Disaster Transport
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| Disaster Transport | |
 The outside of Disaster Transport |
|
| Location | Cedar Point |
|---|---|
| Type | Steel - Bobsled - Enclosed |
| Status | Open |
| Opened | May 11, 1985 |
| Manufacturer | Intamin AG |
| Model | Bobsled |
| Lift/launch system | Chain Lift |
| Height | 63 feet (19.2 m) |
| Length | 1,932 feet (588.9 m) |
| Max speed | 40 mile per hour (64.4 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2 minutes 32 seconds |
| Capacity | 1023 riders per hour |
| Cost | $3,400,000 USD to build (1985); $4,000,000 USD to renovate (1990) |
| Height Restriction | 46 inches (116.8 cm) |
| Disaster Transport at RCDB | |
| Pictures of Disaster Transport at RCDB | |
Disaster Transport is a steel enclosed roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. It originally opened in 1985 as Avalanche Run, a bobsled roller coaster that was entirely outdoors. In 1990, ITEC Productions was called in to renovate the ride, completely enclosing it in what is now known as the "12 E" building (so marked because it was the 12th design of an ITEC employee named Eric).[1] The renovation included the addition of a space-themed queue and ride along with special effect lighting and sound. The renovation came at a cost of $4 million, the original ride only cost $3.4 million USD. Unfortunately, not long after the initial changes to the ride in 1990, the special effects were not maintained and began to deteriorate. Most of the effects today are not active, or have been covered up. Blacklight reactant paint lines the walls, mostly in the form of handprints or outlines of scenes. These give a 3-D appearance when the rider wears special glasses purchased at the beginning of the queue.
The roller coaster is of the bobsled design, meaning the wheels are not attached to a track like a conventional roller coaster. Rather, the cars -- resembling bobsleds -- operate within a steel trough, on which they are allowed to operate freely. This allows the ride to swing from side to side when turning sharp corners, just like on an actual bobsledding course.
[edit] Building
The building is also used as a storage facility for the park. Additionally, during Halloweekends much of the queue is used to house the attraction, Pharoah's Secret haunted house.
Ironically, during any kind of rain, the ride shuts down due to leaks within the structure. The bobsled nature of the ride does not permit water on the track, therefore warranting a shutdown.
Disaster Transport's trains were built by Giovanola. The name of the ride stems from "Dispatch Master Transport," which is from the ride's preshow theme.
On the November 4, 2005 NPR Motley Fool show, Cedar Fair CEO Dick Kinzel called Disaster Transport one of the the "worst business decisions" he ever made, with the best decision being the Magnum XL-200. Second to Disaster Transport he rated the Top Thrill Dragster as being an awful business decision.[2]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Roller coasters at Cedar Point |
|---|
|
Blue Streak - Cedar Creek Mine Ride - Corkscrew - Disaster Transport - Gemini - Iron Dragon - Jr. Gemini - Magnum XL-200 - Mantis - Maverick - Mean Streak - Millennium Force - Raptor - Top Thrill Dragster - Wicked Twister - WildCat - Woodstock Express |
