Stand-up roller coaster
A stand-up roller coaster is a roller coaster designed to have the passengers stand through the course of the ride.
| Stand-up roller coaster | |
|---|---|
 The Shockwave at Drayton Manor Theme Park, the only Stand-up roller coaster to feature a zero-g roll inversion. | |
| Status | In Production |
| First manufactured | 1982 (modified), 1984 (purpose-built) |
| No. of installations | 21 |
| Manufacturers | Arrow Dynamics (modified), Bolliger & Mabillard, TOGO, and Intamin |
History
The first stand-up roller coasters in the world were actually built as standard roller coasters. Japanese manufacturer TOGO built Momonga Standing & Loop Coaster in 1979 for Yomiuriland in Tokyo, Japan.[1] Three years later, TOGO built Dangai at the former Thrill Valley amusement park in Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan.[2] Both rides added stand-up trains in 1982, with Dangai opening one day before Momonga Standing & Loop Coaster.[2]
The first stand-up roller coaster in the United States was, like the Japanese roller coasters before it, a modified attraction. Arrow Dynamics built one of its signature corkscrew roller coasters, named Screamroller, at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri in 1976.[3] In 1983, Arrow designed a stand-up train for the attraction, which was subsequently renamed Extremeroller (also known as EXT).[3] However, the track and structure were never designed for stand-up trains, and the original sit-down trains were reinstalled in 1984, remaining in place until the attraction was removed in 1988.[3]
The 1984 season saw two stand-up roller coasters open in the United States. One was, like Extremeroller, yet another retrofit. The River King Mine Train was an Arrow-built roller coaster that opened with its park, Six Flags St. Louis, in 1971. Stand-up trains were added for 1984, and the attraction's name was changed to Rail Blazer.[4] However, like Extremeroller the season before, the track wasn't intended to use stand-up trains and, prior to the start of the 1985 season, the original trains and name were restored.[4] Also in 1984, 350 miles east of Six Flags St. Louis, Kings Island at Mason, Ohio opened the TOGO-designed King Cobra as the world's first purpose-built stand-up roller coaster. The attraction operated from 1984 to 2001.
The last new stand-up roller coaster to be constructed was Georgia Scorcher at Six Flags Over Georgia in 1999. In 2005, Batman: The Escape at the now-defunct Six Flags Astroworld was disassembled and placed in storage at Darien Lake.[5]
Design
Three manufacturers—TOGO, Intamin and Bolliger & Mabillard—have constructed multiple stand-up roller coasters. TOGO's stand-up models feature cars that seat four passengers in two rows of two. Models from Intamin and B&M also seat four riders per car, but in a single four-abreast row.
On a standard roller coaster, the rider is held in their seat by some form of harness, such as a lap bar or an over-the-shoulder restraint. As stand-up roller coasters, by their design, do not have "seats," the harness system must both restrain and support the rider. Typical stand-up roller coaster harnesses are mounted on vertical posts, which allow the harness to adjust to riders of different heights. At the bottom is a seat resembling that on a bicycle, while at the top is an over-the-shoulder harness. TOGO models normally use a lap bar to further secure riders, while B&M models add a seat belt to connect the bicycle seat to the shoulder harness.
With some exceptions, stand-up roller coasters normally feature at least one inversion. These inversions can include vertical loops, inclined loops, dive loops and corkscrews. Only one stand-up roller coaster, the Shockwave at Drayton Manor Theme Park in the United Kingdom, includes a zero-gravity roll.
Installations
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Modified stand-up roller coasters
| Name | Park | Manufacturer | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Momonga Standing & Loop Coaster | Yomiuriland | TOGO | 1979 Stand-up trains added 1982 | Operating |
| Dangai | Thrill Valley | TOGO | 1982 or earlier Stand-up trains added 1982 | Closed 2002 |
| Extremeroller | Worlds of Fun | Arrow Dynamics | 1976 Stand-up trains added 1983, removed by 1984 | Closed 1988 |
| Rail Blazer | Six Flags St. Louis | Arrow Dynamics | 1971 Stand-up trains added 1984, removed by 1985 | Operating |
| Star Jet | Washuzan Highland | TOGO | 1986 Stand-up train added on or before 1998 | Operating |
Purpose-built stand-up roller coasters
| Name | Park | Manufacturer | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Cobra | Kings Island | TOGO | 1984 | Closed 2001 |
| Standing Coaster Formerly Unknown | Rusutsu Resort Otaru Expo | TOGO | 1985 1984 | Operating Closed 1984 |
| Shockwave | Kings Dominion | TOGO | 1986 | Closed 2015 |
| Milky Way | Mitsui Greenland | TOGO | 1991 | Operating |
| Vortex | California's Great America | Bolliger & Mabillard | 1991 | Closed 2016
Operating as a floorless coaster under the name of Patriot. |
| Vortex | Carowinds | Bolliger & Mabillard | 1992 | Operating |
| Fujin Raijin II | Expoland | TOGO | 1992 | Closed 2007 |
| Batman The Escape Formerly Shockwave Formerly Shockwave | Six Flags AstroWorld Six Flags Great Adventure Six Flags Magic Mountain | Intamin | 1993 1990 1986 | Closed 2005, in storage at Darien Lake until it was scrapped 2018. Closed 1992 Closed 1988 |
| The Shockwave | Drayton Manor Theme Park | Intamin | 1994 | Operating |
| Cobra Formerly Stand Up | La Ronde Skara Sommarland | Intamin | 1995 1988 | Closed 2016 Closed 1994 |
| Mantis | Cedar Point | Bolliger & Mabillard | 1996 | Closed 2014
Operating as a floorless coaster under the name of Rougarou. |
| Riddler's Revenge | Six Flags Magic Mountain | Bolliger & Mabillard | 1998 | Operating |
| Georgia Scorcher | Six Flags Over Georgia | Bolliger & Mabillard | 1999 | Operating |
| Green Lantern Formerly Chang | Six Flags Great Adventure Kentucky Kingdom | Bolliger & Mabillard | 2011 1997 | Operating Closed 2009 |
| Apocalypse Formerly Iron Wolf | Six Flags America Six Flags Great America | Bolliger & Mabillard | 2012 1990 | Operating as a floorless coaster under the name of Firebird as of 2019 Closed 2018 Closed 2011 |
| Freestyle Formerly Skyrider | Cavallino Matto Canada's Wonderland | TOGO | 2015 1985 | Operating[6] Closed 2014 |
References
- Marden, Duane. "Momonga Standing & Loop Coaster (Yomiuriland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- Marden, Duane. "Dangai (Thrill Valley)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- Marden, Duane. "Extremeroller (Worlds of Fun)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- Marden, Duane. "River King Mine Train (Six Flags St. Louis)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- Marden, Duane. "Unknown (Darien Lake)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- Marden, Duane. "Freestyle (Cavallino Matto)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
