Roller Coaster Manufacturers
Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics is a leading manufacturer of amusement park rides. It has been in the business of producing top-quality rides for over 50 years.
Over the last half-century, Arrow has continued to be a symbol of innovation. Many of the rides you enjoy today are partly due to pioneering developments by Arrow.
Major Coasters
- X, Six Flags Magic Mountain, 4th dimension coaster, 2001.
- Desperado, Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino, hyper, 1994.
- Pepsi Max Big One, Blackpool Pleasure Beach (England), hyper, 1994.
- Steel Phanton, Kennywood, looping, 1991.
- Viper, Six Flags Magic Mountain, looping, 1990.
- .Magnum XL-200, Cedar Point, hyper, 1989.
- Great American Scream Machine, Six Flags Great Adventure, 1989.
- Vortex, Paramount’s Kings Island, looping, 1987.
- Big Bad Wolf, Busch Gardens Williamsbug, suspended, 1984.
- The Bat, Paramount’s Kings Island, suspended, 1981 (shut down in 1983).
- Loch Ness Monster, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, double (interlocking) looping, 1978.
Related Websites: Arrow Dynamics
Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)
B&M was initially part of Intamin, another roller coaster builder. Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard split off and built its first coaster, Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America in 1990. This coaster was recognized for its extreme smoothness.
In 1992, B&M built the world’s first inverted coaster, Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America.
It was Kumba, built in 1993 at Busch Gardens Tampa, that helped B&M gain recognition. Kumba was very fast, intense and a highly regarded coaster in 1993 and still is today. Since then, B&M has been a leader in the roller coaster building industry.
B&M was the first to build inverted coasters, as well as the vertical coaster and the new floorless model.
Major Coasters
- Talon, Dorney Park, inverted, 2001.
- Nitro, Six Flags Great Adventure, hyper, 2001.
- Medusa, Six Flags Marine World, floorless, 2000.
- Medusa, Six Flags Great Adventure, floorless, 1999.
- Apollo’s Chariot, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, hyper, 1999.
- Raging Bull, Six Flags Great America, hyper, 1999.
- The Incredible Hulk, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, launched looping, 1999.
- Dueling Dragons, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, duel inverted, 1999.
- Oblivion, Alton Towers (England), vertical dive coaster, 1998.
- Alpengeist, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, inverted, 1997.
- Montu, Busch Gardens Tampa, inverted, 1996.
- Kumba, Busch Gardens Tampa, looping, 1993.
- Iron Wolf, Six Flags Great America, standup, 1990.
- Batman: The Ride, several parks, inverted, several years.
Related Websites: Bolliger.cjb.net
Chance Morgan (formerly D.H. Morgan Manufacturing, Inc.)
Basic Information: D.H. Morgan Manufacturing, Inc. is dedicated to the goal of manufacturing amusement rides to the highest quality possible while providing exciting, safe rides to parks and attractions worldwide. Its extensive facilities located on beautiful Monterey Bay in Northern California are staffed and equipped to perform every phase of manufacturing from engineering to final paint, insuring that our goals are consistently achieved.
Major Coasters
- Phantom’s Revenge, Kennywood, hyper (rebuilt from Steel Phantom), 2001.
- Steel Dragon 2000, Nagashima Spaland (Japan), giga coaster, 2000.
- Mamba, Worlds of Fun, hyper, 1998.
- Steel Force, Dorney Park, hyper, 1997.
- Wild Thing, Valleyfair!, hyper, 1996.
Related Websites: Chance Morgan
Custom Coasters International (C.C.I.)
*** Amusement Business on July 18, 2002 reported that CCI has closed its operations. The owner gave personal reasons for closing the company.
Drawing on family experience since 1970, CCI was founded in 1991. CCI specializes in wooden roller coasters from kiddie, junior, family to “mega-woodies”. CCI has designed and built over 30 coasters, several of which have been regarded very highly in the coaster “ratings” polls.
Custom Coasters is honored to have designed and built a record 9 of the top 10 and 13 of the top 20 roller coasters in this year’s Internet Wooden Tracked Roller Coaster Poll.
The CCI rookies, CornBall Express and Cheetah, debuted among the best at #15 and #17 respectively. This poll is considered one of the most objective polls around.
Major Coasters
- Cheetah, Wild Adventures, 2001.
- Cornball Express, Indiana Beach, 2001.
- The Legend, Holiday World, 2000.
- MegaZeph, Jazzland, 2000.
- Ghostrider, Knotts’s Berry Farm, 1999.
- Rampage, VisionLand, 1998.
- Shivering Timbers, Michigan’s Adveture, 1998.
- Raven, Holiday World, 1995.
- Sky Princess, Dutch Wonderland, 1992.
Related Websites: Custom Coasters International (not operational since July 2002)
Great Coasters International (G.C.I.)
G.C.I. built its first coaster, the Wildcat in Hersheypark, Hershey, PA in 1996. This put them on the map as being a great twister-style coaster builder. They have had a few major coasters every year, mostly twister-style.
Major Coasters
- Lightning Racer, HersheyPark, 2000.
- Roar, Adventure World/Six Flags America – 1998, Six Flags Marine World, 1999.
- Gwazi, Busch Gardens Tampa, 1999.
- Wildcat, HersheyPark, 1996.
