Batman & Robin: The Chiller

Batman & Robin: The Chiller was a dual-tracked, launched roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Designed by Premier Rides, the ride was themed to the Batman & Robin movie. It opened to the public on June 7, 1997. After a series of setbacks shortly after its debut, the roller coaster closed for much of its inaugural season and didn't reopen until 1998. When it did, ride operation was changed to launch only one side at a time as a result of the amount of power required by the ride's linear induction motor (LIM) launch system. Although modifications were made over the years to improve the ride experience and limit the amount of downtime, the park decided to remove the attraction following the 2007 season.

Batman & Robin: The Chiller
The Chiller's main inversions, the 141 ft inverted top hat and the 113 ft cobra roll
Six Flags Great Adventure
Park section Movietown
Coordinates 40°08′12.16″N 74°26′30.75″W
Status Removed
Soft opening date June 7, 1997 (June 7, 1997)
Opening date April 4, 1998 (April 4, 1998)
Closing date June 28, 2007 (2007-06-28)
Cost US$15,000,000
Replaced by Justice League: Battle for Metropolis
General Statistics
Type Steel – Launched – Shuttle
Manufacturer Premier Rides
Designer Werner Stengel
Model Dueling LIM Shuttle Loop Coaster
Track layout Dueling
Lift/launch system LIM launch track
  Batman Robin
Height 200 ft (61.0 m) 200 ft (61.0 m)
Drop 139 ft (42.4 m) 105 ft (32.0 m)
Length 1,137 ft (346.6 m) 1,229 ft (374.6 m)
Speed 65 mph (104.6 km/h) 65 mph (104.6 km/h)
Inversions

1 (2007)

2 (1997-2006)

2 (2007)

3 (1997-2006)
Duration 0:32 0:48
Max vertical angle 90° 90°
Acceleration 0 to 65 mph (105 km/h) in 4 seconds 0 to 65 mph (105 km/h) in 4 seconds
G-force 5 5
Capacity 1360 riders per hour
Restraint Style Individual ratcheting lap bar, formerly individual shoulder harness
Height restriction 54 in (137 cm)
Trains 2 (one on each side) trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Batman & Robin: The Chiller at RCDB
Pictures of Batman & Robin: The Chiller at RCDB

History

Announcement

In 1996, Six Flags Great Adventure announced that it would be adding a new roller coaster in 1997, bringing their coaster count back up to seven. It was then announced that the coaster would be a prototype linear induction motor (LIM) launched dual tracked shuttle coaster dubbed "Batman & Robin: The Chiller". The theme was chosen with the intent of promoting the Batman & Robin film, which was set to open in summer that year. The Observatory scenery piece, that eventually loomed over the launch tracks and exit ramp, was taken directly from the film source material. A track was devoted to both title characters, with the icy blue track being christened Batman and its fiery red companion being labeled Robin. The coaster was located in the Movietown section of the park, adjacent to Batman The Ride, Stuntman's Freefall and "The Batman Stunt Show Arena", while sitting next to the Movietown Water Effect water ride.[1]

Construction and opening

The ride was fabricated by Dynamic Structures and Intermountain Lift, Inc.[2][3] Construction on the Chiller would start in early 1997 with supports rising in April. Following a series of delays, Batman & Robin: The Chiller opened briefly to the public on June 7, 1997.[1] Due to power shortages and other issues, the ride however experienced a lot of downtime.[4] It wasn't considered operational on a full-time basis until 1998.[1]

Operational history and modifications

The Chiller was faced with excessive amounts of downtime, while the launch systems were repaired. However, the Batman side faced more downtime than the Robin side, as parts were being used to maintain the Robin side. In several seasons, the Batman side operated for a few weeks in some seasons and remained closed in other seasons. Due to power shortages or low temperatures, trains occasionally stalled in a low area between the zero-g roll, and the top hat or cobra roll, while the Robin train would also occasionally stall in the cobra roll.

The original hard over-the-shoulder restraints made the ride experience rough. Riders would frequently hit their heads on the restraints. In addition, passengers were advised to remove their earrings before riding. After a failed attempt to add extra padding, the restraints were converted to individually ratcheting lap bars on the Robin train in September 2001 and on the Batman train in June 2002.

In 2004, several modifications were made to the number of LIMs on the Robin tower. In April, 3 LIMs were taken off on both sides of the Robin tower, leaving 4 LIMs per side. In the following month, Robin operated with 7 LIMs on each side of the track. Later that year, the LIMs on the Robin side of the tower failed for an unknown reason causing the train to stall in the zero-g roll. The Batman side was also closed for most of the season, and only operated briefly for a few weeks.

