Maybe it's for speed. Maybe it's for a special design feature. But since 1979, The Beast at Kings Island in Ohio has held tightly onto the record as the world's longest wooden coaster.
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Kings Island's wooden roller coaster lineup is highlighted by the legendary Beast, which opened in 1979 and still stands today as the world's longest wooden roller coaster at 7,359 feet. Literally millions of guests have visited Kings Island over the past four decades for the singular challenge of “taming” The Beast.
Opened to the public as of May 6, 2006, The Voyage roller coaster, at the date of publication, is the second longest roller coaster in the world and sixth in height. This roller coaster is aptly themed after the infamous voyage of the Mayflower ship to North America by the pilgrims.
Steel coasters far outnumber wooden ones, but purists and more casual park fans alike still love wooden coasters. Dating back to the late 1800s, even modern-day woodies have a retro feel.
That said, wooden rides present their own set of safety challenges. If you don't look after wood carefully, it can rot. We fight against that by coating the tracks with weather-resistant wood stain. We also check on the wood's condition every week, replacing any parts that are showing signs of rot.
As of January 2023, the oldest running roller coaster in the world was Leap the Dips, located in Lakemont Park, Pennsylvania (USA), which was opened in 1902. Meanwhile, the world's second oldest coaster, Scenic Railway, opened 10 years later in Melbourne, Australia.
The smallest coaster in the world is the Dvergbanen at Tusenfryd near Oslo, in Norway. It has a height of just 2.5 metres and runs 26 metres in length.
How many wooden roller coasters are in operation in the United States? According to the Roller Coaster Database (www.rcdb.com) there are only 115 operating wooden roller coasters in all of the United States.
Wooden coasters do offer one advantage over steel coasters, assuming you're looking for palm-sweating thrills: they sway a lot more. Tubular steel coasters allow more looping, higher and steeper hills, greater drops and rolls, and faster speeds. How did coasters come to be?