57-549: Raging Wolf Bobs was a wooden roller coaster located at Geauga Lake amusement park in Ohio . Designed by Curtis D. Summers to resemble Bobs , a popular roller coaster at the defunct Riverview Park in Chicago , Raging Wolf Bobs was constructed by the Dinn Corporation and opened to the public in 1988. It operated until June 16, 2007, following an accident involving the derailing of
114-421: A Western stagecoach theme. The ride's station is themed as a stagecoach depot located in the outskirts of Silver Dollar City. According to the ride's storyline, stagecoaches depart daily heading west, where they are intercepted by outlaws who want to steal from them. Outlaw Run riders are the passengers on the stagecoaches the outlaws are trying to rob. To keep their family-friendly image, Silver Dollar City uses
171-465: A public notice indicating that the ride's theme would be stagecoaches and the wild west . The teaser website also stated that an announcement would be made on August 9, 2012. As part of its teaser campaign leading to the announcement, the park released two clues; the first clue was a handwritten letter, while the second was a photo of the park's Powder Keg: A Blast into the Wilderness attraction and
228-461: A "world first", to have a wooden roller coaster that would be "the first to do a double barrel roll ", which is when the train goes twice through a combination of a loop and a roll. In 2011, Rocky Mountain Construction showcased their new steel roller coaster, New Texas Giant , to park executives. This demonstration secured the contract. Marketing began in 2011 when the public were made aware at
285-458: A 162-foot (49 m) drop, three inversions, and a maximum speed of 68 mph (109 km/h), making Outlaw Run the sixth-fastest wooden coaster in the world. Its 81-degree first drop is also the fourth steepest in the world among wooden roller coasters. Development of an early concept began in 2009, and Outlaw Run was officially announced in August 2012. Rocky Mountain Construction was selected as
342-486: A 90-foot (27 m) vertical loop , which was made of steel. The ride was well-received but was plagued by a number of incidents, including two that were serious, eventually leading to its demise in 2012. In the 2010s, a new era of wooden roller coasters came about with the introduction of Topper Track developed by Rocky Mountain Construction. The new technology replaced the flattened steel strip and upper two layers of wood traditionally used in wooden track design with
399-492: A decade. On September 26, 2012, the last piece of track was installed on Outlaw Run. The ride opened to a limited audience on March 13, 2013, with a public opening two days later. Official opening celebrations were held in April. Outlaw Run was Rocky Mountain Construction's first wooden roller coaster. It is the sixth fastest wooden roller coaster in the world, reaching speeds of up to 68 miles per hour (109 km/h). Throughout
456-409: A few inches to a few feet with a passing train , give a sense of unreliability and the "threat" of collapse or disregard for safety. Of course, this assumption is purely mental, since wooden roller coaster supports and track systems are designed to sway with the force produced by the coaster. If the track and structure were too rigid, they would break under the strain of the passing train. The swaying of
513-443: A few set coaster records. Hercules at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom , built in 1989, had the tallest wooden coaster drop at 150 feet. Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas and Mean Streak at Cedar Point were large wooden coasters with similar layouts, with the later opening as the tallest wooden coaster in the world at 161 feet. After a dispute during construction of Pegasus at Efteling , Dinn Corporation closed down and
570-523: A magnetic launch of 45 mph up a 200' hill, similar to the magnetic lift on Maverick . In 2000, Kings Island opened Son of Beast . Designed by Werner Stengel and built by the Roller Coaster Corporation of America , the roller coaster broke many world records. With a height of 218 feet (66 m), it was the first wooden roller coaster to top 200 feet (61 m). It was also the first modern wooden roller coaster to feature an inversion,
627-479: A rail car, eliminating the need for side friction wheels. The following list is in alphabetical order. Outlaw Run Outlaw Run is a wooden roller coaster located at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri . Designed by Alan Schilke , Outlaw Run is the first wooden roller coaster manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and became the first wooden coaster with multiple inversions . It features
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#1732877210994684-611: A significant legacy on the coaster industry. The high number of wooden coasters they constructed, 34 over their decade of operation, helped to rekindle interest in the wooden roller coasters and allowed modern wooden coaster designers to thrive. Designers from CCI went on to form modern wooden coaster design firms, like Great Coasters International , The Gravity Group , and the wooden coaster department at S&S Worldwide . Many of their coasters rank highly in wooden coaster polls, including Shivering Timbers at Michigan's Adventure and Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce . In 2013, Boulder Dash
