In The Loop #2: Evolution of a Coaster
CoasterJunkie is back once again to amaze you with another article for the "In the Loop" saga. In this article we will discus something that is very, very important in the coaster world. planning and construction. Now, we know that almost everyone is aware that actual construction on a coaster can take anywhere from 6 months up to over a year (as we saw with X). But many people don't realize all the "behind the scenes" work that has to take place before anything even comes close a crane.

Cement Mixers put in footers

As with almost all coasters, the final product starts from an idea. A park will collaborate with several inter-park people before even talking to a coaster company. As many of you know, Dragster was first conceived back when Millennium Force was just a few holes in the ground. So how exactly does a park go from an idea to a marvel of steel? A park will first talk about a new ride anywhere from a few months up to even 10 years before ground is even broken. The "Concept" is the very first step. The park will first decide what kind of coaster they want. This will be the basic preliminary design that they will use to work with a design firm to bring the idea to life. Thoughts will be thrown around a very exclusive group of people to decide which company they will work with and what the project should be based on.

The next step will be to call and talk with a coaster company. The first words that would be exchanged with a park and the company would basically consist of. "We have this idea and we were wondering what you can do with it" or "What can you WOW us with now?" The park may have to call a few companies in order to find out all they can about their idea. In the case of Millennium Force, Cedar Fair first called B&M for their thoughts and found out that they have a strict policy on height. (In other words they refused to go over 250 ft.)

When a park finally establishes a company for their design they will then go on to the next step, which is "Planning and Design". A park and a company will discuss all the possibilities for design based on many factors. These factors include: cost, location, time till opening, capacity and guest satisfaction. When a park finally comes to a preliminary design, including all of these factors, they will work with the company to begin what is known as "The Incubation Period." This is the time spent from preliminary drawings, to actual surveying and ground construction. During this period, the company and the park will work tirelessly until the final design is completely finished and the track is ready to be made and shipped.

Scream! track pieces

The final step is the most interesting and important step in a coaster's life: construction. After every piece of track and support has been delivered and is on site, and after all the groundwork has been finished, including footers and whatnot, actual construction of the coaster will begin. Almost everyone has seen pictures of Six Flag's Magic Mountain's newest coaster, "SCREAM!," and if not, there is an awesome construction gallery on this site located here. We have all watched the crane piece the coaster together and we have watched it grow. The same goes for all you east coaster peeps and Dragster or TTD. But even after all the supports and track are up, work isn't even close to finished.

One of the final steps is also very important but very few know about this. Before a train even comes close to the track for a pull through or test run, another company is called in for electric and control system work. The control system is very important in the fact that it is what keeps the coaster safe and prevents trains from colliding. A control system is basically a bunch of sensors that keep track of a train and prevent it from coming in contact with another train. The control system also sets up the track in "Blocks" so that more than one train may run on a circuit.

To finish up this discussion of how a coaster is born I would just like to say a few things. This is only a shortened version of all the work that is involved in a project. I have been studying coaster design and construction for about 10 years now and I have a vast knowledge of all the parts that must be put into place for a coaster to take its first riders. So if you are into all this "park rivalry" hoopla about who has the tallest or the fastest or the most, just remember that each design is an evolutionary leap in the coaster universe and is equally important as the next. Oh, and a by the way.. I will be seeing you at 420ft in the air and going past at 120mph summer 2k3..