Pipeline roller coaster

The Pipeline Coaster is a roller coaster model where the trains ride between the tracks as opposed to a traditional roller coaster where they ride above them. The concept was first developed by Japanese ride company TOGO, and was known as the Ultra Twister. They built six installations of the design, and four are still in operation. Arrow Dynamics created an alternate version of the concept, but it never made it past the prototype stage in development.[1] Intamin also experimented with the pipeline concept and built and relocated one model, known as the Spiral Coaster,[2] but it is no longer operating. Some of the drawbacks of the design include the need for large, uncomfortable over-the-shoulder restraints as well as the obstruction of the riders' view by the enclosed pipe structure.

Pipeline roller coaster
Ultra Twister at the defunct Six Flags Astroworld, a TOGO pipeline coaster
StatusDiscontinued
First manufactured1984
No. of installations12
ManufacturersTOGO, Intamin
Riders per row2
Restraint StyleOver-the-Shoulder

History

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TOGO developed the first Pipeline coaster and the first recorded Ultratwister coaster built was in 1985 at Tokyo Dome City amusement park in Tokyo, Japan called Ultra Twister. The ride became somewhat popular in Japanese parks, and one year after the first was built, Six Flags purchased one of these coasters for their Six Flags Great Adventure theme park, where it resided until 1990 when it was moved to Six Flags Astroworld until the park closed in 2005. This coaster would remain the only pipeline coaster in America. The American Ultratwister remained stored at Six Flags America until its removal.

TOGO's model would be the only somewhat successful design. Six of these were made and were successful in small parks due to its small footprint. The ride inverts riders three times through three Heartline Roll elements and utilizes a special near-vertical lift hill. The lift hill would be prone to down time for maintenance and the Ultra Twister owned by Six Flags had its lift hill modified by Premier Rides to a less steep angle when it was moved to Six Flags Astroworld.

Throughout the early 1990s, Arrow Dynamics attempted to develop a pipeline roller coaster. Only one of these was built as a prototype at Arrow's facility in Utah. Plans for the coaster were scrapped altogether due to roughness and other factors. In the early 1990s, John Wardley attempted to build one at Alton Towers, but this was scrapped for the coaster Nemesis after Wardley rode the Arrow prototype and disliked the experience it offered.

In the mid 1990s, Intamin built a spiral roller coaster in South Korea. Not much is known about the design, but only one of these coasters were built. This Spiral Coaster was relocated to Kuwait and opened in 2000 at Al-Sha'ab Leisure Park, but it was closed in 2005 after only five years of operation. The ride remained SBNO until its removal in 2017.

Installations

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Coaster Park Manufacturer Opened Status
Ultra Twister Megaton Mitsui Greenland - Arao TOGO 1994 Operating
Spiral Coaster
Formerly Sky Plaza Comet
Al-Sha'ab Leisure Park
Sky Plaza
Intamin

2000
1996
Defunct
Closed 2005
Closed 1999
Ultra Coaster
Formerly Ultra Twister
Marah Land Sabahiya
Ikoma Skyland
TOGO

2008
Unknown
Defunct[3]
Closed 2005-2006
Unknown
Formerly Ultra Twister
Formerly Ultra Twister
Six Flags America
Six Flags AstroWorld
Six Flags Great Adventure
TOGO


N/A
1990
1986
Defunct (Scrapped)
Closed 2005
Closed 1988
Ultra Twister Washuzan Highland TOGO 1991 Operating
Ultra Twister Nagashima Spa Land TOGO 1989 Operating
Ultra Twister
Rusutsu Resort
World Food Festival
TOGO

1989
1988
Operating
Closed 1988
Ultra Twister Tokyo Dome City TOGO 1986 Defunct

References

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  1. ^ Wardley, John. "The creation of Nemesis". Alton Towers Almanac. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  2. ^ Marden, Duane. "Sky Coaster  (Al-Sha'ab Leisure Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  3. ^ Marden, Duane. "Ultra Coaster  (Marah Land Sabahiya)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved Aug 11, 2020.
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