Iron Dragon (roller coaster)
| Iron Dragon | |
|---|---|
Iron Dragon in action
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| Cedar Point | |
| Park section | Celebration Plaza |
| Coordinates | 41°28′55.75″N 82°41′6.75″W / 41.4821528°N 82.6852083°WCoordinates: 41°28′55.75″N 82°41′6.75″W / 41.4821528°N 82.6852083°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | June 11, 1987 |
| Cost | $4,000,000 USD |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Suspended |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Designer | Ron Toomer |
| Model | Suspended Coaster |
| Track layout | Terrain roller coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Two chain lift hills |
| Height | 76 ft (23 m) |
| Length | 2,800 ft (850 m) |
| Speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Capacity | 2,000 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 46 in (117 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
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Iron Dragon at RCDB Pictures of Iron Dragon at RCDB |
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Iron Dragon is a steel suspended roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, built in 1987 by Arrow Dynamics. It is located in the Celebration Plaza section of the park. It closes for about 40 minutes every night for Luminosity — Ignite the Night!, a nighttime show that takes place right in front of Iron Dragon.
Before Iron Dragon’s 1987 debut, the Western Cruise (later known as Paddlewheel Excursions) boats circumnavigated the waters around this island. The popular boat ride’s station sat on the same part of the midway where Iron Dragon’s station rests today (In fact, observant Iron Dragon riders can still spot the docking cleats welded to the dock while climbing the stairs to the boarding station). The Monster circular ride used to call the land under Iron Dragon’s transfer track home. Monster closed on Labor Day weekend in 1986 so Iron Dragon construction could begin. Planning for Iron Dragon began in 1985, the same year the Frontier Lift cable car ride (similar to the Sky Ride found on Cedar Point’s main midway) opened for its final season.
In the early and mid-1990s, a "remote a boat" game was housed in the water under Iron Dragon's final helix element. This was removed in 1997.
Iron Dragon's previous color scheme was red track with gray supports, similar paint schemes to that of Ninja's at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Vortex at Canada's Wonderland (both are also Arrow suspended swinging coasters). In 2004, the supports were repainted yellow, giving Iron Dragon the same paint scheme as Top Thrill Dragster.
In July 2016, Cedar Point began testing the use of virtual reality on Iron Dragon, in which riders wear Samsung Gear VR headsets to experience the 3D digital effects. Availibility was limited from 6 – 9 p.m, and guests were required to sign up earlier in the day. Following positive feedback, Cedar Point made the new feature permanent on June 9, 2017.
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