I've just released the new edition of my book, Coasters 101: An Engineer’s Guide to Roller Coaster Design. If you purchased the Kindle version previously you get free updates. If you purchased the paperback version, you can get the latest digital version for free now too! The latest edition (third) has pictures, diagrams, new content, a better layout, and other general improvements. My goal is to make this book simply the best, most complete, most detailed guide to designing roller coasters you can find. A few of the most recent reviews tend to agree:
“Very impressive! What a great resource to have..for anyone.” - John S.
“Thanks for writing a very good book. I could not put it down. Lot's of great information. I am a technology and engineering teacher and the information I found here is very helpful in trying to get students more excited about engineering.” Amazon reviewer
Rotation about the track spine
Some of the questions about roller coaster design you will have answered after reading include:
What software do roller coaster engineers use?
What college major is best to become a coaster designer?
How many engineers does it take to design a coaster?
How do roller coasters reach their highest point?
Why don’t coaster cars roll backwards down the lift hill?
Why do wheels on steel coasters come in pairs?
Why do we see so many clones of the exact same ride built at multiple parks?
How does a 4D coaster work?
How much does a roller coaster cost?
How much time does it take to design a roller coaster?
What is the difference between LIM and LSM propulsion?
What sort of background is necessary to get into the roller coaster engineering field?
How do you calculate the amount of power needed for the lift hill?
As a Christmas gift for myself I bought the CoasterDynamix Comet model roller coaster. It's an HO scale detailed replica of a classic wooden roller coaster. I attempted to make a short time lapse video of it under construction.
I also put together a short slideshow of my late grandfather's model train set. The display was taken apart years ago and this was just a small way to be able to remember it by.
RollerCoaster Tycoon for the Nintendo 3D was released yesterday... I think. Amazon.com currently lists it as “Out of Stock.” Not surprising, as the game has been hit by delay after delay, which according to one reviewer (who somehow actually got their hands on the game) “took the game from ‘unplayable and terrible’ to just ‘terrible’.” That’s very troubling and disappointing for all RCT fans to hear. It's been eight years since the last RollerCoaster Tycoon game, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, initially hit retailers. You would think in that time span the developers would have thought of some cool new features other than adding a new story mode.
In fact, RCT3D appears to be missing many features which were a staple of past games, like you can’t name your rides or adjust their color scheme, terrain can’t be modified (which means no tunnels!), no weather, no fireworks, no signs, and many missing ride types.I think one reviewer summed it up best: “RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D is a lazy, featureless shell of its predecessors”.
I have not played the game personally, but RCT3D sadly sounds like it does not deliver the goods. You’re better off pulling out your old copy of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. RCT fans will have to wait until the true RCT4 comes out on PC (if it ever does) to get their coaster building fix.
Have you played Roller Coaster Tycoon for 3Ds? What do you think? Share your review below!
A new website has popped up called RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 release date. While there isn’t really a whole lot of new information, they do list out a timeline of known events and information about the upcoming roller coaster simulation game. They also promise to be the first website to post any updates on the RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 release date as soon as it becomes available, although I don’t expect to hear anything until after RCT3D hits the market.
What is RCT3D you ask? It’s the next installment of the Roller Coaster Tycoon series. However, this latest game is only available on the Nintendo 3DS handheld system. After being delayed several times, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D is still set for a release date of August 28th (which you can pre-order here).
I also encourage you to sign up for the RCT newsletter to be the first to know about a new giveaway contest I will be hosting coming up soon with some prizes geared toward theme park nerds.
If you haven’t noticed, I added a link above to a new page on this blog called Ride Layouts. Here I plan on including links to all my posts where I’ve displayed ride layouts, blueprints, and diagrams, especially those classic Disney attractions.
Today, we look back on another classic attraction of Disney World's Magic Kingdom which is no longer with us. The Skyway was removed from the Magic Kingdom in 1999 after a maintenance worker was killed from falling off a gondola while working on the ride. One unique aspect of this particular ride was the fact that it wasn’t laid out in a straight line like the majority of other similar sky ride type transportation rides. Magic Kingdom’s Skyway had more of a L-shape with a bend in the middle.
Overview and Layout
The Disney Skyway was an aerial tramway providing a scenic overview of the park and stretched from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland in the center of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Guests boarded at either end for a one-way trip to the opposite station, traveling in gondolas (cabins) suspended from a moving cable. Each cabin could accommodate up to four adult guests. For guests boarding at the Tension Station in Tomorrowland, the cabins traveled along the moving cable across the Grand Prix Raceway, came down at the Transfer Station and made a 116 degree left-hand turn, then climbed and crossed Fantasyland ending their journey at the Drive Station. The Skyway ride system consisted of 50 cabins, which traveled on 3600 feet of steel wire rope.
