Bobsled roller coaster
A bobsled roller coaster is a roller coaster that uses a track design that is essentially a "pipe" with the top half removed and has cars that are sent down this pipe in a freewheeling mode. The name derives from the great similarity to the track design used for the winter sport of bobsleigh.
Bobsled roller coaster | |
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Status | In Production: Mack Rides Discontinued: Intamin, and John Norman Bartlett |
First manufactured | 1929 |
No. of installations | 21 |
Manufacturers | Intamin, John Norman Bartlett, and Mack Rides |
Restraint Style | Lap-bar |
Bobsled roller coaster at RCDB |
Most modern bobsled roller coasters are made of steel; however, the first bobsled coasters, known as Flying Turns, were made of wood. On Oct 4, 2013, after seven years of construction, Knoebels in Pennsylvania opened the world's only modern wooden flying turns coaster, Flying Turns. The ride was scheduled to open in 2007, but had been delayed due to dysfunctional wheels and other issues. As there were no historic plans available, the new coaster was designed entirely from scratch.
Both the bobsled coaster and the flying turns coaster are buildable in the RollerCoaster Tycoon and Thrillville series of video games.
Installations
As of 2012, 21 bobsled roller coasters have been built. The roller coasters are listed in order of opening dates.
Name | Park | Country | Opened | Closed | Type | Manufacturer | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flying Turns | Lakeside Park | ![]() | 1929 | 1930 - 1954* | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [1] |
Flying Turns | Euclid Beach Park | ![]() | 1930 | September 28, 1969 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [2] |
Flying Turns | Rocky Point Park | ![]() | 1931 | 1938 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett/Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters | Removed | [3] |
Flying Turns | Forest Park | ![]() | 1934 | July 19, 1963 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [4] |
Flying Turns | Steeplechase Park | ![]() | 1934 | September 14, 1939 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [5] |
Flying Turns | Riverview Park Formerly Century of Progress | ![]() | 1935 May 27, 1933 | 1967 October 31, 1934 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [6][7] |
Lake Placid Bobsled | Palisades Amusement Park | ![]() | 1937 | 1946 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [8] |
Bobsled | Coney Island Formerly Flushing Meadows Park | ![]() | 1941 April 30, 1939 | 1974 October 27, 1940 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [9][10] |
Screamin' Delta Demon | Opryland USA† | ![]() | April 1984 | October 31, 1997 | Steel | Intamin | Removed | [11] |
Schweizer Bobbahn | Europa Park | ![]() | 1985 | N/A | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [12] |
Disaster Transport | Cedar Point | ![]() | May 11, 1985 | July 29, 2012 | Steel | Intamin | Removed | [13] |
Bobbaan | Efteling | ![]() | 1985 | September 1, 2019 | Steel | Intamin | Removed | [14] |
La Vibora Formerly Sarajevo Bobsled | Six Flags Over Texas Six Flags Magic Mountain | ![]() | 1986 1984 | 1986 | Steel | Intamin | Operating | [15][16] |
Avalanche | Kings Dominion | ![]() | 1988 | N/A | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [17] |
Avalanche | Pleasure Beach Blackpool | ![]() | June 22, 1988 | N/A | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [18] |
Munich Autobahn | Kobe Portopialand | ![]() | April 1991 | March 31, 2006 | Steel | Mack Rides | Removed | [19] |
Schweizer Bobbahn | Heide Park | ![]() | 1994 | N/A | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [20] |
Alpine Bobsled Formerly Rolling Thunder Formerly Sarajevo Bobsled | Great Escape Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great Adventure | ![]() | 1998 1989 1984 | 1995 1988 | Steel | Intamin | Operating | [21][22][23] |
Trace Du Hourra | Parc Astérix | ![]() | March 31, 2001 | N/A | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [24] |
Flying Turns | Knoebels | ![]() | October 5, 2013 | N/A | Wood | Knoebels | Operating | [25] |
Montanha Russa | Parque Shanghai | ![]() | N/A | N/A | Wood | N/A | Removed | [26] |
- * Denotes that exact closing date is not known.
- † The Screamin' Delta Demon was transported to Old Indiana Fun Park following Opryland's closure in 1998, but was never reassembled and eventually scrapped.[27]
References
- Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Lakeside Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Euclid Beach Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Rocky Point Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Forest Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Steeplechase Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Century of Progress)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Riverview Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Lake Placid Bobsled (Palisades Amusement Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Bobsled (Flushing Meadows Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Bobsled (Coney Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Screamin' Delta Demon (Opryland USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Schweizer Bobbahn (Europa Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Disaster Transport (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Bobbaan (Efteling)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Sarajevo Bobsleds (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "La Vibora (Six Flags Over Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Avalanche (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Avalanche (Pleasure Beach Blackpool)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Munich Autobahn (Kobe Portopialand)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Schweizer Bobbahn (Heide Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Sarajevo Bobsled (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Rolling Thunder (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Alpine Bobsled (Great Escape)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Trace Du Hourra (Parc Asterix)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Knoebels)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Montanha Russa (Parque Shanghai)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- Marden, Duane. "Screamin' Delta Demon (Old Indiana)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
External links
Media related to Bobsled roller coasters at Wikimedia Commons