American Thunder | |
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Six Flags St. Louis | |
Location | Six Flags St. Louis |
Park section | 1904 World's Fair |
Coordinates | 38°30′45″N90°40′38″W / 38.51250°N 90.67722°W |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | June 20, 2008 |
Cost | US$7,000,000 |
General statistics | |
Type | Wood |
Manufacturer | Great Coasters International |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
Height | 82 ft (25 m) |
Drop | 80 ft (24 m) |
Length | 2,713 ft (827 m) |
Speed | 48 mph (77 km/h) |
Inversions | 0 |
Capacity | 850 riders per hour |
Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
Trains | 2 trains with 12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train. |
Flash Pass Available | |
American Thunder at RCDB |
American Thunder is a wooden roller coaster located in the 1904 World's Fair section of Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. Opened on June 20, 2008, the coaster was originally named after and themed to the famous motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel. It was renamed American Thunder for the 2011 season. [1] To help promote the opening of the then-Evel Knievel Roller Coaster, Knievel's son, Robbie Knievel, jumped a Honda CR-500 motorcycle over 25 Dodge Chargers on July 3, 2008. [2]
As a result of the St. Louis Cardinals losing to the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 National League Division Series, Six Flags St. Louis lost a friendly wager with Six Flags Great America, resulting in the temporary name change of the roller coaster to Cubs Thunder. [3]
This $7 million GCI wooden roller coaster, which is identical to the Thunderbird at PowerPark, features an 80-foot (24 m) drop with a top speed of 48 mph (77 km/h), going through a course of 2,700 feet (820 m) of track. [4] This ride features 16 hills and multiple high banked turns at up to 67° angles. [4] The layout crosses over and under itself seventeen times. This ride also features two 24-passenger Millennium Flyer trains for better cornering. [4]
Year | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2024 |
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Ranking | 44 [5] | 13 [6] | 23 [7] | 22 [8] | 31 [9] | 25 [10] | 31 [11] | 39 [12] | 33 [13] | 40 [14] | 38 (tie) [15] | 39 [16] | 49 [17] | 45 (tie) [18] |
The Beast is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio, United States. Designed and manufactured in-house for approximately $3 million, the ride opened in 1979 as the tallest, fastest, and longest wooden roller coaster in the world. Decades later, it is still the longest, spanning 7,361 feet (2,244 m) across 35 acres (14 ha) of hilly terrain. Two lift hills contribute to the ride's duration of more than four minutes, which also ranks as one of the longest among roller coasters. A refurbishment in 2022 increased the angle of the first drop and lengthened the ride by 2 feet (0.61 m).
Raging Bull is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the ride opened to the public on May 1, 1999. It features a 208-foot (63 m) first drop, a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h), and a track length of over 5,000 feet (1,524 m). It was the second B&M Hyper Coaster model to open in the United States, closely following the opening of Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
El Toro is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened to the public on June 11, 2006. Intamin subcontracted Rocky Mountain Construction to build the ride, and the coaster's track was prefabricated, allowing for quicker installation and lower construction costs. El Toro is the main attraction of the Mexican-themed section of the park, Plaza Del Carnaval. It replaced another roller coaster, Viper, which closed following the 2004 season.
The Comet is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor in Queensbury, New York, in the United States.
Blue Streak is a wooden roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Built by Philadelphia Toboggan Company, Blue Streak opened to the public on May 23, 1964. It is the oldest roller coaster operating at Cedar Point. In 2013, Blue Streak achieved its highest ranking in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication by Amusement Today, ranking 27th among the world's top wooden roller coasters. In 2022, it was awarded a Coaster Landmark designation by American Coaster Enthusiasts.
Balder is a wooden roller coaster at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden. It opened in 2003 and was an instant success.
Screamin' Eagle is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. When it opened on April 10, 1976 for America's Bicentennial celebration, Guinness World Records listed it as the largest coaster at 110 feet (34 m) high and as the fastest coaster at 62 mph (100 km/h). The ride is a modified 'L'-Shaped Out And Back. The Screamin' Eagle was manufactured by the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters and was the last coaster designed by John Allen, who was a designer of roller coasters, believed a coaster should inspire awe, not only from a ride full of thrills, but also from its magnificent beauty. Originally Allen wanted to design a coaster to replace the Comet at Forest Park Highlands, but lack of funds prevented him from doing such. The Screamin' Eagle is reminiscent of the Comet, mirroring its L-shape, but to a much larger scale.
Iron Rattler is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. The ride originally opened in 1992 as Rattler, the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world. It was converted to steel in 2013 by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), led by designer Alan Schilke, and reopened as Iron Rattler. RMC installed their patented I-Box track onto Rattler's existing wooden structure, increasing the drop height from 124 to 171 feet and the maximum speed from 65 to 70 mph. A notable addition to its layout was a zero-g roll inversion, which was a first among hybrid coasters made of wood and steel.
