Inverted Wooden Coaster

The inverted wooden coaster is a brand-new spin on wooden roller coasters by roller coaster design firm Rocky Mountain Construction. The concept is very similar to Bolliger & Mabillard's steel inverted coaster design, except in RMC's version the track, rails, and support structure are all wood.

## History

In the Winter of 2020, legendary coaster design firm Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) was looking for a new and innovative design concept that was "innovative, thrilling, unique, and competitive." In late December, they finally found it. After finishing the remake of Cedar Point's wooden coaster *Mean Streak* into *Sonic Streak*, RMC questioned the park on their inverted coaster, *Raptor*. The green 1994 B&M old-school invert was originally the tallest and fastest inverted coaster of its time. RMC decided to announce, on New Year's Eve 2020, that they would begin to design and eventually create the world's first inverted wooden coaster. The general public seemed interested in the idea, but the concept was not met well with enthusiasts, who berated the concept for not being "unique" or "forceful" or "remotely even fun." However, RMC decided to go ahead with the project. In April of 2021, RMC finalized design plans for a prototype of their new coaster - the Inverted Wooden Coaster - which included a 100-foot tall coaster featuring a 76-foot drop in which the train reached a top speed of 51 MPH. The initial blueprint did not leave room for thrill elements or inversions such as loops or barrel rolls. However, in June of 2021, Cedar Point took an interest in the designs, having had much success with *Sonic Streak*, the RMC revamp of *Mean Streak*, only a year prior. Being the park that consistently breaks records with every new addition, CP took an interest in the design due to their wanting to be the first park having added the world's first inverted wooden coaster.

## Design

RMC's initial layout of the ride included the traditional wooden coaster support structure with the major exception being that the track was inversed - meaning that the rails were flipped upside down so the trains could hang suspended from the track, and then cross-beams were installed across the top of the track in order to hold up and connect both ends of the support structure. The height of the first prototype was 100 Feet, which included a 76-ft max drop, resulting in a mediocre speed of 51 MPH. After the first drop, the train then traversed several minor banked curves and turns, weaving in and out of the structure before returning to the brakes. The ride did not include for inversions, highly-banked/overbanked turns, or other thrill elements in its original design.

## *Hang N Bang*

The first of this kind of coaster was *Hang N Bang* at Cedar Point. The park did not utilize RMC's recommended prototype, However, in October 2021, Cedar Point had planned on building the first ever Inverted Wooden Coaster for the 2023 season, which resulted in a complete modification of the original plans. In the new plans, RMC and Cedar Point collaborated on building the coaster at 125 FT tall, with a drop of 87 FT, hitting a top speed of 53 MPH. The new coaster also included a 61 FT tall vertical loop immediately following the first drop, and afterwards, the coaster entered a series of highly-banked curved that wove around the structure, each turn tighter than the last. Then, the coaster took another dip downwards before turning 180 degrees to the left at a 40 degree bank into the brakes. Construction started on the ride on November 2, 2022, shortly after an announcement was made.

The general public was excited for the ride's arrival to Cedar Point, citing that it "will be a great addition to an already fantastic and diverse collection of roller coasters - as it is unique and truly in a league of its own." However, enthusiasts highly disagreed. "This coaster looks nothing more than pitiful - practically borrowing trains from Arrow Dynamics' suspended coasters, as well as looking flimsy, unsafe, rough, and forceless." However, as the majority of the public liked the idea, looking forward to another amazing coaster by RMC, Cedar Point continued to build the ride, even scrapping the idea of building a B&M Flying Coaster, something enthusiasts were dying in hopes of being built at Cedar Point. A spot was chosen in the location of the now-gone *Cedar Creek Mine Ride*, in which lakes were filled in On May 21, 2023, *Hang N Bang* opened to the public, ready to thrill guests on the first ever Inverted RMC.

