Stand-up roller coaster
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...
designed to have the passengers stand through the course of the ride. These roller coasters are very intense, and generally carry taller height restrictions than other rides.
History
TOGO
TOGO was a Japanese roller coaster design company, famous for inventing the stand-up roller coaster. TOGO went bankrupt in the early 2000s due to a lawsuit by Knott's Berry Farm for problems with their Windjammer roller coaster. TOGO is also credited with creating the first working pipeline roller...
built Momonga Standing & Loop Coaster in 1979 for Yomiuri Land
Yomiuri Land
Yomiuri Land is one of the larger and well known Japanese amusement parks near Tokyo, first opened in 1964. It is situated on hillsides, and features modern "thrill" rides such as roller coasters and water rides...
in Tokyo, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Three years later, TOGO built Dangai at the former Thrill Valley amusement park in Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan. Both rides added stand-up trains in 1982, with Dangai opening one day before Momonga Standing & Loop Coaster.
The first stand-up roller coaster in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was, like the Japanese roller coasters before it, a modified attraction. 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...
built one of its signature corkscrew roller coasters, named Screamroller, at Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park...
in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1976. In 1983, Arrow designed a stand-up train for the attraction, which was subsequently renamed Extremeroller (also known as EXT). However, the track and structure were never designed for stand-up trains, and the original sit-down trains were reinstalled in 1984, remaining in place until the attraction was removed in 1988.
The 1984 season saw two stand-up roller coasters open in the United States. One was, like Extremeroller, yet another retrofit. The River King Mine Train
River King Mine Train
-Overview:The River King Mine Train is a hybrid wood structure roller coaster located at Six Flags St. Louis. Built in 1971, it was the first coaster of the park. The actual ride itself is one of two tracks, one which was later sold. Today, the ride operates with its original name. The ride has...
was an Arrow-built roller coaster that opened with its park, Six Flags St. Louis
Six Flags St. Louis
Six Flags St. Louis , is an amusement park owned by Six Flags, Inc. It is located in Eureka, Missouri, USA . Opened in 1971 as the third theme park of the Six Flags chain, this was the last park that was built under the Six Flags name...
, in 1971. Stand-up trains were added for 1984, and the attraction's name was changed to Rail Blazer. However, like Extremeroller the season before, the track wasn't intended to use stand-up trains and, prior to the start of the 1985 season, the original trains and name were restored. Also in 1984, 350 miles east of Six Flags St. Louis, Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
at Mason
Mason, Ohio
Mason is an affluent city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States, 22 miles away from Cincinnati . As of the 2010 census, Mason's population was 30,712. Mason has experienced fast growth, with its historic Main Street remaining at the center of the community...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
opened the TOGO-designed King Cobra
King Cobra (Kings Island)
The King Cobra was a TOGO Stand-up roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. It was the first in the world to be designed from the ground up as a stand-up roller coaster. Other stand-up roller coasters that preceded the King Cobra were sit-down models later modified to accommodate...
as the world's first purpose-built stand-up roller coaster. The attraction operated from 1984 to 2001.
The last new stand-up roller coaster to be constructed was Georgia Scorcher
Georgia Scorcher
Georgia Scorcher is a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. The second design from Bolliger & Mabillard to be built at the park, Georgia Scorcher opened in May 1999 as the last new stand-up roller coaster to have been constructed anywhere on Earth...
at Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....
in 1999. In 2005, Batman: The Escape at the now-defunct Six Flags Astroworld
Six Flags Astroworld
AstroWorld was a seasonally operated theme park located on approximately of land between Kirby Drive and Fannin Avenue, directly south of Loop 610 in Houston, Texas, USA...
was disassembled and placed in storage at Darien Lake.
Design
Three manufacturers—TOGO, Intamin AGIntamin AG
Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an...
and Bolliger and Mabillard—have constructed multiple stand-up roller coasters. TOGO's stand-up models feature cars that seat four passengers in two rows of two. Models from Intamin and B&M also seat four riders per car, but in a single four-abreast row.
