Intamin AG is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. Expedition GeForce is a steel Roller coaster located at Holiday Park in Haßloch, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. Rides redirects here For the album by Reef see Rides (album, and for the BBC television series see Rides (TV series. The roller coaster is a popular Amusement ride developed for Amusement parks and modern Theme parks LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first The U. S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed up by Gary Palmer, MD and Arnold Bernsteiner. Glen Burnie is a Census-designated place (CDP in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, and is a Suburb of Baltimore The Intamin brand name is an abbreviation of sorts for: INTernational AMusement INdustries. The company distributes approximately 5-7 roller coasters from their workshops in Switzerland and Glen Burnie each year.
Intamin is a major player in the amusement park attractions industry, supplying some 22 different styles of rides to a variety of parks. Theme park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other Entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group Their first roller coaster installation was The Great American Revolution, a roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1976. Six Flags Magic Mountain is an Amusement park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. Since then they have installed a total of 70 coasters in several countries around the globe. They also designed and built the first "river rapids ride" known as "Thunder River" based on the idea supplied by Bill Crandall, a past General Manager at the now defunct AstroWorld. A river rafting ride (also commonly referred to as a "river rapids ride" is an Amusement ride that simulates Whitewater Rafting. AstroWorld was a seasonally operated Theme park located on approximately 57 acres of land (later expanded to over 75 acres between Kirby Drive and Fannin Avenue directly south AstroWorld was a seasonally operated Theme park located on approximately 57 acres of land (later expanded to over 75 acres between Kirby Drive and Fannin Avenue directly south Intamin also marketed the first Freefall (developed by Giovanola) experience and the first Drop Tower. The Freefall an amusement ride developed by Giovanola and marketed througout the world by Swiss company Intamin AG. Giovanola was one of the prominent Thrill ride manufacturers in the world until it went bankrupt in 2004 A drop tower is a type of Amusement ride, based around a central structure or tower
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Products and technologies
Intamin is well known for being innovative and creative with their rides. They were some of the first to create a magnetic propulsion system (Linear induction motors/Linear Synchronous Motors) and remain one of only a handful of manufacturers continuing to use such technology on roller coasters. A linear motor or linear induction motor is essentially a multi-phase Alternating current (AC Electric motor that has had its Stator "unrolled" Intamin also created the first hydraulic launch system (also known as the "Accelerator" or "Rocket Coaster"), which is now being used to catapult roller coaster trains from 0 to speeds upwards of 120 mph (193 km/h) in a few seconds before climbing up immense heights. For the mechanical technology see Hydraulic machinery and Hydraulic cylinder Hydraulics is a topic of science and Engineering (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. Furius Baco at PortAventura was their latest achievement and is Europe's fastest coaster, launching riders from 0-135 km/h (83. Furius Baco is a hydraulically-launched steel Roller coaster located at PortAventura in Salou, Catalonia, Spain PortAventura is a Theme park in the Holiday resort of Salou, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain, on the Costa Daurada 9 mph) in 3. 5 seconds.
Intamin is also known for their massive "Mega" (Intamin's term for a hypercoaster; often considered over 200 ft/61 m) and "Giga" (over 300 ft/91 m) coasters. They have also created the "Strata Coaster" (Any coaster over 400 ft / 122 m tall). There are currently only two Strata Coasters in existence (Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point and Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure), both manufactured by Intamin. Top Thrill Dragster is a steel hydraulically-launched Roller coaster located at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio Cedar Point is a 364 acre (15 km² Amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, U Kingda Ka is a Roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township New Jersey, USA. Six Flags Great Adventure is a Theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, located 67 miles from New York City, 60 miles from Newark These rides are often acclaimed by roller coaster enthusiasts for their amounts of airtime and Top Thrill Dragster uses lapbars as the choice of restraint, allowing the rider more comfort and freedom of the upper body throughout the ride. Mega/Giga Coasters currently occupy the top 2 spots of the Golden Ticket Awards with Millennium Force (Giga) and Superman: Ride of Steel (Mega). Amusement Today is a monthly newspaper centered in Arlington Texas. Also drawing much praise is the company's recent foray into the wooden roller coaster business with their "Plug and Play" models, such as Balder at Liseberg, Colossos at Heide Park, and El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure which opened spring 2006. Balder is a wooden Roller coaster at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden. Liseberg is an Amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden. The park opened in 1923 and is the largest among counterparts located in the Nordic Colossos is a wooden Roller coaster at Heide Park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. Heide-Park is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony. With an overall area of over 850000 m² it is one of the biggest German Amusement Parks El Toro ( Spanish for "The Bull" is a wooden Roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. Six Flags Great Adventure is a Theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, located 67 miles from New York City, 60 miles from Newark Unlike other traditional wood coasters, these rides use prefabricated track sections made of a high strength wooden laminate that can be secured on site when the super structure is completed. This design enables the coaster to reach speeds and navigate course elements smoothly not unlike a steel roller coaster while retaining the look and some of the traditional feel of common wooden coasters.
