Batman & Robin: The Chiller

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Batman & Robin: The Chiller
The Chiller's main inversions, the 141 ft inverted top hat and the 113 ft cobra roll
Six Flags Great Adventure
Park section	Movietown
Coordinates	40°08′12.16″N 74°26′30.75″W / 40.1367111°N 74.4418750°W / 40.1367111; -74.4418750
Status	Removed
Soft opening date	June 7, 1997 (June 7, 1997)
Opening date	April 4, 1998 (April 4, 1998)
Closing date	June 28, 2007 (2007-06-28)
Cost	US$15,000,000
Replaced by	Justice League: Battle for Metropolis
General Statistics
Type	Steel – Launched – Shuttle
Manufacturer	Premier Rides
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Dueling LIM Shuttle Loop Coaster
Track layout	Dueling
Lift/launch system	LIM launch track
	Batman	Robin
Height	200 ft (61.0 m)	200 ft (61.0 m)
Drop	139 ft (42.4 m)	105 ft (32.0 m)
Length	1,137 ft (346.6 m)	1,229 ft (374.6 m)
Speed	65 mph (104.6 km/h)	65 mph (104.6 km/h)
Inversions	1 (2007) 2 (1997-2006)	2 (2007) 3 (1997-2006)
Duration	0:32	0:48
Max vertical angle	90°	90°
Acceleration	0 to 65 mph (105 km/h) in 4 seconds	0 to 65 mph (105 km/h) in 4 seconds
G-force	5	5
Capacity	1360 riders per hour
Restraint Style	Individual ratcheting lap bar, formerly individual shoulder harness
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	2 (one on each side) trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Batman & Robin: The Chiller at RCDB Pictures of Batman & Robin: The Chiller at RCDB

Batman & Robin: The Chiller was a dual-tracked, launched roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Designed by Premier Rides, the ride was themed to the Batman & Robin movie. It opened to the public on June 7, 1997, but after a series of setbacks shortly after its debut, the roller coaster closed for much of its inaugural season and didn't reopen until 1998. When it did, ride operation was changed to launch only one side at a time as a result of the amount of power required by the ride's linear induction motor (LIM) launch system. Although modifications were made over the years to improve the ride experience and limit the amount of downtime, the park decided to remove the attraction following the 2007 season.

History[]

Announcement[]

In 1996, Six Flags Great Adventure announced the addition of a new roller coaster for the 1997 season. The new ride would be a dual-tracked, launched roller coaster called "Batman & Robin: The Chiller", featuring linear induction motor (LIM) technology for its launch system.^[1] The theme was chosen with the intent of promoting the Batman & Robin film, which was set to open in the summer of 1997.^{[citation needed]} The Observatory prop that loomed over the launch tracks and exit ramp was inspired by the film source material.^{[citation needed]} Each track represented one of the title characters, with the blue track for Batman and the red track for Robin.^[1]

Construction and opening[]

The ride was fabricated by Dynamic Structures and Intermountain Lift, Inc.^[2][3] Following a series of delays, Batman & Robin: The Chiller opened briefly to the public on June 7, 1997.^[1] It was closed a short time later in what Six Flags Great Adventure cited as "inconsistencies" with the LIM launch system and unsatisfactory ride quality.^[4] Early adjustments failed to solve the issue, which included changes to the LIM configuration and the installation of additional padding to the passenger restraints.^[4] On July 30, 1997, the park announced the possibility that the new coaster would be closed for the remainder of the season.^[4] The Chiller didn't operate on a full-time basis until 1998.^[1]

Ongoing issues and modifications[]

The Chiller faced excessive amounts of downtime due to a number of reoccurring issues. During its lifetime, one track was often closed.^{[citation needed]} The blue Batman track faced the most downtime, operating sporadically during the ride's existence and occasionally closing for entire seasons, such as in 2005.^{[citation needed]} Power shortages and low temperatures occasionally caused the trains to stall on the track in a low area. This included directly in the valley after main elements, in the low valley after the zero-g rolls, or for the Robin (Red) side, in the low mid point of the cobra roll section.^[5] On one rare occasion following a power outage, the Robin (Red) side managed to stall in the zero-g roll itself, leaving 8 passengers stranded upside down, with 12 others stranded partially inverted.^[6]

