| Click here to watch the on-ride POV |
|---|
| Enjoy the ride! |
| roller coaster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Thrill Dragster | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Statistics | |||||||||
| Manufacturer | Intamin | ||||||||
| Builder | Martin & Vleminckx | ||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH | ||||||||
| Type | Steel - Launched - Strata | ||||||||
| Model / product | Accelerator Coaster | ||||||||
| Riders per train | 20 | ||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1,000 | ||||||||
| Propulsion | Hydraulic launch (0 - 120 mph in 4.0s) | ||||||||
| Height420 feet
Drop400 feet Top speed120 mph Length2,800 feet Inversions0 Steepest drop90° Duration0:30
| |||||||||
| Help - Infobox 3 | |||||||||
Top Thrill Dragster is an Intamin strata roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, USA.[1] It opened in 2003 as the first complete circuit roller coaster to exceed 400 feet in height. It is one of only two strata coasters in existence, the other being Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. Top Thrill Dragster was the second hydraulically-launched roller coaster built by Intamin, opening after Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm. The train is launched to 120 mph in 3.8 seconds.
Top Thrill Dragster uses magnetic brakes provided by IntraSys GmbH. The ride was installed by Martin & Vleminckx.[2]
Contents
Rollbacks[edit]
See Rollback.
Occasionally, if the train did not accelerate to the required speed, it will fail to crest the top hat element and fall back onto the launch track again. This is often a sought after occurrence for the riders because it allows them another launch.[3]
History[edit]
Plans for Top Thrill Dragster began in 2000, the same year Millennium Force was built. Footers started to be laid out. In 2002, construction of the tower began. Cedar Point had to use a 480-foot crane, one of the four in the USA. In 2003, the ride was opened to the public, being the fastest and the tallest roller coaster in the world. The title was taken two years later by Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure.
On July 14, 2004 at around 8:20 PM, four people were struck by flying debris while riding the coaster. Reports indicated that its metal cable frayed as the train was being launched. Shards of metal sheared off of it and struck the riders as the train launched. The riders were left with abrasions mainly on their arms and one rider had cuts on his face. The injured ones were treated at the park's first aid station, and two of them later sought further medical attention on their own.
Top Thrill Dragster was repainted by Baynum Painting for 2016.[4]
External links[edit]
References[edit]
| Tallest roller coaster May 2003 - May 2005 | ||
| Preceded by Superman: The Escape |
Tallest roller coaster May 2003 - May 2005 |
Succeeded by Kingda Ka |
| Tallest complete-circuit roller coaster May 2003 - May 2005 | ||
| Preceded by Steel Dragon 2000 |
Tallest complete-circuit roller coaster May 2003 - May 2005 |
Succeeded by Kingda Ka |
| Tallest roller coaster drop May 2003 - May 2005 | ||
| Preceded by Tower of Terror Superman: The Escape |
Tallest roller coaster drop May 2003 - May 2005 |
Succeeded by Kingda Ka |
| Fastest roller coaster May 2003 - May 2005 | ||
| Preceded by Dodonpa |
Fastest roller coaster May 2003 - May 2005 |
Succeeded by Kingda Ka |
| Roller coasters at Cedar Point | |||||||||
| Present | Blue Streak • Cedar Creek Mine Ride • Corkscrew • GateKeeper • Gemini • Iron Dragon • Magnum XL-200 • Maverick • Millennium Force • Raptor • Rougarou • Top Thrill Dragster • Valravn • Wicked Twister • Wilderness Run • Woodstock Express • unknown | ||||||||
| Former | Broadway Trip • Cyclone • Dip the Dips Scenic Railway • Disaster Transport • High Frolics • Jumbo Jet • Leap the Dips • Loop the Loop • Mean Streak • Racer • Scamper • Super Coaster • Switchback Railway • Wild Mouse • Wild Cat • WildCat | ||||||||