Top Thrill Dragster
2003
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The 1990's was a huge expansion ERA for Cedar Point. 1993 saw the addition of Snake River Falls. In 1994 Raptor was the first major project to transform the Main Midway in 30 years. In 1996 riders would stand up to their fear on Mantis. Soak City was expanded in 1997. Riders would be blasted on the world's tallest drop tower in 1998 on Power Tower. In 1999 Camp Snoopy became the park's family friendly area. Millennium Force opened in 2000 as the world's tallest roller coaster. In 2002 Cedar Point added Wicked Twister. With the success of all these attractions, Cedar Point would add something big in 2003!
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When Millennium Force opened up in May 2000, Cedar Point was very pleased with how the ride was running. It was very popular from the start. Cedar Point then asked the ride manufacture about taking the ride to the next level and going taller and faster.
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At the end of the 2001 season, Cedar Point decided it was time to removed Dodgem 1 from the park. At that time the building was sent to Michigan's Adventure and the Cars were swamped out in Cedar Point's other Dodgem!
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When Cedar Point opened in May 2002, the former Dodgem area had a construction fence with signs posted '' Cedar Point is building for the future.".
On Sunday, October 27, 2002, Schwabinchen would give its last ride after 32 years of operating at Cedar Point. The ride opened in 1970 on the Million Dollar Midway and was relocated near Kiddy Kingdom in 1985.
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The ride was removed from Cedar Point and sold to Strikers Grove, a small private amusement park in Ohio. The ride was moved to Strikers Grove but it was never put together and never ran again.
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The vertical constriction on the new ride began in the fall of 2002 while Cedar Point was still open. The ride kept getting taller and taller, yet Cedar Point didn't announce what the ''mystery project'' was. Cedar Point kept the ride a secret because the ride was getting so much buzz. No other ride at that point in time had ever had so much publicity before it was announced.
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On January 9, 2003, Cedar Point announced it was building Top Thrill Dragster, the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster. The ride would be 420 feet tall and reach speeds of 120 MPH! Top Thrill Dragster would be Cedar Point's 4th roller coaster to be the world's tallest!
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After 3 years of planning, and over a year of construction, Top Thrill Dragster would finally open to the public on May 4, 2003.
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Top Thrill Dragster Ride Facts:
Height: 420 feet Drop: 400 feet Speed: 120 MPH Hills: 1 Inversions: 0 Type: Strata Coaster Designer: Werner Stengel Company: Intamin AG of Switzerland Capacity: 1,000/HR Opened: May 4, 2003 Number of Coaster at that time: 16 Cost:25 Million |
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When Top Thrill Dragster opened it was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. It was the first roller coaster in the world to be over 400 feet. Top Thrill Dragster would be the tallest and fastest roller coaster on earth until Six Flags Great Adventure opened Kingda Ka opened on May 21, 2005.
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Top Thrill Dragster had a ton of downtime when the ride first opened. In the first couple of years of operation, the ride was down more than it was up because Cedar Point was still learning how to run the ride. The ride still goes down a lot, but not as much as it used to.
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Creating a Thrill
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Top Thrill Dragster features a hydraulic cable launch system. In 2003, Top Thrill Dragster was one of the first roller coasters in the world to use this system.
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The huge hydraulic system uses energy that has been stored to pull the catch cable that pulls the train at speeds of 120 MPH!
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Ride Experience
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Riders wanting to experience Top Thrill Dragster enter the ride by going thru the rides racing themed entrance plaza to get to the line.
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The line for the ride is located on the inside the track and leads up to the station. While waiting in line guest can watch the other rides ride the ride. The average wait time is 45 min. but often it's 1.5-2 hours.
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Inside the racing-themed station, riders enter one of 6 trains. Each train has its own color.
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Riders then pull out of the station and wait on the launch track as the cable runs down the launch track and connects to the train.
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When the light tree flashes green Top Thrill Dragster launches its riders at speeds of 120 MPH in 3.8 seconds1 The launch is very intense and riders are pushed back in their seats.
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At the end of the launch pad, the train then uses its energy to climb 420 feet at a 90-degree angle into the sky on the world's second tallest roller coaster!
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On the way up the tower, the train does a 90-degree clockwise turn to the right. The turn happens really fast.
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As the train gets closer to the top it loses energy and slows down.
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When the train gets to the top it's not very fast. The train then crests the hill and heads back down at a 90-degree angle.
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Top Thrill Dragster then drops it's riders 420 feet to the ground at a 90-degree angle. On the way down the ride reaches speeds of 120 MPH for the second time.
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On the way down the drop, riders are twisted 270 degrees so that the train can dive back towards the ground!
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Top Thrill Dragster's drop is really cool. At 400 feet it is the longest drop in the park.
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The train the cruises under the Finish line and heads into the break run. In total, Top Thrill Dragster is a 17-second ride!
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Riders exit Top Thrill Dragster thru the winner's circle and the photo booth.
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Braking world Records
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When Top Thrill Dragster opened, it broke many records for Cedar Point.
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Top Thrill Dragster Records:
-World's tallest roller coaster. -World's fastest roller coaster. -World's longest drop on a roller. coaster. -First roller coaster over 400 feet. -Most rides in one park (68) -Most roller coasters in one park (16) |
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Top Thrill Dragster's Impact on The Roller Coaster Capital Of The World!!!
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The riders that had the chance to ride Top Thrill Dragster loved it! In the first few years, the ride would constantly break down.
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Over the years Top Thrill Dragster became more reliable and the ride became a fan favorite!
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Top Thrill Dragster was a huge ride for any amusement park. It gave Cedar Point more records and another ride that was of world class standards. The racing theme helped make the ride feel really cool!
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In the years following the opening of Top Thrill Dragster Cedar Point opened a number of attractions that would help make the parks line-up better including 7 roller coasters: maXair (2005), Skyhawk (2006), Maverick (2007), Planet Snoopy (2008), Shoot The Rapids (2010-2015), WindSeeker (2011), Dinosaur's Alive (2012), GateKeeper (2013), Pipe Scream (2014), Wilderness Run (2014), Rougarou (2015), Valravn (2016), Cedar Point Shores Waterpark (2017) and Steel Vengeance (2018). All of these new attractions have brought something unique to Cedar Point.
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Top Thrill Dragster was a great addition to Cedar Point. It gave guest another reason to scream on the parks amazing lineup of rides and attractions.
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Riders must be between 52 inches and 78 inches tall to ride Top Thrill Dragster.
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Photos by: Jake Hamons, COASTER-net, Russ Hauden and Cedar Point.
Last Updated: 3/31/2018