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The Next Tallest, Fastest Rollercoaster

Waffleman

Waffleman

Mega Poster
Shambhala opened today at Port Aventura, and is the tallest coaster in Europe, but not the fastest. As of late the tallest and fastest rollercoasters in the world have become two different rides, which is the first time in theme park history that this has ever happened. I am personally very glad that Shambhala isn't an Intamin launch coaster with a massive top hat, but it lead me to wonder what the future of the tallest fastest rollercoasters in the world has in store for us. Are we now doomed to just have the worlds tallest coasters be huge Intamin launch coasters, will the tallest rollercoaster in the world be one with a climb-hill ever again?
 
I can't imagine a traditional chain lift ever taking the title of tallest coaster again. Maybe a coaster with a cable lift could do it, but I reckon the cost factor will prevent it from happening.

Generally i'd say there is corrolation between the time the ride takes to reach its highest point and the overall legnth of the ride - Launch coasters reach that point quickly and you get a thrill out of the launch itself, so you often don't see much of a layout afterwards. Compare that to a lift hill coaster, if you've spent 30-60 seconds actually getting to the top of the hill, you expect the layout which follows to be longer to make it seem worthwhile.

Even with a cable lift, if you're going up a >460ft hill its going to take a while to reach the top, plus when the train reaches the bottom of the hill it's built up a huge amount of energy, most parks can't afford/wouldn't pay what it would cost to build a layout that would make it all worthwhile.

Add to that the issues of actually designing and engineering a >460ft lift hill and the cost of maintaining it and I think it's out of reach.
 
This is the sort of thing I could see SF doing at one of their major parks, most likely SFMM, SFGAm, or SFOT seeing as SFGAdv still has the tallest coaster record. Most likely I would see it coming from Intamin with an I305 style lift hill but pitched at 50 degrees or more with a third major support column.

The main problem is that the coaster would most likely not also be the fastest in the world even if it clears the lift hill at say 25 mph because the terminal velocity of a coaster train I would guess at being no more than 135 mph unless it was highly modified to reduce drag as much as possible and ran on ultra slick wheels.
 
Yup. SD2K is going to be the tallest traditional coaster for a VERY long time.

Although, I could see a Chinese park trying to go after one or both records...

Financially speaking, the payback is just too tough. Steel is very expensive these days, and making such a tall AND fast coaster will be hugely expensive.
 
No chance of a 460ft lift hill ever happening. I think Intamin stratas are the only type of coaster that will ever claim the tallest record again.

I suppose the fastest record will one day reach a limit, a coaster train can only be launched so fast.

If a park ever does decide to build a taller and faster Ka, I guess it could be faster than Formula Rossa to re-unite the records.
 
spicy said:
I suppose the fastest record will one day reach a limit, a coaster train can only be launched so fast.
Click to expand...

Correct me if wrong, but isn't it all to do with the rate of acceleration in terms of G-Force?

As for the trains and wheels coping with the speed themselves, that's a different issue.
 
I half suspect the next tallest full-circuit coaster in the world will be Steel Dragon 2000. Both TTD and Ka are insanely expensive to maintain, and sooner or later, keeping them running will cost more than they're worth.

Though, as stated this is only a half suspicion. After all, we're talking about many years in the future. Perhaps the entire launch sections of TTD and Ka will be replaced without anybody touching the tower. Perhaps the coasters will live on with new trains and completely new electronics. Perhaps SD2K will be torn down first, or some Chinese park builds an actual Teracoaster (Lift hill coaster taller than 100 metres). Either way, I doubt another Stratacoaster will be built in the immediate future. I don't think aiming for the height record is profitable any more.


As for the speed record... well, there are lots of possibilities. Perhaps the launch of the next speedster will go in a wind tunnel to decrease air resistance on the train. Perhaps they finally get the railgun launch to work properly. Or they might reuse energy from the initial launch when braking it down immediately after. Let's face it, it isn't at all profitable to break the speed record and then have a full layout without trimming. To avoid excessive stress on the train and track, you need to kill the speed somehow before going lateral; TTD and Ka achieve this by launching into a steep incline, which handily enough also turns the train around (so you don't need the equivalent of a full air strip length for the coaster). I think "launch, then brake, then layout" is the future for all record breakers, or for that matter all coasters exceeding 200 km/h.


I'd love to be proven wrong, though.
 
I like to think someone will one day have the idea of strapping a coaster on to the side of a large building or viewing tower.

Im not saying it would be a brilliant idea, but it seems like something the people in Dubai would do. And then there would be the chance of a record being broken again.
 