Another recent roller coaster development by Intamin is the Ball Coaster, a type of Spinning roller coaster. A spinning roller coaster is a Roller coaster with cars that rotate on a vertical axis It has individual cars, each with 8 seats, arranged in two pods coming off the sides of the car, each with 2 seats facing forwards and two facing backwards. This car is either lifted to the highest point by a conventional chain lift, or propelled around the course at a constant speed by a Linear Motor system. A linear motor or linear induction motor is essentially a multi-phase Alternating current (AC Electric motor that has had its Stator "unrolled"
Intamin is also responsible for a large number of other thrill rides. They have designed some of the largest Ferris wheels in the world, along with various types of observation towers, and currently hold the record for the world's tallest and fastest freefall ride (The Giant Drop) at Dreamworld, Australia. A Ferris wheel (also known as an observation wheel or big wheel) is a Nonbuilding structure consisting of an upright wheel with passenger gondolas attached An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision Dreamworld is a large Theme park situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. They also supply motion simulator technology which can be seen in many installations around the world. A motion simulator or motion platform is a mechanism that encapsulates riders and creates the effect/feelings of being in a moving object Intamin is also credited with the invention of the river rapids ride, though the idea was given to Intamin by Bill Crandall, a past General Manager of AstroWorld.
Outside the amusement realm, Intamin supplies monorail transportation systems which are used in both public transport networks and at tourist attractions across the world. A monorail is a transportation system based on a single beam The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system or the vehicles travelling on such a beam or A transport network, or transportation network in American English is typically a network of roads streets pipes aqueducts power lines or nearly any structure which permits
Coasters
See Category:Intamin AG roller coasters
Connections with Bolliger & Mabillard
The company is also known for being the original home to the famous (within the coaster world) Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M). Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers (more commonly known as B&M) is a Roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The two engineers worked for Giovanola who in turn were frequently contracted by Intamin for their early stand-up roller coasters (Giovanola eventually started producing roller coasters independently). Giovanola was one of the prominent Thrill ride manufacturers in the world until it went bankrupt in 2004 B&M broke away from Giovanola to form their own company which now supplies roller coasters as well. Similarities between the two companies are often obvious, such as the style of track used by B&M, which was used in a number of early Giovanola installations which were contracted by Intamin.
Safety Incidents
Intamin has been in the news for a number of safety-related accidents or incidents. Amusement park accidents often result in serious injury or death to somebody visiting or working at an amusement park †
- In 1984, 3 passengers riding The Edge at Marriott's Great America were injured and hospitalized. This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at Amusement parks, water parks, or Theme parks currently owned or managed by Six Flags. Six Flags Great America is the Chicago metropolitan area's Six Flags Theme park located in Gurnee Illinois. The boys were soon after released. The ride had experienced a software malfunction that caused the ride to fall backwards down the wrong shaft.
- In May 1999, a passenger riding the newly opened Superman Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake fell out of the train. This page is for the roller coaster at Six Flags America. For the Superman Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England, see Superman - Ride of Steel (Six Flags New England Darien Lake is a theme park resort located between Buffalo and Rochester in Darien New York, United States, south of the This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at Amusement parks, Water parks, or Theme parks that are currently owned or managed by PARC Management
- In 1999, a 12-year-old boy fell to his death on the Drop Zone Stunt Tower at Paramount's Great America. This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at Amusement parks, Water parks, or Theme parks that are currently owned or operated by Cedar Fair California's Great America is an Amusement park owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, located in Santa Clara California, USA Following the accident, modifications were made to add redundancy to ride restraints of not just Drop Zone, but all of the Intamin Drop Towers around the world.
- In 2001 a 40-year-old woman fell from Perilous Plunge at Knotts Berry Farm. This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at Amusement parks, Water parks, or Theme parks that are currently owned or operated by Cedar Fair She was too large to be correctly restrained by the T-Bar, and rose out of it on the -1G 76 degree drop.
In 2004 two incidents involving the Intamin lapbar system occurred within months of each other. The first on Hydro, an Intamin vertical river plunge at Oakwood Leisure Park (Narberth S. Wales) in which 16-year-old Hayley Williams fell approximately 100 ft (30 m) to her death. The peculiar incident is very similar to an earlier accident with another vertical plunge ride, Perilous Plunge. Hydro remained closed for the rest of the park's 2004 season before reopening 2005 with modifications that have seen the lapbar restraints replaced with "Over-the-Shoulder" restraints.
