Time Traveler (roller coaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Time Traveler |
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Ride entrance
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| Silver Dollar City | |
| Location | Silver Dollar City |
| Park section | Valley Road |
| Coordinates | 36°40′08″N 93°20′16″W / 36.6690°N 93.3377°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | March 13, 2018 |
| Opening date | March 14, 2018 |
| Cost | US$26,000,000 ($30.3 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Spinning |
| Manufacturer | Mack Rides |
| Model | Xtreme Spinning Coaster |
| Track layout | Terrain |
| Lift/launch system | Two LSM launches |
| Height | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Drop | 90 ft (27 m) |
| Length | 3,020 ft (920 m) |
| Speed | 50.3 mph (81.0 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Duration | 1:57 |
| Max vertical angle | 90° |
| Height restriction | 51 in (130 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 16 riders per train. |
| Theme | Time travel |
| Time Traveler at RCDB | |
Time Traveler is an amazing steel spinning roller coaster at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. It was built by Mack Rides, working with the park's own team. The idea for Time Traveler came from testing a new type of spinning coaster car on another ride called Blue Fire. Opened in 2018, this ride is all about time travel. It tells the story of a clockmaker named Charles Henry and his daughter, who create a device to explore human achievements through time.
Time Traveler is 100 feet (30 m) tall and reaches a top speed of 50.3 miles per hour (81.0 km/h). The track is 3,020 feet (920 m) long. It was the first "Xtreme Spinning Coaster" model from Mack Rides. These rides have spinning cars with special brakes under each car. These brakes control how fast the car spins. When it opened, Time Traveler became the tallest and fastest spinning roller coaster. It was also the first spinning coaster to have three inversions (upside-down sections). In 2018, Amusement Today magazine named it the second-best new roller coaster.
Contents
Building Time Traveler
The idea and planning for Time Traveler took over four years. In 2016, a new spinning coaster car was being tested at Europa-Park in Germany. This test car was put on the Blue Fire roller coaster. Jane Cooper and Brad Thomas from Silver Dollar City went to try it out. At first, the test ride felt "like a teacup" ride. But they saw how much promise it had for a new roller coaster. They visited Europa-Park many times to plan the ride with Mack Rides.
How the Ride Was Named
In February 2016, the park's owners started looking for names. They filed trademarks for names like "Barke" and "Time Traveler." The name "Time Traveler" came to them in June 2016. Cooper and Thomas noticed the unique design of the roller coaster's trains. They thought the trains looked like they could travel through time.
Construction Begins
Construction for the roller coaster started in October 2016. By February 2017, photos showed that the ride's foundations were being built. Silver Dollar City officially announced "Time Traveler" on August 16, 2017. They said it would be the tallest, fastest, and longest spinning roller coaster in the world. The ride cost $26 million to build. It was also announced as the only spinning roller coaster with two launches, a vertical loop, and three inversions. The last piece of track was put in place on September 19, 2017.
First Rides and Opening Day
The ride's trains were shown off in November 2017 at a big amusement park expo. Time Traveler's first test runs began on December 14, 2017. Silver Dollar City announced that the ride would open with the park's regular season. A special preview day was held on March 13, 2018, for 150 guests. The ride officially opened to everyone on March 14, 2018.
Your Time Travel Adventure
The Story of the Ride
Time Traveler has a cool story about a fictional character named Charles Henry. He takes over his family's clockmaker business. Inspired by science fiction books, Henry wants to make the world better by inventing time travel. He and his daughter, Emmaline, build a time-traveling device. This device lets riders see amazing human achievements. The ride's motto is "dream big, do good." This motto was used to show how people in the community achieve great things.
Getting Ready to Ride
The ride is in the Valley Road section of the park. The main street area was changed to add new buildings and restaurants. The station for Time Traveler is a three-story building. It shows Charles Henry's clock factory.
- The first floor is the factory's storage area. It asks guests to become volunteer employees.
- The second floor shows the company's offices. Here, you can see experiments with clock parts.
- The third floor continues Henry's story. It leads to his amazing time-traveling device. Riders then get to experience his invention.
The Weber Group built the ride's themed areas. John Presley created the music you hear in the queue.
The Exciting Ride Layout
Once the gates open, your train leaves the station. It goes straight into a 90-degree vertical drop! You plunge 90 feet (27 m) at a top speed of 50.3 miles per hour (81.0 km/h). Then, the train enters a dive loop. After that, it goes up into a left banked turn and then a right U-turn.
Next, you enter the first linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch section. The train stops for a moment, then shoots forward to 47 miles per hour (76 km/h) in just three seconds! You then go through a banked left curve. After that, you head down into a 95-foot (29 m) vertical loop. Right after the loop, the train goes up into another left banked turn. Then it dips down into a right banked curve, which turns into a zero-gravity roll.
The train then goes into another left banked turn upwards. It dips down into the second LSM launch. Here, your speed increases from 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h). After this launch, the train goes up into an overbanked turn to the right. Finally, it heads into a left banked turn and into the final brake run. The train makes a right U-turn back to the station. One full ride takes about two minutes.
Time Traveler's Design
The Track
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The steel track is 3,020 feet (920 m) long and reaches a maximum height of 100 feet (30 m). Time Traveler does not have a traditional lift hill. This is because the ride uses the park's hilly land. The track starts with a drop right out of the station. Mack Rides designed and built the entire track. The track is olive green, and the supports are mocha brown. These colors match a steampunk style. The ride's track crosses over itself fourteen times!
The Trains
Time Traveler uses three trains. Each train has four cars. Each car seats four riders, with two rows facing back-to-back. This means sixteen riders can be on each train. The cars are brass-colored. They are decorated with gears and other "industrial components." Riders must be at least 51 inches (130 cm) tall to ride. This ride is the first "Xtreme Spinning Coaster" from Mack Rides. It has free-spinning cars that are controlled by magnetic brakes.
How the Ride Works
Time Traveler's trains have special features that are different from other spinning roller coasters. Each train has an eddy current brake under each car. When a metal disc on the car passes through this brake, it helps spin the car. It also slows down the spinning. The eddy brake can be adjusted to change how fast the car spins.
The trains also have a power rail system. This system helps line up the cars when they return to the station. It also charges the lights on the hand railings in front of the riders. A busbar under the train sends information from the cars to the ride operator. The lap bar restraints automatically lower on each train. They are locked into place by hydraulic cylinders. Ride workers check these restraints to make sure they are safe. Steel bristles are also near each car's wheels. These bristles release any electric charge the train might build up. This helps protect the electronics on the ride.
Amazing Records
When Time Traveler opened in 2018, it set some new records:
- It became the fastest full-circuit spinning roller coaster.
- It became the tallest full-circuit spinning roller coaster.
- It was the first spinning roller coaster in the world to have three inversions. This was more than the Gekion Live Coaster at Tokyo Joypolis, which only has one inversion.
