Psyclone (roller coaster)

Infobox roller coaster
name=Psyclone


location=Six Flags Magic Mountain
section=
type=Wood
type2=
type3=
status=Demolished
opened=March 23,1991
closed=January 2007
manufacturer=Dinn Corporation
designer=Curtis D. Summers
lift=Chain lift hill
height=95
drop=77
length=2970
speed=50
duration=1:50
angle=53
capacity=1200
cost=$5,000,000
gforce=3
restriction=48
rcdb_number=27

Psyclone was a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Opened in 1991, it was patterned after the legendary Coney Island Cyclone. The Psyclone featured 11 hills, 5 high-speed banked turns, and a convert|183|ft|m|sing=on long pitch black tunnel. It also had the only wooden roller coaster trains ever built by Bolliger & Mabillard.

The ride sustained structural damage after the Northridge Earthquake in 1994 and though repaired to operate safely again, the ride dynamics suffered greatly in regards to vehicle tracking. Major modifications happened, including adding trim brakes that slowed the trains down to the point of making the trains crawl through each turn. The heavy trains took their toll on the track structure, and the coaster became very rough. Because of this, ridership at the attraction had drastically declined, due in part to having earned a poor reputation among park visitors. A 2006 poll of roller coaster enthusiasts ranked Psyclone 178th out of 179 wooden roller coasters worldwide. [http://www.ushsho.com/detailedwoodrollercoasterpollresults2006.htm]

Ride operators at Psyclone were required to load a minimum of 17 passengers in one train prior to dispatch. This policy was enforced to reduce the chances of the vehicles from stalling mid-ride due to lack of momentum.

On January 23, 2007 it was announced by the park that Psyclone would be demolished for future expansion. The coaster closed at the end of the month. That spring, Psyclone was torn down and the location was blocked from guests' view with a sign stating that the land would be reserved for future attractions.

[http://www.dailynews.com/antelopevalley/ci_5065349] Psyclone was dismantled and scrapped during the last week of February 2007.

External links

* [http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/pictures/psyclone/ Psyclone Photos] at Ultimate Rollercoaster.com