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Magnum XL-200: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 41°29′7.25″N 82°41′10″W / 41.4853472°N 82.68611°W / 41.4853472; -82.68611
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Revision as of 14:48, 7 July 2011

Magnum XL-200
Riders cresting a hill on Magnum XL-200
Cedar Point
LocationCedar Point
Coordinates41°29′7.25″N 82°41′10″W / 41.4853472°N 82.68611°W / 41.4853472; -82.68611
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 6, 1989
CostUS$ 8,000,000
General statistics
TypeSteel
ManufacturerArrow Dynamics
DesignerRon Toomer
ModelHyper coaster
Track layoutOut and Back
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Inversions0
Duration2:02
Max vertical angle60°
Capacity2000 riders per hour
Magnum XL-200 at RCDB

Magnum XL-200 is an Arrow Dynamics steel hypercoaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1989, it was the first complete circuit roller coaster to break the 200-foot (61 m) barrier. It is considered to have started the roller coaster wars, in which amusement parks competed to build the highest and fastest roller coasters.

Ride Experience

Magnum XL-200 is located in the Top Thrill Dragster midway section of the park. The queue line is located in a shaded area, surrounded by shrubs and trees. Wait times for Magnum XL-200 do not typically surpass 20 minutes, which can be attributed to the ride's high capacity. The queue area is filled with signs listing facts about the ride. The area is typically filled with music from the 1980s, staying true to the decade it debuted.

The station has changed very little from its original appearance. Magnum XL-200 operated with an all female crew in its initial season and remained that way until recently. However, the crew currently has both males and females.

Magnum XL-200 is classified a hypercoaster as well as an out and back roller coaster: the first three hills take riders out (away from the station). After a high-speed pretzel turn, the train then races back through a series of tunnels and small airtime hills.

Airtime (the feeling of extreme negative g forces) is considered to be the highlight element of the ride. The 3rd hill of the ride has been reported to give its riders the feeling of weightlessness for almost 5 seconds.

Details

When Magnum XL-200 opened, it did not have up-stop wheels. Instead, it used pads, similar to those used on Gemini (in fact, Gemini still uses the up-stop pads). Shortly after its debut, however, regular, more-traditional up-stop wheels were added to the trains.[1] Cedar Fair, LP CEO Dick Kinzel has been quoted as saying he was one of the few to ride Magnum XL-200's first train, boarding the train after only one test cycle. Over its entire history, Magnum has only been repainted once. The original color was scarlet red. Painting to moly orange started in 2005 and was completed in 2006; hence, for a period of time, Magnum operated with two different colors.[2] The name Magnum stems from the Latin root for large.[3]

Magnum XL-200 has been the target of false rumors claiming that the structure was sinking due to unstable ground and that plans were to disassemble the ride and sell it to either a Japanese theme park, or a Six Flags park. This rumor supposedly started as an April Fools Day joke in an Ohio newspaper, but quickly spread via the Internet. Cedar Point has quickly denounced such rumors.[4]

Accident

On May 26, 2007 one of the coaster's trains collided with another at fewer than 10 miles per hour (16 km/h), causing minor damage to both trains and minor injuries to at least three passengers. Two people were taken to a First Aid Station, and a third person was taken to a local hospital because of an asthma attack. Fifty-nine people were aboard the two trains. The ride reopened the next day, on May 27, and park spokesman Robin Innes said the accident was caused by rain: "We think it was just caused by excessive moisture on the tracks due to the heavy rain storms we had in the morning".[5]

Awards and rankings

Magnum XL-200 is classified as an ACE Coaster Landmark.[6]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters[7][8][9][10]
Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Ranking
1
1
1
3
3
4
3
3
3
5
7
9
8
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Ranking
11
n/a[11]
13
19
24
33
44
65
46
78
69
58
NAPHA Survey: Favorite Steel Roller Coaster[12]
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Ranking
2
2
3
3
2

References

  1. ^ Sandy, Adam (2006). "Roller Coaster History - Late Eighties". Ultimate RollerCoaster. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  2. ^ "Magnum XL-200 Being Re-Painted!". The Point Online. 2005-03-29. Archived from the original on 2007-12-26. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  3. ^ "Latin: large, big, great". Word Info. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
  4. ^ "Is Magnum XL-200 sinking?". CedarPoint.com. Archived from the original on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  5. ^ Alcorn, Chauncey (2007-05-28). "Rain blamed for Magnum malfunction". Sandusky Register. Retrieved 2007-12-16. [dead link]
  6. ^ ACE Coaster Landmark Awards
  7. ^ rec.roller-coaster FAQ - Amusement Today Top Coasters Poll (1999)
  8. ^ Golden Ticket Awards - Top 25 Steel/Wooden Roller Coasters
  9. ^ Amusement Today
  10. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2010" (PDF). Amusement Today. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  11. ^ There was no steel poll for 2000.
  12. ^ Survey - National Amusement Park Historical Association
Preceded by World's Tallest Complete Circuit Roller Coaster
May 1989–May 1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by World's Fastest Roller Coaster
May 1989–May 1991 		Succeeded by
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