Six Flags Coaster Milestone Timeline

[DianaR]

I was going through my press kit from KK (Looking for exact launch track length) and I found this great piece written by Steve U. I thought some of you might find it interesting...

1966-RUNAWAY MINE TRAIN, world?s first tubular steel coaster.

1973-GREAT AMERICAN SCREAM MACHINE, responsible for resurgence of the wooden coaster.

1976-REVOLUTION, world?s first steel looping coaster.

1977-SCREAMIN? EAGLE, world?s tallest wooden coaster.

1978-TEXAS CYCLONE, world?s first coaster inspired by classic Coney Island Cyclone.

1978-MIND BENDER, the world?s first triple-looping steel coaster.

1981-AMERICAN EAGLE, still the world?s largest dual-tracked, racing wooden coaster.

1984-XLR-8, the world?s first suspended coaster.

1985-Z-FORCE, the world?s first and only dive coaster.

1986-ULTRA-TWISTER, North America?s first inline spiraling, forward/backward coaster.

1991-BATMAN THE RIDE, the world?s first outside looping inverted coaster, so successful it has been replicated in many major Six Flags parks and is the company?s signature ride.

1997-SUPERMAN THE ESCAPE, the first coaster in history to reach a height of more than 400 feet tall, and the first to use linear induction motors to launch vehicles to a speed of 100 mph, also setting a coaster speed record.

1998-RIDDER?S REVENGE, the world?s largest stand-up coaster built to date.

1999-MEDUSA, the world?s first floorless coaster.

2000-SUPERMAN RIDE OF STEEL at Six Flags New England, the roller coaster most cited as being the finest on the planet.

2002-X, the world?s first and only X-winged vehicle roller coaster with seating capable of executing 360-degree forward and backward rolls during the twisted course.

2004-HALF PIPE, North America?s first revolving disk, back-and-forth shuttle on a 100-foot-tall
U-shaped track.

2005-KINGDA KA, the new record holder for tallest and fastest roller coaster on Earth

# # #

Author Steven J. Urbanowicz

[stew560]

Great List! It's amazing all the things that Six Flags has done throughout the years! There are a bunch missing there as well! (SFGAdv GASM, SFMM Viper, Chiller all set firsts as well!)

What irks me, however, is the following:

1966-RUNAWAY MINE TRAIN, world?s first tubular steel coaster.

How can Six Flags honestly make this claim? It's even on the SFOT website:

MINE TRAIN
The ride that changed roller coasters forever! The Six Flags Over Texas mine train was the world's first tubular steel roller coaster. (must be 42" tall to ride)

It is pretty much accepted that The Matterhorn (also built by Arrow) was the first tubular steel coaster!

The Matterhorn Bobsleds is an attraction made up of two steel roller coasters at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is recognized as the first tubular steel roller coaster in the world, and was built by coaster builder Arrow Dynamics and WED Imagineering.

Am I missing a minute detail here or something?

[WadeJ]

I thought the very same thing Stew.  I think there are some purists out there that still don't count Matterhorn for some reason.  Why?  I have no clue.

Still a very good list and VERY eye-opening when you actually look back at what Six Flags has done to the world of coasters.