Tower of Terror (roller coaster)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the roller coaster at Australian amusement park Dreamworld. For the Disney ride, see The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
| Tower Of Terror | |
 Tower Of Terror |
|
| Location | Dreamworld |
|---|---|
| Park Section | Tiger Island |
| Type | Steel - Sit down |
| Status | Open |
| Opened | January 23, 1997 |
| Manufacturer | Intamin AG |
| Model | Reverse Freefall |
| Track layout | Out and Back |
| Lift/launch system | LSM Launch Track |
| Height | 377 ft (114.9 m) |
| Drop | 328 ft (100 m) |
| Length | 1235 ft (376.4 m) |
| Max speed | 100 mph (160.9 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 28 sec. |
| Max Vertical Angle | 90 degrees |
| Cost | $16,000,000 AUS |
| Acceleration | 0 − 160km/h (100 mph) in 7 seconds |
| Tower Of Terror at RCDB | |
| Pictures of Tower Of Terror at RCDB | |
Tower Of Terror is a steel roller coaster at Dreamworld in the Gold Coast, Australia. It is currently the fifth fastest roller coaster in the world, but has been reported to be the fastest and tallest roller coaster in the Southern Hemisphere [1]. It held the world's fastest roller coaster record for only two months before Superman: The Escape opened with a top speed of only 0.9 km/h (0.56 mph) more. It opened on January 23, 1997.
Contents |
[edit] The ride
The six ton passenger vehicle, called the 'Escape Pod', is electro-magnetically powered, accelerating its passengers rapidly to 160 km/h (100 mph) in seven seconds. The track then turns skyward, with the passengers pulling 4.5 G's. The car climbs to almost 38 stories high.
Following the climb, there is a 6.5 second free-fall before the 90 degree turn is executed in reverse. The vehicle then hurtles into the station where it comes to a rapid stop.
There has been some controversy over whether Tower of Terror is a roller coaster, since the car goes up a tower only to fall back down again. Because of this, the ride is not found on many lists of the tallest and fastest roller coasters.
[edit] Station and vehicle
The steel passenger vehicle carries 15 passengers in four rows and weighs around six tonnes. The car is equipped with four large steel road wheels that run on the track, measuring 600 millimeters in diameter at the front and 900 millimeters at the rear. Smaller jockey wheels run on the other side of the track such that the track sits between the pairs of wheels.
In the station, a kicker tyre system is used to propel the car into the launch, and also to stop the returning car. Once in the launch, a linear synchronous motor (LSM) system is used to accelerate the car along the horizontal part of the track, and also to slow the returning car. The two systems are used because LSM launch systems cannot actually start motion, only increase or decrease it.
[edit] The queue
The queue line begins with a footpath that extends from the underpass linking Tiger Island and Wiggles World, to the inside of a large skull. From there, the line bends into a tunnel where riders have to walk 270 degrees anti-clockwise, crossing a metal bridge below which a model city is displayed. This is followed by some stairs at the top of which is a Dreamworld staff member in charge of letting people pass. Fifteen people at a time are allowed to pass through to the second waiting area where they wait for instructions to proceed. In the third waiting area, riders are asked to form four queues with three people in the front queue and four people in each of the remaining three queues. The doors to the escape pod then open up, allowing riders to embark. Following the ride, riders are let out an exit on the opposite side to the entry, which leads into a passageway containing a metal lift. This takes the riders back down to ground level and opens up to the Tower of Terror gift shop. The gift shop contains souvenirs and photos of the riders in the escape pod for purchase.
[edit] Interesting facts
- The full life of the magnets used to power the Tower of Terror is estimated to be 1.2 million years.
- The magnets are so strong they would need to be winched apart should two opposite poles ever come together.
- The tower supports both the Tower of Terror and the two Giant Drop carts.
- To drive the motors, an incredible 2,200,000 watts (2.2 megawatts) of power, enough to supply a small town, are applied for six or seven seconds. This momentarily doubles Dreamworld's power usage.
- More than 600 tonnes of steel were used to construct the Tower of Terror, with around 450 tonnes for the 115 metre tower alone. [2]
- "Tower of Terror" is spelled out on the ride's 115 metre tower using 4.5 tonnes of steel. Each letter measures between 1.5 and 2.5 metres wide and high.
- One hundred and seventy-five concrete trucks were needed to deliver the 3,500 tonnes of concrete used to build Tower of Terror.
- Around 1,200 tonnes of concrete are dedicated to the ride's 37 huge pylons.
- The 600 millimetre diameter pylons stretch across the ride's 330 metre length, with one placed every nine metres.
- Over 16,000 bolts hold the structure together.
- It took around 3,500 litres of paint to coat the ride's exterior.
- Five kilometres of electrical cable are used to ensure the ride's power source.
- Around 600 cubic metres, or thirty truck loads, of soil were removed to make way for the ride's foundations.
- Up to 200 sub-contractors from around 15 local firms were engaged to work on the building project.
| Preceded by Fujiyama |
World's Fastest Roller Coaster January 1997–March 1997 |
Succeeded by Superman: The Escape |
