Snoopy's Racing Railway

Last updated
Snoopy's Racing Railway
Snoopy's Racing Railway Sign.jpg
Canada's Wonderland
Park section Planet Snoopy
Coordinates 43°50′40″N79°32′45″W / 43.844393°N 79.545872°W / 43.844393; -79.545872
Opening dateMay 18, 2023;19 months ago (2023-05-18)
Replaced Dinosaurs Alive!
Carowinds
Park section Camp Snoopy
Coordinates 35°06′07″N80°56′21″W / 35.101916°N 80.939302°W / 35.101916; -80.939302
Opening date2025
ReplacedSnoopy's Junction
Snoopy's Racing Railway at Carowinds at RCDB
General statistics
Type Steel  – Family  – Launched
Manufacturer ART Engineering
ModelFamily Launch Coaster
Lift/launch systemTire launch
Height29.5 ft (9.0 m)
Length803.8 ft (245.0 m)
Speed31.1 mph (50.1 km/h)
Capacity480 riders per hour
Height restriction36 in (91 cm)
TrainsSingle train with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 14 riders per train.
Website Official website
Snoopy's Racing Railway at RCDB

Snoopy's Racing Railway is a pair of steel, family launched roller coasters located at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, and Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. The former first opened in 2023 while the latter is expected to be ready for 2025.

Contents

History

Canada's Wonderland

In 2021, ART Engineering developed and opened Fridolin's Verrückter Zauberexpress (English: Fridolin's Crazy Magic Express) at Fantasiana in Straßwalchen, Austria. Although it featured multiple accelerated launch sections, the coaster had been tailor-made towards younger riders and sported a low 90-centimetre (35 in) height requirement, rendering it suitable for children of all ages. [1] [2] Canada's Wonderland – which already had a working relationship with ART Engineering on Wonder Mountain's Guardian and other maintenance equipment – monitored its development and eventually commissioned a copy of the layout for their own park.

Snoopy's Racing Railway was formally announced on August 11, 2022, set to replace the former Dinosaurs Alive! attraction in Planet Snoopy and open in 2023. [3] The attraction would debut alongside Tundra Twister, a Mondial thrill ride also set to be constructed that offseason. The original coaster had been designed with a far lower park attendance in mind; Canada's Wonderland opted to expand its train with an extra car and initially planned to run it for only a single lap cycle (Fantasiana's coaster ran for two). [4] The latter idea was scrapped and Snoopy's Racing Railway was programmed to cycle the layout twice.

Construction picked up in late 2022, with ground cleared and the first pieces of rebar planted. Track for Snoopy's Racing Railway began arriving in January 2023, and the coaster trains delivered the following month. [5] [6] The coaster opened to the public on May 18, 2023. For its first year of operations the park restricted access to adults, requiring all riders taller than 54-inch (140 cm) to be accompanied by a child; the policy was removed in 2024 as part of a wider corporate directive. [7]

Carowinds

With the Canadian installation completed, ART Engineering was formally introduced to Carowinds in September 2023. [8] Carowinds first filed permits with York County on March 5, 2024, codenamed Project Sparrow and situated on the South Carolina side of the park. [9] Sparrow's contents were leaked by means of a FOIA request later that month, depicting multiple new attractions in the park's Camp Snoopy area and Snoopy's Junction miniature railway being removed to make way for Racing Railway. [10] The train route was ripped out in June and was expected at the time to be rebuilt on a portion of the former Dinosaur's Alive site; these plans have seemingly since been scrapped. [11]

Teasing began in late July, when Carowinds posted a graphic online heralding "Funner. Faster. Splashier" novelties. [12] Carowinds officially announced Snoopy's Racing Railway on August 7, 2024 alongside other attractions and upgrades within Camp Snoopy. [13] The first anchor baskets for foundations were imported in June, with coaster track first arriving at the beginning of November while footers went into the ground; Snoopy's Racing Railway is expected to be ready for the beginning of the 2025 season. [8] [14] [15]

Ride experience

Snoopy's Racing Railway consists of a short layout with two enclosed launches and multiple set pieces, which guests complete two laps on during the ride. Both attractions pit Conductor Snoopy against troublemaking from Woodstock and his friends, but feature revised storylines; the Canada's Wonderland version sees the train outrunning Woodstock's Bad Seed Gang through town before they're captured by RCMP Officer Charlie Brown, while the Carowinds attraction will be set around Snoopy delivering root beer and pizza to Camp Snoopy's Mess Hall.

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References

  1. ↑ Andi (February 3, 2021). "Airtimers SPEZIAL zur Neuheit 2021 im Fantasiana". airtimers.com (in German). Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Österreich: Achtung Spoiler! Fantasiana eröffnet Zauber-Express mit magischem Extra!". EuroAmusement Professional (in German). July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  3. ↑ Stevenson, Jane (August 11, 2022). "Canada's Wonderland to offer two new rides in 2023". Toronto Sun . Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  4. ↑ Justin (September 19, 2022). "2022 Canada's Wonderland Roller Coasters Eh Q&A". FUN Food Blog. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  5. ↑ @WonderlandNews (January 19, 2023). "🚨Special delivery!🚨Track for our newest roller coaster just rolled up!..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ @WonderlandNews (February 21, 2023). "Special delivery! The train's arrived for Snoopy's Racing Railway 🤩..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ Bannister, Richard (August 11, 2023). "Coaster Trips: 2023: Canada's Wonderland". www.bannister.org. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  8. 1 2 @KSlideStudios (August 7, 2024). "In case you haven't heard, Snoopy's Racing Railway is expanding its..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ↑ @CarowindsFansOn (March 6, 2024). "🤔🤔🤔🤔 What could Carowinds be planning next!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ FoxxoMcFoxFace (March 21, 2024). "[Carowinds] Project Sparrow Plans Revealed". Reddit . Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  11. ↑ @TP_Guides (June 13, 2024). "An overview of Project 2025..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ↑ @Carowinds (July 23, 2024). "🏕️ Something new is coming to #Carowinds" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ↑ "CAMP SNOOPY GETS BIGGER, BETTER, AND SNOOPY-ER IN 2025". www.prnewswire.com. August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  14. ↑ TPoseOnTantrum (August 8, 2024). "Carowinds Project". CoasterForce. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  15. ↑ @Carowinds (November 6, 2024). "📦 SPECIAL DELIVERY: Track pieces have arrived on-site for Snoopy's..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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