Steel roller coaster

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The Dueling Dragons, the world's only Dueling Steel-Inverted roller coaster located at Islands of Adventure in Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida.

A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated wheels, the steel roller coasters can provide a taller, smoother, and faster ride with more inversions than a traditional wooden roller coaster.

Arrow Dynamics first introduced the steel roller coaster to feature tubular track to the thrill industry with their creations of the Matterhorn (Disneyland) and the Runaway Mine Train (Six Flags Over Texas).

As of 2006, the oldest operating steel roller coaster in North America is the Little Dipper at Memphis Kiddie Park in Brooklyn, Ohio and has been operating since April, 1952. The oldest operating steel rollercoaster in the world is the rodelbaan at de Waarbeek (Netherlands). It has been operating since 1930.

Characteristics

• Steel coasters have a generally smoother ride than their wooden counterparts, although it is sometimes argued that wooden roller coasters provide a bigger feeling of "threat" due to their rougher ride.
• Almost all world records for tallest, fastest, and longest coasters are currently held by steel roller coasters.^{[citation needed]}
• The fact that less supports are need means steel roller coasters have made a large variety of features possible, such as Loops, Barrel Rolls, Corkscrews, Zero-G Rolls and Beyond 90 Degree Drops

There are different types of steel coasters, such as flying, inverted, floorless, and suspended.

Blue Fire, an inverted launched roller coaster, at Europa-Park, Germany.

Notable steel roller coasters

(NOTE: Dive and Vertical Drop coasters are the same)

• The Mind Eraser at Six Flags America
• Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland - first tubular steel roller coaster
• Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois was the first inverted roller coaster.
• Blue Fire at Europa-Park in Germany - Europe's first coaster with a twisted horseshoe roll
• Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain- World's tallest, fastest, and longest flying roller coaster.
• Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain- World's tallest, fastest, and longest stand up roller coaster.
• X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain- World's first 4th dimensional roller coaster.
• Deja Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain- World's Biggest boomerang roller coaster.
• Thunderhawk at Michigan's Adventure- First suspended looping coaster in Michigan.
• Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm - first modern roller coaster ever to send riders upside down; built in 1975; now exists at Silverwood amusement park.'
• Magnum XL-200- First full circuit roller coaster to top 200 ft and was considered to have started the roller coaster wars.
• Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain- First full circuit roller coaster to top 250 ft.
• Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Over Texas - first mine train roller coaster; built in 1969.
• Millennium Force at Cedar Point - first full circuit roller coaster to top 300 ft.
• Colossus at Thorpe Park - worlds first coaster with 10 inversions.
• Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain- Features the world's tallest loop.
• Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain- World's first looping roller coaster.
• Air at Alton Towers - Worlds first flying roller coaster
• Storm Runner at Hershey Park - world's first rocket coaster to feature inversions
• Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure - world's tallest (456 ft) and fastest (128 mph) roller coaster
• Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure - Hyper coaster -
• Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain- World's fastest suspended roller coaster.
• Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain- First roller coaster to top 400 ft and reach 100 mph.
• Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point - world's first "stratacoaster"
• Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Europe - world's tallest full circuit inverted coaster
• Silver Star at Europa-Park - Europe's tallest roller coaster
• Griffon at Busch Gardens Europe - world's tallest and fastest dive coaster
• SheiKra at Busch Gardens Africa - America's first dive coaster
• Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm - world's first rocket coaster
• Scream! at Six Flags Magic Mountain- Southern California's first floorless roller coaster.
• Oblivion at Alton Towers - world's first vertical drop roller coaster
• Furious Baco at Port Aventura - world's first Intamin Accelarator coaster with an inversion
• Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland - First hypercoaster in Canada; first coaster in Canada to have a drop over 200 ft tall.
• Dominator at King's Dominion - World's largest floorless coaster by Bolliger and Mabillard, formerly at Geauga Lake
• Speed Monster at Tusenfryd - Norway's largest rollercoaster.
• Space Shuttle at Enchanted Kingdom - World's tallest,longest, and fastest non-inverted Boomerang roller coaster
• Saw: The Ride at Thrope Park - World's First Horror-Theme Roller Coaster
• Sewer Rat at Lightwater Valley
• The Joker's Jinx at Six Flags America
• Batwing at Six Flags America
• Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags America
• Ultimate (roller coaster) at Lightwater Valley - Worlds second longest roller coaster