Jaguar! facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jaguar! |
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| Knott's Berry Farm | |
| Location | Knott's Berry Farm |
| Park section | Fiesta Village |
| Coordinates | 33°50′45″N 117°59′57″W / 33.84583°N 117.99917°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | June 17, 1995 |
| Cost | $10,000,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Zierer |
| Designer | Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH |
| Model | Tivoli |
| Lift/launch system | Two Drive Tire Lifts |
| Height | 65 ft (20 m) |
| Drop | 45 ft (14 m) |
| Length | 2,602 ft (793 m) |
| Speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 25° |
| Capacity | 1800 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 15 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 30 riders per train. |
 Fast Lane available |
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| Jaguar! at RCDB | |
Jaguar! is a fun junior roller coaster located at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. This exciting ride was built by Zierer and designed by Werner Stengel. It first opened to the public in 1995.
Contents
History of Jaguar!
Knott's Berry Farm announced the new Jaguar! roller coaster in late 1994. Building the ride cost about $10 million. Jaguar! officially opened on June 17, 1995, ready for riders to enjoy.
Riding Jaguar!
Getting Ready to Ride
You enter the ride through a cool temple in the Fiesta Village area. The walls are covered with Mayan-style drawings and paintings. As you walk, you might spot skeletons that look like ancient prisoners. There's also a giant Aztec idol with skulls on its sides.
The queue winds through different rooms and tunnels. You'll see more skulls and a large stone tablet with Mayan Jaguar Warriors. You might even hear the roar of a Jaguar! Tribal drums and other Mayan sounds play in the background. The line goes up to the station where you get on the coaster.
The Ride's Path
Your adventure begins as the train climbs the first lift hill. Then, the coaster turns left and goes down a bit. After that, it makes a banked right turn upwards.
The train then zooms through the top of the temple. It even goes through the loop of the famous Montezooma's Revenge coaster! Next, the train turns right and goes up a second lift hill. The track bends left, and you'll go over a series of small hills, like bunny hops.
As the track gets close to the Timber Mountain Log Ride, it turns around. You'll go over a few more bunny hills. Finally, the train goes into a banked turn to the left. It then slows down on the brake run and arrives back at the station.
How the Lifts Work
Jaguar! has two lift hills that use special drive tires. These tires push the train forward because the lifts are not very long. The tires have a unique pattern, often made from recycled rubber.
Some tires act as speed monitors. They check how fast the train is moving. If the train goes too fast, it will stop safely at the next possible spot. Both lifts are 65 feet high. The first lift has a 20-degree slope, and the second lift has a 25-degree slope.
The Coaster Trains
Jaguar! has two trains, and each train has 15 cars. Each car can seat two riders. The cars have wheels on top to stay on the track and guide wheels on the side.
Every car also has a brake fin underneath. These fins help the train move along the drive tires and also help it stop. The trains are designed to look like the temple. The front of the train has a figure that park employees call "Victor." This name honors a maintenance person who worked at Knott's Berry Farm.
Safety System
Jaguar! uses a special "block system" to keep riders safe. This system makes sure that trains don't get too close to each other. Sensors on the track keep track of where each train is. This information is sent to a computer.
The ride has different sections, or "blocks." Only one train can be in a block at a time. If a train tries to enter a block that's already taken, the system will stop it. This helps prevent any problems and keeps everyone safe. The train can stop at several points, like the station or on the lifts, if needed.
Updates to the Ride
Over the years, Jaguar! has had some changes. One early change was removing the fire effect from the top of the temple. Also, the jaguar statues near the station used to steam, but that effect was removed.
Another change was adding fabric seatbelts to the trains. These are similar to the seatbelts on other rides like Montezooma's Revenge. The ride's colors also changed! It used to have a red track with brown supports. Then it was repainted with a bright orange track and light blue supports. In 2016, the colors were changed back to red track and light brown supports.
