restrictions can be as little as 36 inches or taller for someone to ride.
The most common model of powered coasters is the Zamperla Dragon coasters (also called "Dragon Wagons," although there are non-powered versions of these coasters). Other installations include Casey Junior, Le Petit Train du Cirque at
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Disneyland Park, originally Euro Disneyland Park, is a theme park found at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. The park opened on 12 April 1992 as the first of the two parks built at the resort. Designed and built by Walt Disney Ima ...
(built by
Vekoma),
Thunder Run
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...
at
Canada's Wonderland,
Runaway Mine Train at
Alton Towers
Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, ...
and
High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
High may refer to:
Science and technology
* Height
* High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area
* High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory
* High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...
at
Islands of Adventure.
The train on a powered coaster usually picks up electricity from contacts in the rails (similar to an
electric locomotive or a
monorail) and may contain multiple motors. Some powered coasters are powered by a flexible cable connected to the train. Another component of powered coasters is an extra "track" in the center of the rails. This allows the tyres attached to the motor to "grip" the track and propel the train forward.
A powered coaster generally runs a single train and may traverse the circuit multiple times before stopping at the station.
In Genting highlands, The Flying Dragon is the world's longest powered roller coaster in terms of ride length but has been demolished.
A very rare Powered Coaster was at
Camelot Theme Park
Camelot Theme Park was a resort and theme park located in the English county of Lancashire. The park's theme was the well-known legend of Camelot, and the park decor incorporated pseudo- medieval elements. It was located on a site near the ...
in
England. The "Dragon Flyer" ride had diesel engine in the front of the themed dragon and was driven around the track by the ride staff.
Model types
*Larson International -
Fire Ball
*
Wisdom Rides
Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowled ...
Orient Express*
Zamperla Dragon Coaster
Appearances
*
Santa's Village AZoosment Park as "Dracor, the Dragon Coaster" (Zamperla - Dragon Coaster) (1986-2006) and "Dragon Coaster" (Wisdon Rides - DOrient Express) (2011-Present)
External links
List of powered coasters at RCDB{{Rollercoaster tracks
Types of roller coaster