thenumerator Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Hey TPR, I will be teaching a class on roller coasters at my college this Fall and am working on solidifying my syllabus. I was wondering what everyone considers to be the most unique/noteworthy roller coasters. Not necessarily famous roller coasters, but ones you would want to tell someone about in order to give as broad a view on roller coasters. Here's a few I've thought of (to give an idea of what I mean) -Boulder Dash -Eagle Fortress -SOB (more of the story of its fall from grace) -Nemesis / Black Mamba -iSpeed -Olympia Looping -Tranan Also, has anyone taught a college level class on roller coasters before? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invertalon Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) Interesting. What exactly would you talk about for an entire semester? I am just curious lol Is this for some type of amusement park related degree or just a random gen-ed? Anyway, I would add: Millennium Force (elevator lift, first giga, etc...) Excelerator (Cable Hydraulic Launch, in which you can talk about the hydraulic system and how it led the way to Dragster, KingdaKa and the Dubai ride) Hypersonic (compressed air-launch) Linear Gale (linear induction motors) X (4-D style of rides, the failure of the design to launch and the success of the simpler B&M versions) That crazy S&S ride that looks like two log flumes on each side of the track... Can't think of the name, but that is pretty wild. Flying Turns Edited August 10, 2012 by Invertalon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texcoaster Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I'd also include The Ultimate at Lightwater Valley with that in-house designed track, those long-ass trains, and the insanely slow lifts. Plus Wild Mouse at Blackpool, and one of the möbius loop coasters (Grand National, Kennywood's Racer, El Serpiente del Fuego). Gotta throw in a portable coaster (pick a Schwarzkopf) as well as a Steeplechase, Bobsled, Flying coaster, Standup coaster, Mine train, and a classic woodie like the Coney Cyclone or Blackpool Big Dipper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenumerator Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 The first half of the semester is history/background (how we got to the current state of roller coasters) and the second half is design (how a coaster is build, what makes a coaster good, physics and math behind them, and a little structural design with K'Nex at the end ). It's just a general class anyone can take; there isn't any kind of amusement industry degree (darn). Although I hope to also start a No Limits class in the Spring. I had also thought about Ultimate. It's very interesting since it was built by a railroad company (and watching the video of the ride, you can really tell that by the design). Oh, and that S&S 'log ride' (Free Fly) is Tranan, which I mention (I'm sorta surprised we haven't seen another one of those yet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wanderer Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Z-Force and Mean Streak, two of most notoriously rough rides for coaster in the modern era! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Mutts Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I'd throw in Outlaw Run (Silver Dollar City's new Topper Track Woodie), an Intamin Pre-Fab woodie (El Toro, T Express, Balder, Colossos) to show how modern techniques can make theses coasters so smooth yet so wild, NTAG to show how it isn't a wooden coaster and to show what they are most likely doing to the Rattler, Stealth (CGA) as the first successful flying coaster, Air to show fixes to make the flying coaster more reliable, early looping coasters and their design flaws, Corkscrew (Knotts Berry Farm) and Revolution (SFMM) to show the fixes they made in the designing of the loops, Takabisha (worlds steepest coaster at 121 degrees), Tower of Terror II to show how LSMs make this ride to be the first to go 100 mph, Superman Escape from Krypton (first coaster to go 400 ft in the air), and Formula Rossa (as mentioned above but I'm giving you the name). I think that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zingoman Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 *I'd go on about Schwarzkopf as well and talk about how he was so ahead of his time mastering the portable coasters, and even being the first to silence anti rollbacks, and his inovative use of fly wheels for launches ect. That man was a genius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenumerator Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 I've actually always wondered how much of the Schwarzkopf innovation were actual Stengel's work...they collaborated frequently, and both were integral in shaping the (esp steel) coaster industry. Does anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger01 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 You should talk about how roller coasters came about ( ice slopes) and the first amusement parks (Kursaal, Coney Island). Roller coaster wise you should add a Eurofighter into the mix.and also how coasters can differ in size from different areas of parks to put them in. Maybe how they can withstand large amounts of weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrecken Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 How about the Matterhorn? I think it was technically the first steel coaster ever built (meaning the first of the kind that use tubular steel track). Then of course you have all the "fads" in coasters - standups, floorless, flyers, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stashua123 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 How bout SoB's father? I still stands today as the worlds longest wooden coaster. Also Racer at Ki because it started the roller coaster Renaissance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathbydinn Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I'd think Iron Wolf being B&Ms first roller coaster and Batman being the first inverted would be noteworthy as they're firsts. Gravity Max would be a pretty unique one to talk about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adavis Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Humble Beginnings: How Cedar Point and Intamin Went From Junior Gemini, to Top Thrill Dragster and Beyond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
