Bolliger & Mabillard facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers Inc.

Two of B&M's roller coasters, Shambhala (back) and Dragon Khan (front) at PortAventura World in Spain
Type	Private
Industry	Roller coaster design
Founded	1988
Founders	Walter Bolliger Claude Mabillard
Headquarters	Monthey , Switzerland
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Walter Bolliger(CEO) Claude Mabillard (VP) Kim Jent(Structural engineer) Sophie Bolliger (VP/Head of Sales)
Products	Stand-Up Coaster Inverted Coaster Sitting Coaster Dive Coaster Hyper Coaster Floorless Coaster Flying Coaster Wing Coaster Family Coaster Surf Coaster
Number of employees	37 (2012)

Bolliger & Mabillard, also known as B&M, is a company from Monthey, Switzerland. They are famous for designing awesome roller coasters! It was started in 1988 by two engineers, Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard. Both of them used to work for another company called Giovanola.

B&M has created many new and exciting roller coaster designs. They are especially known for inventing the inverted roller coaster and their unique track style. By 2016, B&M had built over 100 roller coasters! Today, they make ten different types of coasters, including Stand-Up, Inverted, Floorless, Flying, Hyper, Dive, Sitting, Wing, Family, and their newest, the Surf Coaster.

History of B&M Roller Coasters
Cool Features of B&M Coasters
Famous B&M Roller Coasters
Images for kids
See also

History of B&M Roller Coasters

How B&M Started

Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard began working for a company called Giovanola in the 1970s. This company made parts for rides designed by Intamin. While there, they helped create one of the first stand-up roller coasters, called Shockwave. They also worked on other rides like Z-Force.

Later, Bolliger and Mabillard left Giovanola to start their own company. Even after they left, Giovanola kept using a similar track design for their roller coasters.

An inverted model with the curved drop, common on inverted roller coasters, Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure

Building Their First Coasters

In 1987, Walter and Claude decided to form their own company, B&M. At first, they only had four employees. They didn't plan to build amusement rides anymore. However, an engineer from Six Flags Great America, Robert Mampe, asked them for help. He wanted them to redesign cars for a bobsled coaster.

After that, Mampe asked B&M to design a new stand-up roller coaster for Six Flags Great America. It would be similar to Shockwave. B&M agreed and hired more people. They needed a place to build the track pieces. They found a company called Clermont Steel Fabricators, who agreed to make the tracks. To this day, Clermont Steel Fabricators makes all of B&M's tracks for North America!

B&M's first roller coaster, Iron Wolf, opened in 1990 at Six Flags Great America. Two years later, they built Batman: The Ride for the same park. This was the world's first inverted roller coaster, and it made B&M very famous in the roller coaster world.

New Coaster Designs and Innovations

Bolliger & Mabillard continued to invent new types of roller coasters. They created the Floorless Coaster and the Dive Coaster. They also built their first launched coaster, Incredible Hulk, at Islands of Adventure.

In 2010, B&M introduced the new Wing Coaster. The first one, Raptor, opened in 2011 at Gardaland in Italy. Wing Coasters have seats on the sides of the track, making riders feel like they are flying! By 2019, there were fifteen Wing Coasters operating around the world. In 2015, B&M built Thunderbird at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari. This was their first launched coaster designed entirely by them.

By 2010, B&M had 12 engineers and 14 draftsmen and draftswomen. In 2013, they built Banshee, which is the longest inverted roller coaster in the world. By 2016, Bolliger & Mabillard had completed their 100th coaster. They have built more roller coasters than any other company on the famous Golden Ticket Awards Steel Coasters list.

Cool Features of B&M Coasters

Raptor's cobra roll, a first for inverted roller coasters

Bolliger & Mabillard makes ten different kinds of roller coasters. These include Stand-Up, Inverted, Floorless, Flying, Hyper, Dive, Sitting, Wing, Family, and Surf Coasters. B&M often works with other experts to develop new ideas for their rides.

Lift Hills and Drops

Diagram comparing a standard lift hill and the B&M pre-drop lift hill.

Some older B&M roller coasters have a special feature called a "pre-drop." This is a small drop right after the top of the lift hill, before the main big drop. It helps reduce stress on the chain that pulls the train up the hill. It also makes the ride smoother.

However, B&M doesn't use pre-drops on their newer Dive or Flying coasters, or on Hyper Coasters built after 1999. This is because they found ways to make the chain speed up to match the train, so the pre-drop isn't needed anymore.

Coaster Trains

Most B&M roller coaster trains have four seats in a row. The number of cars in a train can change depending on the coaster. Dive Coasters are different; they can have six, seven, eight, or even ten seats in a row! For example, Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg has ten seats in three rows.

On some newer Hyper Coasters, B&M uses a special car design. The two seats in the back are pushed out a bit, making the four seats look like a "V" shape. This design is used on rides like Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland.

B&M uses different types of safety restraints. Hyper Coasters often have a "T-bar" or "Clamshell" lap bar. This bar goes over your lap and has handles to hold onto. Other B&M coasters, like Inverted and Dive Coasters, use "over-the-shoulder" restraints. These go over your shoulders and connect to your lap. Recently, B&M started using a new "vest-like" over-the-shoulder restraint. These are designed to be more comfortable and reduce head movement during the ride.

CAD model of B&M's signature box-spined track

Track Design

A unique thing about B&M roller coasters is their "box-section" track. Instead of a round spine like other companies use, B&M's tracks have a square, box-like spine. When a train zooms around this track, it makes a special "whooshing" sound. Roller coaster fans sometimes call this the "B&M roar"!

However, on some B&M coasters, like Talon at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, the track is filled with a special material to make it quieter. The size of the track can also change. Coasters with heavier trains, like Flying and Dive Coasters, need bigger tracks. Lighter coasters, like Stand-Up and Hyper Coasters, use smaller tracks.

B&M Friction Brakes Model

Braking Systems

Bolliger & Mabillard uses three main ways to slow down their roller coasters: friction brakes, magnetic brakes, and water brakes.

Friction Brakes

When B&M first started, they used friction brakes. These work by having pads on the train touch pads on the track. This creates friction, which slows the train down. Since 1993, friction brakes have also been used as "trim brakes." These are smaller brakes that help control the train's speed throughout the ride.

SheiKra's splashdown element

Magnetic Brakes

Magnetic brakes give a much smoother stop than friction brakes. Most B&M coasters built after 2001 use magnetic brakes. These brakes don't actually touch the train. Instead, metal fins on the train pass through a magnetic field created by the brakes, which slows the train down. Magnetic brakes can also be used as trim brakes.

Patent for water breaks for Bolliger+Mabbilard

Water Brakes

Water brakes were first used on SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 2005. These brakes can only be used if the roller coaster has a "splashdown" element. This is where a part of the track goes through a pool of water. When scoops on the last car of the train hit the water, the train slows down and creates a huge splash!

Famous B&M Roller Coasters

Bolliger & Mabillard has built many amazing roller coasters since 1988. Their first was Iron Wolf, which opened in 1990. Some of their coasters have been moved, renamed, or closed over the years. In North America, the tracks for B&M coasters are made by Clermont Steel Fabricators in Ohio.