741-667: A steel box, which led to rides like the triple-inverting Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City in 2012. Others like Wildfire at Kolmården Wildlife Park and Goliath at Six Flags Great America soon followed. Topper Track provides the added benefit of smoother rides and lower maintenance costs. The Gravity Group also designed five wooden coasters with a single inversion: these include coasters at each of three Oriental Heritage theme parks in China, all named Jungle Trailblazer , as well as Mine Blower in Fun Spot Kissimmee and
798-498: A steel coaster. Wooden roller coasters provide a very different ride and experience from steel roller coasters . While they are traditionally less capable than a steel coaster when it comes to inversions and elements (except for the chain lift hill), wooden coasters instead rely on an often rougher and more "wild" ride (depending on train speed and/or track layout), as well as a more psychological approach to inducing fear . Their structures and track, which usually move anywhere from
855-452: A steel plate located in the upper layers of the track. The steel plating is known as Topper Track and is found on many roller coasters that Rocky Mountain Construction has renovated. This track style is designed to reduce the maintenance typically required for a wooden roller coaster and to provide a smoother ride experience. Rocky Mountain Construction spent four years developing technology to allow them to twist beams of wood that make up
912-403: A train that unexpectedly rolled backward on one of the track's hills. After remaining closed for the rest of that season, park owners Cedar Fair announced the permanent closure of Geauga Lake, sealing the fate of Raging Wolf Bobs. Geauga Lake owner Funtime, Inc. planned to add a new roller coaster – the first in ten years – to celebrate the park's centennial anniversary in 1988. Dinn Corporation
969-410: A variety of theming to advertise that the "good guys" will always win. The train exits out of the station and climbs the chain lift hill first. The track then goes through a small pre-drop , similar to that on Bolliger & Mabillard steel roller coasters , before dropping 162 feet (49 m) at an angle of 81°. The train then ascends the first element, which is an outside banked turn , where
1026-423: Is also typically made of wood, but may also be made of steel lattice or truss , which has no bearing on a wooden coaster's classification. The type of wood often selected in the construction of wooden coasters worldwide is southern yellow pine , which grows abundantly in the southern United States, due to its density and adherence to different forms of pressure treatment . Early wooden roller coaster design of
1083-423: Is currently the tallest wooden coaster in the world at 183 feet tall. While only having built 4 wooden coasters, all are praised by coaster enthusiasts, with all 4 being within the top 20 wooden coasters in the world on Mitch Hawkers poll. Since 2010, El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure , which opened in 2006, has been ranked the number one wooden coaster in the world on Mitch Hawkers poll. Notable designers from
1140-458: Is made in 25-foot (7.6 m) sections, which have special joints on the ends to allow them to snap together. The result is generally higher precision than what could be achieved by hand, leading to a smoother ride and reduced cost surrounding construction and maintenance. In addition, unlike traditional wooden coasters which feature bare metal wheels, the trains for a prefabricated wooden coaster have wheels made of polyurethane treads, similar to
1197-550: The Los Angeles Times ranked Outlaw Run in his top 13 most anticipated new theme park attractions in the United States for 2013. Outlaw Run received largely positive reviews following the ride's opening in 2013. Marcus Leshock of WGN-TV was among the first to ride Outlaw Run. Despite his high expectations, he described it as "a great ride; an incredible ride". Brandy McDonnell of The Oklahoman described Outlaw Run as
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#17328772109941254-494: The 1920s, specifically those by Fred Church and Harry Traver, and the company focuses on making the structures of their coasters aesthetically appealing and artistic. In 2001, Swiss steel coaster designer Intamin began producing wooden roller coasters using prefabricated track. Their wooden coasters are known for large amounts of airtime (including ejector airtime), smooth ride experiences, and steep drops. T Express in Everland
1311-693: The 19th century featured a single set of wheels running on top of the track, which was common in scenic railway rides. John A. Miller introduced side friction coasters and later underfriction coasters in the early 20th century, which added additional sets of wheels running along multiple sides of the track to allow for more intense ride design with sharper turns and steeper drops. The underfriction design became commonplace and continues to be used in modern roller coaster design. Traditionally, wooden roller coasters were not capable of featuring extreme elements such as inversions , near-vertical drops, and overbanked turns commonly found on steel roller coasters after