The Chiller was repainted before the 2005 season began, giving a new dark blue color to the Batman side while touching up the Robin side's fading red. The maroon walls inside the station were repainted red. At the same time, two more LIMs were taken off (one per side) the Robin side's tower. The Batman side did not operate at all due to problems with the LIMs on the tower that were smoking from overheating. The Robin side operated during most of the season.

In May 2006, both sides were operating, but only for one month before closing again due to an incident on the Robin side, in which a wheel bogie on the original train malfunctioned.[5] Later that summer, Six Flags Great Adventure announced that the Chiller was closed indefinitely. It did not operate for the remainder of the 2006 season while the park negotiated a complete overhaul of the ride. During Fright Fest, the queue line was covered with decorative cobwebs and a giant inflatable spider.[6]

Between December 2006 and January 2007, both zero-g rolls were removed and replaced with slightly banked inclined S-curve hills. The modifications were done due to concerns of occasional stalling, should the tower's LIMs fail. The track replacement for Robin was completed first on March 13, 2007 while Batman's track was replaced between April 16 and 20. Around the same time, 2 more LIMs were also added back to both tracks of the tower, bringing the total back to 4 per side. Batman's train was temporarily painted red so that the Robin side could use it, while the damaged train was inspected. The ride re-opened with the final modifications with only the Robin side on April 7. The Batman side remained closed indefinitely throughout the season, where three of the five cars from the original Robin train were stored on the storage transfer track. On June 28, the Chiller shut down due to a second wheel bogie malfunction on the Robin train. This time though, it would never open again to the public. At that time, the ride became too expensive and problematic to maintain. So in September 2007, Six Flags Great Adventure announced that the Chiller would not reopen for the 2008 season. Demolition started afterwards and was completed in late fall.[7]

Removal and aftermath

During the end of the 2007 season, the ride was completely removed, leaving only the station, observatory and queue line behind. The following year, the remaining foundation caps under the observatory and the former exit ramp were removed. The ride's parts were relocated to a storage lot in the adjacent Plumsted Township in New Jersey.[8]

The ride remained there for several years before Beto Carrero World, a Brazilian park, purchased the coaster. The ride was never assembled for unknown reasons and was scrapped in 2018.

Following the removal of the ride, the queue line was used for the "Escape From The Asylum" Terror Trail during Fright Fest. The Fright Fest exclusive attraction turned the former ride area into a Terror Trail maze for guests to walk through while costumed employees were hiding and frequently scaring guests. The remodelled observatory opened on July 3, 2009, as the "Xploratorium", a new attraction with many virtual and interactive features for park guests to enjoy.

Ride
Batman & Robin: The Chiller's entrance and the two 200-foot Towers.

The Chiller used a linear induction motor (LIM) launch system that propelled the trains from 0 to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) in approximately 4 seconds.[1] The Batman track featured a 141-foot (43 m) Inverted top hat with a 139-foot (42 m) drop, followed by a 128-foot (39 m) zero-g roll.[9][10] The Robin track had a similar layout, but instead of an inverted top hat, it featured a 113-foot (34 m) cobra roll with a 105-foot (32 m) drop. However, it still used the zero-g roll. [10] Both sides ended at a 200-foot (61 m) incline with a 45-degree angle, which also featured a second set of LIMs that propelled each train close to the top.[10] They rested momentarily before rolling backward down the incline, propelled by the LIMs and repeating the course in reverse.[10]

In its early days, both tracks ran their trains simultaneously as intended to provide a dueling scenario.[11] When operated in this fashion, the trains would reach the end of their respective tracks at approximately the same time.[11] However, the amount of power required by the LIM infrastructure led to the park only launching one train at a time.[11] The zero-g roll element on each side was removed prior to the 2007 season and replaced with small hills.[1]

References
  1. Marden, Duane. "Batman And Robin: The Chiller  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  2. Pryma, Kristy (4 October 2001). "Engineer bridges gap between telescopes and roller coasters". IT World Canada. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  3. "Amusement". Intermountain Lift, Inc. July 30, 2011. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  4. "Batman & Robin: The Chiller At Six Flags Great Adventure". www.greatadventurehistory.com. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  5. "Batman and Robin the Chiller Station - GigaPan".
  6. "2006 Fright Fest At Six Flags Great Adventure".
  7. "Batman & Robin: Chiller Being Dismantled".
  8. Marden, Duane. "unknown". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  9. Futrell, Jim (2004). Amusement Parks of New Jersey. Stackpole Books. p. 196. ISBN 0811729737.
  10. Zalud, Todd (August 6, 1998). "Blasting Speed Into Amusement – Park Rides". MachineDesign. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  11. "90s Steel Coasters". ultimaterollercoaster.com. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
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