australianalex Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 It'd be good to talk about the suspended coaster design and how the first suspended coaster, the Bat, failed but the design was later fixed and went on to cause other companies to build looping and launched versions from the suspended concept. Also, talking about how a coaster's actual track can be incorporated to make it more unique and thrilling - e.g tilting track on Gravity Max and free fall drop track on Thirteen/Polar X-Plorer/Verbolten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aiken85 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Six Flags Great Adventure has the highest attendance of any Six Flags park, not to mention Kingda Ka, the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster. Roller coaster wise you should add a Eurofighter into the mix.and also how coasters can differ in size from different areas of parks to put them in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesMC Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Couldn't miss talking about "The Whizzer"(aka Willard's Whizzer) at SFGAM.....a very unlikely, yet still standing fun machine and the last of its kind in the U.S. (especially since in was 'saved' in the 11th hour by coaster and family enthusiasts, when Superman was heading to town). Still thrilling riders in Illinois since '76---we are coming up on 40 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stashua123 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Oh and dont forget flight of fear at KI. It was the first rollercoaster to use LIM's at launch. Man paramount was a prototype building company! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Mutts Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Six Flags Great Adventure has the highest attendance of any Six Flags park, not to mention Kingda Ka, the world's tallest and FASTEST roller coaster. Roller coaster wise you should add a Eurofighter into the mix.and also how coasters can differ in size from different areas of parks to put them in. Wrong! Formula Rossa is the fastest roller coaster at 150 mph. http://www.rcdb.com/4485.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinTheAttendant Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 First of all: I love your username Second of all: Where is this college so I can transfer and take your class? Third: I think you should talk about the history of Arrow Dynamics. I did a paper on it once, and it really is incredible all the feats they accomplished in their time despite most of their coasters seeming mediocre today. From the early work with Disney, to first tubular steel coaster, to Knott's Corkscrew, suspended coaster, mega-loopers, first hyper coaster, and first 4D coaster. Just my suggestions. Good luck with your class!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singemfrc Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Wrong! Formula Rossa is the fastest roller coaster at 150 mph. http://www.rcdb.com/4485.htm Well Formula Rossi is pretty new, and that thing in my opinion is barely more than a speed record with wheels..I'd much rather ride KK or TTD any day. On topic I agree that the 4D coasters are noteworthy since there's very few of them and they kind of have a personality of their own...there's an interesting storyline to it as well with X being Arrow's last coaster and having so much trouble with maintenance and staying operational, and then after Eejanaika being built in Japan by S&S Arrow in 2006, X was redone with new more reliable trains, showing that the design isn't inherently flawed (though it is usually prohibitively expensive to build). Also second the notion of including Outlaw Run, that is a significantly ground breaking coaster worthy of much discussion. The most common reaction I've gotten from non enthusiasts Ive showed the photos to is "thats impossible". Where is this college so I can transfer and take your class?That thought occurred to me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougMJr Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Obviously you'll have to talk about the beginning of roller coasters. The ice slides of Russia, scenic railways, ect. Olympia Looping always seemed like a noteworthy coaster to me. It is probably the most famous of the traveling coasters out there. While on the topic of traveling coasters you can talk about Euro Star, that painful yet unique intamin suspended coaster that traveled around for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenumerator Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 If I had time, I would spend a whole class talking about Arrow. They have a very rich history, and it's interesting to watch them once B&M / Intamin hit the scene try to cling to life, first by making the mega-loopers, then adopting modern styles with Tennessee Tornado, then the hail mary that was X. But unfortunately, I probably won't get to talk about as much as I'd want to. The class is at Carnegie Mellon, 10 minutes from Kennywood, although I feel like it would be a lot of repeat information for coaster enthusiasts, like talking about the different manufacturers, types, history, and things like that. I doubt anyone in the class will know what B&M means, or correctly identify mine trains as steel coasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch_101 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 ^ Wait... Mine trains are steel coasters?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 I think Disneyland's Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy deserves some credit. The music, the projections, and the already awesome ride make for a truly unique haunted roller coaster experience. It's not often you see a coaster frighten riders (in a dark ride sense) That last ghost that jumps out right after the photo spot gets everyone every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyinpeace Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 I agree with everyone on arrow dynamics. I see it as a tragedy of such a amazing company. Atleast they ended in a bang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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