1368-509: The 2010s. The design borrows the principles of steel coaster manufacturing and applies them to wood. Traditional wooden coaster track is typically built on site. It is cut as needed, bent to the proper shape, and mounted layer-by-layer to the support structure with steel running plates. Prefabricated track, on the other hand, is manufactured in a factory, temperature-controlled setting. It is made of many thin layers of wood that are glued together and then laser cut to exact specifications. The track
1425-467: The 2011 trade show of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions that Rocky Mountain were working on a wooden roller coaster; it being later revealed that this roller coaster would be built at Silver Dollar City. Following the beginning of construction at the park, Silver Dollar City launched a teaser website for a new attraction to open in 2013. The website featured
1482-764: The Golden Age of coaster design. This was the decade when many of the world's most iconic coasters were built. Some of these include the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and its counterpart at Belmont Park , the Cyclone at Coney Island , the Big Dipper at Geauga Lake , The Thriller at Euclid Beach Park , and the Roller Coaster at Lagoon . All of these rides were built during this time. The decade
1539-690: The Great Depression was brought to an end by The Racer at Kings Island , which opened in 1972 and sparked a second "Golden Age" of wooden coaster design. After their success with the Racer at Kings Island, the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) constructed another 9 roller coasters over the next decade. About half were small family coasters, two were racing coasters similar to the Racer, and two were out and back coasters with custom designs. One of these, Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis ,
1596-527: The announcement of Hades 360 at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin , forced Silver Dollar City to modify their claim; they now cite Outlaw Run as the only wooden roller coaster to feature multiple inversions. It is also the fifth fastest wooden roller coaster in the world , with a top speed of 68 miles per hour (109 km/h). The speed, height, and drop angle records were broken by Goliath at Six Flags Great America in
1653-504: The coaster in lieu of retirement, Kings Island built the coaster themselves, with the coaster designed by Al Collins and Jeff Gramke and construction overseen by Charlie Dinn. Rather than a typical out and back layout, the coaster sprawled over the woods at the back of the park, using the terrain to create an elevation change from lowest to highest point of 201 feet, even though the coaster was only 118 feet tall. The coaster also had two lift hills which, while common for mine train coasters at
1710-580: The conversion of their existing Hades 360 in Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park . The common choice of wood selected for modern wooden roller coasters worldwide is southern yellow pine , a softwood abundant in the southern United States from eastern Texas to Virginia . It is known for its strength, which comes from its extremely dense properties. Southern pine is also easy to cut and responds well to pressure treatment . Companies like Intamin and Rocky Mountain Construction began using prefabricated track in
1767-480: The course of the 2,937-foot-long (895 m) ride, riders go through three inversions , including a double heartline roll . The park's existing terrain (the park is located in the Ozark Mountains ) is used to allow a 107-foot-tall (33 m) lift hill to be translated into a first drop stretching 162 feet (49 m). The 2,937 feet (895 m) of track is made primarily of layers of laminated wood, with
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1824-412: The defunct Geauga Lake ; Hurricane: Category 5 at the defunct Myrtle Beach Pavilion ; and The Legend at Holiday World ). CCI's coaster designs included both out and back layouts like Hoosier Hurricane at Indiana Beach as well as more twisted layouts like Megafobia at Oakwood Theme Park . Megafobia was also the company's first coaster outside the United States. CCI coasters were also unique at
1881-425: The first half of 2014. Goliath is another Rocky Mountain Construction roller coaster. Outlaw Run retains the record for the wooden roller coaster with the most inversions. Following the announcement of Outlaw Run, the ride's layout received favorable reviews. Arthur Levine of About.com said that "the coaster appears to have a great layout and should provide the kind of ride that fans adore". Brady MacDonald of
1938-509: The former Custom Coasters International formed The Gravity Group and in 2005 opened Hades (now Hades 360) at Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park . The coaster features highly unique elements, including an airtime filled pre-lift section, an 800-foot tunnel underneath a parking lot, and a 90 degree banked turn. In 2006, The Gravity Group built The Voyage at Holiday World , a large wooden coaster which stands 163 feet tall, has over 6,442 feet of track, three 90 degree banked turns, and has been ranked
