Vekoma SLC
Encyclopedia
The Suspended Looping Coaster (or SLC) is a model of steel
inverted
roller coaster
built by Vekoma
. There are at least 39 different installations across the world. The minimum rider height requirement is 130 centimetre or more.
at Walibi Holland in The Netherlands. It was initially designed to run with ten cars in each train. Trouble with this configuration lead to the trains being shortened to eight cars to a train. T2
at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
was the second prototype model Suspended Looping Coaster and the first in the United States
. Like El Condor, it was designed to run with ten cars in a train, though T2's trains were shortened to seven cars for similar reasons.
The roller coaster is considered to still be in production as the latest new installation (i.e. not relocated) was Dragon in Clouds in 2009 at Happy Valley, Shenzhen
.
There are several different layouts of Suspended Looping Coasters although most feature a similar pattern. The ride starts by taking riders up a 33.3 metres (109.3 ft) chain hill
. Once at the top, the train goes down a steep, banked turn to the right where it enters the first inversion element - a roll over. A roll over (also known as a Sea serpent roll) first features an Immelmann loop quickly followed by a Dive Loop. Upon exit from this element, the train goes up a hill which features some banking at the top before descending and approaching the ride's next inversion - a sidewinder. A sidewinder is similar to an Immelmann loop however it features a half loop followed by a half corkscrew (rather than an inline twist). From the exit of this sidewinder, the train goes into a sharp helix before entering the ride's final two inversions - inline twists. These two twists are followed one after the other. A banked curve to the right turns the train back around to face towards the station. At this point some models feature an additional helix to the left while others simply continue straight into the brake run
. The standard model also has a relatively compact layout, providing for "footchoppers".
Vekoma have also manufactured two custom Suspended Looping Coasters: Fly - The Great Nor'easter at Morey's Piers
and Jubilee Odyssey
at Fantasy Island
.
Many Suspended Looping Coasters operate with two trains consisting of ten cars, though some operate with as few as seven cars. Poorly maintained, poor track layout or most likely non-exact track manufacturing can cause SLCs riders to experience painful "head banging", whereby the head hits the Over the Shoulder Restraints. They also use very small plastic seats with little or no room for a person to move. Contrary to popular belief, the wheel spacing on the trains
(the 'gaps' between the side friction wheels, up-stop wheels, and the track) adds little to the roughness of these rides. Vekoma is currently manufacturing new trains with convenient hip harnesses. Unlike the first generation of trains, this modification will make the overall ride experience more comfortable.
The Suspended Looping Coaster is similar in design to other inverted roller coasters, however unlike the four-across seating found on Bolliger & Mabillard
(B&M) inverted roller coasters, Vekoma SLC's use two-across seating.
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...
inverted
Inverted roller coaster
An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but "swings" via a pivoting bar attached to the...
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...
built by Vekoma
Vekoma
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment...
. There are at least 39 different installations across the world. The minimum rider height requirement is 130 centimetre or more.
History
The first Suspended Looping Coaster installation was El CondorEl Condor
El Condor may refer to following:*El Condor *The Condor *El Condor...
at Walibi Holland in The Netherlands. It was initially designed to run with ten cars in each train. Trouble with this configuration lead to the trains being shortened to eight cars to a train. T2
T2 (roller coaster)
T² is a steel roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. It was the first Vekoma SLC in North America, opening less than a month prior to a slightly-larger clone...
at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Kentucky Kingdom is an amusement park located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The park is located on of land which includes a collection of 27 amusement rides and a water park named Splashwater Kingdom...
was the second prototype model Suspended Looping Coaster and the first in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Like El Condor, it was designed to run with ten cars in a train, though T2's trains were shortened to seven cars for similar reasons.
The roller coaster is considered to still be in production as the latest new installation (i.e. not relocated) was Dragon in Clouds in 2009 at Happy Valley, Shenzhen
Happy Valley, Shenzhen
Happy Valley is a tourist theme park in Nanshan, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.Covering an area of 350,000 square meters , the park is composed of nine areas with different themes, including Spanish Square, Cartoon City, Mt. Adventure, Gold Mine Town, Shangri-la Woods, Sunshine Beach,...
.
Layouts
Lift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
. Once at the top, the train goes down a steep, banked turn to the right where it enters the first inversion element - a roll over. A roll over (also known as a Sea serpent roll) first features an Immelmann loop quickly followed by a Dive Loop. Upon exit from this element, the train goes up a hill which features some banking at the top before descending and approaching the ride's next inversion - a sidewinder. A sidewinder is similar to an Immelmann loop however it features a half loop followed by a half corkscrew (rather than an inline twist). From the exit of this sidewinder, the train goes into a sharp helix before entering the ride's final two inversions - inline twists. These two twists are followed one after the other. A banked curve to the right turns the train back around to face towards the station. At this point some models feature an additional helix to the left while others simply continue straight into the brake run
Brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed...
