Batman & Robin: The Chiller - History - Six Flags Great Adventure

Six Flags Great Adventure

In 1996, Six Flags Great Adventure announced that they would be adding a new roller coaster in 1997, bringing their coaster count back up to seven. It was then announced that the coaster would be a prototype linear induction motor (LIM) launched dual tracked shuttle coaster dubbed "Batman & Robin: The Chiller". The theme was chosen with the intent of promoting the Batman & Robin film, which was set to open in the summer of that year. The Observatory scenery piece, that would eventually loom over the launch tracks and exit ramp, was taken directly from the film source material. A track was devoted to both titular characters, with the icy blue track being christened Batman and it's fiery red companion being labeled Robin. The coaster would be located in the Movietown section of the park, adjacent from Batman The Ride, Stuntman's Freefall, and "The Batman Stunt Show Arena" while sitting next to the Movietown Water Effect water ride.

Since it was a prototype (like X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hypersonic XLC at Kings Dominion) it suffered from many prototypical problems and flaws. After several delays, the coaster opened briefly in June 1997 before shutting down due to further technical difficulties. It opened full time in April 1998, although power shortages prevented "dual launches".

Due to the original shoulder restraints, riders experienced some discomfort during the ride. The restraints were converted over to individually ratcheting lap bars in the 2001 and 2002 seasons on the Batman and Robin trains, respectively.

During the 2004 season, the LIMs on the Robin sides spike failed causing the train to stall in the Zero G roll. The cause for the LIMs' failure is still unknown. The Batman side also was closed for a majority of the season.

During the 2005 season, Chiller was repainted before the season began, giving a new dark blue color to the Batman side while touching up the Robin side's fading red. Batman did not operate at all due to problems with the LIMs on the spike. The Robin side operated for most of the season.

During the 2006 season Batman reopened on May 5 and ran along with the Robin side on and off until June 2, when a wheel bogie on the third car of the Robin train suffered a mechanical malfunction. While the specifics to what caused the malfunction are still unknown to most people, it has been reported that the train came to a halt on the lowest part of the track (between the Cobra Roll and Zero-G roll) after the launch. This problem is speculated to have happened because of wheel modifications that Premier Rides made on Chiller as well as all other Premier LIM coasters. Although the train was loaded, no one was seriously injured and all riders were evacuated. Both sides remained closed for the rest of the operating season.

During the 2007 season, the Zero-G Rolls were removed from the ride and replaced with banked hills. Robin's hill was put in first in March, and then Batman's was put in second in April. Batman's train was painted red so that Robin could use it, because Robin's train was damaged during a previous incident. The Robin side re-opened April 7 and ran until June 28 when it was closed for the rest of the year. The Batman side did not operate at all, but three-out-of-five cars from the original Robin train were placed on Batman's maintenance track. Because of all of the problems the coaster had and the numerous failed attempts to fix the coaster, Six Flags decided to cut their financial and technical losses and dismantle the ride.

During the 2008 season, the ride was completely removed, leaving only the station, observatory, and queue line behind. The following year, the remaining foundation caps under the observatory and the former exit ramp were removed. The parts of the ride were relocated to the adjacent Plumsted Township in New Jersey where they sat in storage for many years.

Following the removal of the ride from Six Flags Great Adventure, the queue line was used for the "Escape From The Asylum" Terror Trail during Fright Fest. The Fright Fest exclusive attraction turned the former ride area into a Terror Trail maze for guests to walk through while costumed employees were hiding and frequently scaring guests. On July 3, 2009, the observatory had been remodeled and debuted as the "Xploratorium", a new attraction with many virtual and interactive features for park guests to enjoy.

Read more about this topic:  Batman & Robin: The Chiller, History

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