XLR-8

Watch the on-ride POV
Load video YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy ContinueDismiss

XLR-8

Six Flags AstroWorld Location Houston, Texas, USA Coordinates 29.674011°N 95.405848°W / 29.674011; -95.405848 Park section Mexicana Status Defunct Operated May 12, 1984 to October 30, 2005 Cost $3,200,000 Rider height 42 inch minimum
Statistics
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Product	Suspended Coaster
Type	Steel - Suspended - Semi-Backwards
Riders per train	28
Propulsion	Two chain lift hills
Height	81 feet
Top speed	31.4 mph
Length	3000 feet
Inversions	0
Duration	2:11
HELP

This picture from 2004 shows the orientation of the cars - 3 forwards and 4 backwards.

XLR-8 was a steel suspended roller coaster manufactured by American firm Arrow Dynamics that was previously located at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas, USA.

History

XLR-8 opened in 1984. It was manufactured by Arrow Dynamics (then called Arrow-Huss) and was the second suspended coaster built by Arrow, fixing the problems of the failed Bat at Kings Island.

For AstroWorld's Fright Fest 2002 event, the last four cars were reversed, which had never been done before on a suspended roller coaster. The name was also switched to 8-RLX. The change was successful and the trains remained like that until AstroWorld's closure in 2005, however the name was reverted after the Fright Fest.

AstroWorld closed permanently on October 30, 2005 following Six Flags' decision to sell the plot. On February 3, 2006 the ride was sold for $50,000 as scrap. The trains were sent to Six Flags Magic Mountain as spare parts for another Arrow suspended roller coaster, Ninja.

Design

Elements
Chain lift hill Chain lift hill Helix

Color scheme

When XLR-8 opened, it had light blue track and white supports. At some point, it was repainted entirely dark blue. For the 2004 season, XLR-8 was repainted orange with turquoise supports.

Trains

2 trains with 7 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 28 riders per train.

External links

• 

  XLR-8 on the Roller Coaster DataBase.