Top Thrill Dragster
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| Top Thrill Dragster | |||||||||
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| 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 | 1000 | ||||||||
| Propulsion | Hydraulic launch | ||||||||
Height420 feet
Drop400 feet Top speed120 mph Length2800 feet Inversions0 Steepest drop90° Duration0:30
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Top Thrill Dragster is a steel strata roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, USA.[2] It was designed by Intamin, who subcontracted manufacturing to Stakotra Manufacturing.[3] 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.[4]
Rollbacks[edit | edit source]
See Rollback.
Occasionally, if the train does 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.[5]
History[edit | edit source]
Plans for Top Thrill Dragster began in 2000, the same year Millennium Force was built. Footers started to be laid out. In August 2002, Cedar Point announced that they were building a new roller coaster, and that track was onsite.[6] In 2002, construction of the tower began. Cedar Point had to use a 480-foot crane, one of the four in the United States. Top Thrill Dragster was officially unveiled in January 2003.[7]
On May 4, 2003 the ride was opened to the public,[8] being the fastest and the tallest roller coaster in the world. It suffered from technical issues, reopening on July 16 after a period of downtime.[9] 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.
During 2010, the hydraulic systems were overhauled.[10] Top Thrill Dragster was repainted by Baynum Painting for 2016.[11]
Design[edit | edit source]
| Elements |
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Trains[edit | edit source]
Top Thrill Dragster has six trains, with five cars each. Riders are arranged two across in two rows, except for the first car which has only one row. Thus each train seats 18 riders. When Top Thrill Dragster opened, the final car of each train only had a single row as there was an engine, spoiler and tires at the back. These theming elements were later removed and seats installed in their place.
External links[edit | edit source]
- Top Thrill Dragster on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Facts - Top Thrill Dragster - Cedar Point (Wayback Archive)
- ↑ http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/top_thrill_dragster/index.cfm
- ↑ Top Thrill Dragster - Stakotra
- ↑ Attraction Installation - Martin & Vleminckx
- ↑ http://www.xtremecoastin.com/videos/misc_videos/ttdstuck_2005.htm
- ↑ Cedar Point To Build Major New Thrill Ride For 2003 Season - Ultimate Rollercoaster
- ↑ Cedar Point unveils 420-foot coaster - Amusement Today (Wayback archive)
- ↑ Cedar Point's "Top Thrill Dragster" Comes Alive - Coaster Globe (Wayback Archive)
- ↑ Top Thrill Dragster Up and Running Again - Ultimate Rollercoaster
- ↑ The thrill is back— thanks to refurbished hydrauilcs - Hydraulics & Pneumatics
- ↑ Newport company wins contract to paint 2 iconic roller coasters - WCPO Cincinnati
| 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 • Steel Vengeance • Top Thrill Dragster • Valravn • Wicked Twister • Wilderness Run • Woodstock Express | ||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||