A lift hill , or chain hill , is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from the peak by gravity and is usually allowed to coast throughout the rest of the roller coaster ride's circuit on its own momentum, including most or all of the remaining uphill sections. The initial upward-sloping section of a roller coaster track is usually a lift hill, as the train typically begins a ride with little speed, though some coasters have raised stations that permit an initial drop without a lift hill. Although uncommon, some tracks also contain multiple lift hills.
23-645: The Road Runner Roller Coaster is a Vekoma Junior Coaster which opened on 26 December 2000 at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast , Australia . The 335-metre (1,099 ft) ride features an incline of 13 metres (43 ft) and reaches a top speed of 45.9 km/h (28.5 mph). The ride has a height restriction of 100 centimetres (39 in). It is themed to Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner . On 30 June 1996, Roadrunner Achterbahn ( Road Runner Roller Coaster ) opened with Warner Bros. Movie World in Germany. It
46-435: A cable lift hill: El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure and T Express at Everland. The cable lift utilizes a cable that is attached to a catch car that moves up and down the lift hill in a separate channel between the track rails. On several coasters the catch car rolls into the station and latches to the front cars of the train to carry it up the lift hill. This requires the lift hill to be positioned directly in front of
69-589: A chain. Another advantage to park guests is that a cable lift is very quiet, partly because the main drive winch is located directly beneath the top of the lift, a location which will normally be relatively far from guest-accessible areas. The Ferris wheel lift is a type of lift based on the rotating circular design of a ferris wheel . Created by Premier Rides , it existed on 'Round About' (formerly Maximum RPM) which operated at Freestyle Music Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina prior to being dismantled and moved to
92-474: A park in Vietnam only to never operate and was later dismantled again. It uses a Ferris Wheel like motion to lift the cars to the top, as on a Ferris Wheel. The cars are then released onto the track. The elevator lift is typically used on a single car or a short, double-car train. The vehicle moves into position on a piece of track that is then lifted vertically, along with the vehicle, operating very similar to
115-573: A passenger elevator. Several of these systems use a single shaft and a second piece of track in the opposite position serves as the counterweight. With the single shaft the rail may curve to the left or right as the two tracks pass each other at the halfway point. The first coaster to use an elevator system with a counterweight was Batflyer at Lightwater Valley . It is believed that those same designers then founded Caripro, which then constructed nine vertical lift suspended coasters between 1997 and 2001. The Mack Rides -built Matterhorn Blitz at Europa Park
138-452: A vertical drop accelerated by gravity. The Chinese company Golden Horse has made several unofficial recreations, each featuring a less than vertical drop and significantly different track elements. The familiar "click-clack" sound that occurs as a roller coaster train ascends the lift hill is not caused by the chain itself. The cause for this noise is actually a safety device used on lift hills—the anti-rollback device. The anti-rollback device
161-434: Is a standard safety feature, typically consisting of a continuous, saw-toothed, section of metal, forming a linear ratchet . Roller coaster trains are fitted with anti-rollback "dogs," essentially heavy-duty pieces of metal that fall and rest in each groove of the anti-rollback device on the track as the trains ascend the lift-hill. This makes the "clicking" sound and allows the train to go upwards only, effectively preventing
184-574: Is a type of lift mechanism that was first used on Millennium Force at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio . This type of lift has also been used for Kings Dominion's Project 305 , Holiday Park's Expedition GeForce , Walibi Holland's Goliath , Djurs Sommerland 's Piraten (Europe's only "Mega-Lite"-model coaster by Intamin), Tokyo Dome City's Thunder Dolphin , Hersheypark's Skyrush , Flying Aces at Ferrari World, and Altair at Cinecittà World . Currently, there are only two wooden roller coasters that utilize
207-412: Is not needed, as the wheels are tight against the lip. A tilt lift is a new way to elevate coasters. The tilt lift is essentially an elevator lift, but the elevator lift rotates 90 degrees so that the train is now vertical, with the nose of the train facing the ground. This design has not been made yet; the only places where this occurs are in the video games RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 , Thrillville Off
230-673: The Movie Magic Special Effects Show . The ride cost AU$ 1.69 million. On 3 April 2004, Warner Bros. Movie World in Germany was acquired by StarParks. This acquisition resulted in various Warner Bros. licensed properties being removed from the park including DC Comics and Looney Tunes . Roadrunner Achterbahn closed on 31 October 2004 along with Warner Bros. Movie World in Germany. On 19 March 2005, Movie Park Germany opened with Roadrunner Achterbahn being rethemed to Rocket Rider Rollercoaster . On 28 May 2009, Correcaminos Bip, Bip ( Road Runner Beep, Beep ) opened to
253-456: The chain lift found on most roller coasters, Vekoma Junior Coasters usually use friction wheels to carry the train up the lift hill. This article about an amusement ride or roller coaster is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lift hill Lift hills usually propel the train to the top of the ride via one of two methods: a chain lift involving a long, continuous chain which trains hook on to and are carried to
