Lift hill
Encyclopedia
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...
that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then disengaged and propelled from the lift hill by gravity and allowed to coast throughout the rest of the roller coaster ride's circuit.
Lift hills usually propel the train to the top of the ride via one of two methods: a chain
Roller chain
Roller chain or bush roller chain is the type of chain drive most commonly used for transmission of mechanical power on many kinds of domestic, industrial and agricultural machinery, including conveyors, wire and tube drawing machines, printing presses, cars, motorcycles, and simple machines like...
lift involving a long, continuous chain which trains hook on to and are carried to the top; or a drive tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
system in which multiple motorized
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
tires push the train upwards. A typical chain lift consists of a heavy piece of metal called a chain dog, which is mounted onto the underside of one of the cars which make up the train. This is in place to line up with the chain on the lift hill.
The chain rotates at a constant speed and is normally powered by one or more motors, which are positioned under the lift hill. The chain sits in a steel trough on the lift hill containing electrical magnets, these keep the rotating chain on the lift hill and prevent uplift. When the cars reach the lift hill, the electrical magnets attract the metal chain dogs and causing them to hook into the holes in the chain. The anti-rollback device then drops into each notch on the lift hill as the cars rise to the highest point.
Upon reaching the top, the anti-rollback device stops moving and the track levels out flat. The chain dogs are normally loaded with metal springs so that they can return to their original position on the base of the train when the magnets can no longer reach them and they un-hook from the chain. If loss of power or technical difficulties occur, the chain dogs rise out of the chain if the magnets are powered by the same circuit and the anti-rollback dog will be put to use by preventing the cars from rolling back down.
Cable lift
The cable lift is a type of lift mechanism that was used on many scenic railway-style coasters, which were built in the early part of the 20th century. Several still exist today and still use the mechanism. This type of lift has returned for Kings Dominion's Intimidator 305Intimidator 305
Intimidator 305 is a steel roller coaster designed and built by Intamin located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia in the United States. Standing at tall and reaching speeds of , it is the tallest, fastest roller coaster at Kings Dominion...
, 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...
's Millennium Force
Millennium Force
Millennium Force is a steel roller coaster built by Intamin located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It is the fourteenth roller coaster built at the park since the Blue Streak opened in 1964. Standing 310 feet tall at its highest point, the coaster overlooks Lake Erie.On a clear...
, Holiday Park
Holiday Park
Holiday Park may refer to:* Holiday Park, Germany* Holiday Park, Saskatoon* A term used in England, Australia and New Zealand for a tourist campsite facility offering a wide range of accommodation styles....
's Expedition GeForce
Expedition GeForce
bigFM Expedition GeForce is a steel roller coaster located at Holiday Park in Haßloch, Germany. It is one of the largest roller coasters in Europe and has an 82 degree first drop, the steepest in Germany. The trains travel up to through a course long with seven periods of weightlessness...
, and La Qua's Thunder Dolphin
Thunder Dolphin
Thunder Dolphin is a steel roller coaster at the Tokyo Dome City Attractions amusement park, which is part of Tokyo Dome City in Tokyo, Japan. The ride was designed and constructed by Intamin...
, and is used on the wooden roller coaster
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...
El Toro
El Toro (roller coaster)
El Toro, meaning The Bull in Spanish, is a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. It opened to the public on June 11, 2006. It was designed by Intamin of Switzerland. It had the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world, at 76 degrees, until this record was broken by T...
at Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
.
The cable lift utilizes a cable
Wire rope
thumb|Steel wire rope Wire rope is a type of rope which consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes....
loop in place of the traditional chain, which is attached to a short section of chain that engages the train
Train (roller coaster)
A roller coaster train or car describes the vehicle which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. More specifically, a roller coaster train is made up of two or more "cars" which are connected by some sort of specialized joint. It is called a "train" because the cars follow one...
's chain hook. Because a cable is much lighter than a chain, cable lifts are much faster than chain lifts and can be used on much steeper hills - even vertical.
A cable also requires far less maintenance than a chain. Another advantage to park guests is that a cable lift is very quiet, partly because the main drive winch is located directly beneath the top of the lift, a location which will normally be relatively far from guest-accessible areas. However, one minor disadvantage of a cable lift system is that it must return to the bottom of the lift hill after lifting each train, which does not apply to a continuously moving chain lift.
Tilt lift/thrill lift section
There are two types of tilt coaster: A standard coaster with a vertical drop at the start (trains enter the vertical drop via an unusual tilt section; after leaving the chain lift, instead of going down a first drop, the rider is held on a horizontal section of track, which then tilts forwards, to become a vertical section, which leads into the drop, then into the rest of the coaster layout); and a thrill lift designed similar to the elevator lift but instead of it bringing the riders up into the horizontal position, it brings them to a vertical and then lets gravity do the rest. There is one operating Tilt Coaster in the world, Gravity Max! at Discovery World in Taiwan.Elevator lift
The elevator lift is a new technology used to make the ascension of the roller coasterRoller 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...
faster and more comfortable due to the fact all riders are doing is moving vertically up. It is used mostly in indoor rollercoasters like Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster
Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster
The Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster is an enclosed steel wild mouse roller coaster located at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Australia. It is based on the 2002 live action film, Scooby-Doo.-Summary:-Queue:...
. As of 2008 only seventeen coasters have an elevator lift.
Ferris wheel lift
The Ferris wheel lift is a brand new technology that utilizes the favorite Ferris wheel ride and incorporates it into a roller coaster. Created by Premier RidesPremier Rides
Premier Rides is an amusement ride manufacturer based in the United States. The company was the first to use Linear Induction Motors on their roller coasters. Jim Seay has been the sole owner and company president since 1996....
, it exists on the former Maximum RPM (now named 'Round About')! at the former Hard Rock
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
Park (now Freestyle Music Park) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It uses a Ferris Wheel like motion to lift the cars to the top, as on a Ferris Wheel. The cars are then released onto the track.
Anti-rollback device
Ratchet (device)
A ratchet is a device that allows continuous linear or rotary motion in only one direction while preventing motion in the opposite direction. Because most socket wrenches today use ratcheting handles, the term "ratchet" alone is often used to refer to a ratcheting wrench, and the terms "ratchet"...
.
Roller coaster trains are fitted with anti-rollback "dogs" which are essentially heavy-duty pieces of metal which fall and rest in each groove of the anti-rollback device on the track as the trains ascend the lift-hill. This makes the "clicking" sound and essentially allows the train to go upwards only, effectively preventing the train from rolling back down the hill should it ever encounter a power failure or broken chain.
This feature was derived from the similar feature originally used on the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway in Pennsylvania, starting in 1846. The two uphill planes that cars were drawn up under the power of a stationary steam engine had two slightly different early forms of this anti-rollback device. The entire concept of the modern roller coaster was also initially inspired by this railroad.