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. ^ a b 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.

External links


California's Great America
Categories