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Hakugei (白鯨, White Whale) is a steel roller coaster at Nagashima Spa Land in Mie Prefecture, Japan. It was originally a wooden roller coaster known as White Cyclone (ホワイトサイクロン, Howaito Saikuron) manufactured by Swiss company Intamin, and it operated from 1994 to 2018. [1] It was refurbished by American company Rocky Mountain Construction, which replaced the ride's wooden track with steel track and modified the ride layout, including the addition of three inversions. The renovated ride reopened on 28 March 2019. [2]
Before White Cyclone's construction in 1994, there had been only one wooden roller coaster ever built in Japan. This roller coaster, Jupiter, opened in 1992—after the Japanese government relaxed height restrictions on wooden structures. [3] Another wooden coaster, White Canyon, opened in 1994—the same year as White Cyclone. In 2013, the roller coasters Jupiter and White Cyclone were two of only four operating wooden roller coasters in Japan, [4] and of only 13 operating wooden roller coasters in Asia. [5]
White Cyclone was constructed of enough Alaskan timber to build nearly a thousand homes. [6] The ride was particularly fast for a wooden roller coaster and featured many common elements such as helices, large drops and smaller bunny hills. [3] The roller coaster had a double out-and-back track layout and used trains manufactured by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. [7] White Cyclone closed on 28 January 2018. [1]
Rocky Mountain Construction refurbished the roller coaster using its patented I-Box Track technology. [8] The ride's height and speed were increased and three inversions were added to the layout. The refurbished ride reopened as White Whale (白鯨, Hakugei) on 28 March 2019. [2]
Statistic | White Cyclone [1] | Hakugei [2] |
---|---|---|
Years | 1994–2018 | 2019–present |
Manufacturer | Intamin | Rocky Mountain Construction |
Track | Wood | Steel |
Height | 42.4 m or 139 ft | 55 m or 180 ft |
Length | 1,700 m or 5,600 ft | 1,530 m or 5,020 ft |
Speed | 102 km/h or 63 mph | 107 km/h or 66 mph |
Inversions | 0 | 3 |
A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also be made of steel lattice or truss, which has no bearing on a wooden coaster's classification. The type of wood often selected in the construction of wooden coasters worldwide is southern yellow pine, which grows abundantly in the southern United States, due to its density and adherence to different forms of pressure treatment.
A steel roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its steel track, which consists of long steel tubes that are run in pairs, supported by larger steel columns or beams. Trains running along the track typically rely on wheels made of polyurethane or nylon to keep each train car anchored to the track. The introduction of tubular steel drastically changed roller coaster innovation, allowing for greater speeds, higher drops, and more intense elements such as inversions.
A flying roller coaster is a type of roller coaster meant to simulate the sensations of flight by harnessing riders in a prone position during the duration of the ride. The roller coaster cars are suspended below the track, with riders secured such that their backs are parallel to the track.
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