Hybrid roller coaster
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, as seen in Mean Streak's conversion into Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point in 2018. Newer steel-tracked hybrids also tend to be taller, faster, and feature steeper drops than their wooden counterparts.
History
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]
The term "hybrid roller coaster" was introduced when New Texas Giant opened in 2011 and Six Flags classified the roller coaster as wood, despite having steel tracks.[14] 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.[15] Hybrid coasters are still typically classified as steel or wood based on what their track material is made from.[16]
RMC and The Gravity Group are at the forefront of modern hybrid coaster construction.[17] 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,[18] 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 Mine Blower at Fun Spot America Kissimmee[19] and Kentucky Flyer at Kentucky Kingdom.[20]
Examples of hybrid roller coasters
| Name | Park | Opened | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyclone | Luna Park | 1927 | United States | Wooden-tracked. One of the oldest hybrid coasters in the world.[8] |
| Runaway Mine Train | Six Flags Over Texas | 1966 | United States | Steel-tracked. First mine train coaster.[21] |
| Gemini | Cedar Point | 1978 | United States | Steel-tracked racing coaster. |
| Silver Comet | Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World | 1999 | United States | Wooden-tracked. Inspired by Crystal Beach Park's The Comet.[22] |
| The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | 2006 | United States | Wooden-tracked. Most airtime on any wooden coaster in the world.[23] |
| Ravine Flyer II | Waldameer & Water World | 2008 | United States | Wooden-tracked. Only coaster to cross overtop a four-lane highway.[24] |
| New Texas Giant | Six Flags Over Texas | 2011 | United States | Steel-tracked. First RMC conversion.[25] Originally opened in 1990 as Texas Giant. |
| Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | 2013 | United States | Wooden-tracked. Originally opened as Hades in 2005. Was modified in 2013 to feature an inversion, a rarity on wooden-tracked coasters. |
| Steel Vengeance | Cedar Point | 2018 | United States | Steel-tracked. First hybrid hypercoaster.[26] Most airtime on any coaster in the world.[27] |
| Untamed | Walibi Holland | 2019 | Netherlands | Steel-tracked. First RMC conversion in Europe.[28] |
| Zadra | Energylandia | 2019 | Poland | Steel-tracked. First hybrid hypercoaster in Europe.[29] Tied with Iron Gwazi for the title of tallest hybrid coaster in the world.[30] |
| Hakugei | Nagashima Spa Land | 2019 | Japan | Steel-tracked. First RMC conversion in Asia.[31] |
| Iron Gwazi | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | 2022 | United States | Steel-tracked. Fastest and steepest hybrid coaster in the world.[32] Tied with Zadra for the title of tallest hybrid coaster in the world.[30] |
| Wildcat's Revenge | Hersheypark | 2023 | United States | Steel-tracked. World's largest underflip inversion.[33] |
References
- ^ Weisenberger, Nick (2012). Coasters 101: An Engineer's Guide to Roller Coaster Design (Paperback) (1st ed.). United States: Createspace Independent Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 9781468013559.
- ^ Throgmorton, Todd H.; Throgmorton, Samantha K. (30 April 2016). Coasters: United States and Canada (E-book) (4th ed.). McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. pp. 21, 49, 116, 223, 231. ISBN 978-1476622118.
- ^ a b c d "What Is A Hybrid Roller Coaster?". coastercritic.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "The Voyage (Holiday World & Splashin' Safari)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "What Is a Hybrid Wooden and Steel Roller Coaster?". TripSavvy. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Glaser, Susan (13 October 2017). "Meet the man behind Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point's newest record-breaking roller coaster". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Coney Island Cyclone (Coney Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ a b "The Cyclone" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. 12 July 1988. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- ^ "Arrow Dynamics – Coasterforce". Coasterforce. 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Roller Coaster Search Results". rcdb.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "The Coasters of Kings Island". Warren County | Ohio's Best Vacation Destination. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Adventure Express – Kings Island – Roller Coasters". Ultimate Rollercoaster.com.
- ^ "Adventure Express – Kings Island (Mason, Ohio, United States)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "New Texas Giant Roller Coaster". Guide to SFoT. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
- ^ "Roller Coaster Search Results". rcdb.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ "New Texas Giant Roller Coaster". Guide to Six Flags over Texas. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ MacDonald, Brady (1 October 2014). "Get ready for the next wave of looping wooden coasters". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ Arehart, Mark (4 May 2018). "State of the Arts: A New Kind of Wooden Coaster Twists and Turns at Cedar Point". Ideastream Public Media. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Mine Blower - Fun Spot America (Kissimmee, Florida, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Archived from the original on 13 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "Kentucky Flyer - Kentucky Kingdom (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ Plaque at ride location.
- ^ "Silver Comet keeps thrill alive for fans of the Crystal Beach roller coaster". 10 August 2013.
- ^ "The Voyage". Holiday World. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
- ^ Dininny, Paulette (10 August 2008). "Old Is New Again". Sunday News. p. 96. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "New Texas Giant (Six Flags Over Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Vengenace (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ "Steel Vengeance | Hyper-Hybrid Roller Coaster | Cedar Point".
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Untamed (Walibi Holland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Zadra (Energylandia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Zadra (Energylandia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Hakugei (Nagashima Spa Land)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Wynne, Sharon Kennedy (9 February 2022). "We rode monster coaster Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens and lived to tell". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wildcat's Revenge (Hershey Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
Further reading
- Bennett, David (1998). Roller Coaster: Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters and Corkscrews. Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books. 9. ISBN 0-7865-0885-X.
- Cartmell, Robert (1987). The Incredible Scream Machine: A History of the Roller Coaster (Paperback). Amusement Park Books. ISBN 9780879723422.
- Coker, Robert (2002). Roller Coasters: A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines. New York: Metrobooks. 14. ISBN 1-58663-172-1.
- Francis, David W.; Francis, Diane DeMali (2002). Ohio's Amusement Parks in Vintage Postcards (Paperback). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738519975.
- Rutherford, Scott (2004). The American Roller Coaster (Paperback). Motorbooks International. ISBN 9780760319291.
- Urbanowicz, Steven J. (2002). The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion: A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the World's Best Coasters (Paperback). Kensington Publishing Corporation. ISBN 9780806523095.
- Urbanowicz, Steven J. (2002). The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion; Kensington, New YorK: Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-2309-3.
- Weisenberger, Nick (2 September 2014). The 50 Most Terrifying Roller Coasters Ever Built (Paperback). Createspace Independent Publishing. ISBN 9781500699963.