### Opening Day

At 10:00 A.M. EST, Cedar Point's Director of Communications Tony Clark cut the ribbon on the ride's queue after a brief but momentous opening ceremony. At 10:05 A.M. EST, the first riders climbed into the ride's red, yellow, and white trains, pulled down their shoulder harnesses, and were briefed on the safety instructions prior to the train's departure at 10:06 A.M. At 10:09, the first train returns to the station and riders were asked to give their opinions on the coaster. A popular YouTuber by the name of Coaster Studios, otherwise known as Taylor, was part of the group of people who were given the first ride on the coaster. When asked to give his opinion, which was broadcast on the TVs displayed in ride queues all over the park, reported that the ride was "indeed unique and creative, but was not what I was expecting from RMC or Cedar Point." Afterwards, Taylor continued to negatively review the coaster, citing that the experience was jerky, rough, forceless, slow-paced, and bumpy. Fearing another negative review, Cedar Point dismissed the guests from the line and rewarded them each with Fast Lane passes and a $10 dollar coupon redeemable at any of the park's in-park located restaurants.

The second train departed from the station at 10:12 A.M. EST, after a brief mechanical difficulty hindered the train's departure. However, only seconds later, the chain lift hill failed and quit just as the train latched on, the second half of the train not even making it out of the station! Fortunately, the anti-rollback device prevented the train from rolling back into the station and prevented a possible collision with the oncoming train. Cedar Point inspected the ride in order to get it back in operation as soon as possible. However, the issue was not resolved until late into the day. The ride ran the rest of the day without anymore technical issues, though guests continued to review the ride in a negative light - saying it was named appropriately due to the fact that it slammed peoples' heads into the restraints, and that the train vibrated and squeaked against the track, resulting in a less-than-comfortable ride experience, which was all the more rough when guests complained the restraints were too bulky and tight.

### Continued Operations

The ride continued to operate into the next day until 10:32 A.M. EST, when a train ascending the lift hill was midway up when the chain snapped at the top of the lift, the motor continuing to pull the chain upwards, so the train was still ascending the lift. However, pieces of broken chain were caught in the part of the lift that was still operating, resulting in a complete and total failure of the ride's lift hill. Fortunately, the anti-rollback device prevented the train from traveling backwards down the hill. The ride remained closed for 3 months as the entire lift hill was replaced with a cable lift, done by Intamin. As a result of this, the ride's height was extended to 131 FT in order to properly connect to the slight decrease in the downward angle as the ride transitioned into the first drop. In addition, the right-hand turn out of the station was removed and the lift hill was brought closer to meet the train as soon as it exited the station.

*Hang N Bang* reopened on August 13, 2023 with all the changes mentioned above, but was not met with enthusiasm from guests, who did not wish to ride the coaster after finding it "rough" and "dangerous." However, the ride continued to operate throughout the rest of the season, guests still citing that the revamp had done nothing for the ride, though, in reality, the park only replaced and extended the lift hill. Nevertheless, the park closed the ride at the start of October for the remainder of the season and began to re-track it. The park took RMC's noted bright red rails off the ride and replaced them with sturdier, wider wooden rails in order to accommodate for the large wheels of the custom trains, which also diverted from RMC's original design. In May of 2024, *Hang N Bang* opened once again, with the park's hopes being that the ride would be much smoother and more exciting for guests, after a very disappointing debut season. However, guests claimed that the ride was even rougher than before, and it was noted that the newly-replaced track bent and deformed in unorthodox ways every time the oversize and overweight train hit an overbanked curve. During the ride's second year of operation, the park replaced a total of thirty-seven track pieces due to cracks or fractures in the wood. It was discovered that the trains were taken from the Arrow Dynamics suspended coaster *Ninja*, found at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which received new trains for that season, and that these trains, meant for steel coasters, proved to be too heavy and stressful on the delicate wood of *Hang N Bang,* which resulted in not only cracks in the track and rails, but also fractures in the ride's support structure. Due to this, Cedar Point management called for an immediate emergency shutdown of the ride due to it being deemed unsafe because of its fractures.

*Hang N Bang* remained closed for the rest of the 2024 season, now costing the park more money than what originally cost to build it. Cedar Point removed the Arrow Dynamics trains from the ride and sold them to an undisclosed client in January 2025. The ride underwent extensive repairs throughout the off-season, with anticipation that each improvement made would rejuvenate public interest and make the ride more exciting and smoother.