El Loco (roller coaster)

El Loco is a model of steel roller coaster manufactured by S&S Worldwide. The rides are characterised by a vertical or beyond-vertical drop, tight corners and abnormal banking. As of November 2013, there are six El Locos operating around the world.[1]

This article is about the model of roller coaster manufactured by S&S Worldwide. For the specific installation of this coaster model at Adventuredome, see El Loco (Adventuredome).

El Loco
An overview of Steel Hawg at Indiana Beach
StatusIn Production
First manufactured2008
No. of installations6
ManufacturerS&S Worldwide
El Loco at RCDB

History

The first El Loco was Steel Hawg at Indiana Beach.[1] The ride was announced in November 2007 as having a 120° first drop and a planned opening date in mid-May 2008.[2] However, these were revised to a drop angle of 111° and an opening date on July 5, 2008.[3] The ride drop angle was the steepest in the world at the time, taking the record from a series of Gerstlauer Euro-Fighters which shared the record with drops of 97°. The design of the outward banking turn found on the ride was developed by Alan Schilke of Ride Centerline LLC.[4]

Mumbo Jumbo at Flamingo Land was the next El Loco to be constructed. In order for the ride to take the world's steepest drop record from Steel Hawg, the drop angle was increased to 112°.[5] All other elements of the ride remained the same. The ride opened on July 4, 2009.[5]

The biggest El Loco is Green Lantern Coaster at Warner Bros. Movie World.

In 2011, S&S Worldwide set about building two El Loco roller coasters.[1] The first was Timber Drop at Fraispertuis City which opened on July 2, 2011.[6] Following the trend from the previous versions, this ride had an increased drop angle of 1° (making the drop 113°) to claim the world record.[6] This record was short-lived with Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland claiming the record just two weeks later.[7] Also in 2011, Warner Bros. Movie World collaborated directly with S&S Worldwide to develop an El Loco roller coaster that was unlike the previous models of Mumbo Jumbo, Steel Hawg and Timber Drop. The park wanted the same style of ride, but with increased capacity.[8][9] S&S Worldwide came up with a new train design which features four across seating in two rows, totalling eight riders per train.[10] This gives the ride double the capacity of the previous El Locos. The trains are articulated in such a way that the first row of four riders moves independently from the second row.[11] Each seat features a pair of stereo speakers in the head rest which are capable of playing multiple tracks for up to 9 minutes on a single charge.[8][12] Riders are harnessed in to the ride through the use of lap bars and seat belts.[10] This design was showcased by the company at the 2011 IAAPA Attractions Expo.[13] The ride also features a drop angle of 120.5° – the second steepest in the world.[14] Green Lantern Coaster officially opened on December 23, 2011.[15]

In 2013, a new El Loco was opened at Happy Valley, Tianjin named Crazy Bird, featuring a 120° drop.[16]

Circus Circus Las Vegas opened the first indoor El Loco on a custom track layout to fit an existing space in February 2014. It is the second indoor installation at the Adventuredome.[17]

In March 2014, an El Loco named Twist Coaster Robin was opened in Yomiuriland in Japan. The ride featured a layout that differed from the previous models, although the elements were similar. The coaster closed in the same month it opened, and it remained closed until it was demolished in March 2016.[18]

Locations

As of February 2014, there are five El Locos operating around the world with two more under construction.[1]

NameParkLocationOpening dateStatusDrop angleRef.
Crazy BirdHappy Valley, Tianjin Dongli, Tianjin, ChinaDecember 22, 2013Operating120°[16]
El LocoAdventuredome Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesFebruary 18, 2014Operating90°[17]
Green Lantern CoasterWarner Bros. Movie World Gold Coast, Queensland, AustraliaDecember 23, 2011Operating120.5°[14][15]
Mumbo JumboFlamingo Land North Yorkshire, England, United KingdomJuly 4, 2009Operating112°[5]
Steel HawgIndiana Beach Monticello, Indiana, United StatesJuly 5, 2008Operating111°[3]
Timber DropFraispertuis City Jeanménil, Vosges, FranceJuly 2, 2011Operating113°[6]