1995-681: The highlight of Silver Dollar City: "it's a speedy and spine-tingling ride worth waiting a few hours to take". Tim Baldwin of Roller Coaster Magazine described Outlaw Run as "exhilarating but not intimidating" and "satisfying to the thrill seekers and fun for moms as well". Justin Garvanovic of First Drop Magazine , after describing pacing as an important characteristic of a roller coaster, said "So many coasters get it wrong. Outlaw Run gets it right." In its debut year, Outlaw Run ranked highly in Amusement Today ' s Golden Ticket Awards . The ride won
2052-577: The introduction of tubular steel track by Arrow Development in 1959. Son of Beast at Kings Island made history in 2000 by incorporating the first successful attempt of an inversion on a wooden coaster, a vertical loop made of steel. A decade later, the introduction of Topper Track by Rocky Mountain Construction allowed for new possibilities, with corkscrews , overbanked turns, and other inverting elements appearing on wooden coasters such as Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City and Goliath at Six Flags Great America . The 1920s are generally considered
2109-499: The lower layers of the track. This track configuration allows for more dynamic roller coaster elements to be performed on a wooden roller coaster. Outlaw Run consists of two trains, each featuring twelve pairs of riders. Riders, who must be 48 inches (122 cm) or taller to ride, are restrained in their individual fiberglass seats with a U-shaped lap bar. Unlike most roller coaster trains, which have polyurethane wheels , Outlaw Run features steel wheels. Outlaw Run features
2166-533: The manufacturer after their proposal met Silver Dollar City's concerns over available space and budget restraints. Outlaw Run opened to a positive reception on March 15, 2013. Planning for a new 2013 attraction in the Silver Dollar City amusement park began in 2009 with the owners, Herschend Family Entertainment , approaching Rocky Mountain Construction and other manufacturers for ideas for "a ride with marketing appeal". Joel Manby , CEO of Herschend, wanted
2223-557: The modern wooden coaster. In 2011, they renovated the Texas Giant, which had become very rough and hard to maintain, into a steel roller coaster. This treatment became popular and was later applied to other aging roller coasters such as Iron Rattler and Twisted Colossus . In addition, RMC designs and builds their own original wooden coasters. In 2016, the company opened the world's first launched wooden roller coaster, Lightning Rod which opened at Dollywood in 2016, and until 2024 featured
2280-410: The nearby Table Rock Lake . On August 9, 2012, Silver Dollar City officially announced that Outlaw Run would open in the second quarter of 2013. At its opening, the ride would be the only wooden roller coaster to feature inversions and would feature the steepest drop on a wooden roller coaster . At a cost of $ 10 million, the ride would be the most expensive Silver Dollar City attraction in more than
2337-541: The number one wooden coaster in the world by Amusement Today five times. Many of the Gravity Group's coasters are highly unique and custom built for the park, such as Twister at Gröna Lund , which has a highly compact layout to fit in the parks small footprint. Their coasters have become very popular in China , in which 12 coasters have been built since 2009. Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) has recently been revolutionizing
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2394-472: The partnership ended. Custom Coasters International was formed in 1991 by Denise Dinn-Larrick (daughter of Charlie Dinn), her brother Jeff Dinn, and her husband Randy Larrick. After the closure of Dinn Corporation, several other designers joined CCI. The company's first coaster, Kingdom Coaster at Dutch Wonderland , was a small family coaster that stood only 55 feet high. As time went on, they began to design larger coasters. One of their earlier coasters that
2451-513: The relocation of The Rocket from Playland Park to Knoebels Amusement Resort in Pennsylvania . It now operates as the Phoenix and is ranked highly on wooden coaster polls. In 1988, Charlie Dinn started a partnership with Curtis D. Summers to design and build new wooden coasters. Between 1988 and 1991, they designed and built ten new wooden coasters. While most were of typical wooden coaster size,
2508-452: The rotation axis occurs at approximately chest level. The train then enters the brake run and returns to the station. A single ride cycle is completed in approximately 1 minute and 27 seconds. Outlaw Run debuted with the steepest drop , 81°, on any wooden roller coaster in the world at the time. Although the creators of Outlaw Run originally planned to claim the record for the only operating wooden roller coaster to feature inversions,
2565-483: The season. Geauga Lake owner Cedar Fair announced the permanent closure of the amusement park on September 21, 2007, ending the attraction's run at Geauga Lake. Several years prior to the accident, the ride was retracked by Martin & Vleminckx . Wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track , which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure
2622-452: The surge in the 1970s, wooden coasters construction became stagnant due to the steel roller coaster being much more popular. Most original coasters during this time were designed by William Cobb , such as Monstre at La Ronde . Another trend during the 1980s was relocating old wooden coasters in danger of being destroyed. Charlie Dinn, who formed Dinn Corporation after leaving Kings Island in 1984, oversaw some of these relocations, including
