Gemini (roller coaster)

Gemini

Two trains race to the finish on Gemini
Cedar Point
Coordinates 41°29′10.75″N 82°41′22.75″W / 41.4863194°N 82.6896528°W / 41.4863194; -82.6896528Coordinates: 41°29′10.75″N 82°41′22.75″W / 41.4863194°N 82.6896528°W / 41.4863194; -82.6896528
Status Operating
Opening date June 17, 1978 (1978-06-17)
Cost $3,400,000
General Statistics
Type Steel – Dueling – Racing
Manufacturer Arrow Dynamics
Designer Ron Toomer
Model Special Coaster Systems
Lift/launch system Chain
  Red Blue
Height 125.3 ft (38.2 m) 125.3 ft (38.2 m)
Drop 118 ft (36.0 m) 118 ft (36.0 m)
Length 3,935 ft (1,199.4 m) 3,935 ft (1,199.4 m)
Speed 60 mph (96.6 km/h) 60 mph (96.6 km/h)
Inversions 0 0
Duration 2:20 2:20
Max vertical angle 55° 55°
Capacity 3,300 riders per hour
Height restriction 48 in (122 cm)
Trains 4 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 30 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Gemini at RCDB
Pictures of Gemini at RCDB

Gemini is a racing roller coaster with a wooden structure and steel track, located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1978 by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Ron Toomer, it is one of the oldest roller coasters in the park. When the ride opened, it was marketed as the tallest, fastest and steepest roller coaster in the world.[1] All three record-breaking claims were falsely made as other coasters around the world already beat Gemini. The all-steel Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, opened earlier that year before Gemini and was taller but had a shorter drop.[2] Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis opened two years prior to Gemini and was faster at 62 mph.

Ride experience

View of Gemini's station
View of Gemini tracks from rear parking lot.
View from Gemini Midway of Gemini track by its station.

The structure is considered a steel hybrid due to the track's use of tubular steel which sits on a wooden support structure.[3][4] Two trains, red and blue, are dispatched on two tracks that run side-by-side throughout most of the ride until briefly diverging into separate helices and coming back together to finish the ride. The coaster's 125-foot (38 m) lift hill sends riders down a 118-foot (36 m) drop at a 55-degree angle up to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).

Gemini has one of the highest capacities of any ride in the park.[5] Gemini's station previously featured a double-sided entry, allowing guests to enter the station from both the front and the back. Eventually modified to have guests only enter from the back of the station, the stairway formerly used for the queue at the front of the station still remains. When conditions permit, Gemini's trim brakes are disengaged, and a slightly faster ride is experienced. This is especially noticeable when traveling through the helices at the end. When the ride opens in the morning (or when attendance is low) the ride only operates one colored side. Originally, Gemini operated 3 trains on each side of the roller coaster for a total of 6 trains. Gemini currently operates with 4 trains (2 on each side).[6]

References

  1. ↑ David Shutt (1978-05-11). "Cedar Point To Go Round And Round". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  2. ↑ "2 Parks Claim Roller Coaster World Record". Toledo Blade. June 9, 1978. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Gemini". The Point Online. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  4. ↑ http://www.thecoastercritic.com/2012/02/one-of-cedar-points-weakest-coasters-could-get-an-upgrade.html
  5. ↑ "Gemini". Cedar Point. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  6. ↑ "Gemini". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
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