Bobsled roller coaster | |
---|---|
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 |
In Production: Mack Rides
A bobsled roller coaster is the generic name given to any 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 bobsleigh winter sport.
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.
As of 2012, 21 bobsled roller coasters have been built. The roller coasters are listed in order of opening dates.