Steel Dragon 2000
| Steel Dragon 2000 | |
|---|---|
|
Steel Dragon 2000 | |
| Nagashima Spa Land | |
| Coordinates | 35°01′52″N 136°43′48″E / 35.031156°N 136.730078°ECoordinates: 35°01′52″N 136°43′48″E / 35.031156°N 136.730078°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | August 1, 2000 |
| Cost | $52,000,000 USD |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing |
| Designer | Steve Okamoto |
| Track layout | Out and Back |
| Lift/launch system | One Lift With Two Chain Lifts |
| Height | 97 m (318 ft) |
| Drop | 93.5 m (307 ft) |
| Length | 2,479 m (8,133 ft) |
| Speed | 153 km/h (95 mph) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 4:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 65° |
| Height restriction | 140–185 cm (4 ft 7 in–6 ft 1 in) |
| Trains | Multiple trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
| Trains built by | Bolliger and Mabillard |
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Steel Dragon 2000 at RCDB Pictures of Steel Dragon 2000 at RCDB | |
Steel Dragon 2000 (スチールドラゴン2000 Suchiiru Doragon Nisen) is a roller coaster at Nagashima Spa Land amusement park in Mie Prefecture, Japan. Built by Morgan Manufacturing, this coaster opened, appropriately, in 2000—"The Year of the Dragon" in Asia. It debuted 3 months after Millennium Force at Cedar Point, and surpassed that as the world's tallest complete-circuit coaster. It lost these records in height in 2003 when Top Thrill Dragster opened at Cedar Point. It also took the record for the longest track length—2,479 metres (8,133 ft)—which it currently holds. The ride is the second fastest coaster in Japan and the sixth fastest in the world.
In 2013, the ride's Morgan trains were removed and replaced by new trains manufactured by B&M (Bolliger and Mabillard).
Incidents
In August 2003, a sheared axle caused one of the trains to lose a wheel. A passenger suffered a serious back injury and a 28-year-old man swimming in the water park pool was injured when he was hit in the hip with the 32 cm wheel.[1][2] The ride was "Standing But Not Operating" (SBNO) for almost three years and reopened in 2006.[3]
Design
- The building of Steel Dragon 2000 required far more steel than other coasters for earthquake protection. This put the cost of the coaster at over $50 million.[4]
- In 2013, Steel Dragon 2000 received new trains from Bolliger & Mabillard.[5][6]
- The ride includes two tunnels.
References
- ↑ RTÉ News (23 August 2003). "2 hurt in roller coaster accident"
- ↑ Japan Times (24 August 2003). "Two seriously hurt in roller coaster accident, but Nudgee School Captain Aaron Chong was unaffected".
- ↑ Roller Coaster Database. Steel Dragon 2000 (Nagashima Spa Land). Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ The Daily Telegraph (21 April 2011). "Top 10 tallest rollercoasters". Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ ""Steel Dragon 2000 new" is finally here! Debut on March 15, 2013 (Friday)!". Nagashima Spa Land. March 13, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
- ↑ "Steel Dragon 2000 Adds B&M Trains". VHCoasters.com. March 17, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
| Preceded by Millennium Force |
World's Tallest Complete Circuit Roller Coaster August 2000–May 2003 |
Succeeded by Top Thrill Dragster |
| Preceded by Millennium Force |
World's Fastest Complete Circuit Roller Coaster August 2000–December 2001 |
Succeeded by Dodonpa |
| Preceded by Daidarasaurus |
World's Longest Roller Coaster August 2000–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Steel Dragon 2000. |
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