The second incident of 2004 was on one of Intamin's mega coasters, Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England in Massachusetts. Six Flags New England, or SFNE, is a Theme park in the Six Flags chain of parks named for the New England region in which it is located The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The ride, again with lapbar restraints, was dispatched with a sufferer of cerebral palsy in the front seat. Cerebral palsy ( CP) is an Umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non- contagious conditions that cause Physical disability According to an investigation[1], the ride operators were primarily to blame for not ensuring the man was properly secured. Intamin was also partially blamed for the ride's safety system allowing the train to be dispatched without all the restraints properly secured. Some blame was also attributed to the victim for not notifying the operators of his condition.
Intamin is now supplying rides with the more restricting OTS (Over-the-shoulder ) restraints as well as the traditional lapbars for added safety.
In June 2007, a 13-year-old girl had both of her feet severed at the ankles on Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, located in Louisville Kentucky, is the ninth Amusement park to use the Six Flags name A ride malfunction caused a cable to snap and a cord to wrap around the girl's feet, amputating both of them. She was brought to the hospital in critical condition. [1]
- †Citations for all incidents listed above are available on the various Incidents pages listed at Amusement park accidents. Amusement park accidents often result in serious injury or death to somebody visiting or working at an amusement park In most cases, please see those pages for additional information.
Notable Intamin AG Roller Coasters
| Year | Accomplishment | Roller Coaster | Park | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | First (and only) Spacediver coaster | Flashback (roller coaster) (Originally Z-Force) | Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Over Georgia | *Opened in '85 at Great America as Z-Force, was relocated to Over Georgia in '88, then was again relocated to Magic Mountain and opened there as Flashback in '92. Flashback was a Steel roller coaster made by Intamin AG of Switzerland. Six Flags Magic Mountain is an Amusement park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. Six Flags Great America is the Chicago metropolitan area's Six Flags Theme park located in Gurnee Illinois. Six Flags Over Georgia is a 230-acre theme park located west of Atlanta, in Austell Georgia. It was demolished and scrapped in mid-December 2007 after sitting idle at the park since 2003. |
| 1997 | First roller coaster to go above 300 ft (90 m). | Tower of Terror | Dreamworld |
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| 1997 | First roller coaster with a structure to reach beyond 400 ft (120 m). | Superman The Escape | Six Flags Magic Mountain |
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| 1997 | First roller coaster(s) to go 100 mph (160 km/h) | Tower of Terror & Superman The Escape | Dreamworld and Six Flags Magic Mountain |
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| 1998 | First LIM launched inverted roller coaster | Volcano: The Blast Coaster | Kings Dominion |
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| 1998 | First impulse roller coaster | Linear Gale | LaQua | |
| 1999 | First Intamin AG branded "mega" coaster (over 200 ft) | Ride Of Steel | Darien Lake Theme Park Resort |
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| 2000 | First Intamin AG branded "giga" coaster (over 300 ft) | Millennium Force | Cedar Point |
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| 2000 | First roller coaster to drop 300 ft (90 m). | Millennium Force | Cedar Point |
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| 2000 | First LIM Twisted impulse roller coaster | Steel Venom | Dorney Park |
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| 2001 | First roller coaster to utilize a LIM launch hill | California Screamin' | Disney's California Adventure |
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| 2002 | First roller coaster to do 10 inversions | Colossus | Thorpe Park |
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| 2002 | First Hydraulic Catapult launch coaster | Xcelerator | Knott's Berry Farm
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| 2003 | First Intamin AG branded "strata" coaster (over 400 ft) | Top Thrill Dragster | Cedar Point |
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| 2003 | First roller coaster to drop 400 ft (120 m). | Top Thrill Dragster | Cedar Point |
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| 2003 | First Intamin water coaster branded "AquaTrax" | Atlantis Adventure | Lotte World |
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| 2004 | First accelerator coaster to feature inversions. | Storm Runner | Hersheypark |
