Bobsled roller coaster

Roller coaster design

Bobsled roller coaster

Avalanche at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Status| In Production: Mack Rides Discontinued: Intamin, and John Norman Bartlett
First manufactured| 1929
No. of installations| 21
Manufacturers| Intamin, John Norman Bartlett, and Mack Rides
Restraint Style| Lap-bar
Bobsled roller coaster at RCDB

A bobsled roller coaster is a roller coaster that uses a track design that is essentially a "pipe" with the top half removed and has cars that are sent down this pipe in a freewheeling mode. The name derives from the great similarity to the track design used for the winter sport of bobsleigh.

Most modern bobsled roller coasters are made of steel; however, the first bobsled coasters, known as Flying Turns, were made of wood. On October 4, 2013, after seven years of construction, Knoebels in Pennsylvania opened the world's only modern wooden Flying Turns coaster, Flying Turns. The ride was scheduled to open in 2007, but had been delayed due to dysfunctional wheels and other issues. As there were no historic plans available, the new coaster was designed entirely from scratch.

Both the bobsled coaster and the Flying Turns coaster are buildable in the RollerCoaster Tycoon and Thrillville series of video games.

Notably, the Gerstlauer Bobsled Coaster model is not a bobsled coaster by this definition but rather an improvement on the wild mouse.[1]

## Installations

[edit]

As of 2012, 21 bobsled roller coasters have been built. The roller coasters are listed in order of opening dates.

Name | Park | Country | Opened | Closed | Type | Manufacturer | Status |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Flying Turns | Lakeside Park |  United States | 1929 | 1930 - 1954* | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [2]
Flying Turns | Euclid Beach Park |  United States | 1930 | September 28, 1969 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [3]
Flying Turns | Rocky Point Park |  United States | 1931 | 1938 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett/Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters | Removed | [4]
Flying Turns | Forest Park |  United States | 1934 | July 19, 1963 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [5]
Flying Turns | Steeplechase Park |  United States | 1934 | September 14, 1939 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [6]
Flying Turns | Riverview Park
Formerly Century of Progress |  United States | 1935
May 27, 1933 | 1967
October 31, 1934 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [7][8]
Lake Placid Bobsled | Palisades Amusement Park |  United States | 1937 | 1946 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [9]
Bobsled | Coney Island
Formerly Flushing Meadows Park |  United States | 1941
April 30, 1939 | 1974
October 27, 1940 | Wood | John Norman Bartlett | Removed | [10][11]
Flying Turns | HersheyPark |  United States | 1942 (intended) | N/A | Wood | Philadelphia Toboggan Co. | Cancelled | [12][13][14]
Screamin' Delta Demon | Opryland USA† |  United States | April 1984 | October 31, 1997 | Steel | Intamin | Removed | [15]
Schweizer Bobbahn | Europa Park |  Germany | 1985 | — | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [16]
Disaster Transport
Formerly Avalanche Run | Cedar Point |  United States | May 11, 1985 | July 29, 2012 | Steel | Intamin | Removed | [17]
Bobbaan | Efteling |  Netherlands | 1985 | September 1, 2019 | Steel | Intamin | Removed | [18]
La Vibora
Formerly Sarajevo Bobsled | Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Magic Mountain |  United States | 1986
1984 | 2024
1986 | Steel | Intamin | Removed | [19][20]
Reptilian
Formerly Avalanche | Kings Dominion |  United States | 1988 | — | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [21]
Avalanche | Pleasure Beach Blackpool |  United Kingdom | June 22, 1988 | — | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [22]
Munich Autobahn | Kobe Portopialand |  Japan | April 1991 | March 31, 2006 | Steel | Mack Rides | Removed | [23]
Schweizer Bobbahn | Heide Park |  Germany | 1994 | — | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [24]
Alpine Bobsled
Formerly Rolling Thunder
Formerly Sarajevo Bobsled | Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great Adventure |  United States | 1998
1989
1984 | 2023
1995
1988 | Steel | Intamin | Removed | [25][26][27]
Trace Du Hourra | Parc Astérix |  France | March 31, 2001 | — | Steel | Mack Rides | Operating | [28]
Flying Turns | Knoebels |  United States | October 5, 2013 | — | Wood | Knoebels | Operating | [29]
Montanha Russa | Parque Shanghai |  Brazil | — | — | Wood | — | Removed | [30]