The original over-the-shoulder restraints were reportedly uncomfortable.^{[citation needed]} Riders frequently complained of hitting their heads against them.^{[citation needed]} Attempts were made to improve comfort by adding extra padding, but the restraints were eventually replaced with individually-ratcheting lap bars, with the Robin side receiving the change first in 2001, followed by the Batman side in 2002.^[1]

In June 2006, Six Flags Great Adventure closed The Chiller indefinitely following a major incident involving the Robin side.^[7] The third car's wheel assembly of the train's third car broke apart during the course of the ride.^{[citation needed]} As a result, other damages to the track and train resulted.^{[citation needed]} It remained closed for the rest of the season, while the park considered a major overhaul of the ride. After several significant modifications the following off-season by Premier Rides, which included the removal of the zero-g rolls and a re-design of the wheel assembly system, the ride reopened briefly in 2007.^[1] The ride's brief 2007 re-opening involved the former Batman train being painted red so as to supply the more reliable Robin side with a full train to operate with.^[5] The intention was to open the Batman side using the four remaining undamaged cars from the Robin side, once they were brought back to operating capacity.^{[citation needed]}

Removal and aftermath[]

Removal of the ride began late in the 2007 operating season. The ride was slowly removed, as removal was limited to periods of time outside the park's operating hours.^{[citation needed]} The taller portions of its structure were removed in the months following the close of the 2007 season. The coaster was disassembled in a fashion that indicated the park had intentions of re-selling the ride, as the pieces were carefully brought down one by one in a non destructive manner. Pieces were labeled and shipped out of the park on flatbed trucks to a storage lot in the adjacent Plumsted Township in New Jersey.^[8][5] Once the steel structure of the coaster was removed, only the station, observatory and queue line remained. The following year, the remaining foundation caps under the observatory and the former exit ramp were removed.^{[citation needed]}

The ride remained there for several years before Beto Carrero World, a Brazilian park, purchased the coaster. The ride was never assembled for unknown reasons and was scrapped in 2018.

In December 2018, the Robin train was reused as a third train on Mr. Freeze at Six Flags Over Texas.^[9]

Following the removal of the ride, the queue line was used for the "Escape From The Asylum" Terror Trail during Fright Fest. The Fright Fest exclusive attraction turned the former ride area into a Terror Trail maze for guests to walk through while costumed employees were hiding and frequently scaring guests. The remodeled observatory opened on July 3, 2009, as the "Xploratorium", a new attraction with many virtual and interactive features for park guests to enjoy.

Justice League Battle for Metropolis, a dark ride, and The Dark Knight Coaster opened in the location where Chiller once stood, although the Observatory still remains and is used for various purposes.

Ride experience[]

Batman & Robin: The Chiller's entrance and the two 200-foot Towers.

The Chiller used a linear induction motor (LIM) launch system that propelled the trains from 0 to 65 mph (105 km/h) in approximately 4 seconds.^[1] The Batman track featured an inverted top hat element with a 139-foot (42 m) drop, followed by a zero-g roll inversion.^[10][11] The Robin track had a similar layout, but instead of an inverted top hat, it featured a 105-foot (32 m) cobra roll followed by a zero-g roll.^[11] Both sides ended at a 200-foot (61 m) incline with a 45-degree angle, which also featured a second set of LIMs that propelled each train close to the top.^[11] They rested momentarily before rolling backward down the incline, propelled by the LIMs and repeating the course in reverse.^[11]

In its early days, both tracks ran their trains simultaneously as intended to provide a dueling scenario.^[12] When operated in this fashion, the trains would reach the end of their respective tracks at approximately the same time.^[12] However, the amount of power required by the LIM infrastructure led to the park only launching one train at a time.^[12] The zero-g roll element on each side was removed prior to the 2007 season and replaced with small hills.^[1]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Batman & Robin: The Chiller.

• Batman & Robin: The Chiller at the Roller Coaster DataBase