Lightnin' Loops facts for kids

Lightnin' Loops was a super cool roller coaster that actually had two separate tracks! It was located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson. This ride was built by a company called Arrow Development. It opened on May 23, 1978.

What made Lightnin' Loops special was its unique design. Both roller coaster tracks had a vertical loop that actually interlocked, meaning they went through each other! This was a very new and exciting feature at the time. The ride was quite popular for a while. However, its popularity started to fade in the late 1980s. After facing some operational challenges, the ride was eventually taken apart in 1992.

The Story of Lightnin' Loops

Lightnin' Loops was built in 1977 and welcomed its first riders in 1978. Six Flags Great Adventure had just been bought by Six Flags in 1977. But the plan for Lightnin' Loops was actually made by the park's previous owners way back in 1976.

Where Was It Located?

This exciting coaster was on the west side of the park. Today, this area is known as Movietown. It's also where you can find other popular rides like Batman: The Ride and Nitro.

A Unique Design Feature

Lightnin' Loops was the very first roller coaster to have interlocking loops. This amazing feature was later used on other famous coasters. These include the Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Another example is the Orient Express at Worlds of Fun.

However, Lightnin' Loops was truly one-of-a-kind. It was the only roller coaster in the world with two interlocking shuttle loops. A shuttle loop coaster means the train doesn't complete a full circuit. Instead, it goes forward, then backward, returning to the start.

How the Ride Worked

Lightnin' Loops used a special launch system. This system shot the train forward and downward into the loop. After going through the loop, the train reached another launch station. This second station was at the same height as the loading station. Then, the train was launched backwards, going through the loop again, and returning to where it started.

Its Popularity and Decline

For much of the 1980s, Lightnin' Loops was one of the most exciting rides at Six Flags Great Adventure. Other big coasters were built during this time, like Rolling Thunder in 1979. There was also the Sarajevo Bobsleds in 1984 and Ultra Twister in 1986.

But Lightnin' Loops' popularity began to decrease around 1989. This was partly because a new, very advanced roller coaster opened. It was called the Great American Scream Machine. This new ride, also built by Arrow, had seven inversions, including three loops! Also, riders had to climb a 56-foot (about 17-meter) tall staircase to get to the Lightnin' Loops loading station, which wasn't very popular.

Changes in the Park

By 1990, the area where Lightnin' Loops stood started to feel a bit plain. There wasn't much of a theme around it. But things were changing nearby! In 1991, a new water park area called Adventure Rivers was added. A new stunt show arena was also built next to Lightnin' Loops. The whole area was then transformed and renamed "Action Town."

In May 1992, the park announced that Lightnin' Loops would close. It officially shut down at the end of July and was taken apart in August.

Where Did the Loops Go?

At first, there was a plan to sell one of the loops to Funtime Parks. The other loop was going to be moved to the spot where Ultra Twister used to be. This was to make room for the construction of Batman: The Ride. When Batman: The Ride was built, it led to the area becoming Movietown.

However, by the end of 1992, a new decision was made. Both tracks of Lightnin' Loops were sold to Funtime Parks. They were then sent to two different parks that Funtime owned.

• The upper track went to Adventure World in Largo, Maryland. It was rebuilt and opened in 1994 as the "Python."
• The lower track went to Frontier City near Oklahoma City. It was also rebuilt and opened in 1994 as the "Diamond Back." This is the only Lightnin' Loops track that is still operating today!

It's interesting to note that Funtime Parks was later sold to Premier Parks in 1995. Then, in 1998, Premier Parks bought Six Flags! This meant that both parts of the original Lightnin' Loops roller coaster were back in the Six Flags family again.

Adventure World was renamed Six Flags America in 1999. The Python coaster was taken apart to make space for newer rides. It was eventually scrapped in 2005 after being stored for almost five years. Frontier City was later sold to another company called PARC Management.

Images for kids

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  The lower track of Lightnin' Loops at its current location, now called Diamond Back.