. The standard model also has a relatively compact layout, providing for "footchoppers".
Vekoma have also manufactured two custom Suspended Looping Coasters: Fly - The Great Nor'easter at Morey's Piers
Morey's Piers
Morey’s Piers is a seaside amusement park located in Wildwood, New Jersey. It started when Morey brothers, Will and Bill bought two boardwalk lots in North Wildwood at 25th and 26th streets. They called it Surfside Pier and opened in the summer of 1969 with a giant fiberglass slide called the Wipe...
and Jubilee Odyssey
Jubilee Odyssey
Jubilee Odyssey is a roller coaster at Fantasy Island in Ingoldmells, England. Built by Vekoma of the Netherlands in 2002, it was named to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It is Vekoma's tallest example of their Suspended Looping Coaster design in the world...
at Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island UK
Fantasy Island is a family amusement park in Ingoldmells, near Skegness on the East Coast of England. It sits in the middle of one of the biggest spreads of holiday parks in the United Kingdom. Whilst entry to the park is free, guests either pay per ride or purchase an unlimited ride wristband...
.
| Name | Number of installations | First installation | Last installation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 662m Prototype | 2 | 1994 | 1995 |
| 689m Standard | 24 | 1995 | 2010 |
| 765m Extended w/Helix | 5 | 1995 | 1999 |
| 787m Extended | 2 | 1997 | 2007 |
| Shenlin | 2 | 2002 | 2006 |
| Shenlin w/Helix | 2 | 2006 | 2009 |
| Custom | 2 | 1995 | 2002 |
| 39 | 1994 | 2010 |
Trains
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...
(the 'gaps' between the side friction wheels, up-stop wheels, and the track) adds little to the roughness of these rides. Vekoma is currently manufacturing new trains with convenient hip harnesses. Unlike the first generation of trains, this modification will make the overall ride experience more comfortable.
The Suspended Looping Coaster is similar in design to other inverted roller coasters, however unlike the four-across seating found on 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...
(B&M) inverted roller coasters, Vekoma SLC's use two-across seating.
Installations
There are at least 39 different installations across the world which have been located at 47 different theme parks.| Name | Park | Opened | Status | Model | Image | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batman - The Ride | Six Flags Mexico Six Flags México Six Flags México is an amusement park owned by Six Flags Inc. and the only Six Flags park operating in Latin America. It is located in the Tlalpan forest and borough, on the southern edge of Mexico City, Mexico. Six Flags México has become one of the most important theme parks in Mexico and the... |
2000 | Operating | 689m Standard |  |
|
| Blue Tornado Blue Tornado Blue Tornado is a steel inverted roller coaster at Gardaland, Castelnuovo del Garda, outside Verona, Italy. It is an extended standard model, with additional helix, of the Suspended Looping Coaster manufactured by Vekoma. It is an intense coaster, and 5G's are experienced during the heartline loop... |
Gardaland Gardaland Gardaland is the third-most-popular theme park in Europe and is between Peschiera and Lazise, at Lake Garda in Italy. Built on the eastern shore of Lake Garda at Castelnuovo del Garda, the park opened on July 19, 1975. It has expanded steadily in both size and attendance, topping 1 million visitors... |
1998 | Operating | 765m Extended w/Helix |  |
|
| El Condor El Condor (roller coaster) El Condor is a steel roller coaster located at Walibi Holland in the Netherlands. The ride opened in 1994 as the first of many Vekoma Suspended Looping Roller Coasters .... |
Walibi Holland | 1994 | Operating | 662m Prototype | ||
| Ednör – L'Attaque | 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... |
2010 | Operating | 689m Standard | ||
| Flight Deck | Canada's Wonderland | 1995 | Operating | 689m Standard | ||
| Morey's Piers Morey's Piers Morey’s Piers is a seaside amusement park located in Wildwood, New Jersey. It started when Morey brothers, Will and Bill bought two boardwalk lots in North Wildwood at 25th and 26th streets. They called it Surfside Pier and opened in the summer of 1969 with a giant fiberglass slide called the Wipe... |
1995 | Operating | Custom | |||
| Infusion Infusion (roller coaster) Infusion is an inverted steel roller coaster at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is the first inverted coaster to be suspended entirely over water... |
Blackpool Pleasure Beach | 2007 | Operating | 689m Standard |  |
|
| Jubilee Odyssey Jubilee Odyssey Jubilee Odyssey is a roller coaster at Fantasy Island in Ingoldmells, England. Built by Vekoma of the Netherlands in 2002, it was named to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It is Vekoma's tallest example of their Suspended Looping Coaster design in the world... |
Fantasy Island Fantasy Island UK Fantasy Island is a family amusement park in Ingoldmells, near Skegness on the East Coast of England. It sits in the middle of one of the biggest spreads of holiday parks in the United Kingdom. Whilst entry to the park is free, guests either pay per ride or purchase an unlimited ride wristband... |
