Golden Loop

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Golden Loop

roller coaster

Gold Reef City
Location	Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Status	Operating since 1989

Carowinds
Location	Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Operated	1977 to October 16, 1988

Statistics

Manufacturer

Schwarzkopf

Type

Steel - Launched - Shuttle

Product

Shuttle Loop (Weight Drop)

Riders per train

28

Propulsion

Weight drop launch

Height137.8 feet

Top speed57 mph

Length863 feet

Track inversions1

Rider inversions2

Steepest drop70°

Duration0:30

HELP

Golden Loop is a Schwarzkopf launched shuttle roller coaster located at Gold Reef City in 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, Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, USA, and SooperDooperLooper at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania, USA. Later Schwarzkopf loops feature a box frame construction for the track backbone.

History[edit | edit source]

White Lightnin' opened at Carowinds in 1977^[2] and closed on October 16, 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 opened in 1989 as Golden Loop.

Design[edit | edit source]

Elements
Weight drop launch from 0-57 mph in 6.0 seconds Vertical loop Vertical rollback Vertical rollback

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. The track was originally painted blue but is now yellow.

Trains[edit | edit source]

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.

Photo Gallery[edit | edit source]

The rear vertical rollback.

References[edit | edit source]

↑ http://www.joyrides.com/sfmm/revolution3.htm
↑ "1977 Park Brochure - Shane's Amusement Attic". https://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/p_224_4739_carowinds_1977_park_brochure_-_shanes_amusement_attic.
↑ "The Last Scream: Carowinds Will Retire White Lightnin'", The Charlotte Observer (September 20, 1988), pp. 9. Retrieved on January 3, 2021.

External links[edit | edit source]

Golden Loop on the Roller Coaster DataBase.

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

[1] ttp://www.joyrides.com/sfmm/revolution3.htm

[2] "1977 Park Brochure - Shane's Amusement Attic". https://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/p_224_4739_carowinds_1977_park_brochure_-_shanes_amusement_attic.

[3] "The Last Scream: Carowinds Will Retire White Lightnin'", The Charlotte Observer (September 20, 1988), pp. 9. Retrieved on January 3, 2021.

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