Gemini (roller coaster)
Gemini | |||
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Two trains race to the finish on Gemini | |||
Cedar Point | |||
Park section | Gemini Midway | ||
Coordinates | 41°29′10.75″N 82°41′22.75″W / 41.4863194°N 82.6896528°WCoordinates: 41°29′10.75″N 82°41′22.75″W / 41.4863194°N 82.6896528°W | ||
Status | Operating | ||
Opening date | June 17, 1978 | ||
Cost | $3,400,000 | ||
General Statistics | |||
Type | Steel – Dueling – Racing | ||
Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics | ||
Designer | Ron Toomer | ||
Model | Special Coaster Systems | ||
Lift/launch system | Chain | ||
Red | Blue | ||
Height | 125 ft (38.1 m) | 125 ft (38.1 m) | |
Drop | 118 ft (36.0 m) | 118 ft (36.0 m) | |
Length | 3,935 ft (1,199.4 m) | 3,935 ft (1,199.4 m) | |
Speed | 60 mph (96.6 km/h) | 60 mph (96.6 km/h) | |
Inversions | 0 | 0 | |
Duration | 2:40 | 2:40 | |
Max vertical angle | 55° | 55° | |
Capacity | 3,300 riders per hour | ||
Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) | ||
Trains | 4 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 30 riders per train. | ||
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Gemini at RCDB Pictures of Gemini at RCDB |
Gemini is a racing roller coaster with a wooden structure and steel track, located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1978 by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Ron Toomer, it is one of the oldest roller coasters in the park. When the ride opened, it was marketed as the tallest, fastest and steepest roller coaster in the world.[1] All three record-breaking claims were falsely made as other coasters around the world already beat Gemini. The all-steel Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, opened earlier that year before Gemini and was taller but had a shorter drop.[2] Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis opened two years prior to Gemini and was faster at 62 mph.
Ride experience[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Gemini_station.jpg/220px-Gemini_station.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Cedar_Point_3.jpg/220px-Cedar_Point_3.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Gemini_coaster_queue.png/220px-Gemini_coaster_queue.png)
The structure is considered a steel hybrid due to the track's use of tubular steel which sits on a wooden support structure.[3][4] Two trains, red and blue, are dispatched on two tracks that run side-by-side throughout most of the ride until briefly diverging into separate helices and coming back together to finish the ride. The coaster's 125-foot (38 m) lift hill sends riders down a 118-foot (36 m) drop at a 55-degree angle up to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).
Gemini has one of the highest capacities of any ride in the park.[5] Gemini's station previously featured a double-sided entry, allowing guests to enter the station from both the front and the back. Eventually modified to have guests only enter from the back of the station, the stairway formerly used for the queue at the front of the station still remains. Originally, Gemini operated 3 trains on each side of the roller coaster for a total of 6 trains. Gemini currently operates with 4 trains (2 on each side).
References[]
- ^ David Shutt (1978-05-11). "Cedar Point To Go Round And Round". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
- ^ "2 Parks Claim Roller Coaster World Record". Toledo Blade. June 9, 1978. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
- ^ "Gemini". The Point Online. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
- ^ http://www.thecoastercritic.com/2012/02/one-of-cedar-points-weakest-coasters-could-get-an-upgrade.html
- ^ "Gemini". Cedar Point. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gemini (roller coaster). |
- Cedarpoint.com - Gemini Official Page
- POV of Gemini
- Gemini at The Point Online
- Operating roller coasters
- Roller coasters introduced in 1978
- Steel roller coasters
- Dueling roller coasters
- Racing roller coasters
- Roller coasters manufactured by Arrow Dynamics
- Cedar Point
- Roller coasters in Ohio
- Roller coasters operated by Cedar Fair
- Hybrid roller coasters