.gif)
Gemini (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Gemini is a hybrid wood
and steel
roller coaster
located at Cedar Point
in Sandusky, Ohio
. Built in 1978 by Arrow Dynamics
and designed by Ron Toomer
, it is a racing roller coaster
. When the ride opened, it was the tallest, fastest and steepest roller coaster in the world.
The structure is considered a steel hybrid since the track is actually tubular steel, while the support structure is wood. Two trains, red and blue, are dispatched on two tracks that run parallel to each other throughout the ride until the end when they diverge into their own helix
before coming back together to finish the ride.
Although prohibited, riders on separate trains often give each other high-fives as both trains pass through curves. Gemini has one of the highest capacities of any ride in the park. Gemini's station previously featured a double sided entry, allowing guests to enter the station from both the front and the back. Eventually modified to have guests only enter from the back of the station because of confusion and congestion caused by the double entry, the stairway formerly used for the queue at the front of the station still remains. When conditions permit, Gemini's trim brakes are disengaged, and a slightly faster ride is experienced. This is especially noticeable when traveling through the helixes at the end of the ride. When the ride opens in the morning (or when attendance is low) the ride only operates one colored side. Gemini is known for the fact that either side may win the race instead of the usual predictable results on other rides.
Wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...
and steel
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
located at Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
in Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
. Built in 1978 by Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of...
and designed by Ron Toomer
Ron Toomer
Ron Toomer was one of the prominent roller coaster designers in the world...
, it is a racing roller coaster
Racing roller coaster
A racing roller coaster, sometimes referred to as a dual track coaster, consists of one whole track or two separate coasters that travels along parallel or mirrored tracks to simulate a race between the trains. The coaster trains travel along tracks just a few feet apart of one another...
. When the ride opened, it was the tallest, fastest and steepest roller coaster in the world.
The structure is considered a steel hybrid since the track is actually tubular steel, while the support structure is wood. Two trains, red and blue, are dispatched on two tracks that run parallel to each other throughout the ride until the end when they diverge into their own helix
Helix
A helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases. A "filled-in" helix – for...
before coming back together to finish the ride.
Although prohibited, riders on separate trains often give each other high-fives as both trains pass through curves. Gemini has one of the highest capacities of any ride in the park. Gemini's station previously featured a double sided entry, allowing guests to enter the station from both the front and the back. Eventually modified to have guests only enter from the back of the station because of confusion and congestion caused by the double entry, the stairway formerly used for the queue at the front of the station still remains. When conditions permit, Gemini's trim brakes are disengaged, and a slightly faster ride is experienced. This is especially noticeable when traveling through the helixes at the end of the ride. When the ride opens in the morning (or when attendance is low) the ride only operates one colored side. Gemini is known for the fact that either side may win the race instead of the usual predictable results on other rides.