Ride experience
The first drop on Timber Drop at Fraispertuis City

The majority of El Loco roller coasters begin with a U-turn out of the station. Riders ascend a chain lift hill before going down a small dip and into an s-bend followed by a U-turn. After a slight ascent, the car enters a beyond-vertical drop. The track then returns to approximately two thirds of its original height before entering the first set of block brakes. These brakes lead into a left turn with reverse or outward banking. It then drops under the block brakes and into the first inversion – a Dive Loop. The inversion begins with half of an inline twist which transitions into half of a vertical loop. Upon exiting the inversion the track makes an incline and into a second set of block brakes. The train then goes around a right U-turn and into the second inversion – a downwards inline twist. This leads into a cutback-style turnaround before entering the final brake run and returning to the station.[19][20][21]

Records

As of December 2012, the operating El Loco roller coasters are four of the five steepest roller coasters in the world. Three of these rides held the Guinness World Record for a period of time.

Steepest steel roller coasters
Rank Name Location Drop angle Record held Ref.
2 Green Lantern Coaster Warner Bros. Movie World 120.5° N/A [15]
3 Crazy Bird Happy Valley 120° N/A [16]
4 Timber Drop Fraispertuis City 113° July 2, 2011 – July 15, 2011 [6]
5 Mumbo Jumbo Flamingo Land 112° July 4, 2009 – July 1, 2011 [5]
6 Steel Hawg Indiana Beach 111° July 5, 2008 – July 3, 2009 [3]
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See also

References
  1. Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results  (El Loco)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  2. "Steel Hawg Roller Coaster To Debut At Indiana Beach In 2008" (Press release). Indiana Beach Amusement Park. November 28, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  3. Marden, Duane. "Steel Hawg  (Indiana Beach)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  4. Ruben, Paul (2009). "Demented Design". RollerCoaster! Magazine. Zanesville, Ohio: American Coaster Enthusiasts. 30 (2): 42. ISSN 0896-7261.
  5. Marden, Duane. "Mumbo Jumbo  (Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  6. Marden, Duane. "Timber Drop  (Fraispertuis City)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  7. Toto, Serkan (July 12, 2011). "Takabisha: Japan Gets World's Steepest Roller Coaster (Videos)". Tech Crunch. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  8. Rohwer, Kevin (November 15, 2011). "IAAPA 2011 Trade Show Part 1 Orlando Florida Theme Park Review Intamin S&S Gravity Group". Interview (Video). YouTube. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  9. Rohwer, Kevin (November 15, 2011). "S&S World Wide". Interview (Video). YouTube. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  10. Marden, Duane. "Green Lantern Coaster – Concept Art  (Warner Bros. Movie World)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  11. Warner Bros. Movie World. "12 Days of Green..." Facebook. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  12. Saurine, Angelina (December 23, 2011). "Southern Hemisphere's steepest roller-coaster opens at Movie World". The Australian. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  13. Kubersky, Seth (December 1, 2011). "Live Active Cultures". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  14. Warner Bros. Movie World (December 20, 2011). "Does GL have the..." Facebook. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  15. Marden, Duane. "Green Lantern Coaster  (Warner Bros. Movie World)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  16. Marden, Duane. "Crazy Bird  (Happy Valley)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  17. Marden, Duane. "El Loco  (Adventuredome)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  18. Marden, Duane. "Twist Coaster Robin  (Yomiuriland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  19. Wilson, Richard (October 22, 2011). "Movie World, October 22, 2011". The Parkz Update. Parkz. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  20. Alvey, Robb (July 28, 2010). "Mumbo Jumbo Roller Coaster POV – Flamingo Land, UK". Video. YouTube. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  21. Village Roadshow Theme Parks (December 21, 2011). "GREEN LANTERN Coaster POV". Video. YouTube. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
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