Silver Dollar City is preparing to open the biggest and best roller coaster in the country, in spring 2018. Time Traveler will break barriers in the coaster world, and enthusiasts will be booking flights to Branson, MO in no time. This week we got the first look at the ride vehicle and they are awesome!
Time Traveler: World’s Fastest, Steepest & Tallest Spinning Coaster
The inventors and designers of Silver Dollar City’s ground-breaking roller coaster Time Traveler, revealed the ride’s first vehicle, which will make its much-anticipated debut at the Branson, Missouri-based theme park in Spring 2018. I am obsessed with the steampunk detail of the ride vehicle!
Before continuing its journey to Branson, the vehicle made a stop on the show floor of the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (IAAPA) Expo in Orlando, which each year draws more than 32,000 attendees from around the world for the amusement industry’s largest convention. Reflecting the global nature of the event, a huge crowd of media and industry leaders gathered at the Mack Rides booth.
The Time Traveler vehicle is part of an innovative project currently underway at the 1880s-themed park, which will present the “World’s Fastest, Steepest and Tallest Complete-Circuit Spinning Roller Coaster” in a few short months.
The vehicle, which is the first of four cars that will be positioned on each of three trains, resembles a time-traveling machine. The highly stylized Time Traveler features gears, cogs and other industrial components as part of its décor. Beyond its specialized look, the most cutting-edge feature of the vehicle is its 360-degree adjustable magnetic spin control.
“The car is the most advanced roller coaster car in the industry, featuring a free-spinning rotation on a launched roller coaster,” said Christian von Elverfeldt, CEO of Mack Rides, the ride’s manufacturer. “For the utmost comfort, an on-board magnetic brake limits the rotation speed to allow the most enjoyable ride experience for all ages.” Riders will need to be at least 51 inches tall, which opens the ride to a multitude of ages and allows it to complement Silver Dollar City’s commitment to entertaining the whole family.
The game-changing vehicle allows riders to experience two simultaneous thrills: a roller coaster car moving along a track, but also a spinning component that provides a different ride each time … and does not result in the whirling sensation some riders feel on a standard “teacup ride.”
At an investment of $26 million, Time Traveler is Silver Dollar City’s biggest attraction ever. “The interest in Time Traveler has been monumental from the perspective of guests, coaster enthusiasts and the industry,” said Brad Thomas, President of Silver Dollar City Attractions. “Our goal is to make a global statement with a ride like no other.”
The custom-designed Time Traveler will break several world records:
- Fastest – Top speed of 50.3 miles per hour
- Steepest – A 10-story, 90-degree vertical drop … straight down. Custom-engineered to have an immediate out-of-the-station, gravity-driven drop down the Ozarks mountainside
- Tallest – Custom-designed for mountainous terrain with its tallest point at 100 feet
- First and Only with Three Inversions – A Dive Loop, a Vertical Loop and a Zero-G Roll
- First and Only with a Vertical Loop – A 95-foot tall loop
- First and Only Double Launch – 0 to 47 mph in 3 seconds; 30 to 45 mph in 3.5 seconds
I don’t know about you, but I think Time Traveler is about to change the face of coasters in the US market, and I for one cannot wait to experience it!