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#1732854834166276-667: The "Roller Skater" due to the roller skate shaped cars found on some of the installations, and is credited with greatly influencing the concept of the junior roller coaster, which is found at many theme parks today. Most Vekoma Junior Coasters consist of a single train made up of several cars, each with a single row of riders. Some, such as Flight of the Hippogriff at Islands of Adventure in Orlando, operate with two trains. There are three basic models (85 meters, 207 meters, and 335 meters), although Vekoma also provides custom models. Instead of
299-515: The Rails and Coaster Crazy . However, there are coaster designs that use the tilting aspect of this lift already. The first operating tilt coaster in the world is Gravity Max at Lihpao Land in Taiwan. The coaster was built by Vekoma . In this coaster, after going up a chain hill, the train is held on a horizontal section of track, which then tilts forwards, to become a vertical section, which then leads into
322-481: The back end of the station and passing over top. The train then runs back parallel with the lift hill before entering two separate helices and entering the brake run . The train then returns to the station where riders dismount and exit back into the Kids' WB Fun Zone. Vekoma Junior Coaster The Vekoma Junior Coaster is a model of steel roller coaster built by Vekoma . It was originally introduced by Vekoma as
345-506: The general public at Parque Warner Madrid after its grand opening on 16 May 2009. Riders are seated in one of two themed trains. The trains are themed to ACME fireworks with Wile E. Coyote on the front and the Road Runner on the back (in later years, those figures were removed). Each train features 8 cars which seat 2 people each. Riders are restrained by lap bars. These trains cater for approximately 1000 riders per hour. Riders join
368-556: The lift hill. Chain dogs underneath each train are engaged by the chain and the train is pulled up the lift. Anti-rollback dogs engage a rack (ratcheted track) alongside the chain to prevent the train from descending the lift hill. At the crest of the lift, the chain wraps around a gear wheel where it begins its return to the bottom of the lift; the train is continually pulled along until gravity takes over and it accelerates downhill. The spring-loaded chain and anti-rollback dogs will disengage themselves as this occurs. The Intamin cable lift
391-440: The queue from the Kids' WB Fun Zone. The queue weaves its way under the lift hill before looping around an area within the ride's footprint. After exiting the station , the train turns right and is taken up a friction wheel lift hill to a height of 13 metres (43 ft). A small drop follows the lift hill that then leads into two downward helices. The train then dips diagonally under the lift hill before elevating and approaching
414-461: The station. El Toro was the first coaster to incorporate a turn between the station and the cable lift hill and was the first (and so far only) of this type to engage the catch car while the train is moving. Once the train engages the catch car, the speed is increased and the train is quickly pulled to top of the lift. Because a cable is much lighter than a chain, cable lifts are much faster than chain lifts. A cable also requires far less maintenance than
437-454: The top; or a drive tire system in which multiple motorized tires (known as friction wheels) push the train upwards. A typical chain lift consists of a heavy piece of metal called a chain dog, which is mounted onto the underside of one of the cars which make up the train. This is in place to line up with the chain on the lift hill. The chain travels through a steel trough, and is normally powered by one or more motors which are positioned under
460-556: The train from rolling back down the hill should it ever encounter a power failure or broken chain. This feature was derived from the similar feature originally used on the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway in Pennsylvania, starting in 1846. Under the power of a stationary steam engine, railway cars were drawn up two uphill planes that had two slightly different early forms of this anti-rollback device. The entire concept of
483-527: Was designed by Botticelli's - Atelier der angewandten Malerei and Sanderson Group. Alan Griffith Architect was also involved in the ride's development. The Road Runner Roller Coaster opened at Warner Bros. Movie World on 26 December 2000. The ride was modelled after Roadrunner Achterbahn , and its opening forced the relocation of the Looney Tunes Musical Revue to a location in Main Street near
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#1732854834166506-522: Was one of the many attractions in the Looney Tunes Land section of the park. Zeitgeist Design and Production's Ryan Harmon served as the Director of Show Development for Warner Bros. International Recreation Enterprises, where he conceived, wrote and managed the design team for Warner Bros. Movie World in Germany's worth of rides, shows and attractions, including Roadrunner Achterbahn . The ride's theming
529-433: Was the first to use a two-track system with a single shaft. A friction wheel lift is a type of lift mechanism in which two wheels are placed in either a horizontal or a vertical position. These are commonly used for brake runs, lifts, storage and more. The train has a small vertical lip, where the two friction wheels meet at each side. The wheels pull the train up slowly, while making a jet-like noise. An anti-rollback system
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