A bobsled roller coaster is a
roller coaster
A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...
that uses a track design that is essentially a "pipe" with the top half removed and has cars that are sent down this pipe in a freewheeling mode. The name derives from the great similarity to the track design used for the winter sport of
bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobslei ...
.
Most modern bobsled roller coasters are made of steel; however, the first bobsled coasters, known as ''
Flying Turns
Flying Turns is a specific model of bobsled roller coaster. John Norman Bartlett, a British aviator in World War I, came to North America after the war with an idea for a trackless wooden chute, full of twists like a bobsled course, with tobog ...
'', were made of wood. On October 4, 2013, after seven years of construction,
Knoebels Knoebels Amusement Resort () is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is the United States's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including thre ...
in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
opened the world's only modern wooden Flying Turns coaster,
Flying Turns
Flying Turns is a specific model of bobsled roller coaster. John Norman Bartlett, a British aviator in World War I, came to North America after the war with an idea for a trackless wooden chute, full of twists like a bobsled course, with tobog ...
. The ride was scheduled to open in 2007, but had been delayed due to dysfunctional wheels and other issues. As there were no historic plans available, the new coaster was designed entirely from scratch.
Both the bobsled coaster and the Flying Turns coaster are buildable in the ''
RollerCoaster Tycoon
''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' is a series of construction and management simulation games about building and managing an amusement park. Each game in the series challenges players with open-ended amusement park management and development, and allo ...
'' and ''
Thrillville
''Thrillville'' is a simulation and strategy video game developed by Frontier Developments that depicts theme park management, similar to '' RollerCoaster Tycoon''. ''Thrillville'' is available for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and, in ...
'' series of
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
s.
Notably, the
Gerstlauer
Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany. As of May 2024, all 113 Gerstlauer-made rollercoasters are still in operation an ...
Bobsled Coaster model is not a bobsled coaster by this definition but rather an improvement on the
wild mouse.
Installations
As of 2012, 21 bobsled roller coasters have been built. The roller coasters are listed in order of opening dates.
* * Denotes that exact closing date is not known.
* †The Screamin' Delta Demon was transported to
Old Indiana Fun Park following Opryland's closure in 1998, but was never reassembled and eventually scrapped.
References
External links
{{Intamin
Types of roller coaster
Roller coasters manufactured by Intamin
Roller coasters manufactured by Mack Rides