Steel roller coaster

Dragon Challenge, the world's only Dueling Steel-Inverted roller coaster located at Islands of Adventure in Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida.

A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated wheels, the steel roller coasters can provide a taller, smoother, and faster ride with more inversions than a traditional wooden roller coaster.

Arrow Dynamics first introduced the steel roller coaster to feature tubular track to the thrill industry with their creations of the Matterhorn Bobsleds (Disneyland) in 1959 and the Runaway Mine Train (Six Flags Over Texas) in 1966.

As of 2006, the oldest operating steel roller coaster in North America is Little Dipper at Memphis Kiddie Park in Brooklyn, Ohio and has been operating since April 1952. The oldest operating steel rollercoaster in the world is Montaña Suiza at Parque de Atracciones Monte Igueldo (Spain). It has been operating since 1928.

Characteristics

A close-up of the tubular steel tracks. (Air at Alton Towers)

• Steel coasters have a generally smoother ride than their wooden counterparts and due to their strength rides can have more complex and faster turns and twists without injuring riders. Although some coaster enthusiasts prefer wooden coasters because the ride tosses you around more making the ride feel more dangerous and giving a larger adrenaline rush.
• Almost all world records for tallest, fastest, and longest coasters are currently held by steel roller coasters.
• The fact that fewer supports are needed means steel roller coasters have made a large variety of features possible, such as loops, barrel rolls, corkscrews, zero-G rolls and beyond 90° drops.

There are different types of steel coasters, such as flying, inverted, floorless, and suspended.

Notable steel roller coasters

Blue Fire, an inverting launched roller coaster, at Europa-Park, Germany.

Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters, just outside Allentown. Steel Force opened in 1997 as the tallest and fastest roller coaster on the East Coast of the United States, with a first drop of 205 feet (62 m) and a top speed of 75 miles per hour (121 km/h).^[1]

The Smiler an Infinity Coaster holding the inversion record at Alton Towers.

• Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Williamsburg – world's tallest full-circuit inverted coaster^[2][3]
• Banshee at King's Island – world's longest inverted coaster^[4]
• Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America - first inverted roller coaster^[5]
• Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon at Universal Studios Singapore – world's tallest pair of dueling coasters^[6]
• California Screamin' at Disney California Adventure park - World's longest inverting steel coaster
• Colossus at Thorpe Park - World's first roller coaster to feature 10 inversions
• Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain – world's tallest vertical loop(160 ft) and only top hat element on a vertical loop
• Galactica at Alton Towers - World's first successful flying roller coaster^[7]
• GateKeeper at Cedar Point – world's tallest and fastest wing coaster, also has highest inversion in the world
• Hydra the Revenge at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom – a rare roller coaster with an inversion right before the lift hill.
• Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure – world's tallest (456 ft) and second fastest (128 mph) roller coaster^[8][9]
• Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland – the tallest and fastest coaster in Canada.
• Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland – first tubular steel roller coaster^[10]
• Millennium Force at Cedar Point – first full circuit roller coaster to top 300 ft.^[8][11]
• Nemesis at Alton Towers – Europe's first B&M inverted roller coaster^[12]
• Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain – world's fastest suspended roller coaster^[13]
• Oblivion at Alton Towers – world's first vertical drop roller coaster^[14]
• Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain – world's tallest, fastest, and longest stand up roller coaster^[15][16][17]
• Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Over Texas – first mine train roller coaster; built in 1969.^[18]
• The Smiler at Alton Towers - world's first Infinity coaster and with 14 inversions has the world record for most track inversions.^[19]
• Superman: Escape from Krypton at Six Flags Magic Mountain- first roller coaster to top 400 ft^[8]
• Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland theme park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan - the world's steepest roller coaster with a 121°, beyond-vertical drop.,^{[20][21][22][23]} opened in 2011^[24]
• Taron at Phantasialand - fastest Launched roller coaster in Europe and longest Launched roller coaster worldwide.
• Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain – world's tallest, fastest, and longest flying roller coaster^[25][26][27]
• Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point - world's first full-circuit roller coaster to top 400 ft^[8][28]
• Tower of Terror II at Dreamworld – first roller coaster to reach 100 mph and first roller coaster to top 300 ft^[8][9]
• Ultimate at Lightwater Valley - Europes Longest Roller Coaster^[29]
• Valravn at Cedar Point – world's tallest, fastest, and longest dive coaster^[30]
• X² at Six Flags Magic Mountain – World's first 4th Dimension roller coaster^[31]
• Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm - world's first Intamin Accelerator Coaster^[32]

Other examples

• Blue Fire at Europa-Park - Europe's first coaster with a twisted horseshoe roll
• Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds - first roller coaster to feature a record breaking 4 inversions
• Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm (now at Silverwood) - first modern roller coaster ever to send riders upside down
• Formula Rossa at Ferrari World - world's fastest roller coaster (150 mph)
• Goliath at Six Flags New England - world's largest boomerang roller coaster
• Furius Baco at PortAventura - world's first Wing-Rider roller coaster
• Magnum XL-200 - first full circuit roller coaster to top 200 ft
• Moonsault Scramble at Fuji-Q Highland - world's first coaster to break the 200 ft. barrier
• The New Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain- world's first looping roller coaster
• Phantom's Revenge at Kennywood - first roller coaster to top 80 mph
• Space Shuttle at Enchanted Kingdom - world's tallest, longest, and fastest non-inverted Boomerang roller coaster
• Steel Dragon 2000 - world's longest roller coaster
• Storm Runner at Hersheypark - world's first rocket coaster to feature inversions
• Thirteen at Alton Towers - world's first vertical free fall drop coaster
• Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures - world's first suspended roller coaster to go underground and the world's first swinging roller coaster with floorless trains.
• Wicked Twister at Cedar Point - world's tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster

References