Millennium Force

First drop of Millennium Force

Millennium Force is a steel roller coaster manufacturer Intamin in the U.S. amusement park Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. It is the fourteenth roller coaster built at the park since Blue Streak 1964 and with a total investment of 25 million U.S. dollars, one of the most expensive investments in the history of the park. With its completion in 2000, Millennium Force broke several world records. It was the first representative of the Giga Coaster, those coasters that exceed a height of 300 feet (91 meters).

The path extends over an area of 5.3 hectares and has a 2010 meter long closed railway line. The main attraction is the 94 meters high and 45 degrees inclined lift hill, to which the first drop connects and speed up the trains to a top speed of 150 km / hr. As a drive for the lift hill was first a driven by a winch cable is used, instead of the usual rotating chain. Since cable lifts are less maintenance and is more powerful than conventional chain lifts, the concept has been adopted for many other roller coasters. Furthermore, they used it as a first roller coaster eddy current brakes.

• 2.1 Waiting area and station
• 2.2 layout

• 3.1 trains
• 3.2 rail
• 3.3 lighting
• 3.4 Safety regulations

History

Announcement

Millennium Force was announced on 22 July 1999 as the highest roller coaster in the world that would replace the previous record holder Fujiyama Japanese Fuji -Q Highland. Don Miears, general manager of Cedar Point, said: " Millennium Force is leading the world to a whole new level of a roller coaster ." The railway will cost U.S. $ 25 million and is the largest investment in the history of Cedar Point. Millennium Force would be built in the subject area Frontier Trail and will be there to replace the Ferris wheel, which will rebuilt at a different location in the park. The layout was designed by Cedar Point itself, Intamin and Werner Stengel.

Construction and opening

Construction began in August 1999. The demolition and reconstruction of the Ferris wheel began in October, on the last open day of the season. The first of the 226 columns were erected on 11 October at the future site of the final brakes. 226 each over 1.5 meters long piles were driven into the ground; the longest pile was even 17 feet long. The concrete work performed by Mosser Construction. The lift hill was completed in early January 2000.

The construction lasted seven months, a total of 120 workers and engineers were involved. The web was tested for two months. After closing a railway train was manually once pushed through the entire layout to ensure that the rail is properly processed. Then the trains of the railway were assembled and tested with water -filled dummies. The first press conference was held on 11 May 2000. The opening to the public was held on 13 May 2000. In August Cedar Point John Hancock commissioned and Associates and Stalker radar with the measurement of height and speed of Millennium Force. The height measurement was 94.28 meters and the speed was 150 km / h Thus, Millennium Force was even around 1.5 km / h faster than announced by the park.

At the beginning of the 2004 season, the restraint system of Millennium Force due to an incident at Bizarro was revised in Six Flags New England. The new straps were shorter and some passengers had problems with them. During the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, Millennium Force was given a new coat of paint. 2012 new LED system was installed for lighting.

Ride

Waiting area and station

The entrance to Millennium Force is located behind the station at Celebration Plaza Park railway Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad. The queue runs between the last over sloping curve of the layout and the station building. During the waiting time, visitors will be entertained by a disc jockey, the wishes of the people waiting to fulfill, as far as the music you want is family friendly. 2012 Cedar Fair group Fast Lane system was introduced, in which visitors can buy a wristband that allows them to queue up a separate, shorter queue. The system was previously tested in the amusement park Kings Iceland the group, where it received a positive response.

The station of Millennium Force Station has two platforms: One for loading and unloading of passengers. The visitors get off to or while the third train is on the track. In the station for the entry is also located a separate queue for the first row of seats. In the stations are mounted on the rail as ceiling lighting red fluorescent tubes. The main theme of the soundtrack of Millennium Force is also played in the station.

Layout

Millennium Force covers an area of 5.3 hectares. The path runs parallel to the coast of Lake Erie at first and then crosses a facility located in Park Island, which is also the flume ride Shoot the Rapids and Dinosaurs Alive! houses. The route passes through two tunnels, three on sloping curves and four airtime hill. The journey takes about 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

While passengers climb into the station to the train, the driver carriage of cable lifts driving down the lift hill and locked under the middle car of the train. After release of the train by the station staff, the winch pulls the train with a speed of 24 km / h at 45 degrees inclined lift hill at a height of 94 meters up. The train is the 91 m high and 80 degrees inclined first drop down and reaches its top speed of 150 km / h Then, the train overcomes the 52 -meter-high to 122 degrees on inclined curve and passes through the first tunnel, then to pass through the border fence of the park. Then the train runs over a 55 -meter-high airtime hill on which passengers experience the short-term weightlessness. Then the train moves over a lagoon, and then several times with the attraction Dinosaurs Alive! to interact. It follows a 32 -meter-high 360 -degree helix to the right, another about inclined curve and the passing of Shoot the Rapids. After a little right turn and another airtime hill, the train leaves the island again. Subsequently, the passage takes place through the second tunnel, where the ride photo is taken. The train passes through a left turn and a small hill and passes through the queue. Finally, the train climbs the last 21 meters high over sloping curve on the queue and is then delayed by eddy current brakes to walking speed. Passengers leave the train on the separate discharge station, after which the train in the second station will be loaded again.

