Comet is a

wooden Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

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 ...

located at Waldameer & Water World in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

. It was designed by

Herbert Schmeck Herbert Paul Schmeck (born 1890 in Reading, Pennsylvania, died 1956) was an American roller coaster designer. From 1923 to 1955, Schmeck designed 84 coasters for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. As a designer and president, the company became the ...

and built by

Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry B. Auchy and Chester Albright under the name Philadelph ...

(PTC) in 1951. It is similar to other Schmeck-designed PTC junior wooden coasters which feature a layered, figure-8/oval layout. However, Comet is taller than the previous junior wooden coaster designs. Comet is an

ACE An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

Coaster Classic.

Layout

The ride begins with a right turn out of the station onto a lift hill. It then drops and heads back up into a left turn. It drops again, into two airtime hills, and heads back up into a right turn over the station. Then it drops into a series of two bunny-hops and goes up into a right curve that is directly underneath the left curve that comes after the lift hill. It then drops and heads into a final bunny-hop before reaching the brakes, and curves right into the station. In its 1:24 duration, it reaches a top speed of . It has over of track.

Trains

Comet has two Junior PTC trains of four cars, all of which utilize flanged wheels. Each car has two seats that can hold two riders, for a maximum of 16 riders per train. Although the park owns two trains, for several years, only one was placed into daily operation, as park management was not comfortable running two trains with manually operated skid brakes.

Braking system

For the 2012 season, Comet received an updated braking system from Velocity Magnetics. The new system uses a combination of magnetic and friction brakes, and along with a new control system, allows for two-train operation on busy days.

References

{{ACE Coaster Classics Roller coasters in Pennsylvania 1951 establishments in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Erie, Pennsylvania