El Toro (Six Flags Great Adventure) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids El Toro |
|
|---|---|
El Toro, with Kingda Ka and Rolling Thunder in the background
|
|
| Six Flags Great Adventure | |
| Location | Six Flags Great Adventure |
| Park section | Plaza del Carnaval |
| Coordinates | 40°8′19.90″N 74°26′4.67″W / 40.1388611°N 74.4346306°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | June 11, 2006 |
| Opening date | June 12, 2006 |
| Replaced | Viper |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Wooden Coaster (Prefabricated Track) |
| Track layout | Out and Back |
| Lift/launch system | Cable lift hill |
| Height | 181 ft (55 m) |
| Drop | 176 ft (54 m) |
| Length | 4,400 ft (1,300 m) |
| Speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 1:42 |
| Max vertical angle | 76° |
| Capacity | 1500 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4.4 |
| Height restriction | 48–77 in (122–196 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 36 riders per train. |
 Flash Pass available |
|
| El Toro at RCDB | |
El Toro means "The Bull" in Spanish. It is a thrilling wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. This popular park is located in Jackson Township, New Jersey.
Intamin from Switzerland designed this amazing ride. It first opened to the public on June 11, 2006. Intamin worked with Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) to build it. El Toro uses special prefabricated track. This means the track pieces were built in a factory. This made building the coaster faster and cheaper.
When it opened, El Toro had the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster. Its drop was 76 degrees! This record was later broken by T Express in 2008. El Toro is still one of the tallest wooden coasters. It is also one of the fastest and has one of the longest drops. It was also the first wooden coaster to use a cable lift. Most older wooden coasters use a slower chain lift.
El Toro is a main attraction in the park's Plaza Del Carnaval area. This section has a fun Mexican theme. El Toro was built where another coaster, Viper, used to be. Viper closed down in 2004.
Contents
History of El Toro Roller Coaster
El Toro was built on the land where the Viper roller coaster once stood. Everything from Viper was removed in early 2005. Only the station building was kept.
Six Flags Great Adventure announced El Toro on September 28, 2005. They also announced a new kids' area called Bugs Bunny National Park. El Toro would be part of a new area, Plaza del Carnaval. The highest point of the ride, the lift hill, was finished on December 20, 2005. The coaster started testing its tracks in May 2006. It had a surprise opening on June 11, 2006. The official grand opening was the next day, June 12.
El Toro uses the same station building that Viper used. This station was changed inside to fit El Toro's needs.
Riding El Toro: The Experience
El Toro's Theme and Design
The name "El Toro" means "The Bull" in Spanish. This is the main theme of the ride. The coaster's trains look like bulls. They even have bull heads on the front!
The waiting line, called the queue, is surrounded by buildings. These buildings have a Southwestern style. You can also see old "wagon wheels" and Spanish posters. These decorations separate the waiting line from the ride itself.
How El Toro's Ride Works
After you leave the station, the train turns left. It then starts to climb the tall cable lift hill. This hill is 181 feet high! The cable speeds up to about 13 miles per hour. When the train reaches the top, the cable gently slows down.
At the top, the train moves forward a bit. Then it makes a big 180-degree turn to the left. After that, it drops 176 feet at a steep 76-degree angle. You'll reach a top speed of 70 miles per hour! As you get to the bottom, you feel like you're very close to the track above. This is called a headchopper effect.
Next, the train goes up a 112-foot camelback hill. Then it goes over a second camelback hill that is 100 feet high. After that, it rises and turns right in a banked curve. Then it goes through another banked turn to the left. The train speeds past the station and the lake. It then goes over a smaller hill. Here, you might feel a strong "airtime" sensation. This is where you feel like you're floating out of your seat!
After this drop, the train twists and turns. This part is called the "twister section." Finally, the train slows down. It goes over some small "S" curve hills. Then it enters the brake run to stop.
El Toro's Roller Coaster Trains
El Toro uses two trains. Each train has six cars. Two riders sit across in each row, and there are three rows per car. This means 36 riders can be on one train.
The trains have special padded "wings" at shoulder level. These help keep riders from moving too much during the ride's twists. El Toro's lap bars are U-shaped. They are often called "U-Bars."
El Toro's Unique Track Design
The wooden track of El Toro is about 4,400 feet long. The lift hill is about 181 feet high. El Toro is different from many traditional wooden roller coasters. It uses prefabricated wooden track.
Intamin designed and built the ride. They worked with Rocky Mountain Construction to make it. Instead of building the track by hand on site, the pieces are cut by lasers in a factory. This makes the track very precise. This "Plug and Play" method makes building the coaster faster. It also lowers costs because less work is needed on site. This means the ride feels as smooth as a steel coaster.
El Toro was the first Intamin "Plug and Play" wooden coaster in the United States. There are only three others like it in the world. They are Colossos in Germany, Balder in Sweden, and T Express in South Korea.
El Toro's Roller Coaster Records
When El Toro first opened, it set some records. It was the second-tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the United States. It also had the second-longest drop.
As of 2016, El Toro is still one of the top wooden coasters. It has the fourth fastest speed. It also has the fourth-tallest lift hill. And it has the second longest drop in the world.
Awards and Rankings for El Toro
El Toro has won many awards. In 2006, it was ranked 3rd for "Best New Ride" by the Golden Ticket Awards.
The Golden Ticket Awards rank the best roller coasters each year. El Toro has often been ranked as one of the top wooden roller coasters in the world:
- In 2012 and 2017, it was ranked 1st.
- In 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018, it was ranked 2nd.
- In 2009, 2011, 2016, and 2019, it was ranked 3rd.
- El Toro at the Roller Coaster DataBase
Images for kids
-
Train B maneuvering through the camelback hill finale
See also
In Spanish: El Toro (montaña rusa) para niños
