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:
“When a house is tottering to its fall,
The strain lies heaviest on the weakest part,
One tiny crack throughout the structure spreads,
And its own weight soon brings it toppling down.”
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)
“Our achievements speak for themselves. What we have to keep track of are our failures, discouragements, and doubts. We tend to forget the past difficulties, the many false starts, and the painful groping. We see our past achievements as the end result of a clean forward thrust, and our present difficulties as signs of decline and decay.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)