^^ You could well be right with the launch-brake-layout theory, but I hope it doesn't happen much more because it's just annoying. It's obvious that the only reason a ride like that is build is to claim the record, it's like a greedy kid snatching something that looks cool and then not having a clue what to do with it.

If a park just wants to go for the record without attempting to actually put the speed to some use once it's achieved they might as well just construct a bigger verision of Superman: Escape/Tower of terror and then build a seperate ride with a launch/lift hill that is suitable for the desired layout. Yeah sure it might cost slightly more but you get two attractions out of it plus you have more flexibility when it comes to the manufacturer/ride type of the second coaster.
 
There were plans for a coaster down the side of the Stratosphere which got turned down due to cost. Would have been about 909ft tall and make KK look tiny.
 
Thekingin64 said:
There were plans for a coaster down the side of the Stratosphere which got turned down due to cost. Would have been about 909ft tall and make KK look tiny.
Click to expand...
Really? I don't think that really happened.
 
Yep. Plans were submitted and everything. Never went through to the actual building process. Plus, it was only 700, not 909. The public said no, so the project got scrapped, and Arrow died soon after.

fish-hook-roller-coaster-statosphere.jpg


Was just a giant fish hook was all that would have come off the side of the Stratosphere and crossed over the Strip

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I so wish that would have been created, I remember when it was announced what they wanted to do, EVERY enthusiast knew straight away it wasn't gonna go ahead, shame really.
 
Im glad you could see SFGAm goin for the record cause though thatd be incredibly delicious for my park, we have a 330ft height limit. :( Nothing can be taller than Sky Trek Tower. Anything over 120/125ft needs a height variance by Gurnee. Thats why X-Flight was "smart" on being an even 120ft lift so it wouldnt need that variance. Now If I'm correct however, they did get the variance last year/2010 for that rumored 154ft tall standup *cough cough CHANG* but we know where that went, literally.
 
Old topic but something that I've thought about for a while.

I'd love to see a record breaking traditional coaster...cracking 100 mph
I have no idea what drop height you'd need to hit 100 mph (anyone smarter wanna help?) but at least 330 feet I'd imagine. Let's say with an 85 degree drop and 15 mph lift. Anyway...Steel Dragon 2K is still the biggest traditional and we're going on 12 years now!

Though I get the biggest issue is scope. It'd be huge, (a quick design I made in no limits was 8500 feet long) and with so many parks getting cramped who could fit a monster like that in? And it'd cost over $35 mill probably.

Anywho, I've thought about the height and speed records and I honestly think we're maxed out.
Speed: How much more can we push it? Maybe 150 mph and get a nice sounding number but that must be near the limit! Also like Formula Rossa you have to slow it down or have some dull, 2 mile long drawn out coaster.

Height: I don't see us reaching 460 feet... either through launch and deff not lift.
Maybe if we used a Divertical type lift, that can take you up 500 feet and drop you?

Are we at the end of the numbers war??
Wouldn't be bad to focus on new designs and styles.
 
For steel, I believe we nearing the end. Traditional lift heights will still increase in small increments, but we wont see a jump more than 20 feet.

I say look at the wooden coasters starting up their own war soon enough (if there is one). With RMC going ballsy with their first proper coaster (that we have seen so far), GG still pushing the conventional limit (plus the Timberliners eventually being used for their bigger coasters. Voyage, I hope you have em next year and the retracking will make it even SEXIER) and GCI FINALLY breaking out of their box, I would say watch North America and China for the battlegrounds. Who knows, Intamin may make another appearance.

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And unless someone buys some land, or does some major shoehorning, I can't think of a park that could fit a 330+ foot, 7000+ foot giga coaster.
Shame, I'd love to see a 100 mph traditional coaster someday.

I never thought about the wooden coasters. Interesting thought, though as we know with size comes roughness so I can't imagine the limit being pushed too far.
Aside from Intamin's but they are barely wood coasters lol

Never been on a GG...are they smooth?
 
I think CP could pull it off. Heck, Holiday World could quite easily (as they own a large part of the woodland around their park, and Will wanted Voyage to be the center of the park in the longrun), but they would never build something that tall

Depends on which one you ride.

Voyage will give you a ride you wont forget, but you either hold the lap restraint or not at all.

Ravine Flyer II is the only other GG i have ridden, but it is supremely smooth from memory.

The rest you will have to ask others.

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Kings Dominion has a good amount of space, but it'd be silly to have 2 gigas! I guess CP neither.
Yeah I can't imagine Holiday World doing such a thing, would be wicked though.

Well we shall see, I kind of glad we may be at the end of the numbers war...I'd like to see more innovation.
B&M surely are cooking something like always.
 
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