Steel roller coaster
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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 thrill rides 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 (Disneyland) and the Runaway Mine Train (Six Flags Over Texas).
As of 2006, the oldest operating steel roller coaster in North America is the Little Dipper at Memphis Kiddie Park in Brooklyn, Ohio and has been operating since April, 1952.
[edit] Characteristics
- Steel coasters are known for being smooth. However, there are some exceptions such as various Vekoma, Arrow Dynamics and Togo coasters.
- Steel coasters are typically a great deal higher and longer than Wooden Roller Coasters due to structural differences.[citation needed]
- Almost all world records for tallest, fastest, and longest coasters are currently held by steel roller coasters.[citation needed]
- There are different types of steel coasters, such as flying, inverted, floorless, and suspended.
- Steel coasters offer a great deal more versatility that wooden roller coasters, such as loops, barrel rolls, and corkscrews.
[edit] Notable steel roller coasters
(NOTE: Dive and Vertical Drop coasters are the same)
- Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm - first modern roller coaster ever to send riders upside down; built in 1975; now exists at Silverwood amusement park.
- Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Over Texas - first mine train roller coaster; built in 1969.
- Millennium Force at Cedar Point - first full circuit roller coaster to top 300 ft.
- Collosus at Thorpe Park - worlds first coaster with 10 inversions.
- Maverick at Cedar Point - world's first "terra" coaster
- Storm Runner at Hershey Park - world's first rocket coaster to feature inversions
- Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure - world's tallest (456 ft.) and fastest (128 mph) roller coaster
- Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure - Hyper coaster -
- Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point - world's first "stratacoaster" - lost it's record to Kingda Ka
- Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Europe - world's tallest full circuit inverted coaster
- Silver Star at Europa-Park - Europe's tallest roller coaster
- Griffon at Busch Gardens Europe - world's tallest and fastest dive coaster
- SheiKra at Busch Gardens Africa - America's first dive coaster
- Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm - world's first rocket coaster
- Oblivion at Alton Towers - world's first vertical drop roller coaster
- Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland - First hypercoaster in Canada; first coaster in Canada to have a drop over 200 ft tall.
- Hypersonic XLC at King's Dominion - First Thrust Air 2000 to be produced for the public.
- Dominator at King's Dominion - World's largest floorless coaster by Bolliger and Mabillard, formerly at Geauga Lake
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