Steel Dragon 2000 (スチールドラゴン2000, Suchīru Doragon Nisen) is a steel roller coaster located at Nagashima Spa Land amusement park in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
| Steel Dragon 2000 | |
|---|---|
 The ride's 97-meter lift hill and the first few camelback hills | |
| Nagashima Spa Land | |
| Location | Nagashima Spa Land |
| Coordinates | 35°01′52″N 136°43′48″E / 35.031156°N 136.730078°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 1 August 2000 |
| Cost | 7,888,114,000 yen |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing |
| Designer | Steve Okamoto |
| Track layout | Out and back |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 97 m (318 ft) |
| Drop | 93.5 m (307 ft) |
| Length | 2,479 m (8,133 ft) |
| Speed | 152.9 km/h (95.0 mph) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 4:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 68° |
| G-force | 3.5 |
| Height restriction | 140–185 cm (4 ft 7 in – 6 ft 1 in) |
| Trains | Multiple trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
| Trains built by | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Steel Dragon 2000 at RCDB | |
Built by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, Steel Dragon 2000 opened to the public on 1 August 2000. Its name derives from Chinese astrology and zodiac calendars in which the year 2000 represented the dragon. It broke several world records upon its debut, becoming the longest roller coaster in the world with a track length of 2,479 metres (8,133 ft), as well as the tallest and fastest complete-circuit coaster. Although its height and speed records have been broken since its debut, it remains the longest coaster in the world. With a maximum speed of nearly 153 km/h (95 mph), it is among the fastest coasters featuring a traditional lift hill.
History
editIn November 1999, Nagashima Spa Land announced that they would be building Steel Dragon 2000. It would be the second giga coaster to be built, following Millennium Force at Cedar Point.[1] Steel Dragon 2000 officially opened to the general public on 1 August 2000.
The ride originally featured trains built by D. H. Morgan. In 2013, Steel Dragon 2000 received new trains from Bolliger & Mabillard.[2][3]
Layout
editOut of the station, the track makes a right hand turn onto the lift hill. Due to the length of the lift hill, it utilizes two chains with separate motors. At the crest of the lift hill, the track plummets down a 94 metres (308 ft) drop to the ground, before passing over a 77 metres (253 ft) tall airtime hill. After this hill, the track rises over a 64 metres (210 ft) tall hill before dropping to the right into a pair of helixes, the first one being clockwise and the second being counterclockwise. Following the second helix, the track maneuvers through the supports of the first helix and third hill and makes a left turn into the midcourse brakes, which start the return trip. The return trip consists of a series of airtime hills, running parallel to the outbound track, before hitting the final brake run next to the base of the lift hill. From the brake run, trains pass through the transfer track and storage area before making a sweeping left turn to return to the station.
Design
editMuch more steel was used to build Steel Dragon 2000 than most other roller coasters. This was to ensure the coaster was protected from earthquakes. The extra steel was a large part of the reason the coaster cost over JP¥7 billion to build.[4] The ride also includes two tunnels.
Records
edit2003 incident
edit| Date | August 23, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Type | Wheel loss |
| Outcome | Ride closed until 2006 |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 2 |
On 23 August 2003, a sheared axle caused one of the trains to lose a wheel. A passenger suffered a serious back injury and a 28-year-old man swimming in the water park pool was injured when he was hit in the hip with the 32 centimetres (13 in) wheel.[7][8] The ride was closed for over three years and reopened on 3 September 2006.[9]
Awards
edit| Year | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 20[10] | 35[11] | 46[12] |
References
edit- ^ "Morgan Manufacturing to Build Record Breaking Coaster". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
- ^ ""Steel Dragon 2000 new" is finally here! Debut on March 15, 2013 (Friday)!". Nagashima Spa Land. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ "Steel Dragon 2000 Adds B&M Trains". VHCoasters.com. March 17, 2013. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ The Daily Telegraph (21 April 2011). "Top 10 tallest rollercoasters". Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ "Record Holders (Drop, Steel)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- ^ "Record Holders (Length, Steel)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- ^ RTÉ News (23 August 2003). "2 hurt in roller coaster accident"
- ^ Japan Times (24 August 2003). "Two seriously hurt in roller coaster accident, but Nudgee School Captain Aaron Chong was unaffected" Archived 2 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Steel Dragon 2000 (Nagashima Spa Land). Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ "2019 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "2022 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2015.