Golden Loop

Roller coaster in South Africa
Watch the on-ride POV
Golden Loop
Gold Reef City
Location Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Coordinates 26°14′09″S 28°00′48″E / 26.235760°S 28.013446°E / -26.235760; 28.013446
Status Operating since 1989
Rider height 130 cm minimum
Carowinds
Name White Lightnin'
Location Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Operated 14 May 1977 to 16 October 1988
Statistics
Manufacturer Schwarzkopf
Product Shuttle Loop (Weight Drop)
Designer / calculations Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Type Steel - Launched - Shuttle
Track layout Shuttle loop
Riders per train 28
Propulsion Weight drop launch
Height 42 metres
Top speed 91.7 km/h
Length 263 metres
Track inversions 1
Rider inversions 2
Drop angle 70°
Duration 0:30
HELP

Golden Loop is a Schwarzkopf launched shuttle roller coaster located at Gold Reef City in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

The vertical loop features a triangular lattice of steel pipe.[1] The only other operating roller coasters that use this type of Schwarzkopf loop are Katapul at Hopi Hari in São Paulo, Brazil, New Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, USA, and SooperDooperLooper at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA. Later Schwarzkopf loops feature a box frame construction for the track backbone.

History

White Lightnin' opened at Carowinds on 14 May 1977.[2] The attraction closed on 16 October 1988. The park cited high maintenance costs and decreasing ridership as the reasons for closure.[3] The land was used for the park's new water park. It was relocated to its current location at Gold Reef City, where it reopened in 1989 as Golden Loop.

Design

Elements

Golden Loop launches out of the station straight into a vertical loop and up a 70-degree spike. The train falls back down backwards through the loop, past the station, and up a second spike. Finally, the ride falls back down and is stopped in the station.

The trains on Golden Loop are painted the colours of the South African flag.

Color scheme

Yellow track and supports, used to be aqua track and supports, with white track and supports in Carowinds.

Trains

Single train with 7 cars. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 28 riders per train. Riders are secured by lap-bars.

Images

References

  1. http://www.joyrides.com/sfmm/revolution3.htm
  2. "1977 Park Brochure - Shane's Amusement Attic".
  3. Poteat, Cassandra (September 20, 1988). "The Last Scream: Carowinds Will Retire White Lightnin'". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

External links

Tallest roller coaster
tied with
King Kobra
Tidal Wave

1977 - 1978
Preceded by
Giant Coaster
Tallest roller coaster
tied with
King Kobra
Tidal Wave

1977 - 1978
Succeeded by
Montezooma's Revenge


Articles on Gold Reef City
Articles on Carowinds