How it worked
Like all Disney theme park attractions, the ride was closely monitored and controlled by a Ride Control System (RCS). Emergency Stops were provided at each station, and the RCS could also stop the ride based on certain fault conditions. The Skyway actually was designed with an auxiliary backup diesel motor. This was only used to cycle out the ride if the main drive motor became inoperable. The motor powered a hydraulic pump which provided hydraulic pressure to one of two motors: one located at the gear box to be used if the main drive motor was inoperative, and a second one located upstairs at the bullwheel to be used if the gearbox was inoperative. The second motor turned a ring gear mounted on the bullwheel to drive the wheel directly when the gear box was disconnected from the torque tube connecting it to the bull wheel.The main motor drive shaft had a double action brake actuated by weights which clamped the shaft after the motor had stopped to dampen out reactive force from the stop and hold the shaft stationary. When the motor was started, a relay energized a coil which lifted the brake thus releasing it. Electrical power was supplied into the Skyway attraction from Reedy Creek Energy Services and the transformers were located inside the west end of the It's a Small World ride building.
End of an Era
The station in Tomorrowland was destroyed in 2009. Even after the ride closed the Skyway station in Fantasyland stood for many years, but has recently been dismantled as part of the New Fantasyland expansion project (which saw the closure of Snow White's Scary Adventures).
Snow White's Scary Adventures was an attraction located in Fantasyland at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. The ride was recently closed forever (May 2012) as part of the New Fantasyland expansion and renovation project. Let's take a look back at this classic dark ride as it lives on in our hearts and memories.
Snow White’s Adventure was based on the Walt Disney film classic of 1937. The attraction brought to life the well known fairy tale of Snow White and her adventures with her little friends, the Seven Dwarfs, and the wicked Queen. Guests were transported via a six-passenger vehicle - themed like a mine car - on a three-minute ride along a 617 foot track. During the ride guests passed through scenes depicting the Castle Courtyard, Queen’s Chamber, Dungeon,Threatening Forest, Frightening Forest, Friendly Forest, Dwarfs' Cottage, Chase Begins, Dwarfs' Mine, the Cliff, Loves First Kiss, and finally They Lived Happily Everafter with Snow White and the Prince. The scenes used effects such as animated props, animated figures, projectors and lighting to create the correct illusions.
How it worked - Disney Magic Unveiled
The Snow White’s Adventure ride consisted of 17 six-seat vehicles. The vehicle consisted of a fiberglass body attached to a chassis. The vehicle rode along a steel track which contained a bus bar. The vehicle was connected to the bus bar through contacts located on the front bogie assembly. These contacts collect the electrical power from the bus bar and transfer it to the motor located on the rear bogie assembly.The mine car themed vehicles were electrically operated and traveled along a guide rail with a bus bar. Safety lap bars automatically engaged as the vehicles left the Load Area. The bus bar was supplied by the attraction main electrical feed at 240 VAC. There were two isolated conductors of the bus bar which are parallel and horizontal to the exterior of the track surface. A third isolated conductor was mounted on the opposite of the track and acted as the ground for the system. The bus bar ran the entire length of the ride track.
Audio-Animatronics(AA) figures
The Snow White ride featured a few Audio-Animatronincs figures. The Animated Figures are mechanical actors (person or animal) designed to perform an action or actions in a show scene. A steel skeletal framework, jointed as required, makes up the figure. The figure is covered with a body form and costume for the character that it portrays. The activity of the figure is controlled by electrical signals. These signals are sent from the show control system (SCS). A combination of components are used to control the movement of the figure. These components include and are not limited to pneumatic valves, mechanical feedback actuators, solenoid valves and first stage valves. Each figure will contain a combination of these components. The actuators and electric motors are contained within the AA figure or the base frame under the figure.
Snow White Ride Blueprint and Overhead Layout
Embedded below is the best official looking layout I could find of the Snow White attraction on the internet.
Galveston Pleasure Pier is one of the few spots in the world that has this many rides over the water! Known as “Coney Island of the South”, the pier juts 1130 feet into the Gulf of Mexico and is 120 feet-wide. The Galveston amusement pier now boasts one roller coaster and 15 other thrilling rides. The original Pleasure Pier stood from 1943 until 1961 when it was destroyed by a hurricane. A soft opening event was held on May 25th, 2012. The total cost of the project is estimated at sixty million dollars but will bring new jobs back to the Galveston area. Three million guests are expected to visit the pier in its first year of operation. The park is located at Galveston Pier 21. There will also be a retail center called Shops at Pleasure Pier on the north side of Seawall Boulevard and a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant will be built to go along with the rides and games.