On a standard roller coaster, the rider is held in their seat by some form of harness, such as a lap bar or an over-the-shoulder restraint. As stand-up roller coasters, by their design, do not have "seats," the harness system must both restrain and support the rider. Typical stand-up roller coaster harnesses are mounted on vertical posts, which allow the harness to adjust to riders of different heights. At the bottom is a seat resembling that on a bicycle, while at the top is an over-the-shoulder harness. TOGO models normally use a lap bar to further secure riders, while B&M models add a seat belt to connect the bicycle seat to the shoulder harness.
With some exceptions, stand-up roller coasters normally feature at least one inversion. These inversions can include vertical loops, incline loops, dive loops and corkscrews. Only one stand-up roller coaster, Shockwave
Shockwave (Drayton Manor Theme Park)
The Shock Wave is an Intamin stand-up roller coaster at Drayton Manor Theme Park.It was opened in 1994, and is the only stand-up coaster in Europe. It is also the only stand-up roller coaster with a zero-g roll ever made....
at Drayton Manor Theme Park
Drayton Manor Theme Park
Drayton Manor Theme Park is a theme park, resort & zoo in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor, near Tamworth in Staffordshire, England.Drayton Manor is best known because it is a theme park and zoo which attracts around 1.4 million people a year. The attraction has a wide selection of rides set...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, includes a zero-gravity roll.
Installations
Modified stand-up roller coasters
| Name | Park | Manufacturer | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Momonga Standing & Loop Coaster | Yomiuri Land Yomiuri Land Yomiuri Land is one of the larger and well known Japanese amusement parks near Tokyo, first opened in 1964. It is situated on hillsides, and features modern "thrill" rides such as roller coasters and water rides... |
TOGO TOGO TOGO was a Japanese roller coaster design company, famous for inventing the stand-up roller coaster. TOGO went bankrupt in the early 2000s due to a lawsuit by Knott's Berry Farm for problems with their Windjammer roller coaster. TOGO is also credited with creating the first working pipeline roller... |
1979 Stand-up trains added 1982 |
Operating |
| Dangai | Thrill Valley | TOGO | 1982 or earlier Stand-up trains added 1982 |
Closed 2002 |
| Extremeroller | Worlds of Fun Worlds of Fun Worlds of Fun is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park... |
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... |
1976 Stand-up trains added 1983, removed by 1984 |
Closed 1988 |
| Rail Blazer | Six Flags St. Louis Six Flags St. Louis Six Flags St. Louis , is an amusement park owned by Six Flags, Inc. It is located in Eureka, Missouri, USA . Opened in 1971 as the third theme park of the Six Flags chain, this was the last park that was built under the Six Flags name... |
Arrow Dynamics | 1971 Stand-up trains added 1984, removed by 1985 |
Operating |
| Star Jet | Washuzan Highland | TOGO | 1986 Stand-up train added on or before 1998 |
Operating |
Purpose-built stand-up roller coasters
| Name | Park | Manufacturer | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Cobra King Cobra The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia... |
Kings Island Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S... |
TOGO TOGO TOGO was a Japanese roller coaster design company, famous for inventing the stand-up roller coaster. TOGO went bankrupt in the early 2000s due to a lawsuit by Knott's Berry Farm for problems with their Windjammer roller coaster. TOGO is also credited with creating the first working pipeline roller... |
1984 | Closed 2001 |
| SkyRider SkyRider SkyRider is a roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland opened in 1985, it was the park's fifth coaster, and the first one they built since the park's opening in 1981. Built by TOGO, it is the first of two stand-up roller coasters built in Canada, and the fifth stand-up roller coaster in the world... |
Canada's Wonderland | TOGO | 1985 | Operating |
| Standing Coaster Formerly Unknown |
Rusutsu Resort Rusutsu Resort The is the largest resort in Hokkaidō, Japan, operated by Kamori Kankō. The resort is mostly famous for its ski slopes, but it also has an amusement park, golf courses and others.-Ski resort:... Otaru Expo |
TOGO | 1985 1984 |
Operating Closed 1984 |
| Shockwave | Kings Dominion | TOGO | 1986 | Operating |
| Milky Way Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky... |
Mitsui Greenland | TOGO | 1991 | Operating |