2679-554: The time for sometimes featuring angle iron support structures rather than wooden beams (the track remains the same as other wooden coasters). Most CCI coasters ran Philadelphia Toboggan Company trains, although some, like The Boss at Six Flags St. Louis, run trains from the German manufacturer Gerstlauer . In 2002, Custom Coasters declared bankruptcy while building the New Mexico Rattler at Cliff's Amusement Park . The company left
2736-454: The time, was uncommon for wooden coasters. Opening in 1979, the coaster was, and still is, the longest wooden roller coaster in the world at 7,361 feet. Another significant wooden coaster of this era was the racing American Eagle at (now) Six Flags Great America , built by Intamin in 1981, which still holds the records for racing wooden coasters of height (127 ft), length (4650 ft), speed (66 mph), and drop (147 ft). After
2793-477: The track is banked over to 153° before rolling back out of the bank. After going around a low-to-the-ground curve, the train enters a 100-foot-tall (30 m) double down followed by a 70-foot-tall (21 m) double up . This is followed by a left turn into a "twist and turn" element, which is then followed by a "wave turn" that drops to the right into a small airtime hill known as a high-speed float . Outlaw Run's final two inversions are heartline rolls , where
2850-425: The track reduces the maximum force applied, like a shock absorber. Like steel roller coasters, wooden roller coasters usually use the same three-wheel design, pioneered by John Miller . Each set of wheels includes a running wheel (on top of the track), a side friction (or "guide") wheel (to guide motion in the lateral plane and reduce excessive side-to-side movement known as " hunting ") and an upstop wheel (beneath
2907-472: The track to prevent cars from flying off the track). Some wooden coasters, such as Leap-The-Dips , do not have upstop wheels and are known as side friction roller coasters . As a result, the turns and drops are more gentle than on modern wooden roller coasters. Scenic Railway roller coasters also lack upstop wheels but rely on a brake operator to control the speed so that upstop wheels are not necessary. A handful of wooden coasters use flanged wheels, similar to
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#17328772109942964-466: Was also the design peak for some of the world's greatest coaster designers, including John A. Miller , Harry Traver , Herb Schmeck , and the partnership of Prior and Church . Many wooden roller coasters of this time were demolished during the Great Depression , but a few still stand as American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) classics and landmarks. This relatively quiet age of coaster design following
3021-442: Was hired to install the new ride with the help of Curtis D. Summers , who modeled the design of the roller coaster after Bobs , a famous coaster from the 1920s which operated at Chicago's Riverview Park until 1967. After an investment of $ 2.5 million, Raging Wolf Bobs opened to the public on May 28, 1988. It was marketed with the slogan "The Legend of Terror Returns". Following the park's permanent closure in 2007, Raging Wolf Bobs
3078-687: Was rated the number one wooden roller coaster in the world by Amusement Today . Great Coasters International (GCI) was formed in 1994 by Mike Boodley and Clair Hain, Jr, the former of whom was a designer at Custom Coasters prior to GCI. The first coaster was Wildcat at Hersheypark which opened in 1996. Since then, they have become one of the major wooden coaster designers in the industry, with award-winning coasters like Lightning Racer at Hersheypark and Thunderhead at Dollywood . GCI's coasters feature highly twisted layouts with many crossovers, and usually use GCI's own wooden coaster trains called Millennium Flyers. Their designs are inspired by coasters from
3135-403: Was sold in an auction to an unnamed buyer for $ 2,500 on June 17, 2008. In 2011, the coaster's slow dismantling began, and it was completed by early 2014. On June 16, 2007, a train failed to climb a hill and rolled backward. The last car of a train partially derailed in the process, but there were no injuries. The incident, which caused significant damage, closed the attraction for the remainder of
3192-423: Was the last coaster designed by John Allen before his retirement. After these coasters, PTC stopped producing roller coasters, but continues to produce wooden roller coaster trains as Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. Their distinctive rectangular cars are widely used on wooden coasters around the world. A notable non-PTC coaster built during this time was The Beast at Kings Island. After John Allen refused to design
3249-408: Was well received was The Raven at Holiday World . Custom Coasters took on increasingly high numbers of wooden coaster projects, including 7 coasters in 2000 alone ( The Boss at Six Flags St. Louis , which was the largest with a 153-foot drop and almost a mile of track; Medusa at Six Flags Mexico ; Mega Zeph at the defunct Six Flags New Orleans ; Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce ; Villain at
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