XLR-8 (pronounced "accelerate") was a suspended roller coaster located at the defunct

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 (Te ...

. Manufactured by

Arrow Huss Arrow Dynamics was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially roller coasters. Based in Clearfield, Utah, the company was the successor to Arrow Development (194 ...

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 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 expa ...

, which operated briefly from 1981 to 1983.

History

Car reversal

For AstroWorld's

Fright Fest Fright Fest or FrightFest may refer to: *Six Flags Fright Fest, a Halloween event at Six Flags parks. * FrightFest (film festival), a British film festival, also known as Film4 Fright Fest. *"FrightFest", a Halloween event at the Elitch Gardens Th ...

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 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 Newh ...

for use on

Ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xlr-8 Roller coasters operated by Six Flags Former roller coasters in Texas Six Flags AstroWorld

History

Car reversal

Closure

See also

References