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| 2005 | Current record holder for the fastest and tallest roller coaster | Kingda Ka | Six Flags Great Adventure |
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| 2007 | First Terra Coaster, with Dual LSM launch (launch hill and flat launch) with a 95-degree drop and a terrain hugging layout | Maverick | Cedar Point | |
| 2008 | At 97 degrees, deepest drop out of all Intamin coasters. Kingda Ka is a Roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township New Jersey, USA. Six Flags Great Adventure is a Theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, located 67 miles from New York City, 60 miles from Newark Maverick is a linear synchronous motor -launched steel complete-circuit Roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. Cedar Point is a 364 acre (15 km² Amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, U | Fahrenheit | Hersheypark |
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Existing Intamin Roller Coasters
An incomplete table of currently-standing Intamin coasters:
| Name | Model | Park/Country | Year Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantis Adventure | Aqua Trax | Lotte World, South Korea | 2003 |
| Avalancha | Looping Coaster (Monte Makaya) | Xetulul, Guatemala | 2002 |
| Avatar Airbender | Half Pipe Coaster (20m) | Nickelodeon Universe (Mall of America), United States | 2008 |
| Balder | Wooden Coaster (Pre-Fab) | Liseberg, Sweden | 2003 |
| California Screamin' | Looping Coaster (Custom) | Disney's California Adventure, United States | 2001 |
| Cobra | Stand-Up Coaster | La Ronde, Canada | 1995 |
| Colossos | Wooden Coaster (Pre-Fab) | Heide Park, Germany | 2001 |
| Colossus | Looping Coaster (Colossus) | Thorpe Park, Great Britain | 2002 |
| El Toro | Wooden Coaster (Pre-Fab) | Six Flags Great Adventure, United States | 2006 |
| Expedition GeForce | Mega Coaster | Holiday Park, Germany | 2001 |
| Fahrenheit | Custom Looping Coaster | Hersheypark, United States | 2008 |
| Flight of the Phoenix | looping coaster (Monte Makaya) | China | 2006 |
| Furius Baco | Accelerator Coaster | PortAventura, Spain | 2007 |
| Goliath | Mega Coaster | Walibi World, Netherlands | 2002 |
| Half Pipe | Half Pipe Coaster (20m) | Don Quijote, Japan | (SBNO) |
| Half Pipe | Half Pipe Coaster (30m) | Särkänniemi, Finland | 2003 |
| Half Pipe | Half Pipe Coaster (30m) | Six Flags Elitch Gardens, United States | 2004 |
| Half Pipe | Half Pipe Coaster (30m) | Wet 'n' Wild Water World, Australia | 2007 |
| Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril | Looping Coaster (Custom) | Disneyland Resort Paris, France | 1993 |
| Kanonen | Accelerator Coaster | Liseberg, Sweden | 2005 |
| Kingda Ka | Accelerator Coaster | Six Flags Great Adventure, United States | 2005 |
| Kirnu | Ball Coaster | Linnanmäki, Finland | 2007 |
| Millennium Force | Giga Coaster | Cedar Point, United States | 2000 |
| Maverick | LSM Launched Coaster | Cedar Point, United States | 2007 |
| Raging Spirits | Looping Coaster (Custom) | Tokyo DisneySea, Japan | 2005 |
| Rita - Queen of Speed | Accelerator Coaster | Alton Towers, Great Britain | 2005 |
| Shockwave | Stand-Up Coaster | Drayton Manor, Great Britain | 1994 |
| Skycar | Accelerator Coaster | Mysterious Island, China | 2005 |
| Speed Monster | Accelerator Coaster | Tusenfryd, Norway | 2006 |
| Stealth | Accelerator Coaster | Thorpe Park, Great Britain | 2006 |
| Storm Runner | Accelerator Coaster | Hersheypark, United States | 2004 |
| Superman Escape | Accelerator Coaster | Warner Bros. Movie World, Australia | 2005 |
| Superman - Ride of Steel | Mega Coaster | Various Parks, United States | 1999 |
| Supersonic Odyssey | Looping Coaster (Custom) | Cosmo's World, Malaysia | 2003 |
| T Express | Wooden Coaster (Pre-Fab) | Everland, South Korea | 2008 |
| Tenth Ring Roller Coaster | Looping Coaster (Colossus) | Guangzhou, China | 2006 |
| The Claw | Gyro Swing | Dreamworld, Australia | 2004 |
| Top Thrill Dragster | Accelerator Coaster | Cedar Point, United States | 2003 |
| Tornado | Inverted Coaster | Särkänniemi, Finland | 2001 |
| Tower of Terror | Reverse Freefall Coaster | Dreamworld, Australia | 1997 |
| V2: Vertical Velocity | Impulse Coaster | Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, United States | 2001 |
| Wicked Twister | Impulse Coaster | Cedar Point, United States | 2002 |
| Xcelerator | Accelerator Coaster | Knott's Berry Farm, United States | 2002 |
| Zaturn | Accelerator Coaster | Japan | 2006 |
References
See also
External links
- Intamin (official site)
- Intamin Bahntechnik (official site of Intamin's factory in Germany)
- Intamin Ride Database (IRDB)
- Intamin brochure outlining various products
- Accidents involving amusement roller coasters manufactured by Intamin
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