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| Disaster Transport | |
|---|---|
| [1]
The outside of Disaster Transport | |
| This WasPreviously known as Avalanche Run (1985-1989) | |
| Cedar Point | |
| Coordinates | 41°28′52″N 82°40′46.00″WCoordinates: 41°28′52″N 82°40′46.00″W |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | May 11, 1985 |
| Closing date | July 29, 2012 |
| Cost | $3,400,000 USD to build (1985)
$4,000,000 USD to renovate (1990) |
| Replaced | WildCat |
| Replaced by | GateKeeper |
| General Statistics | |
| Type | Steel - Enclosed - Bobsled |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Model | Swiss Bob |
| Track layout | Custom |
| Lift/launch system | Chain |
| Height | 63 ft (19 m) |
| Drop | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Length | 1,932 ft (589 m) |
| Speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:32 |
| Max vertical angle | 27° |
| Capacity | 1800 riders per hour |
| G-force | 2.7 |
| Height restriction | 3 ft 10 in (117 cm) |
| Trains | 5 trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 2 across in 5 rows for a total of 10 riders per train. |
| Disaster Transport at RCDB | |
Disaster Transport (formerly Avalanche Run) was an enclosed steel bobsled roller coaster built by Intamin at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It is notable as being the only indoor roller coaster at Cedar Point and the only bobsled roller coaster in the midwest at its debut.[1] The name of the ride stems from "Dispatch Master Transport". The origin of the name could still be seen in the ride's logo in its later years.[2] Before the ride was enclosed, the supports and outer sides of the track were painted blue.[3]
Contents[] |
History[]
Disaster Transport originally opened on May 11, 1985 as Avalanche Run and was entirely outdoors. It was built next to the beach, on the former spot of WildCat. Many other rides also had to be relocated.[4] The original ride cost $3.4 million: $1.9 million to manufacture and $1.5 million to install.[1]
Renovation[]
[2][3] The loading platform of Disaster TransportIn 1990, ITEC Productions, Inc. was chosen to renovate the ride, completely enclosing it in a show building. The renovation included the addition of a space-themed queue and ride along with special effect lighting and sound. The special effects and construction cost aproximently $4 million.[5] On the outside of the building, "12 E" is written, which has caused numerous rumors as to its meanings. On August 3, 2005, it was revealed that it stood for the 12th ride designed by the ITEC employee, Eric.[6]
Not long after the initial changes to the ride in 1990, the special effects were not maintained and began to deteriorate. Most of the effects at its closure, were not active, or had been covered up.[7] Blacklight reactant paint lined the walls, mostly in the form of handprints or outlines of scenes. These gave a 3-D appearance when the rider wore special glasses purchased at the beginning of the queue.[8]
Closure[]
On July 13, 2012, Cedar Point announced that Disaster Transport would close on July 29, 2012. A charity auction was held for the final riders, benefiting the Give Kids the World charity foundation. The last ride was given at 11:53 PM on July 29, with the lights turned on. The ride started demolition on August 6, using almost 400 trucks to transport scrap materials. A portion of track, two cars and the main entrance sign will be donated to the National Roller Coaster Museum. Space Spiral will also close along with Disaster Transport, however, it will not close until shortly after Labor Day.[9]
Ride experience[]
[4][5] Inside the Repair BayDisaster Transport was a bobsled roller coaster, meaning the wheels were not attached to a track as on a conventional roller coaster. The cars — resembling bobsleds — operated within a steel trough, on which they were allowed to operate freely. This allowed the ride to swing from side to side when turning sharp corners, as an actual bobsled would.[1] Guests would enter 10 passenger bobsleds, secured by a lap bar. After leaving the "launch area", the bobsled traveled up the 63-foot-tall (19 m) lift hill, which featured red and blue blinking lights on the sides. After reaching the top of the lift hill, it curved to the right, dropping 50 feet (15 m). After that, it curved to the left into a mid course brake run. After the mid course brake run, the bobsled turned left followed by several banked turns turns and curves and two more brake runs.[3][10]
Theme[]
After the ride was renovated in 1990, a new space theme was given. The story of the ride was the passengers had been to deliver cargo from a suborbital factory to a station in Alaska. Large screen projections, simulated lasers, mist, and recordings were added to the ride. In the queue, guests would go through three rooms including Rocket Recovery, Mission Control and Repair Bay.[5] The original entrance to the ride was located next to Troika. During HalloWeekends, the park would change the entrance of Disaster Transport to under the lift hill, leaving the one next to Troika to be used for the Halloween Haunt. For the 2009 season, the entrance was permanently changed to under the lift hill.[11] When the entrance was changed, the Rocket Recovery and Mission Control rooms were closed, leaving the Repair Bay the only room guests walked through.[12][13]
Building[]
[6][7] Entrance to Happy Jack's Toy FactoryThe building was also used as a storage facility for the park. During HalloWeekends, much of the original queue area was used to house a haunt attraction. It was first used in 1997 for the haunt, Cedar Point Cemetery. In 2000, it was transformed into the Egyptian themed, Pharaoh's Secret haunted house. In 2009, it was transformed into Happy Jack's Toy Factory, a haunted toy factory.[9][14]
The ride, though indoors, would close in any type of rain. Because of leaks in the structure, water pooled in the trough, warranting a shutdown. Typically, the ride would remain shut down after a period of rain as the crew would have to cycle several trains through the circuit in order for it to dry. Although the ride was enclosed, the storage track remained outdoors with a large door that opens when the storage track is needed.[15]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b c Cedar Point. "Avalanche Run Fact Sheet". PointBuzz. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "Dispatch Master Transport Logo". Coaster-net. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Disaster Transport (Cedar Point)". Database Entry. Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "PointBuzz Timeline". PointBuzz. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
- ^ a b Cedar Point. "Disaster Transport Fact Sheet". PointBuzz. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ Adams, Tyler; Tony Clark (August 3, 2005). "12 E Revealed!". Cedar Point. Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "Disaster Transport". The Point Online. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "Cedar Point virtual tour". Tour the Point. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ a b "Fans say goodbye to Disaster Transport". WKYC. July 30, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ "Disaster Transport POV". YouTube. July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ thpomer (September 8, 2007). "Disaster Transport Entrance". Flickr. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "Disaster Transport old queue". YouTube. July 21, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ "Disaster Transport new queue". YouTube. November 3, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ "Happy Jack's Toy Factory with lights on". YouTube. November 2, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "Disaster Transport storage track". PointBuzz. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
External links[]
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