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El Toro (Six Flags Great Adventure)

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El Toro
KingdaEltoro.JPG
Out and back layout of El Toro (2007)
Six Flags Great Adventure
LocationSix Flags Great Adventure
Park sectionPlaza del Carnaval
Coordinates40°8′19.90″N 74°26′4.67″W / 40.1388611°N 74.4346306°W / 40.1388611; -74.4346306Coordinates: 40°8′19.90″N 74°26′4.67″W / 40.1388611°N 74.4346306°W / 40.1388611; -74.4346306
StatusClosed
Soft opening dateJune 11, 2006 (2006-06-11)
Opening dateJune 12, 2006 (2006-06-12)
ReplacedViper
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerIntamin
DesignerWerner Stengel
ModelWooden Coaster (Prefabricated Track)
Track layoutOut and Back
Lift/launch systemCable lift hill
Height181 ft (55 m)
Drop176 ft (54 m)
Length4,400 ft (1,300 m)
Speed70 mph (110 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration1:42
Max vertical angle76°
Capacity1400[1] riders per hour
Height restriction48–77 in (122–196 cm)
Trains2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 3 across in 2 rows for a total of 36 riders per train.
Flash Pass available
El Toro at RCDB
Pictures of El Toro at RCDB

El Toro (Spanish for The Bull) is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened to the public on June 11, 2006. Intamin subcontracted Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) to build the ride, and the coaster's track was prefabricated, allowing for quicker installation and lower construction costs.[2] El Toro is the main attraction of the Mexican-themed section of the park, Plaza Del Carnaval. It replaced another roller coaster, Viper, which closed following the 2004 season.

When it opened, El Toro had the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world at 76 degrees, a record that was later broken by T Express at Everland in 2008. Among wooden coasters, its height of 181 feet (55 m) ranks fourth, its drop height of 176 feet (54 m) ranks second, and its maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h) ranks third. El Toro was also the first wooden roller coaster to use a cable lift instead of a chain lift mechanism traditionally found on other wooden coasters. The coaster has been well-received, and with the exception of its first two years of operation, has consistently ranked in the top three of the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today.

History[]

El Toro sits on the former site of Viper, which closed in 2004.[3] Everything was removed in early 2005 except for the station.[4] El Toro was announced on September 28, 2005, along with Bugs Bunny National Park, a new themed area for children. It was also announced El Toro would be part of a new themed area known as Plaza del Carnaval.[5] The lift hill was topped off on December 20, 2005.[6] The ride started testing on Memorial Day weekend in 2006.[7] The ride had a surprise opening on June 11, then held its grand opening on June 12.[8][9]

El Toro has several similarities to Viper, the coaster that it replaced. The most obvious similarity is that El Toro uses Viper's station, the only part of Viper that was not torn down.[4] The station previously held two Viper trains at once, with a loading platform in the front and an unloading platform in the rear. The ramp that was previously Viper's main exit is now used only for wheelchair access, as El Toro has a new exit on the other side of the station. During El Toro's construction, the station was gutted and an entirely new platform built. Like El Toro, Viper turned left out of the station before the lift hill and turned left at the top of the lift before the first drop.

Description[]

El Toro carries a Mexican theme, and its name translates to "The bull" in Spanish. Each train has a bull's head ornament mounted on the front. The line queue of the ride is surrounded by Southwestern-style buildings of Plaza del Carnaval, and it features abandoned "wagon wheels" and Spanish posters along a wall separating the queue from the ride.[10]

Ride layout[]

Train A on the second hill

After departing from the station, the train makes a turn to the left, passing through the ride's structure. It then begins to climb the 181-foot (55 m) tall cable lift hill. Once the entire train is on the lift the cable increases its speed to around 13 mph. Once at the top of the lift the speed of the cable gently slows down, but it is barely noticeable on the ride. After cresting the top of the lift, the train briefly travels forward and makes a 180 degree turn to the left. It then drops 176 feet (54 m) at a 76 degree angle, reaching a top speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). As the train reaches the bottom of the drop, it comes close to the track above, creating a headchopper-effect. It then travels up a 112-foot (34 m) camelback hill followed by a second camelback hill at 100 feet (30 m). It then rises and then travels through a 180 degree downward-banked turn to the right, and up another banked turn to the left. The train goes through a small second hill that speeds past the station and the lakeside. The train then makes another turn and up a smaller hill where riders experience -2 g forces on an ejector airtime hill. After coming down the drop, the train snakes through twists and turns. After coming out of the twister section, the train slows down as it moves through small "S" curve camelback hills and into the brake run.[4][10][11]

Trains[]

El Toro operates two trains, labeled A and B, each with six cars per train. Riders are arranged two across in three rows for a total of 36 riders per train. It has a theoretical capacity of 1,200 guests per hour.[10] One train has Kia Soul advertising wrapped onto the train itself. The other train has the classic train design, featuring the bull horns on the front of the train. The trains have padded "wings" at shoulder level to prevent riders from being thrown too far to the side in the final twister section.[12] El Toro's lapbars are U-shaped - (Commonly known as "U-Bars".)