* * Denotes that exact closing date is not known.
* † The Screamin' Delta Demon was transported to Old Indiana Fun Park following Opryland's closure in 1998, but was never reassembled and eventually scrapped.[31]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Bobsled Coaster". www.gerstlauer-rides.de. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
2. ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Lakeside Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
3. ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Euclid Beach Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
4. ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Rocky Point Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
5. ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Forest Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
6. ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Steeplechase Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
7. ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Century of Progress)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
8. ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Riverview Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
9. ^ Marden, Duane. "Lake Placid Bobsled (Palisades Amusement Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
10. ^ Marden, Duane. "Bobsled (Flushing Meadows Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
11. ^ Marden, Duane. "Bobsled (Coney Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
12. ^ Jenkins Jr., Torrence (2006). Herbert P. Schmeck The Forgotten Legacy. Knepper Press. pp. 91–93.
13. ^ Rutherford, Scott (2004). "PTC built one Flying Turns at Rocky Point; Hershey's ride was designed, but never built". Amusement Today. Vol. 8, no. 2\. p. 23.
14. ^ "Around The Grounds". Billboard Magazine. June 12, 1943. p. 43.
15. ^ Marden, Duane. "Screamin' Delta Demon (Opryland USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
16. ^ Marden, Duane. "Schweizer Bobbahn (Europa Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
17. ^ Marden, Duane. "Disaster Transport (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
18. ^ Marden, Duane. "Bobbaan (Efteling)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
19. ^ Marden, Duane. "Sarajevo Bobsleds (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
20. ^ Marden, Duane. "La Vibora (Six Flags Over Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
21. ^ Marden, Duane. "Avalanche (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
22. ^ Marden, Duane. "Avalanche (Pleasure Beach Blackpool)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
23. ^ Marden, Duane. "Munich Autobahn (Kobe Portopialand)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
24. ^ Marden, Duane. "Schweizer Bobbahn (Heide Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
25. ^ Marden, Duane. "Sarajevo Bobsled (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
26. ^ Marden, Duane. "Rolling Thunder (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
27. ^ Marden, Duane. "Alpine Bobsled (Great Escape)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
28. ^ Marden, Duane. "Trace Du Hourra (Parc Asterix)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
29. ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Turns (Knoebels)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
30. ^ Marden, Duane. "Montanha Russa (Parque Shanghai)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
31. ^ Marden, Duane. "Screamin' Delta Demon (Old Indiana)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 7, 2012.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Bobsled roller coasters at Wikimedia Commons

* v
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* e

Types of roller coaster

Construction material|

* Steel
* Wooden
* Hybrid

Train configuration|

* Fourth dimension
* Bobsled
* Dive
* Floorless
* Flying
* Inverted
* Mine train
* Motorbike
* Pipeline
* Powered
* Side friction
* Spinning
* Stand-up
* Steeplechase
* Suspended
* Summer toboggan
* Virginia Reel
* Water
* Wing

Track layout|

* Boomerang
* Dual-tracked
* Figure 8
* Launched
* Out and back
* Shuttle
* Terrain
* Twister
* Wild mouse

* v
* t
* e

Intamin

List of Intamin rides

Current roller coaster models|

* Giga
* Hot Racer
* Impulse
* LSM Launch
* Mega
* Mine train
* MotorBike
* Multi Inversion Coaster
* Prefabricated Wooden
* Reverse Free Fall Coaster
* Spinning
* Surf Rider
* Suspended
* Vertical Lift
* Water
* Wing Coaster
* Wing Rider
* Wooden
* ZacSpin

Discontinued roller coaster models|

* Accelerator
* Bobsled
* Space Diver
* Polercoaster (in association with US Thrill Rides)
* Stand-up

Other current rides|

* Bounty
* Flume Ride
* Flying Dutchman
* Giant Drop
* Gyro Drop
* Gyro Swing
* Gyro tower
* Hyper Splash
* Looping Starship
* Mega Splash
* Rapid Ride
* Super Splash
* Tow boat ride

Other discontinued rides|

* Double and triple Ferris wheels
* Freefall

Notable rides|

* Alpine Bobsled
* American Eagle
* The Claw
* Colossos
* Colossus
* Demon Drop
* Disaster Transport
* El Toro
* Escape from Pompeii
* Falcon's Fury
* Formula Rossa
* The Giant Drop
* Green Lantern: First Flight
* Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
* Incredicoaster
* Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril
* Insane
* Project 305
* Jupiter
* Kingda Ka
* Kirnu
* Maverick
* Millennium Force
* Pantheon
* Pegasus
* Possessed
* Shockwave
* Sky Whirl
* Skyrush
* Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin
* Stealth
* Storm Runner
* Superman: Escape from Krypton
* Superman The Ride
* Swiss Bob
* Thirteen
* Thunder River
* Top Thrill Dragster
* Toutatis
* Tower of Terror II
* La Vibora
* VelociCoaster
* Volcano: The Blast Coaster
* Wicked Twister
* Wilderness Run
* Woodstock's Express
* Xcelerator

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