Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Great Adventure)
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| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Product | Custom Looping Coaster | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Ron Toomer | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Steel | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1680 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 173 feet | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Drop | 155 feet | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed | 68 mph | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3800 feet | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Inversions | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2:20 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G-Force | 3.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Great American Scream Machine was a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, USA. Built by Arrow Dynamics, it was the fastest looping roller coaster when it opened in 1989. It was built along with two other sister coasters known as ShockWave (dismantled in 2002) at Six Flags Great America, and Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain, the latter of which still operates today.
The ride was removed in 2010 and replaced with Green Lantern, a Bolliger & Mabillard stand-up coaster.
History
The original plans for the coaster were moved to Six Flags Great America, where it would open in 1988 as ShockWave. This plan was changed following bad publicity and declining attendance at Six Flags Great Adventure during the 1987 season after a rider fell to her death from the upper loop of the Lightnin' Loops coasters. Another plan was worked out with Arrow Dynamics to build a looping roller coaster like ShockWave in order to boost attendance.[2]
Originally, the ride was set to be named Ninja, but there were problems with the crowds drawn to the Ninja coasters in other parks. The park instead named the coaster Great American Scream Machine, after a wooden coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.[2] On September 29, 1988, the ride was finally announced.[3]
Great American Scream Machine had a media preview on April 14, 1989. It opened to the public the following day.[2] Great American Scream Machine was a massive success, and Six Flags Great Adventure's attendance skyrocketed.[4]
After the 1992 season, the tops of the vertical loops were replaced by track with additional strength bracing. This was due to the the amount of stress put on the trains and problems on other Arrow Dynamics coasters, such as ShockWave at Six Flags Great America. The original top of the first loop can be seen in the monkey enclosure at the Wild Safari. Along with this, a trim brake was installed after the first loop. This was not designed to stop the train, it is only used to adjust the speed at temperatures of over 90 degrees.[2]
In 2009, the white train (Liberty) was ad-wrapped as an advert for one of the ride's sponsors, got2b Glued Styling Spiking Glue, a hair gel. This was the first ride in the park to have this, adverts were later placed on Kingda Ka and El Toro trains for Karate Kid and Stride Gum respectively.
Over time, the ride had become rougher.[2] On July 5, 2010, Six Flags Great Adventure announced that Great American Scream Machine would close on July 18.[5] In 2011, it was replaced by Green Lantern, a stand-up roller coaster formerly located at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.[6]
The entrance sign from the ride was donated to the National Roller Coaster Museum.[7]
Design
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After the lift hill and drop, there were three vertical loops, a brake run, the batwing, a double corkscrew before a turn around into the station.
Color scheme
Trains
3 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.
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Theming
All the colors of the ride and the surrounding area resembled the American flag. The track was painted red with white supports. The trains were named Freedom (red), Liberty (white), and Spirit (blue). The ground under the ride had a red and white pattern resembling the stripes on the American flag and the station building was white with blue trim.
Photo Gallery
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One of the three vertical loops -
The roller coaster during demolition -
The blue train entering the double corkscrew -
The ride in 1997 -
View of the station -
The train dropping -
The batwing -
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Entrance after the ride closed
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References
- ↑ "The ultimate roller coaster is a real scream".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Great American Scream Machine". GreatAdventureHistory.
- ↑ "Great Adventure adds 'great' scream machine".
- ↑ "10 Infamous Removed Roller Coasters". Theme Park Crazy.
- ↑ "Great American Scream Machine to close July 18th". Coaster101. July 5, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ↑ "Green Lantern ride opens to roller coaster enthusiasts at Six Flags Great Adventure".
- ↑ McDonough, Doug (2015-08-29). "Plainview home to National Roller Coaster Museum". MyPlainview. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
External links
- Great American Scream Machine on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
- Great American Scream Machine on Coaster-Count.
- Great American Scream Machine on sixflags.com.
| Tallest complete-circuit roller coaster April 1989 - May 1989 | ||
| Preceded by ShockWave |
Tallest complete-circuit roller coaster April 1989 - May 1989 |
Succeeded by Magnum XL-200 |
| Tallest roller coaster drop tied with ShockWave April 1989 - May 1989 | ||
| Preceded by American Eagle |
Tallest roller coaster drop tied with ShockWave April 1989 - May 1989 |
Succeeded by Magnum XL-200 |
| Most inversions on a roller coaster (7) tied with Goudurix Kumba ShockWave Viper April 1989 - May 1995 | ||
| Preceded by Vortex |
Most inversions on a roller coaster (7) tied with Goudurix Kumba ShockWave Viper April 1989 - May 1995 |
Succeeded by Dragon Khan |