Early in 1972, after having constructed conventional amusement facilities for Six Flags Over Georgia, the company was given the opportunity to build Six Flags' first wooden coaster. Leadership and inspiration for the project was provided by park general manager, Errol McKoy. Design-build team members included designer Don Rosser, John Allen of Philadelphia Toboggan Company and Texas structural engineer, William L. Cobb. Six Flags Over Georgia engineer Fred Bigler introduced the use of the first DC drive for wooden roller coasters. The result of their combined effort was the famous "Great American Scream Machine^®", which at the time it was constructed was the highest wooden coaster ever built, exceeding 100 feet. This "out-and-back" coaster debuted in the Spring of 1973, and is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful wooden structures ever built.

The Company's next wooden coaster was for Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus World near Orlando, Florida. The "Florida Hurricane", years later relocated to Magic Springs Theme Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, is another out-and-back classic. The design-build team, once again included Don Rosser and Bill Cobb. The ride opened to rave reviews in 1978, and soon joined the "Top Ten Coasters in America" list.

By 1979 Roller Coaster Corporation, again working with Rosser and Cobb, was hard at work on the intermediate sized Woodie, "Judge Roy Scream", for Six Flags Over Texas. Another traditional out-and-back coaster, "Judge Roy" opened in 1980 and is still delighting coaster funatics today.

Next on the horizon was a new theme park, planned and conceived by Opryland USA and USAA Insurance Company for the San Antonio, Texas market ... Fiesta Texas Show Park. In 1989 Roller Coaster Corporation was contacted by Opryland's Keith Sanders about building the World's Greatest Wooden Coaster - The Rattler, which turned out to be the tallest, fastest and one of the most unique wooden roller coasters ever built. "The Rattler" opened in March of 1992, and was immediately acclaimed by the public, the media, and by both the amusement and construction industries.

In 1991 Togo Japan, of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative steel roller coasters and other amusement rides and devices, contacted RCCA to discuss a joint venture relationship for building wooden roller coasters in Japan. Shortly thereafter, they planned, designed and built the giant "Cyclone" class coaster called "White Canyon" for the Yomiuriland Amusement Park in Tokyo. Japan's second "Woodie" opened to the public in the Spring of 1994, and has proven to be a landmark attraction in the Japanese amusement industry.

"Montezum", RCCA's next international roller coaster attraction in São Paulo, Brazil, is the star attraction for the country's newest and largest theme park, Hopi Hari. Montezum is also  South America's first "Woodie", and was eagerly anticipated by thrillseekers across the continent when it opened to the public in the Fall of 1999 (South America's Springtime).
As in most amusement and theme parks, it is the public's favorite ride.

RCCA next contracted with Warner Bros. MovieWorld in Bottrop-Kirchhellen, Germany (a suburb of Dusseldörf) to manufacture and supply the ride, and direct the assembly and erection of its new wooden roller coaster attraction "Wild Wild West™" which debuted in the Spring of 1999. This first wooden roller coaster for Germany was designed and engineered by renowned roller coaster engineer, Werner Stengel, Munich, Germany, to exacting German DIN standards. Intamin AG of Switzerland provided the trains, drive and control systems for the attraction.

A new theme park designed and built on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean in the Valencia Region of Spain, known as Terra Mitíca, contracted with the company for its premier wooden roller coaster attraction, "Colossus", which opened to the public in Summer 2000. Initial layout and design for the attraction was performed by wooden roller coaster veteran engineer Dennis Starkey of The Stand Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Intamin AG provided the trains, drive and control systems.  This is the first "Woodie" to employ the new coaster technology - magnet brakes.

"Son of Beast™" for Paramount's King Island - World's Only Looping Wooden Coaster:

In 1997, RCCA approached Paramount's Kings Island with the concept of creating the world's greatest wooden roller coaster ride - the first ever wooden "hyper-coaster":  featuring a drop of 214 feet at a  55.7 degree angle, a mile and a third of track (7,032 feet), a top speed of 78 miles per hour; plus taking riders through a 103 foot high loop inversion on the return side of the ride!

Werner Stengel of Munich, Germany designed the ride and its unique loop feature. Structural engineering for the giant wooden structure was performed by William H. Childress, P. E.,  Wood Structures, Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia.  The "new generation" trains capable of performing an inversion were designed and manufactured for the ride by Premier Rides, Inc., Millersville, Maryland.  The ride opened to an expectant public in May, 2000 with typical comments from fans like "this is the best ride I've ever been on" and "it's nothing but non-stop speed!" 

In April 2000 Warner Bros. and Premier Parks selected RCCA for the design, manufacture and construction of the wooden coaster attraction for their  theme park under construction in Madrid, Spain.  This new Warner Bros. MovieWorld park is slated to open in the Spring of 2002.

In addition to design-building new rides, the RCCA team of professionals have performed inspections, consultations, repaired or retrofitted more than a dozen wooden roller coasters throughout the country.

Over the past quarter century, the RCCA design and build teams have lead the way in introducing and implementing many of the engineering, construction, safety and maintenance innovations today in wooden roller coaster ride technology.

These advances include:  high quality shop manufacturing; use of only the highest quality materials; heavier designed and built structures (less maintenance); true building code compliance;  spiral curve transitions; ride dynamics computer simulating; and state-of-the-art computer design programs - for maintaining clearance envelope, producing shop and erection details, and (for the first time) the ability to match the foundation layout with the structural design in order to allow the laminated track to be built exactly to the designers' true track design, without the usual field installation modifications which change ride dynamics unpredictably.  

The Future:

RCCA and its professional design-build team members will continue to lead the way for the evolutionary and innovative design, manufacturing, construction and safety technologies which will be developed and implemented in wooden roller coaster rides in the 21st Century.

See RIDES for details and statistics. And MANUFACTURING for how and why RCCA pre-manufactures their wooden coasters.

©2000 Roller Coaster Corporation of America