Thunderbolt (2014 roller coaster)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Thunderbolt is a steel roller coaster at
Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Island parks. Luna parks are small-s ...
in Coney Island,
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. It is located near Surf Avenue and West 15th Street, on the
Riegelmann Boardwalk The Riegelmann Boardwalk (also known as the Coney Island Boardwalk) is a boardwalk along the southern shore of the Coney Island peninsula in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Opened in 1923, the boardwalk runs bet ...
next to the B&B Carousell.


History

A
wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also ...
named the
Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...
was originally operated by George Moran on Coney Island from 1925 to 1982. It was demolished in 2000 due to neglect. In June 2013, it was announced that the operators of Luna Park at Coney Island,
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 ...
, would construct a new steel roller coaster which would use the Thunderbolt name. Due to the small footprint required for the coaster, the original plans called for the coaster to use an elevator instead of a lift hill. The ride's manufacturer Zamperla announced further details in November 2013, which showed that the ride would have a vertical lift hill. Published reports stated that Thunderbolt was expected to be completed and opened by
Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
2014, but construction delays pushed the opening date back. On Memorial Day, which fell on May 25, 2014, the opening was delayed to early June and revised to open by June 6. Just before the scheduled opening on June 6, the opening date was once again delayed. Thunderbolt finally opened on June 14, 2014.


Characteristics

Thunderbolt was manufactured 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 ...
at a cost of US$9 million and has a 90-degree vertical drop and four inversions. From the beginning of the initial drop, to the end of ride, it takes 38 seconds. The ride features of track and runs at a top speed of . Thunderbolt is a pay-per-use attraction, as guests must pay $10 for each time they ride on the coaster. After leaving the station, the train turns 180 degrees to the left and enters a 90-degree, lift hill. It immediately descends 90 degrees and enters a
vertical loop The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted. History The vertical ...
, followed by a
Zero-G Roll Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Com ...
to the left. After the second inversion, the train enters a leftward-sloping Stengel dive, followed by an Immelmann loop to the right. The train goes over two
camelback hill This list of roller coaster elements contains the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation. Introduction Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. ...
s before entering a right-hand
corkscrew A corkscrew is a tool for drawing corks from wine bottles and other household bottles that may be sealed with corks. In its traditional form, a corkscrew simply consists of a pointed metallic helix (often called the "worm") attached to a hand ...
. After the corkscrew, the train enters another camelback hill before hitting the brake run and entering the station. Each train consists of a single car with nine seats, arranged in three rows of three. This is different from conventional coaster trains, which are usually arranged in rows of two or four across.


Other installations

Coney Island's Thunderbolt is the first of five Zamperla coasters manufactured under the "Thunderbolt" brand . There are three possible layouts for the Thunderbolt coaster model. The first version is long. This layout is used by Coney Island's Thunderbolt and two other coasters: Rapid Train at Gyeongnam Mason Robotland in
Gyeongnam South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO Worl ...
, South Korea; and Rollin' Thunder at the Park at OWA in Foley, Alabama. The second version is long while the third version is long. Both alternate versions are meant to operate on wider lots with a shorter depth.


References


External links

{{CI Coasters 2014 establishments in New York City Coney Island Roller coasters in New York (state)