Bolliger & Mabillard facts for kids

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, often called B&M, is a company in Switzerland that designs amazing roller coasters. It was started in 1988 by two engineers, Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard. They used to work for another company called Giovanola.

B&M is famous for inventing new types of rides. They created the inverted roller coaster and a special kind of track. In 2016, they built their 100th roller coaster! B&M makes ten different types of coasters. These include the Stand-Up Coaster, Inverted Coaster, Floorless Coaster, Flying Coaster, Hyper Coaster, Dive Coaster, Sitting Coaster, Wing Coaster, Family Coaster, and the new Surf Coaster.

How B&M Started

Early Days

Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard began working for Giovanola in the 1970s. Giovanola was a company that made rides for Intamin. While there, they helped design a stand-up roller coaster called Shockwave. They also worked on other rides like Z-Force.

Bolliger & Mabillard later left Giovanola. However, Giovanola continued to use a similar track design. Their roller coasters Goliath and Titan have tracks much like B&M's.

Building the First Coasters

In 1987, Giovanola changed its management. Walter and Claude decided to leave and start their own company. At first, B&M only had four employees, including the two founders. They had agreed not to build amusement rides anymore.

But Robert Mampe, an engineer from Six Flags Great America, contacted them. He had worked with them before. He asked B&M to redesign the cars for a bobsled roller coaster. After that, Mampe asked them to design a new stand-up roller coaster. It would be similar to Shockwave.

B&M accepted and hired more people. They needed a place to build the track pieces. They found Clermont Steel Fabricators, a company that had done good work before. Clermont Steel Fabricators agreed to make all of B&M's tracks for North America.

B&M's first roller coaster was Iron Wolf. It was a stand-up coaster and opened in 1990. Two years later, they built Batman: The Ride. This was the world's first inverted roller coaster. It made B&M very well-known in the roller coaster world.

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

New Coaster Designs

Bolliger & Mabillard also invented the Floorless Coaster and the Dive Coaster. They built their first launched coaster, Incredible Hulk. This ride is at Islands of Adventure.

In 2010, B&M showed off their new Wing Coaster. The first one, Raptor, opened in 2011 at Gardaland. Wing Coasters have seats on the sides of the track. This makes riders feel like they are flying. As of 2019, there are fifteen Wing Coasters operating. In 2015, B&M built Thunderbird. This was their first launched coaster designed completely in-house.

By 2010, B&M had twelve engineers and fourteen draftsmen and draftswomen. They also helped with other roller coaster projects. For example, they built the trains for Psyclone, a wooden roller coaster.

In 2013, B&M built Banshee. It is the world's longest inverted roller coaster. B&M also made new trains for Steel Dragon 2000. By 2012, B&M had 85 roller coasters running worldwide. Many of them were ranked among the best steel coasters. By 2016, B&M had built 100 coasters. This was more than any other company on the Golden Ticket Awards list.

Special Features of B&M Coasters

Bolliger & Mabillard makes ten different types of roller coasters. They are always working on new ideas for rides. They often work with engineer Werner Stengel and park designers.

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

Lift Hills

Some older B&M coasters have a "pre-drop" after the lift hill. This is a small drop before the main first drop. It helps reduce stress on the lift chain. The flat part between the pre-drop and the main drop supports the train's weight. This also helps the chain.

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

Newer B&M coasters, like Dive and Flying coasters, do not use pre-drops. This is because the chain now speeds up to match the train's speed as it goes over the top.

Coaster Trains

Most B&M roller coaster trains have four seats in each row. The number of cars in a train can change for different rides. Dive Coasters, Wing Coasters, Family Inverted Coasters, and Surf Coasters use different seating. Dive Coasters can have six, seven, eight, or ten seats across. For example, Griffon has ten seats in three rows.

On some newer hyper coasters, B&M uses a different car design. It has two rows of two seats. The back two seats are pushed out, making a "V" shape. This design is used on rides like Behemoth and Diamondback. In 2013, B&M introduced another new car design with two rows of two seats, but not in a "V" shape.

B&M hyper coasters use a "T-bar" or "Clamshell" restraint. This is a padded bar that goes over your lap. It usually doesn't have a seat belt. However, some rides like Behemoth and Leviathan have added seat belts.

Other B&M coasters use over-the-shoulder restraints. These restraints go over your shoulders and connect to your lap. They are used on Dive, Inverted, Sitting, Flying, Floorless, Stand-up, and Wing Coasters. B&M has also started using a newer vest-like over-the-shoulder restraint. These are designed to be more comfortable and reduce head movement.

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

Coaster Track

A special thing about B&M roller coasters is their box-shaped track. The rails you ride on are connected to a square spine. Other companies use a round spine. When a train goes around a B&M track, it makes a unique "whooshing" sound. Fans sometimes call it the "B&M roar."

However, some B&M coasters, like Talon and GateKeeper, have special material inside the track. This material helps to make the sound quieter. The size of the track can also change. Coasters with heavier trains, like Flying and Dive Coasters, need bigger tracks. Lighter trains, like on Stand-Up and Hyper Coasters, use smaller tracks.

Braking Systems

Bolliger & Mabillard uses three main types of brakes: friction, magnetic, and water.

Friction Brakes

When B&M first started, magnetic brakes were not common. So, they used friction brakes. These brakes have pads on the train and on the track. When the pads touch, they create friction, which slows the train down. Since 1993, friction brakes have also been used as "trim brakes." These brakes help control the train's speed during the ride.

B&M Friction Brakes Model

Magnetic Brakes

Magnetic brakes make the train slow down more smoothly than friction brakes. Most B&M coasters built after 2001 use magnetic brakes. These brakes do not touch the train. Metal fins on the train pass through the brakes. The magnetic field slows the train down. Magnetic brakes are also used as trim brakes on some B&M coasters.

Water Brakes

Water brakes were first used on SheiKra in 2005. These brakes can only be used if there is a "splashdown" element. This is where the track goes through a pool of water. Scoops on the last car of the train hit the water. This slows the train down and creates a big splash!

SheiKra's splashdown element

Famous B&M Roller Coasters

Bolliger & Mabillard has built 127 roller coasters since 1988. Their first was Iron Wolf, which opened in 1990. Some of their coasters have been moved, renamed, or closed. In North America, Clermont Steel Fabricators in Ohio makes B&M's coaster designs.

Vortex at Carowinds, a Stand-up Coaster model

Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, a Hyper Coaster model

Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure, an Inverted Coaster model

Dragon Khan at PortAventura Park, a Sitting Coaster model

Oblivion at Alton Towers, a Dive Coaster model

Hydra at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a floorless coaster model

Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, a Hyper Coaster model

Manta at SeaWorld Orlando, a Flying Coaster model

Raptor at Gardaland, first Wing Coaster model

See also

In Spanish: Bolliger & Mabillard para niños