Thunderbolt (2014 roller coaster)
Thunderbolt is a steel roller coaster at Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. It is located near Surf Avenue and West 15th Street, on the Riegelmann Boardwalk next to the B&B Carousell. History. A wooden roller coaster named the Thunderbolt was originally operated by George Moran on Coney Island from 1925 to 1982. It was demolished in 2000 due to neglect. In June 2013, it was announced that the operators of Luna Park at Coney Island, Zamperla, would construct a new steel roller coaster which would utilize the Thunderbolt name. Due to the  small footprint required for the coaster, the original plans called for the coaster to use an elevator instead of a lift hill for the initial incline. Published reports stated that Thunderbolt was expected to be completed and opened by Memorial Day 2014. This date was delayed to early June 2014; revised to open by June 6. In early June, the opening date was once again delayed for later that summer. On June 14, 2014, the Thunderbolt was opened. Characteristics. Thunderbolt was manufactured by Zamperla at a cost of US$9 million and has a 90-degree vertical drop and four  inversions. From the beginning of the initial drop, to the end of ride, it takes 38 seconds. The ride features of track, a height of , and a top speed of . Layout. After leaving the station, the train turns 180 degrees to the left and enters a 90-degree, lift hill. It immediately descends 90 degrees and enters a vertical loop, followed by a Zero-G Roll to the left. After the second inversion, the train enters a leftward-sloping Stengel dive, followed by an Immelmann loop to the right. The train goes over two camelback hills before entering a right -hand corkscrew. After the corkscrew, the train enters another camelback hill before hitting the brake run and entering the station. Other installations. Coney Island's Thunderbolt is the first of five Zamperla coasters manufactured under the "Thunderbolt" brand . There are three possible layouts for the Thunderbolt coaster model. The first version is long. This layout is used by Coney Island's Thunderbolt and two other coasters: Rapid Train at Gyeongnam Mason Robotland in Gyeongnam, South Korea; and Rollin' Thunder at the Park at OWA in Foley, Alabama. The second version is long while the third version is long. Both alternate  versions are meant to operate on wider lots with a shorter depth.