Hybrid roller coaster
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A hybrid roller coaster is a type of roller coaster where the track is made out of one material, either steel or wood, and the support structure is made from another.[1][2] Early hybrid coasters include mine train roller coasters from Arrow Development, which feature steel track with a wooden support structure.[3] Becoming increasingly more common are hybrids with wooden tracks and steel supports,[3] such as The Voyage at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.[4][5]
Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) is well-known for their I-Box track design, commonly used to retrofit existing wooden coasters with a new steel track. Such designs provide several benefits, offering smoother rides and reducing maintenance costs.[6] Hybrid coasters can also add inversions, similar to Mean Streak's conversion into Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point in 2018. Newer hybrids also tend to be taller, faster, and feature steeper drops over their wooden coaster counterparts.[citation needed]
History
[edit | edit source]Two main components of roller coaster design are their track and support structure. In most cases, both are made of the same material, either wood or steel.[3] Occasionally, they are designed to feature a steel track with a wooden structure, or vice versa, which classifies a ride as a hybrid coaster.[5] Hybrid coasters have existed for a long time, with one of the oldest being the Coney Island Cyclone at Luna Park, which opened in 1927.[7] Its track is made from wood, while its support structure is made of steel.[8] Arrow Development built a vast amount of mine train roller coasters beginning in the 1960s, featuring tubular steel track and wooden supports.[9][10][11] One of their last such installations is Adventure Express at Kings Island, which opened in 1991.[12][13]
Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and The Gravity Group are at the forefront of modern hybrid coaster construction.[14] RMC is most well-known for refurbishing old wooden roller coasters by converting them into hybrids with steel track, beginning with New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas in 2011.[3][5] One of their most popular conversions is Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point,[15] which has been consistently ranked as one of the best steel coasters in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards. The Gravity Group designs coasters with wooden track and steel support structures, such as Hades 360 at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park.[16]
Terminology
[edit | edit source]The term "hybrid roller coaster" began to be used by coaster enthusiasts when New Texas Giant opened in 2011 and Six Flags classified the roller coaster as wood, despite having steel tracks.[citation needed] In response to the confusion over this ride classification, Six Flags reclassified the roller coaster as a "hybrid", which has since been used to refer to many other coasters that incorporate both steel and wood.[17] Coasters are typically classified as steel or wood based on what their track material is made from.[18] The use of the phrase is controversial.[1]
Examples of hybrid roller coasters
[edit | edit source]| Name | Park | Opened | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runaway Mine Train | Six Flags Over Texas | 1966 | United States | First mine train coaster |
| Gemini | Cedar Point | 1978 | United States | |
| Silver Comet | Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World | 1999 | United States | |
| The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | 2006 | United States | |
| Ravine Flyer II | Waldameer & Water World | 2008 | United States | |
| New Texas Giant | Six Flags Over Texas | 2011 | United States | First RMC conversion[19] |
| Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | 2013 | United States | Originally opened as Hades in 2005 |
| Steel Vengeance | Cedar Point | 2018 | United States | First hybrid hypercoaster,[20] most airtime on any coaster in the world |
| Zadra | Energylandia | 2019 | Poland | First hybrid hypercoaster in Europe |
| Hakugei | Nagashima Spa Land | 2019 | Japan | First RMC conversion in Asia[21] |
| Iron Gwazi | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | 2022 | United States | Tallest, fastest, and steepest hybrid coaster in the world |
| Wildcat's Revenge | Hersheypark | 2023 | United States | World's largest underflip inversion[22] |
References
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Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Bennett, David (1998). Roller Coaster: Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters and Corkscrews. Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books. 9. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
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- Coker, Robert (2002). Roller Coasters: A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines. New York: Metrobooks. 14. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
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- Urbanowicz, Steven J. (2002). The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion; Kensington, New YorK: Citadel Press. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
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