Corkscrew (Cedar Point)

Corkscrew
The final inversion on Corkscrew
Location	Cedar Point
Coordinates	41°29′1″N 82°41′7.25″W / 41.48361°N 82.6853472°W / 41.48361; -82.6853472Coordinates: 41°29′1″N 82°41′7.25″W / 41.48361°N 82.6853472°W / 41.48361; -82.6853472
Status	Operating
Opened	May 15, 1976
Cost	$1,750,000 USD
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Designer	Ron Toomer
Model	Looping corkscrew roller coaster
Track layout	Out and Back
Height	85 ft (26 m)
Drop	65 ft (20 m)
Length	2,050 ft (620 m)
Max speed	48 mph (77 km/h)
Inversions	3
Duration	2:00
Capacity	1800 riders per hour
Height restriction	4 ft 0 in (122 cm)
Corkscrew at RCDB
Pictures of Corkscrew at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

Corkscrew is a roller coaster at the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. When built in 1976, it was the first roller coaster in the world with 3 inversions.

The ride is located on the midway directly across from Top Thrill Dragster, between Power Tower and Magnum XL-200. Corkscrew was the first coaster to have inversions featuring a walkway underneath. It consists of an elevated station that houses the patriotic cars, made in combinations of red & white, white & blue, and blue & white. They are designed in this manner because they debuted in 1976, the U.S. Bicentennial.

General

Riders leave the station when the ride operator releases the pneumatic station brakes. The slight decline of the station allows the car to roll out down a small drop and around a declining 180 degree curve until the train reaches the chain lift. The lift operates at or near a speed of 5 mph (8.0 km/h) and ascends, at a 30 degree angle, an 85 foot (26 m) lift hill; then riders are dropped 65 feet (20 m) at a 45 degree angle, gaining speed up to 48 m.p.h (77 km/h). The next element is a bunny hop, so named for the quick rise and fall. It then goes through a vertical loop (Corkscrew opened only 8 days after the first modern coaster to feature a vertical loop, Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain). It then coasts up a slight incline and curves around a 180 degree slight decline, heading into the twin corkscrews over the midway of the park. In the "eye" of the corkscrews, it is traveling at 38 mph (61 km/h). It completes two corkscrew loops, comes through trim and block brakes, and coasts back into the station.

The ride is 2,050 feet (620 m) long, consisting of blue tubular steel track with a 48-inch (1,200 mm) separation between tubes, built on 5 acres (20,000 m²), rides for 1 minute and 40 seconds, and has three 24-passenger trains. Almost daily, a train is transferred off the track once ridership reaches a point that permits two-train operation with little or no waiting in line. A different train is cycled off each day. The ride was designed by Ron Toomer and built by Arrow Dynamics, and the same can be said for many thrill rides at the park, from the classic Cedar Creek Mine Ride to the 200+ foot Magnum XL-200. The total cost of construction was $1.75 million, and the ride has had over 30 million total riders since opening in May 1976.

References

External links

• CedarPoint.com - Official Cedar Point Page

Preceded by Corkscrew

First coaster with 3 inversions May 1976–March 1980

Succeeded by The Demon