Technology

On Millennium Force three made ​​of stainless steel trains come in the colors red, blue and yellow are used. Each of the 19 -ton trains with nine cars for every four people. The theoretical capacity amounts to 1300 people per hour. The seats are arranged as a stage -seating, that is, every seat is slightly higher than the seat in front of him. As restraint system function hydraulic lap bar with an additional seat belt which extends across the lap of passengers.

Rail

Made from steel rail of Millennium Force is 2010 meters long and high at its highest point, the apex of the lift Hills, 94 meters. 229 each 5 to 7.7 ton rail pieces are colored blue; the supports are silver. In order to save material and weight, the processed carrier are hollow in all rail pieces and props. On Millennium Force are deployed depending on the occurring load both two-and three-and Viergurtschienen used.

Lighting

Since its opening in 2000, the steel construction of Millennium Force in the evening hours, depending on the season between 19:30-20:00 and 0:00-1:00 clock clock, illuminated by a computer-controlled floodlights. By 2012, the system consisted of 30 lamps with 575 W metal halide lamps which were positioned around the six towers of the lift Hills and a repeating 43 -minute color sequence went through. 2012, these were replaced by 46 powerful LED-based units, each with 90 to 180 W 5 colored LEDs.

Safety regulations

Because of the altitude and high speed Millennium Force is closed in bad weather such as rain, lightning or storms. With only light rain, however, the driving can be continued.

Passengers must be from 1.20 to 2.00 meters tall to ride allowed; a minimum age is required. Obese Visitors may ride only if they can close the lap bar and fasten the seat belt. Loose objects must not be taken into the train and the passengers are required to wear outerwear and shoes. Headphones must be placed before each ride. Pregnant women, recently operated or visitors with other complaints, is discouraged by the roller coaster ride.

Records

At the time of its opening, Millennium Force broke several world records. You use them as first roller coaster eddy current brakes instead of mechanical friction brakes and place of an ordinary chain lifts a cable lift. However, the record for the tallest and fastest roller coaster with a closed route Millennium Force held not long since it was already replaced four months after its opening by Steel Dragon 2000 Nagashima Spa Land in Japan. She was a little longer the tallest and fastest roller coaster at Cedar Point: 2003 was the Top Thrill Dragster opened, who was also the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world.

In 2013, Millennium Force had the sixth highest lift hill, the seventh highest rate, the fourth longest route and the fifth highest descent of a steel roller coaster world. It also is the longest steel roller coaster in North America.

Millennium Force broke into her opening on 13 May 2000 include the following records:

• First roller coaster with a closed route that more than 91 meters (300 feet) high ( therefore the first Giga Coaster)
• Highest roller coaster with closed distance ( 94 meters)
• Longest run of a roller coaster with closed range (91 meters)
• Fastest roller coaster with a closed route (150 km / h)
• Steepest member of a roller coaster, in which it is no inversion (122 ° )
• First roller coaster with cable lift
• First roller coaster with eddy current brakes

Influence

Millennium Force set new standards for roller construction. According to her, many more roller coasters were built with cable lift, which is less maintenance than a conventional chain lift, can carry higher loads and runs faster. According to Millennium Force more roller coasters were also built that exceed the height of 91 meters (300 feet). Four years later, the Top Thrill Dragster opened at Cedar Point, the first time the height of 120 meters (400 feet) above step and was built by Intamin AG of which was built with Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion the next Giga Coaster in 2010. Intimidator 305 has many similarities to Millennium Force: He also has a cable lift and a similar layout, but instead of lap - shoulder restraints.

Reception

Millennium Force has one of the longest waiting areas in the park. Shortly after the opening, it was not uncommon that visitors had to wait more than four hours on the ride. Of the passengers, the train received mostly positive reviews. For many, the train run quiet and offer much comfort. Others say: " It will scare you to death." In its first six years of operation, Millennium Force transported over ten million passengers. In August 2012, she recorded 21 million visitors. Werner Stengel has expressed, of over 500 roller coasters, he has designed, Millennium Force was his favorite track. Robb Alvey, founder of the site Theme Park Review, called the track "a milestone in the history of roller coasters ." Since 2001, Millennium Force was elected eight times at the Golden Ticket Awards of the trade magazine Amusement Today for the best steel roller coaster in the world.