Rocky Mountain Construction
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Manufacturing and construction |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Fred Grubb and Suanne Dedmon |
| Headquarters | Hayden, Idaho, United States |
Area served | North America |
| Services | Roller coasters, water parks, specialty construction |
| Website |
www |
Rocky Mountain Construction is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters.
History
In 2001, Rocky Mountain Construction was established by Fred Grubb and Suanne Dedmon. Fred Grubb previously had experience in the construction industry having worked on custom homes and zoo exhibits. The company has worked on several projects including the construction of roller coasters, water parks, steel buildings, miniature golf courses and go kart tracks.[1]
In the 2000s, Alan Schilke of Ride Centerline joined Rocky Mountain Construction.[2] He previously worked with Arrow Dynamics (later S&S Worldwide) to design Tennessee Tornado and X.[3][4][5] As part of Rocky Mountain Construction, Schilke and Grubb went on to design the I-Box track for wooden roller coasters.[6] The first installation of this track technology debuted on the New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas in 2011.[7]
In late 2011, Schilke announced that the company would be working on two projects throughout 2012 which would both open in 2013.[8] These were later revealed to be an I-Box retrack of the The Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and a new roller coaster designed from scratch at Silver Dollar City named Outlaw Run.[9][10] The track technology used for Outlaw Run, which allows a square beam of wood to be twisted, took 4 years to develop. It allows Rocky Mountain Construction to design layouts with maneuvers that are not traditionally possible with wooden roller coasters such as heartline rolls. Grubb has stated the technology could be used for new elements in the future.[11] Some new elements were realised with the announcement of Goliath at Six Flags Great America. The ride features a dive loop and a zero-g stall. The ride opened in June of 2014.[12]
In 2013, Rocky Mountain Construction signed a deal with Dutch amusement ride firm Vekoma. The agreement allows Vekoma to sell Rocky Mountain Construction's roller coasters outside the North American market.[13] On April 8, 2014, Kolmården Wildlife Park in Sweden announced the first Rocky Mountain coaster in Europe, Wildfire, opening in 2016.
To cope with demand, Rocky Mountain Construction are due to open a new factory, twice the size of their existing one, in August 2014.[14]
Technology
- I-Box Track (also known as Iron Horse Track) – a formation of steel track for wooden roller coasters. The first installation of this track was on the Texas Giant in Six Flags Over Texas.[15][16]
- Topper Track – Rocky Mountain Construction's most common product having been installed on several coasters around the United States.[17][18][19] The track is designed to reduce the maintenance required for a wooden roller coaster and provide a smoother ride experience.[18][20] This steel track replaces the upper layers of laminated wood.[20]
- Wooden roller coaster trains – specifically designed to run on the company's own Topper Track, however, they could be added to other wooden roller coasters as well. The trains feature steel wheels as opposed to polyurathane wheels found on most trains.[9][8]
Installations
| Name | Park | Location | Type | Opened | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Texas Giant | Six Flags Over Texas |  Texas, United States | Steel | 2011 | [7] |
| Outlaw Run | Silver Dollar City | Missouri, United States | Wood | 2013 | [10] |
| Iron Rattler | Six Flags Fiesta Texas | Texas, United States | Steel | 2013 | [9][21] |
| Medusa Steel Coaster | Six Flags México |  México City, México | Steel | 2014 | |
| Goliath | Six Flags Great America | Illinois, United States | Wood | 2014 | |
| Twisted Colossus | Six Flags Magic Mountain | California, United States | Steel | 2015 | [22] |
| Wicked Cyclone | Six Flags New England | Massachusetts, United States | Steel | 2015 | [23] |
| Wildfire | Kolmården Wildlife Park |  Bråviken, Sweden | Wood | 2016 | |
| TBA | TBA | United States | Steel | 2016 |
Other projects
- Topper Track
- Cyclone at Six Flags New England[19]
- Georgia Cyclone at Six Flags Over Georgia[18]
- Medusa at Six Flags México
- The Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas[19]
- Tremors at Silverwood Theme Park[17]
- Le Monstre at La Ronde
- Construction[24]
- Aftershock at Silverwood Theme Park
- El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure
- T Express at Everland
- Timber Terror at Silverwood Theme Park
- Tremors at Silverwood Theme Park
- Villain at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure
- Timberhawk at Wild Waves Theme Park
- Repairs[24]
- The Boss at Six Flags St. Louis
- Cornball Express at Indiana Beach
- Hoosier Hurricane at Indiana Beach
- Hurricane: Category 5 at Myrtle Beach Pavilion
- Mega Zeph at Six Flags New Orleans
- Predator at Darien Lake
- Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain
- Thunder Run at Kentucky Kingdom[25]
- Timber Terror at Silverwood Theme Park
- Tremors at Silverwood Theme Park
- Twister II at Elitch Gardens Theme Park
- Miscellaneous
- Boulder Beach - water park
- Great Escape - Skycoaster installation
- Six Flags America - Skycoaster installation
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Skycoaster installation
- Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom - Skycoaster installation
- Stoneridge Golf Course - miniature golf course
- Triple Play Indoor Water Park - water park
- Utah Olympic Park - zip rider
- Wild Water West - water park, go kart track and miniature gold course
References
- ↑ "About Us". Rocky Mountain Construction. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ Gordon, Leslie (19 January 2012). "Box-shaped tracks let mega-coasters soar". Machine Design. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ Marden, Duane. "Tennessee Tornado (Dollywood)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ Marden, Duane. "X2 (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ US patent 6523479, Schilke, Alan & et al, "Amusement rides and methods", issued 25 February 2003, assigned to Morano, S. Joseph
- ↑ US application 2011146528, Schilke, Alan; Grubb, Fred; Bachtar, Dody, "Rolling Vehicle Track"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "NEW Texas Giant Named Best New Ride of 2011". PR Newswire. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Alvey, Robb; Schilke, Alan (16 November 2011). "IAAPA 2011 Trade Show Part 3 Orlando Florida Theme Park Review Rocky Mountain Sally". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 McLean, Mike (19 January 2012). "North Idaho roller coaster maker expands to accommodate innovations". Journal of Business. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Marden, Duane. "unknown (Silver Dollar City)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ Olson, Devon (2013). Outlaw Run: From Dreams To Screams. Branson, Missouri: YouTube. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ↑ "New for 2014". August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
- ↑ "Vekoma rides on". Park World Magazine: 30. November 2013.
- ↑ Grubb, Fred (June 25, 2014). Fred and Suanne. (Interview). NewsPlusNotes. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
- ↑ Sandy, Adam (May 2011). "Six Flags turns to Gerstlauer to deliver themed trains" (PDF). Amusement Today. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ↑ "Steel track for wooden coasters". Park World Online. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Rocky Mountain Construction (15 October 2010). "Tremors Coaster Topper Track Installation". Photos. Facebook. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Georgia Cyclone: A Classic "Woodie"". Six Flags. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Two Six Flags Rides Receive "Topper Track" for 2011". NewsPlusNotes. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
|first1=missing|last1=in Authors list (help) - ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Rocky Mountain Construction Company". Coaster-Net. 16 February 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
|first1=missing|last1=in Authors list (help) - ↑ Morton, Neal (30 August 2012). "Steel up for Iron Rattler". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ↑ "Six Flags Magic Mountain turning wooden coaster into Twisted Colossus". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ↑ "Six Flags unveils new attractions for every park in 2015". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 "Clients & Portfolio". Rocky Mountain Construction. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ Kentucky Kingdom (July 28, 2013). "Timeline Photos". Facebook. Retrieved August 2, 2013.