Related Websites: Great Coasters International
Intamin AG
Intamin made a huge name for itself after building the record breaking Superman: The Escape, at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1997. The builder has moved on to build coasters such as Superman: Ride of Steel (Six Flags Darien Lake, Six Flags America, and Six Flags New England), Volcano (Paramount’s Kings Dominion), and the record breaking Millenium Force (Cedar Point). Intamin has also built several drop rides, including Pit Fall at Kennywood Park, and water rides such as Perilous Plunge at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Major Coasters
- V2 Vertical Velocity, Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Marine World, inverted launched shuttle, 2001.
- Superman: The Ultimate Escape, Six Flags Ohio, launched shuttle, 2000.
- Millenium Force, Cedar Point, giga coaster, 2000.
- Superman: The Ultimate Escape, Six Flags Ohio, launched shuttle, 2000.
- Superman: The Escape, Six Flags Magic Mountain, launched, 1997.
- Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Paramount’s Kings Dominion, launched inverted, 1998.
Related Websites: Intamin
Premier Rides
Premier Rides is dedicated to supplying the leisure industry with the highest caliber of amusement rides and attractions available. Its passion for innovation and high ethical standards help us create maximum thrills while providing an unequaled commitment to guest safety, superior customer service, unsurpassed levels of quality and precision craftsmanship in all areas of ride design, fabrication, installation and service.
Premier Rides is the industry leader in innovation. It was the first to introduce the Linear Induction Motor (LIM) roller coaster. Its creative team continues to introduce breakthrough new products such as the Liquid Coaster TM which provides the thrills of a coaster with the chills of a water ride in one attraction.
The industry recognizes its vision and leadership by continually honoring Premier Rides with IAAPA’s most coveted awards including, the Impact Award and the Best New Technology Applied to Amusements Award.
Major Coasters
- Joker’s Jinx, Six Flags America, launched looping, 1999.
- Mr. Freeze, Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags St. Louis, launched shuttle, 1998.
- Batman and Robin: The Chiller, Six Flags Great Adventure, launched shuttle, 1998.
- Outer Limits, Flight of Fear, Paramount’s Kings Dominion and Paramount’s Kings Island, launched indoor looping, 1996.
Related Websites: Premier Rides
S&S Sports Power, Inc.
S&S Power, the World leader in vertical amusement rides, is based in Logan Utah. Their rides, however, span the globe. They have 74 towers in 54 locations in more than 21 countries including Japan, Sweden, Mexico, South Korea and many other locations.
S&S Power is the result of a few amazing ideas of founder and CEO Stan Checketts who holds the U.S. Patent on the Space Shot technology. His rides, the Turbo Drop, a vertical drop ride, and the exciting newest ride, the Double Shot, are now in parks worldwide.
S&S Power recently got in the roller coaster business, starting with Thrust Air 2000. The Thrust Air 2000 was the first air-launched coaster. It has pneumatic tires and shock absorbers for a smooth ride. With specially designed I-beam rails, the Thrust Air 2000 is quieter, cost-effective, energy efficient, and requires less maintenance.
The track is a complete circuit.
The prototype has one 178′ section consisting of two towers with a connecting bridge. The passenger cart rushes down the track (zero to 80 miles per hour in under two seconds) to a 90 degree angle straight up and over the top to a 90 degree angle straight down then into a banking curve and straightening out for the return to the loading station. Thrust Air 2000, the thrill ride for the new millennium.
Major Coasters
- Hypersonic XLC, Paramount’s Kings Dominion, air launched, 2001.
Related Websites: S&S Power, Inc.
Vekoma International
It was way back in 1926 that Vekoma first began forging steel into practical mechanical devices. Founded in Vlodrop, The Netherlands, the company initially focused on designing and manufacturing not thrill rides, but agricultural equipment.
Sometime later, the firm also began servicing the petro-chemical industry and for many years Vekoma was content to stick with this lucrative but (…yawn…) decidedly unglamorous business.
Fortunately for you and me, the local petro-chemical equipment market took a dive in the 1960s, and Vekoma was forced to rethink its mandate. Thrillseekers everywhere should be grateful that the company’s directors took a peek at the burgeoning amusement industry and liked what they saw.
Vekoma fabricated its first ride, a Ferris wheel dubbed the “Giant Wheel,” and things took off. The company quickly shifted its efforts into this new line of work and never looked back.
In 1993, the company acquired one of its major sub-contractors, The Muurmans Construction Company, also of The Netherlands, adding 45 employees and additional production facilities, and today, Vekoma is over 210 employees strong, with departments in R&D, engineering, marketing, and sales, project management and manufacturing.
For some time, Vekoma specialized primarily in rollercoasters, both standard models and one-of-a-kind layouts. But in the last decade, they have added to the list of goodies in their inventory – all sorts of spinning, flipping, splashing, twirling, looping, shuddering machines.
Major Coasters
- Deja Vu, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags Great America, super boomerang, 2001.
- Batwing, Six Flags America, flying coaster, 2001.
- X-Flight, Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, flying coaster 2001.
- Stealth, Paramount’s Great America, flying coaster, 2000.
- Invertigo, Paramount’s Great America, inverted boomerang, 1998; Clones: Two Face at Six Flags America and Face/Off at Paramounts Kings Island, 1999.
- Boomerang, several parks, shuttle. This ride is the most common roller coaster clone in the world and is currently in operation at over 2 dozen amusement parks.
- SLC (Suspended Looping Coaster), several coasters and parks including Mind Eraser at Six Flags New England and Six Flags America, T2 at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, and The Great Noreaster at Morey’s Pier, inverted.
Related Websites: Vekoma
