Corkscrew (Cedar Point)

This article is about the roller coaster at Cedar Point. For the roller coaster at Silverwood Theme Park, see Corkscrew (Silverwood). For other roller coasters of the same name, see Corkscrew (disambiguation).

Corkscrew
The final inversion on Corkscrew
Cedar Point
Coordinates
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 15, 1976
Cost	$1,750,000 USD
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Designer	Ron Toomer
Model	Custom Looping Coaster
Track layout	Out and back
Height	85 ft (26 m)
Drop	65 ft (20 m)
Length	2,050 ft (620 m)
Speed	48 mph (77 km/h)
Inversions	3
Duration	2:00
Max vertical angle	45°
Capacity	1,800 riders per hour
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Trains	3 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Corkscrew at RCDB Pictures of Corkscrew at RCDB

Corkscrew is a steel roller coaster built by Arrow Development at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. When built in 1976, it was the first roller coaster in the world with 3 inversions. The coaster, which features Arrow's first vertical loop, was built during the same time period as The Great American Revolution at Magic Mountain. However, Revolution opened seven days prior and is therefore credited as the first modern-day coaster to feature a vertical loop.

General

File:Cedar Point Corkscrew train returning to station (1654).jpg

Corkscrew train returning to station.

The ride's station is located on the midway directly across from Top Thrill Dragster, between Power Tower and Magnum XL-200. Corkscrew was the first coaster to have inversions featuring a walkway underneath. It consists of an elevated station that houses the patriotic cars, made in combinations of red & white, white & blue, and blue & white. They are designed in this manner because they debuted in 1976, the U.S. Bicentennial.

Inversions

	Inversion
1	Vertical Loop
2	Corkscrew
3	Corkscrew

The ride

File:Cedar Point Corkscrew around corner and into corkscrew 3531.webm

Corkscrew train going around corner and into corkscrew.

Riders leave the station when the ride operator releases the pneumatic station brakes. The slight decline of the station allows the car to roll out down a small drop and around a declining 180 degree curve until the train reaches the chain lift. The lift operates at or near a speed of 5 mph (8.0 km/h) and ascends, at a 30-degree angle, an 85-foot (26 m) lift hill; then riders are dropped 65 feet (20 m) at a 45-degree angle, gaining speed up to 48 m.p.h (77 km/h). The next element is a bunny hop, so named for the quick rise and fall. The end of this hill is lower than the beginning. It then goes through a vertical loop (Corkscrew opened only 8 days after the first modern coaster to feature a vertical loop, The New Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain). It then coasts up an incline. After a piece of flat track, the train curves around a 180-degree descending turn, heading into the twin corkscrews over the midway of the park. In the "eye" of the corkscrews, it is traveling at 38 mph (61 km/h). It completes these two corkscrew loops, comes through trim and block brakes, and coasts back into the station.

The ride is 2,050 feet (620 m) long, consisting of blue tubular steel track with a 48-inch (1,200 mm) separation between tubes, built on 5 acres (20,000 m²), rides for 1 minute and 40 seconds, and has three 24-passenger trains. Almost daily, a train is transferred off the track once ridership reaches a point that permits two-train operation with little or no waiting in line. A different train is cycled off each day. The ride was designed by Ron Toomer and built by Arrow Dynamics. The total cost of construction was US$1,750,000 (equivalent to $7,277,339 in 2021), and the ride has had over 30 million total riders since opening in May 1976.

Records

Preceded by Corkscrew

First Roller Coaster With 3 Inversions May 1976–March 1980

Succeeded by Carolina Cyclone

External links

• Cedarpoint.com - Official Corkscrew Page
• POV of Corkscrew
• Corkscrew at The Point Online