Rolling Thunder (roller coaster)
| Rolling Thunder | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Rolling Thunder's entrance
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| Six Flags Great Adventure | |||
| Park section | Plaza del Carnaval | ||
| Coordinates | 40°08′21.70″N 74°26′3.40″W / 40.1393611°N 74.4342778°WCoordinates: 40°08′21.70″N 74°26′3.40″W / 40.1393611°N 74.4342778°W | ||
| Status | Removed | ||
| Opening date | 1979 | ||
| Closing date | September 8, 2013 | ||
| Replaced by |
Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom El Diablo |
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| General Statistics | |||
| Type | Wood – Racing | ||
| Manufacturer | William Cobb & Associates | ||
| Designer | Don Rosser & William Cobb | ||
| Model | Racing roller coaster | ||
| Track layout | Figure 8/Out and back | ||
| Lift/launch system | Chain | ||
| Height | 96 ft (29.3 m) | 96 ft (29.3 m) | |
| Drop | 85 ft (25.9 m) | 85 ft (25.9 m) | |
| Length | 3,200 ft (975.4 m) | 3,200 ft (975.4 m) | |
| Speed | 56 mph (90.1 km/h) | 56 mph (90.1 km/h) | |
| Inversions | 0 | 0 | |
| Duration | 2:10 | 2:10 | |
| Max vertical angle | 45° | 45° | |
| Capacity | 3840 riders per hour | ||
| Height restriction | 44 in (112 cm) | ||
| Trains | 4 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. | ||
 Flash Pass Available |
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Rolling Thunder at RCDB Pictures of Rolling Thunder at RCDB |
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Rolling Thunder was a racing wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. Rolling Thunder was the park's first wooden coaster, and debuted in 1979 during the park's fifth anniversary season. The line for the ride began at an adjoining entrance and had separate queues for each track. The queue to the right of the entrance lead to the Coaster 1 track and Coaster 2 was reached by the queue on the left. Guests who were not tall enough for 54-inch (137 cm) height-requiring coasters would ride Rolling Thunder as it had a 44-inch (112 cm) height requirement.
The structure and track was mostly built from 850,000 feet (259,080 m) of Douglas Fir. In the past, the Douglas Fir had been treated with pesticides which were not considered environmentally friendly and the track and supports were slowly being replaced with southern yellow pine.
The track was made by bolting seven layers of wood. In most places on the ride, there were two layers of southern yellow pine, which sat atop five layers of Douglas-Fir. Older sections of track still had seven layers of Douglas-Fir (mostly on the lift) and there were refurbished sections of track with seven layers of southern pine. A 7-inch-wide (180 mm) strip of steel was bolted onto the top layer of wood track and three-inch-wide pieces of steel were bolted onto the sides.
Unlike most racing coasters, Rolling Thunder's tracks were not always next to each other, they separated at several points in the ride. After the first drop, the left track traveled over a big hill, followed by a small hill, whereas the second track reversed that. On the turnaround at the back, the left track traveled up and made a level turn, while the right track traveled up and dropped while turning. The hills on the return segment were also staggered. The trains were not always raced.
There were four trains that were distinguishable by color: Red, Blue, Yellow and Green. Each train had four three-bench Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters cars held together by hitch bars. Each car contained six seats. Each train held a maximum of 24 riders.
The trains used buzz bars that locked in one position. Seat dividers and headrests were added in 1981 to prevent people from standing on the ride while it was in operation. Seat belts were added on the ride's 30th anniversary.
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Wikipedia