Runaway Mine Train (Six Flags Over Texas)

Runaway Mine Train
The station of the attraction
Location	Six Flags Over Texas
Status	Operating
Opened	1966
Cost	1,000,000
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Model	Mine Train
Lift/launch system	Chain
Height	35 ft (11 m)
Length	2,484 ft (757 m)
Max speed	35 mph (56 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	3:00
Capacity	2000 riders per hour
Height restriction	3 ft 6 in (107 cm)
Runaway Mine Train at RCDB
Pictures of Runaway Mine Train at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

Runaway Mine Train (originally called Run-A-Way Mine Train) is a steel roller coaster located in the Boomtown section of Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. Built in 1966, Runaway Mine Train is the oldest roller coaster in the park.

The ride was the first of many mine train roller coasters built across the United States in response to the development of tubular steel rails. The Arrow Development Company, with Ronald Toomer, Karl Bacon, and Ed Morgan, advanced the steel roller coaster and roller coaster technology into a new era.^[1]

In September 2006, Runaway Mine Train was designated an ACE Coaster Landmark by the American Coaster Enthusiasts.^[1]

Ride

The ride features three lift hills. The ride begins with the trip up the first and highest lift. From there it travels around the track to the second lift. The second lift is housed in a building designed to look like a rock crusher. The final lift leads into the "Ace Hotel and Saloon". The "Ace Hotel" was named in 1974 for John 'Ace' Cocharo, a mine train foreman turned ride supervisor. After the lift, the ride drops riders into a tunnel through Caddo Lake, emerging just outside of the final brake run and queue house.^[2]

Design

Runaway Mine Train utilizes tubular steel rails similar to those used on the earlier Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland. This particular coaster has three lift hills and two tunnels. The ride's climax is the final drop after the third lift hill, where the track dives into a 150-foot-long (46 m) curving tunnel below the park's Caddo Lake. This feature is notable as the world's first underwater coaster tunnel. The old-style Arrow Dynamics cars were designed with restraints (lap bars) that can be released only manually.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Plaque at ride location.
2. ^ 'Mine Train' at Parktimes.com