The main attraction is the brand new, 100 foot tall steel roller coaster dubbed “Iron Shark.” It’s a Gerstlauer Eurofighter style ride compacted into a tiny footprint. The Pleasure Pier's Iron Shark roller coaster will attack when least expected with its 100‐foot vertical lift and beyond‐vertical drop. Tracking at 52 miles per hour, the vehicles will glide the 1,246‐foot coaster track. Check out the video embedded below to see the ride in action:
The pier will feature a number of traditional rides, including a 36-foot double-decker carousel and a 100-foot tall Ferris Wheel. Another highlight of the Galveston boardwalk is the Texas Star Flyer, a 230 foot tall swing ride which swing your dangling feet out over the ocean. Please note, this ride is not yet open as it is still under construction. Rides closed are the Galaxy Wheel, Texas Star Flyer and Revolution.
The Pleasure Pier Galveston theme park is wholly owned by Landry's, Inc.
I started working on a 3D CAD recreation of Verbolten, the new family launched coaster opening at Busch Gardens Williamsburg this year. I found a side profile and overhead blueprint on the internet, making this a very accurate recreation. Below are a few screenshots of the first few turns followed by the straight launch track up into the event building where the Black Forest themed area is. If you're one of those people like me that wonder how large the rails are on a roller coaster I can tell you that for Verbolten the rails are 900mm center to center and are 159mm in diameter.
Compare the screen shots of my track to this picture from Behind the Thrills:
Not sure if I am going to model the entire coaster – it is possible but would take a lot of work. The one large piece of missing information is the terrain.
Coaster Dynamix makes the most realistic roller coaster model kits that you can buy. To date, all revenue from models sod has gone right back into the company to help improve their already fantastic product. They need our help in raising $50,000 in order to start a full production run. I've already pledged my $35 for the launched coaster model to put on top of my desk here at home. If you've got $5,000 to spend you can have them custom design and build your very own working roller coaster model! Make your pledge today.
I just posted an interview with Andreas Wild Stengel Engineering (an interview feature started back in September) to Coaster101. What really intrigued me was his response to this question: "At what stage in the creation of an amusement park attraction does Stengel Engineering become involved?"
And his response " ...sometimes the layout shows dramatically false guesses (in terms of accelerations, clearances, etc.) and we have to redesign the layout entirely. Sometimes this is too late to redo things completely and we have to find a compromise which works for all parties."
Wow! Could he be referring to Intamin projects such as Maverick where they had to remove an entire inversion element? Or Millennium Force where they screwed up the clearance envelope by placing some of the roller coaster's supports too close to the track (pictured below)? I think so. Do you?
This is your last chance to buy this very rare, limited collector's edition of "Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality" which is said to be the best book ever done on a Disney theme park! It's a bit pricey at 115 euros (including shipping anywhere in the world) but that is a lot less than the $1200 it was going for on eBay! If you're a true Disney theme park fan then this book is a must have. There are over 700 high quality photographs from all areas and phases of the design of the Disneyland Paris theme park.
Six Flags New England has posted some great renderings of the new 4-across trains designed by Premier Rides that will be put to use on Goliath (formerly Deja Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain) when it opens. One of the first questions in the comments is what type of software did they use to create the 3D CAD model? Well, to my untrained eye, it looks very much like a SolidWorks model.
One of the most common questions asked by aspiring roller coaster engineers is what software do roller coaster designers use. I already pointed out that Dynamic Structures use AutoDesk Inventor while it appears S&S Worldwide and Premier use SolidWorks.
The holiday gift giving season is upon us and if you’re looking for that special gift for a theme park fan or a roller coaster enthusiast I've got a couple of suggestions for you.
Do you like assembling your Christmas presents? The Lego Carousel is right up your alley. Unfortunealty, the set is no longer being made or sold at Lego stores, so the best you can do is to find it online. At $720.95 on Amazon, it’s not a cheap buy, but the carousel “spins and plays music while the horses and swing boats move up and down.” This is the perfect addition for any special edition collection.
Theme Park Design: Behind The Scenes With An Engineer. Have you ever gone to a theme park and wondered, "How did they do that?" At last there's a book that shows you. Theme Park Design reveals the secrets behind some of the world's greatest attractions. Take a peek behind the scenes, with a theme park engineer.
Another great book for any readers is the American Amusement Park. This marvelous photographic retrospective distills more than 100 years of the sights, sounds, smells and vertigo-inducing thrills associated with the American amusement park.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to design and build a roller coaster? At last, there’s a book that shows you. A mix of engineering and art, roller coasters are complex three-dimensional puzzles consisting of thousands of individual parts. Designers spend countless hours creating and tweaking ride paths to push the envelope of exhilaration, all while maintaining the highest safety standards. Coasters 101: An Engineering Guide to Roller Coaster Design examines the numerous diverse aspects of roller coaster engineering, including some of the mathematical formulas and engineering concepts used. This is an e-book only but you should be able to download a free e-book reader for your PC.
