Cyclone (Six Flags New England)

Cyclone, formerly called the Riverside Cyclone, is a wooden roller coaster currently located at Six Flags New England. It was originally opened in 1983, and modifications to the first hill were made in 2001. More intense than the other wooden roller coaster, Thunderbolt, it shakes and rattles much more, giving riders a more thrilling experience. In addition the rattling has the potential to give riders intense headaches and in some cases bruises, due to restraints being not extremely tight. Some riders have reported seatbelt buckle failure after reaching hill crests during the rides, leaving only the loose lap restraints to hold the passenger in.

Cyclone was opened as the Riverside Cyclone in 1983 when the park was known as Riverside Park. At the time Riverside was very limited in size. At that time Riverside had a decent number of typical flat rides, a log flume, and two roller coasters. One was Thunderbolt which was built decades before, and a steel looping coaster called Black Widow. The owners wanted another wooden coaster, but space was limited; so a wooden coaster that was based on the compact Coney Island Cyclone was built and named after it. The lack of land resulted in a wooden twister that had extreme turns and twists and very steep drops. In addition, the actual layout bears little to almost no resemblance to the Coney Island Cyclone's layout.

Modifications

• In 1985 the original PTC train was replaced by Morgan trains after the original trains were damaged in an accident.
• After Six Flags bought and renamed Riverside Park to Six Flags New England the name was changed from Riverside Cyclone to simply Cyclone, also new 2-bench PTC trains were put into use.
• Trim brakes were added to some of the turns of the Cyclone to slow the train down during the course of the ride.
• In 2001, Cyclone's first drop was made slightly shorter by about 15–20 feet. It is still possible to see the old track beneath the new track.
• For the 2006 season, Cyclone's queue house was demolished to make way for Catapult. A new queue was built inside the structure of the coaster and the old entry ramp was extended and used as an exit. In the same season the roller coaster also received a new coat of paint.
• For the 2011 season parts of the Cyclone track will be covered with Rocky Mountain Construction Topper Track, which will cover some of the rougher areas of the ride so it will become smoother.

Height restriction

For years this coaster was restricted to those who were 48 inches (1,200 mm) and taller. Others were not allowed to ride. Some time in the 1990s, before Six Flags purchased the park, the height restrictions would be raised to 54 inches (1,400 mm) and taller. One reason is the roughness and intensity of this ride. This coaster and the Coney Island Cyclone are the only two wooden roller coasters with a 54-inch (1,400 mm) height restriction in the United States.

External links

• Cyclone details at UltimateRollerCoaster.com
• 2008 Review of the Cyclone (Six Flags New England) at TheCoasterCritic.com