OUT AND BACK COASTERS

An Out and Back coaster probably has one the most simplistic forms of wooden coaster layouts. Basically put, the coaster leaves the station in one direction, turns around and returns along the same line it went out on. It goes out, and comes back. Simple as…However, if that was all there was to Out and Back coasters they would be quite dull. So the thrill of riding an Out and Back coaster comes from the placement of hills along the layout for proper pacing and loads of airtime. To further boost the excitement, many Out and Back coasters are built as racing or dueling coasters. Some parks even turned it up another notch by having one of the trains run backwards. While that practice used to be the norm from the late 1970s through the 1990s, it’s now only done on rare occasions – during Halloween Fright Nights, etc.

Examples:

White Lightning at Fun Spot America, USA
Racer at Kings Island, USA
Tornado at Adventureland, USA
Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion, USA

Steel Variations

It’s no surprise that the Out and Back design also lends itself to steel coasters, in particular Hyper and Giga Coasters. Bollinger & Mabillard have manufactured the most steel Out and Back coasters, but other companies like Arrow and Chance Morgan also have similar designs.

Examples:

Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland
Steel Force at Dorney Park, USA
Fury 325 at Carowinds, USA
Silver Star at Europa Park, Germany

See also: Hyper Coasters & Giga Coasters