The Boss is a wooden roller coaster located in the Britannia section of Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. It opened on April 29, 2000, and was manufactured by Custom Coasters International. It features a lift hill height of 122 feet (37 m) and a first drop of 150 feet (46 m). Prior to the 2018 season, it also featured a 570-degree helix.
Thunder Run is a wooden roller coaster at the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky. The ride originally operated from August 1990 through to October 2009, when then-operators Six Flags abandoned the park. After remaining closed since 2009, Thunder Run reopened in May 2014 when Kentucky Kingdom reopened under new operators.
Colossos - Kampf der Giganten, German for Colossos: Battle of the Giants, is a wooden roller coaster located at Heide Park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. Manufactured by Intamin, the roller coaster opened as simply Colossos in 2001. Unlike traditional wooden coasters, its track was prefabricated, laser-cut in a factory to a high degree of precision, with sections designed to snap together like Lego pieces. Some of its planks were tightly bonded in multiple layers instead of traditionally nailed together by hand. The roller coaster closed in 2016 due to deteriorating track conditions and reopened in 2019 after refurbishment.
New Texas Giant is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. It originally opened as Texas Giant, which was the tallest wooden coaster in the world when it debuted in 1990. Manufactured by Dinn Corporation and designed by Curtis D. Summers, Texas Giant operated for nearly two decades and was highly-ranked in Amusement Today magazine's annual Golden Ticket Awards. The ride's popularity declined over the years as it gained a negative reputation for increasing roughness.
Jack Rabbit is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by John A. Miller and Harry C. Baker, Jack Rabbit opened in 1920, making it one of the oldest roller coasters in the world still in operation. The ride's three trains were manufactured by Edward Vettel Sr. in 1951 and contain three cars of six seats each. Due to the use of a small lap bar in the cars, some young children are disallowed to enter the ride, as 42” is the minimum. A popular early feature of the ride was a tunnel which covered the turnaround section after the first drop, but this was removed in 1947. In 1991, the tunnel was restored at a slightly shorter length.
Lightning Racer is a wooden dueling roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Built by Great Coasters International (GCI) and designed by Mike Boodley of GCI, the ride was completed in 2000 within the Midway America section of the park. Lightning Racer was GCI's second roller coaster at Hersheypark.
Thunderbird is the name of the northernmost wooden roller coaster in the world, located at PowerPark in Alahärmä, Western Finland. The two Millennium Flyer trains operating it were manufactured by Great Coasters International (GCI). It is the basis for American Thunder at Six Flags St. Louis
Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster located at Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Manufactured by Great Coasters International, the ride opened on April 3, 2004, as the anchor attraction of a new section added to the park that season called Thunderhead Gap. Thunderhead features 22 turns and 32 crossovers, and utilizes GCI's Millennium Flyer trains, which have been used on all GCI coasters since 1999.
Boulder Dash is a wooden roller coaster located at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. The coaster was built by Custom Coasters International using Southern Yellow Pine wood, while the track is made of Douglas Fir. Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards ranked Boulder Dash as the world's best wooden roller coaster in 2004 and from 2013 to 2016. The trains were built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC).
Shivering Timbers is a wooden roller coaster located at Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon County, Michigan. It was developed and built by Custom Coasters International. Opened in May 1998, Shivering Timbers debuted for the park's 32nd year in operation and was a success. Construction for the ride began in 1997. The trains were made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. The ride's out and back layout is 5,383 feet (1,641 m) long, making it the fourth-longest wooden roller coaster in the world. The ride has been re-tracked by Martin & Vleminckx and Great Coasters International. Shivering Timbers is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Michigan.
Goliath is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and designed by Alan Schilke, the roller coaster features RMC's Topper Track design and opened to the public on June 19, 2014. Goliath initially set three world records among wooden coasters, having the longest drop at 180 feet (55 m), the steepest angle of 85 degrees, and the fastest speed of 72 mph (116 km/h). It still holds the record for the longest drop and fastest wooden roller coaster. In addition, the ride also features two inversions and a maximum descent that reaches 15 feet (4.6 m) below ground level.
The PNE Roller Coaster is a wooden roller coaster at Playland in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1958, it is the oldest roller coaster in Canada. The ride is 2,840 ft (870 m) long—which established it as the largest roller coaster in Canada at the time it was completed—and has a height of 68 ft (21 m) and speeds of up to 76 km/h (47 mph). The coaster was awarded the Coaster Classic and Roller Coaster Landmark statuses by American Coaster Enthusiasts.