Runaway Mine Train (originally called Run-A-Way Mine Train) is a

steel roller coaster A steel roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its steel Railway track, track, which consists of long steel tubes that are run in pairs, supported by larger steel columns or beams. Trains running along the track typically rely ...

located in the Boomtown section of

Six Flags Over Texas "Six flags over Texas" is the slogan used to describe the six sovereign countries that have had control over some or all of the current territory of the U.S. state of Texas: Spain (1519–1685; 1690–1821), France (1685–1690), Mexico (1821� ...

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

. Built in 1966, Runaway Mine Train is the oldest roller coaster in the park.

History

Runaway Mine Train opened on July 23, 1966. The ride was the first of many mine train roller coasters built across the United States in response to the development of tubular steel rails. The Arrow Development Company, with Ronald Toomer, Karl Bacon, and Ed Morgan, advanced the steel roller coaster and roller coaster technology into a new era.Plaque at ride location.
/ref> In September 2006, Runaway Mine Train was designated an ACE Coaster Landmark by the

American Coaster Enthusiasts American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) is a non-profit organization focusing on the enjoyment, knowledge, and preservation of roller coasters as well as recognition of some as architectural and engineering landmarks. Dues-paying members receive th ...

Ride

The ride features three lift hills. The ride begins with the trip up the first and highest lift. From there it travels around the track to the second lift. The second lift is housed in a building designed to look like a rock crusher. The final lift leads into the "Ace Hotel and Saloon". The "Ace Hotel" was named in 1974 for John 'Ace' Cocharo, a mine train foreman turned ride supervisor. After the lift, the ride drops riders into a tunnel through Caddo Lake, emerging just outside the final brake run and queue house. Runaway is prone to flooding from Johnson Creek after heavy rainfall amounts.Runaway Mine Train submerge with water in 2012
/ref> In 2016, The Ace Hotel was shown to be throwing a birthday party with the inclusion of streamers and birthday cake in celebration of 50 years of the ride's operation.

Design

Runaway Mine Train uses tubular steel rails similar to those used on the earlier

Matterhorn Bobsleds Matterhorn Bobsleds is an attraction that consists of a pair of intertwined steel roller coasters running through a fabricated mountain. It is located at Disneyland in Anaheim, California and is modeled after the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Alp ...

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

. This particular coaster has three lift hills and two tunnels. The ride's climax is the final drop after the third lift hill, where the track dives into a curving tunnel below the park's Caddo Lake. This is the world's first underwater coaster tunnel. The old-style

Arrow Development Arrow Development was an amusement park ride and roller coaster design and manufacturing company, incorporated in California on November 16, 1945, and based in Mountain View, California, Mountain View. It was founded by Angus "Andy" Anderson, Ka ...

cars were designed with restraints (lap bars) that can be released only manually.

References

{{ACE Coaster Landmarks Roller coasters operated by Six Flags Roller coasters in Texas Roller coasters introduced in 1966 Western (genre) amusement rides Six Flags Over Texas