Beyond The Track: An Exploration and Synthesis of Three Roller Coasters

Abstract

There is more beyond the surface of a roller coaster than just hills and drops. Every functional coaster on earth has scrutinous engineering and special principles behind it. Not all coasters are built equally, though. A handful of manufacturers from across the globe are responsible for fabricating these steel machines. Each manufacturer has its own unique style of track, support structure, and train design. Moreover, each company follows different layout guidelines and principles. The specialties of three vastly different roller coaster manufacturers are compared throughout this paper, including their history, highlights, and pitfalls. The three manufacturers under consideration are Bolliger and Mabillard (“B&M”), Gerstlauer, and Rocky Mountain Construction (“RMC”). To study their unique styles, a specific coaster built by each manufacturer is being evaluated. Dueling Dragons, a defunct inverted coaster that once stood at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, is being analyzed to represent B&M’s coasters. The Smiler, an infamous fourteen-looping coaster at Alton Towers, is explored to exemplify Gertslauer’s engineering. Finally, Iron Gwazi, a yet-to-open hybrid coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, is evaluated to understand RMC’s rides. Overall, this paper analyzes a coaster that does not exist anymore, one that is still operating as of May 2021, and an unopened ride as of the date of this paper’s authorship. To streamline the study of each coaster and manufacturer, each was evaluated via a variety of lenses. The first of these lenses, Manufacturer Overview, gives brief insight into the history and basics of each engineering firm. Following, Important Dates and History provides a backstory of the conception, design process, opening, struggles, and changes to each coaster. Afterwards, specific lenses such as Track Design, Support System, Train Design, Programming, and Lift System meticulously explore the details of each topic. These five lenses were selected because each aspect is quite different between all three manufacturers. Then, Ride-Through Description provides a detailed written explanation of the coaster’s experience from an on-ride perspective. Thematic Marketing discusses the theme of the coaster and its related advertising campaign. To draw conclusions, Highlights of the Manufacturer and Pitfalls of the Manufacturer describe what the company excels at based on the previous analysis, and what they can improve upon. To expand further, Redesign Considerations proposes realistic changes that could improve the coaster under consideration. The Summary lens restates all the notable points about the ride, and why the coaster and its manufacturer are important to the amusement industry. After the analysis of the details, strengths, and weaknesses of each manufacturer, a new hypothetical coaster named Galactic Twist is proposed. This coaster would combine the best elements and engineering principles from all three manufacturers’ roller coasters into one exemplary ride. Towards the end of this study, potential ways that both guests and ride operators can improve safety are discussed.