- Disaster Transport
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Disaster Transport 
The outside of Disaster Transport Location Cedar Point Coordinates 41°28′52″N 82°40′46.00″W / 41.48111°N 82.67944°WCoordinates: 41°28′52″N 82°40′46.00″W / 41.48111°N 82.67944°W Status Operating Opened May 11, 1985 Cost $3,400,000 USD to build (1985);
$4,000,000 USD to renovate (1990)Type Steel - Bobsled - Enclosed Manufacturer Intamin Designer Intamin Model Bobsled Track layout custom Lift/launch system Chain Lift Height 63 ft (19 m) Drop 50 ft (15 m) Length 1,932 ft (589 m) Max speed 40 mph (64 km/h) Inversions 0 Duration 2 minutes 32 seconds Max vertical angle 27° Capacity 1023 riders per hour Max G force 2.7 Height restriction 3 ft 10 in (117 cm) Disaster Transport at RCDB Pictures of Disaster Transport at RCDB 
Amusement Parks PortalDisaster Transport is an enclosed steel bobsled roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The name of the ride stems from "Dispatch Master Transport", a name which was initially explained during a pre-ride show that has since been removed. However, the origin of the name can still be seen in the ride's logo.[1]
The roller coaster is of the bobsled design, meaning the wheels are not attached to a track as on a conventional roller coaster. The cars—resembling bobsleds -- operate within a steel trough, on which they are allowed to operate freely. This allows the ride to swing from side to side when turning sharp corners, as an actual bobsled would.
Contents
History
The roller coaster originally opened in 1985 as Avalanche Run and was entirely outdoors. Disaster Transport's trains were built by Giovanola. In 1990, ITEC Productions was called in to renovate the ride, completely enclosing it in a dark building. The renovation included the addition of a space-themed queue and ride along with special effect lighting and sound. The changes came at a cost of $4 million; the original ride cost $3.4 million USD. On the outside of the building "12 E" is written, which has caused numerous rumors as to its meanings. On August 3, 2005, it was revealed that it stands for the 12th ride design by the ITEC employee Eric.[2]
Not long after the initial changes to the ride in 1990, the special effects were not maintained and began to deteriorate. Most of the effects today are not active, or have been covered up.[3] Blacklight reactant paint lines the walls, mostly in the form of handprints or outlines of scenes. These give a 3-D appearance when the rider wears special glasses purchased at the beginning of the queue.
Building
The building is also used as a storage facility for the park. Additionally, during "HalloWeekends" much of the original queue area is used to house the attraction Happy Jack's Toy Factory, one of several haunted attractions in the park during the Halloween season.
The ride, though indoors, will close in any type of rain. Because of leaks in the structure, water pools in the trough, warranting a shutdown. Typically, the ride will remain shut down after a period of rain as the crew must cycle several trains through the circuit in order for it to dry.
References
- ^ "Disaster Transport Logo". Point Pics. 2007-04-18. http://www.pointpics.com/details.php?image_id=5543. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ Adams, Tyler; Tony Clark (2005-08-05). "12 E Revealed!". Cedar Point. http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/fun/blog/index.cfm?entry=f64f6de4-a425-4f1a-a853-5998ec97e3aa. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Disaster Transport". The Point Online. http://www.thepointol.com/disastertransport.html. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
External links
Roller coasters at Cedar Point Operating: Blue Streak · Cedar Creek Mine Ride · Corkscrew · Disaster Transport · Gemini · Iron Dragon · Jr. Gemini · Magnum XL-200 · Mantis · Maverick · Mean Streak · Millennium Force · Raptor · Top Thrill Dragster · Wicked Twister · WildCat · Woodstock ExpressFormer: Broadway Trip · Cyclone · Dip the Dips Scenic Railway · High Frolics · Jumbo Jet · Kiddieland Roller Coaster · Leap the Dips · Racer · Scamper · Switchback Railway · Three-Way Figure Eight Roller Toboggan · Wild Mouse · WildcatCategories:- Steel roller coasters
- Bobsled roller coasters
- Enclosed roller coasters
- Intamin roller coasters
- Cedar Point
- Roller coasters introduced in 1985
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