Lightning (Revere Beach)
Revere Beach Lightning | |
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Giant Cyclone Safety Coaster | |
Inversions | 0 |
Revere Beach Lightning at RCDB |
Lightning was a steel roller coaster that operated from 1927 until 1933 at
Ride layout and structure
Although the precise dimensions of Lightning are not reported, its common design heritage with the Crystal Beach Cyclone suggests that these coasters share many technical specifications, such as heights around 100 feet (30 m), many steeply-banked turns and a ground-level figure 8 track.[2] In fact, there was no truly straight track apart from the station.[7] Lightning's hybrid steel structure allowed for much more steeply banked curves than would have been possible in an ordinary wooden-framed roller coaster of the day. These steeply banked tracks often made quick transitions to steep banks in the opposite directions. These quick rolling transitions were one of the primary reasons for the violent nature of the Lightning.[2]
Ride experience and safety
Although the ride length was said to be fairly short (about 40 seconds in duration from the top of the lift hill[3]), all the Giant Cyclone Safety Coasters were known for their intense and often brutal ride experience. The Lightning had already killed a rider by its second day of operation at Revere Beach. The incident occurred when a girl fell to her death from the coaster. The ride was then shut down for 20 minutes so that her body could be removed before operation resumed.[8][9] The Lightning was not the only roller coaster at Revere Beach with a poor safety record, however. Derby Racer, for example, killed or critically injured at least 5 people in its 25 years of operation.
Despite the safety concerns, Lightning was initially popular.
References
- ^ a b RCDB listing for Lightning
- ^ ISBN 0-7603-1929-4.
- ^ a b c Harry G. Traver and the "Terrifying Triplets" Archived 2010-01-23 at the Wayback Machine Designboom.
- ^ a b RCDB listing for Crystal Beach Cyclone
- ^ a b RCDB listing for Palisades Park Cyclone
- ^ RCDB listing for Zip
- ^ a b Revere Beach historical site Archived 2010-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Butler, Tobias (2006). "Rider beware: Relying on the courts and a nationalized rating system to address the duty of care owed to amusement park attractions guests". Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law. 9. Vanderbilt University: 369–403. Archived from the original on 2010-06-21.
- ^ a b Conley, Kevin (2004). "Annals of amusement: "How high can you go?"". The New Yorker. No. August 30. p. 48.