| Vortex Vortex (Great America) Vortex is a stand-up roller coaster at California's Great America. It has a different layout but is generally the same size as Vortex at Carowinds. It was Bolliger & Mabillard's second coaster after Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America and officially opened on March 9, 1991. The ride has a... |
California's Great America | Bolliger & Mabillard Bolliger & Mabillard Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president... |
1991 | Operating |
| Vortex Vortex (Carowinds) Vortex is a steel stand-up roller coaster at Carowinds that was built during the last year before Paramount bought the park in the year 1992. This ride, which was unusual at its time, officially opened on March 14, 1992, on the former site of the Carolina Speedway miniature car ride... |
Carowinds | Bolliger & Mabillard | 1992 | Operating |
| Fujin Raijin II | Expoland Expoland Expoland, located in Suita, Osaka, Japan, was opened as the amusement zone at the International Exposition in 1970 and thrived for over 30 years as an amusement park... |
TOGO | 1992 | Standing but not operating since 2007 |
| Batman The Escape Batman The Escape Batman The Escape is a steel stand-up roller coaster in storage at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort. Previously it was located at Six Flags Magic Mountain from 1986 until January 1989 ; Six Flags Great Adventure from 1990 until the Labor Day Weekend of 1992 ; and Six Flags AstroWorld from 1994 until... Formerly Shockwave Formerly Shockwave |
Six Flags AstroWorld Six Flags Astroworld AstroWorld was a seasonally operated theme park located on approximately of land between Kirby Drive and Fannin Avenue, directly south of Loop 610 in Houston, Texas, USA... 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... Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In... |
Intamin AG Intamin AG Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an... |
1993 1990 1986 |
Closed 2005, relocated to Darien Lake Theme Park Resort in New York New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... . It is currently in storage there. Closed 1992 Closed 1988 |
| Shockwave | Drayton Manor Theme Park Drayton Manor Theme Park Drayton Manor Theme Park is a theme park, resort & zoo in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor, near Tamworth in Staffordshire, England.Drayton Manor is best known because it is a theme park and zoo which attracts around 1.4 million people a year. The attraction has a wide selection of rides set... |
Intamin AG | 1994 | Operating |
| Cobra Formerly Stand Up |
La Ronde La Ronde (amusement park) La Ronde is an amusement park in Montreal, owned and operated by Six Flags. It is the largest in the province of Quebec and the second largest in Canada after Canada's Wonderland, with about 2.5 million guests in 2006... Skara Sommarland |
Intamin AG | 1995 1988 |
Operating Closed 1994 |
| Mantis Mantis (roller coaster) Mantis is a Bolliger and Mabillard stand-up roller coaster at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. It had set several stand-up coaster records, including height [], speed [], steepest , and inversions - previously, this had been achieved by Shockwave at Drayton Manor Theme Park, UK... |
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... |
Bolliger & Mabillard | 1996 | Operating |
| Riddler's Revenge | Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In... |
Bolliger & Mabillard | 1998 | Operating |
| Georgia Scorcher Georgia Scorcher Georgia Scorcher is a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. The second design from Bolliger & Mabillard to be built at the park, Georgia Scorcher opened in May 1999 as the last new stand-up roller coaster to have been constructed anywhere on Earth... |
Six Flags Over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas.... |
Bolliger & Mabillard | 1999 | Operating |
| Green Lantern Formerly Chang Chang (roller coaster) Green Lantern is a steel Bolliger & Mabillard stand-up roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. It was originally constructed at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky in 1997, where it was known as Chang. Upon opening in 1997, it set the world records for this type of coaster in... |
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... Kentucky Kingdom |
Bolliger & Mabillard | 2011 1997 |
Operating Closed 2009 |
| Apocalypse Formerly Iron Wolf |
Six Flags America Six Flags America Six Flags America is a family theme park and water park located in Mitchellville, Prince George's County, Maryland. It is situated east of Washington D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. The park covers , 131 of which is currently used for park operations... Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain... |
Bolliger & Mabillard | 2012 1990 |
Under Construction Closed 2011 |