X-Coaster is a

Maurer Söhne Maurer AG, formerly known as Maurer Söhne GmbH & Co. KG, is a steel construction company and roller coaster manufacturer. Founded in 1876 in Munich, Germany, the company has built many styles of steel buildings, ranging from bridges, industrial ...

SkyLoop SkyLoop is a type of steel roller coaster manufactured by Maurer Söhne. There are currently 10 SkyLoops operating worldwide, nine of which are identical XT 150 models, and one of which is an extended XT 450 model. The first SkyLoop to open was ...

XT-150

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 ...

Magic Springs and Crystal Falls Magic Springs Theme and Water Park, known as Magic Springs, is an amusement park and water park located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, about from Little Rock. A single price admission includes all day use of the rides and attractions in both parks. ...

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...

History

''X-Coaster'' opened at Magic Springs on May 27, 2006 and became the park's 6th coaster and the first of its kind in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. X-Coaster was closed during the entire 2009 season, before reopening in 2010. Although

is considered the manufacturer of the ride, the track for X-Coaster was fabricated by

Dynamic Structures Dynamic Structures of the World is an American company with a history of steel fabrication dating back to 1927. They create amusement rides, theme park rides, observatory telescopes and other complex steel structures. History Dynamic Structures ...

, and the ride was constructed by

Martin & Vleminckx Martin & Vleminckx is a roller coaster manufacturing and construction company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with an affiliated office and manufacturing facility in Haines City, Florida, United States, and two subsidiaries, including a ...

. On October 5, 2012, Magic Springs and Crystal Falls announced that X-Coaster will be removed at the end of the 2012 season and that they plan on expanding Crystal Falls water park in 2013. Despite this, however, the ride has continued operation into the 2013 season with its removal being delayed.

Ride

After the train departs from the

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

, it immediately begins to climb the vertical (90 degree)

lift hill A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from th ...

. Upon reaching the top of the lift, the train turns 45 degrees backwards putting the train and its riders in an upside down position. Then, as the train exits the lift, it goes through a

heartline 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 ...

before going down the only drop in the layout of the roller coaster. The train speeds through the station going back up the lift. Once it lost momentum the train then returns down passing through the station again. It then proceeds back up the drop and partially into the heartline roll before once again losing momentum and returning to the ground. After passing the station for the third time, the train is stopped near the top of the lift hill. The train is then lowered back down to the station where the next riders board the ride. The XT 150 has the option of sending riders around a second cycle at the operator's discretion. When the train stopped on the lift hill at the end of the ride, instead of lowering slowly back to the station, the chain would raise the car up and send it through the ride again.

References

{{Reflist Magic Springs and Crystal Falls Roller coasters in Arkansas Roller coasters introduced in 2006 Roller coasters manufactured by Dynamic Structures Roller coasters manufactured by Maurer AG 2006 establishments in Arkansas