Structure & Track
The structure and track is mostly built from 850,000 feet (259,080 m) of Douglas Fir. In the past, the Douglas Fir had been treated with pesticides which are not considered environmentally friendly and the track and supports are slowly being replaced with southern yellow pine.
The track is made by bolting seven layers of wood. In most places on the ride, there are two layers of southern yellow pine, which sit atop five layers of Douglas-Fir. Older sections of track still have 7 layers of Douglas-Fir (mostly on the lift) and there are refurbished sections of track with seven layers of southern pine. A 7-inch-wide (180 mm) strip of steel is bolted onto the top layer of wood track and three-inch-wide pieces of steel are bolted onto the sides.
Unlike most racing coasters, Rolling Thunder's tracks are not always next to each other, they separate at several points in the ride. After the first drop, the left track goes over a big hill, followed by a small hill, whereas the second track reverses this. On the turnaround at the back, the left track rises up and makes a level turn, while the right track rises and falls while turning. The hills on the return segment are also staggered. The trains are not always raced.
Read more about this topic: Rolling Thunder (roller Coaster)
Famous quotes containing the words structure and/or track:
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—Germaine Greer (b. 1939)
“It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves. I had not lived there a week before my feet wore a path from my door to the pond-side; and though it is five or six years since I trod it, it is still quite distinct. It is true, I fear, that others may have fallen into it, and so helped to keep it open.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)