Vekoma facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Founder | Hendrik op het Veld |
| Headquarters |
Vlodrop (Roerdalen)
,
The Netherlands
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Amusement rides |
| Parent | