RailBlazer
RailBlazer's entrance
California's Great America
LocationCalifornia's Great America
Park sectionNorCal County Fair
Coordinates37°23′42″N 121°58′25″W / 37.3951°N 121.9737°W / 37.3951; -121.9737
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateJune 9, 2018 (2018-06-09)
Opening dateJune 14, 2018 (June 14, 2018)
ReplacedInvertigo
General statistics
TypeSteel
ManufacturerRocky Mountain Construction
DesignerAlan Schilke
ModelRaptor - Prototype (Mirror)
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height106 ft (32 m)
Drop100 ft (30 m)
Length1,800 ft (550 m)
Speed52 mph (84 km/h)
Inversions3
Max vertical angle90°
Capacity600 riders per hour
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains3 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 1 across in a single row for a total of 8 riders per train.
WebsiteOfficial website
Fast Lane available
Single rider line Available
RailBlazer at RCDB

RailBlazer is a steel roller coaster at California's Great America in Santa Clara, California. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, the single-rail roller coaster opened in June 2018. RailBlazer is the ninth roller coaster at California's Great America, and features a 90-degree drop, three inversions, and an off-roading adventure theme.

RailBlazer was one of two prototype single-rail coasters to open in 2018, the other being the Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, whose layout is a mirror image of RailBlazer's.

History

California's Great America announced RailBlazer on August 16, 2017, and accompanied it with an official groundbreaking ceremony.[1][2] On the same day, the park released a simulated POV of the roller coaster.[3][4] RailBlazer opened to passholders on June 9, 2018, and opened to the public 5 days later.[5][6]

Ride experience

The ride begins by exiting the station and ascending a 106 feet (32 m) tall chain lift. The train then banks left making a 180 degree turn and entering a 106 feet (32 m) tall 90 degree drop, diving into a tunnel and reaching a maximum speed of 52 miles per hour (84 km/h) before entering a dive loop. The train then rises up to the right into an off-axis airtime hill, followed by a right-facing upwards helix. After the helix, the train makes a left turn and quickly drops, entering a right-facing cutback and a corkscrew. Finally, riders go through an over-banked turn to the left before hitting the brake run.[7]

Characteristics

The roller coaster is themed to California State Route 1.[1] It is meant to reflect an off-road adventure around the San Francisco Bay Area and California central coast. Multiple large rocks surround the ride, as well as a pool of water, which the queue interacts with. The trains are also built to resemble all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) with handlebars, grille, headlights and bumper.

References

  1. 1 2 Harrington, Jim (August 16, 2017). "Meet RailBlazer, new roller coaster coming to Great America". The Mercury News. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  2. "California's Flags Great America breaks ground on new roller coaster". ABC 7 San Francisco. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  3. Gonzalez, Jennifer (August 16, 2017). "California's Great America Debuts Single Rail Steel Coaster". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  4. Tuttle, Brittani (August 17, 2017). "California's Great America to debut single rail steel coaster in 2018". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  5. "Great America's RailBlazer: Sneak peek at new roller coaster". The Mercury News (in Kinyarwanda). June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  6. Do, Kiet (June 14, 2018). "New Railblazer Roller Coast Opens At California's Great America". San Francisco Bay Area News, Weather, Sports From KPIX – News, Sports, Weather, Traffic and the Best of SF. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  7. Marden, Duane. "RailBlazer - California's Great America (Santa Clara, California, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 17, 2017.


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