2002 | Operating | Custom |  |
|
| Kong Kong (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom) Kong is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California.Kong is a standard Vekoma SLC. The ride originally operated as The Hangman at Opryland USA from 1995 to 1997 when it was dismantled and sold due to the closure of the park... |
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, formerly Six Flags Marine World, Marine World, The New Marine World Theme Park, and Marine World Africa USA, is an animal theme park located in Vallejo, California. The park includes a variety of roller coasters and other amusement rides, along with a collection of... |
1998 | Operating | 689m Standard | ||
| Kumali Kumali Kumali, installed 2006, is a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster , located in Flamingo Land Resort in North Yorkshire, England. The ride is a custom layout with some new elements for Vekoma SLCs, including the cobra roll, which Flamingo Land wished to be out over a lake. It is named after one of the ... |
Flamingo Land | 2006 | Operating | Custom |  |
|
| Lethal Weapon - The Ride Lethal Weapon - The Ride Lethal Weapon – The Ride is a Vekoma SLC roller coaster located at Warner Bros. Movie World in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia... |
Warner Bros. Movie World Warner Bros. Movie World Warner Bros. Movie World is a popular movie related theme park on the Gold Coast in Australia. It is owned and operated by Village Roadshow since the take over from Time Warner and is the only movie related park in Australia... |
1995 | Operating | 765m Extended w/Helix | ||
| MP Xpress MP Xpress MP Xpress is a steel suspended looping roller coaster located at Movie Park Germany. The ride is located in The Old West section of the park and was previously named Eraser and FX .... |
Movie Park Germany Movie Park Germany thumb|Movie Park Germanythumb|[[Bermuda Triangle]] - Alien Encounterthumb|The Old Westthumb|[[Hollywood]] FilmmuseumThe Movie Park Germany is a theme park with real movie studios in Bottrop-Kirchhellen. It consists of 6 areas based on the topic "fascination film".The park was opened in June 1996 as... |
2001 | Operating | 689m Standard |  |
|
| T2 T2 (roller coaster) T² is a steel roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. It was the first Vekoma SLC in North America, opening less than a month prior to a slightly-larger clone... |
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Kentucky Kingdom is an amusement park located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The park is located on of land which includes a collection of 27 amusement rides and a water park named Splashwater Kingdom... |
1995 | SBNO | 662m Prototype |  |
|
| The Mind Eraser The Mind Eraser The Mind Eraser is a steel inverted roller coaster at 4 different Six Flags & PARC theme parks. Built by Vekoma, they are of the most common and standard Suspended Looping Coaster model that is found in many theme parks; at least fifteen other parks around the world have exactly the same ride... |
Darien Lake, 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... , Elitch Gardens Elitch Gardens Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, United States at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Colorado... , and Six Flags New England Six Flags New England Six Flags New England , formerly Riverside Amusement Park, is a Six Flags theme park, named for the New England region, in which it is located. Located off of Massachusetts State Route 159, Six Flags New England is located less than from the major City of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby... |
1995–1997 | Operating | 689m Standard | .jpg) |
|
| Thunderhawk | Michigan's Adventure Michigan's Adventure Michigan's Adventure is a amusement park in Muskegon County, Michigan, about halfway between Muskegon, Michigan and Whitehall, Michigan. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company since 2001... |
2008 | Operating | 689m Standard |  |
|
| Vampire | Walibi Belgium Walibi Belgium Walibi Belgium, formerly Walibi Wavre and then Six Flags Belgium, is a Belgian theme park located in Wavre, close to Brussels. During the 1998 to 2004 period, it was owned by Six Flags, Inc, an American theme park operator. It was later sold to Palamon Capital Partners... |
1999 | Operating | 689m Standard |
Similar roller coasters
Shenzhou Coaster is an inverted roller coaster at Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park in Beijing, China. The train and track are similar to the Suspended Looping Coaster design by Vekoma, but the ride was instead designed and manufactured by Beijing Shibaolai Amusement Equipment. The track layout is unique.External links
- Listing of all Suspended Looping Coasters on the Roller Coaster DatabaseRoller Coaster DataBaseThe Roller Coaster DataBase is an extensive roller coaster and amusement park database. RCDB was started in 1996 by Duane Marden, who still operates the site...