Train B maneuvering through the final camelbacks to the brake run
Train B maneuvering through the camelback hill finale

In 2010, one of the trains was re-themed to endorse Stride Gum. The train was wrapped in Stride Gum advertisements, showing a different flavor of Stride gum on each car.[13][14] The advertisements remained on the train for the entire 2011 season, but were removed before the start of the 2012 season and replaced with Kia Soul advertising.[15]

Track[]

Train A in the station

The wooden track is approximately 4,400 feet (1,300 m) in length and the height of the lift is approximately 181 feet (55 m).[10] El Toro is very different from a traditional wooden roller coaster because it uses prefabricated wooden track. It was built and designed by Intamin, who also worked with employees of Rocky Mountain Construction to build the ride.[16][17] Instead of carpenters cutting, shaping, and laying down the track on site by hand, the track is laser cut in a factory. This means that the track is manufactured to a higher degree of precision than could be achieved by hand.[18] The "Plug and Play" aspect of the coaster speeds construction of the coaster since track does not have to be completely manufactured on site. In addition, because of the speed of construction, the costs of building the coaster are lowered due to fewer man-hours spent on the construction. The riders are subject to a coaster whose track is as smooth as steel. El Toro is the first Intamin "Plug and Play" (Pre-Fab) wooden roller coaster in the United States and one of four in the world. The other three are Colossos at Heide Park in Germany, Balder at Liseberg in Sweden, and T Express at Everland in South Korea.[19]

Records[]

When El Toro debuted, it broke records as the second-tallest and fastest with the second-longest drop of a wooden roller coaster in the United States. As of 2016, El Toro has the third fastest speed, the third-tallest lift, and the second longest drop.[20][21][22]

Awards and rankings[]

When the ride debuted, it ranked 3rd for "Best New Ride of 2006" in the Golden Ticket Awards.[23]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Ranking 13[23] 9[24] 4[25] 3[26] 2[27] 3[28] 1[29] 2[30] 2[31] 2[32] 3[33] 1[34] 2[35] 3[36]

Incidents[]

El Toro suffered a malfunction with the lift motor in early August 2013. The motor was sent to Intamin's American headquarters in Maryland to be fixed.[37] El Toro reopened several weeks later on August 30.

On June 29, 2021, a train partially derailed when the rear car's up-stop wheels, which are designed to prevent the train from lifting off the track, moved out of place and up onto the track.[38] The cause is unknown, and all riders were able to safely exit the ride.[39] El Toro is closed indefinitely pending the outcome of an investigation from Intamin.[38][39]

References[]

  1. ^ "El Toro". Intamin. Archived from the original on August 8, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  2. ^ "Rocky Mountain Construction". Coasterforce. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  3. ^ Marden, Duane. "Viper  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  4. ^ a b c "El Toro at Coaster-Net". Coaster-Net. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  5. ^ Six Flags (September 28, 2005). "Six Flags Great Adventure Will Debut Monstrous Wooden Roller Coaster in Newly-Themed Area and New Looney Tunes Kids' Section In 2006" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  6. ^ "Six Flags Great Adventure Tops Off New Roller Coaster". Ultimate Roller Coaster. December 20, 2005. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  7. ^ Davidson, Josh (May 29, 2006). "Six Flags Great Adventure wooden coaster runs". Coaster-Net. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  8. ^ "The gate is open for a new coaster!". Coaster-Net. June 12, 2006. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  9. ^ "Run With the Bulls at Six Flags Great Adventure as the Monstrous 'El Toro' Wooden Roller Coaster is Unleashed". PR Newswire. June 12, 2006. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "El Toro  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  11. ^ "El Toro POV". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  12. ^ Marden, Duane. "Train B photo". Roller Coaster DataBase. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  13. ^ "Design I like- Stride Gum takes over El Toro". May 9, 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  14. ^ "TPR Stride Gum train". Theme Park Review. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  15. ^ "Kia Soul train". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  16. ^ MacDonald, Brady (October 25, 2012). "Looping wooden roller coasters are about to become a reality". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  17. ^ "Clients & Portfolio". Rocky Mountain Construction. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  18. ^ "Coasters-101: Track Fabrication". Coaster 101. November 6, 2011. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  19. ^ Marden, Duane. "Wooden Coaster(Prefabricated Track)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Archived from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  20. ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Statistic: Height, Type: Wood)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  21. ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Statistic: Speed, Type: Wood)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  22. ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders  (Statistic: Drop, Type: Wood)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  23. ^ a b "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  24. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  25. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  26. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  27. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  28. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  29. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012.
  30. ^ "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  31. ^ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014.
  32. ^ "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015.
  33. ^ "2016 top 50 wooden roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016.
  34. ^ "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017.
  35. ^ "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018.
  36. ^ "2019 Top Wood". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019.
  37. ^ "El Toro may be down for the season | Roller Coasters, Theme Parks & Attractions Forum". Archived from the original on 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2013-08-29.
  38. ^ a b Serrano, Ken (June 30, 2021). "New Jersey shuts down El Toro roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure after derailment". Asbury Park Press. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  39. ^ a b Wall, Karen (June 30, 2021). "Six Flags' El Toro Coaster Shut Down After Incident: Report". Patch. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.

External links[]

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