El Loco is a model of steel

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides ar ...

manufactured by

S&S Worldwide S&S may refer to: *''Sense and Sensibility'', a novel by Jane Austen *'' Salt and Sanctuary'', a video game *Sword and sorcery, a subgenre of fantasy and historical fantasy *Simon & Schuster, a publisher * S&S Cycle, a manufacturer of aftermarket en ...

. The rides are characterised by a vertical or beyond-vertical drop, tight corners and abnormal banking. As of November 2013, there are six El Locos operating around the world.

History

The first El Loco was Steel Hawg at

Indiana Beach Indiana Beach is an amusement park located on Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana. The resort was developed by the Spackman family, who owned it from 1926 to 2008. The park was then sold to Morgan RV LLC, Apex Parks Group, LLC, and now is owned ...

. The ride was announced in November 2007 as having a 120° first drop and a planned opening date in mid-May 2008. However, these were revised to a drop angle of 111° and an opening date on July 5, 2008. The ride drop angle was the steepest in the world at the time, taking the record from a series of

Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of E ...

s which shared the record with drops of 97°. The design of the outward banking turn found on the ride was developed by

Alan Schilke Alan Schilke is an engineer and roller coaster designer based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. He first made his mark on the industry by designing the 4th Dimension roller coaster, X2, while working with Arrow Dynamics. Schilke now works as a d ...

of Ride Centerline LLC. Mumbo Jumbo at Flamingo Land was the next El Loco to be constructed. In order for the ride to take the world's steepest drop record from Steel Hawg, the drop angle was increased to 112°. All other elements of the ride remained the same. The ride opened on July 4, 2009. Green Lantern Coaster from main gate

In 2011, S&S Worldwide set about building two El Loco roller coasters. The first was Timber Drop at

Fraispertuis City Fraispertuis City is a theme park in Jeanménil, France. It opened in 1966. Its roller coaster Timber Drop, created by S&S Power, was the steepest in the world when it opened on July 2, 2011, but it lost the record with the opening on July 1 ...

which opened on July 2, 2011. Following the trend from the previous versions, this ride had an increased drop angle of 1° (making the drop 113°) to claim the world record. This record was short-lived with Takabisha at

Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan, owned and operated by the namesake Fuji Kyuko Co. it was opened on 2 March 1968. The theme park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a number of roller coasters, as well as two hau ...

claiming the record just two weeks later. Also in 2011,

Warner Bros. Movie World Warner Bros. Movie World is a theme park on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Owned and operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the park opened on 3 June 1991. It is part of a entertainment precinct, with the adjacent Village Roadsho ...

collaborated directly with S&S Worldwide to develop an El Loco roller coaster that was unlike the previous models of Mumbo Jumbo, Steel Hawg and Timber Drop. The park wanted the same style of ride, but with increased capacity. S&S Worldwide came up with a new train design which features four across seating in two rows, totalling eight riders per train. This gives the ride double the capacity of the previous El Locos. The trains are

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were sometim ...

in such a way that the first row of four riders moves independently from the second row. Each seat features a pair of stereo speakers in the head rest which are capable of playing multiple tracks for up to 9 minutes on a single charge. Riders are harnessed in to the ride through the use of lap bars and seat belts. This design was showcased by the company at the 2011 IAAPA Attractions Expo. The ride also features a drop angle of 120.5° – the third steepest in the world. Green Lantern Coaster officially opened on December 23, 2011. In 2013, a new El Loco was opened at Happy Valley, Tianjin named Crazy Bird, featuring a 120° drop.

Circus Circus Las Vegas Circus Circus Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the northern Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Phil Ruffin. Circus Circus includes the largest permanent circus in the world. It features circus and trapez ...

opened the first indoor El Loco on a custom track layout to fit an existing space in February 2014. It is the second

indoor Indoor(s) may refer to: *the interior of a building *Indoor environment, in building science, traditionally includes the study of indoor thermal environment, indoor acoustic environment, indoor light environment, and indoor air quality *Built envi ...

installation at the Adventuredome. In March 2014, an El Loco named

Twist Coaster Robin was a steel roller coaster at Yomiuriland amusement park near Tokyo, Japan. The coaster was noteworthy for its List of roller coaster rankings#Steepness rankings, steeper-than-vertical first drop of 93 degrees. It is also one of two S&S coasters ...

was opened in

Yomiuriland Yomiuriland (よみうりランド, ''Yomiurirando'') is an amusement park in Inagi, Tokyo, Japan that first opened in 1964. It is situated on hillsides, and features rides such as roller coasters and water flumes. It is home to Yomiuri Giants ...

in Japan. The ride featured a layout that differed from the previous models, although the

elements Element or elements may refer to: Science * Chemical element, a pure substance of one type of atom * Heating element, a device that generates heat by electrical resistance * Orbital elements, parameters required to identify a specific orbit of ...

were similar. The coaster closed in the same month it opened, and it remained closed until it was demolished in March 2016.

Locations

As of February 2014, there are five El Locos operating around the world.

Ride experience

The majority of El Loco roller coasters begin with a U-turn out of the station. Riders ascend a

chain lift hill A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from t ...

before going down a small dip and into an s-bend followed by a U-turn. After a slight ascent, the car enters a beyond-vertical drop. The track then returns to approximately two thirds of its original height before entering the first set of block brakes. These brakes lead into a left turn with reverse or outward banking. It then drops under the block brakes and into the first inversion – a

Dive Loop Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Comm ...

. The inversion begins with half of an

inline twist Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements". Comm ...

which transitions into half of a

vertical loop The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted. History The vertical l ...

. Upon exiting the inversion the track makes an incline and into a second set of block brakes. The train then goes around a right U-turn and into the second inversion – a downwards

. This leads into a cutback-style turnaround before entering the final

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 ...

and returning to the station.

Records

As of July 2022, the operating El Loco roller coasters are two of the five steepest roller coasters in the world. Three of these rides held the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for a period of time.

References

External links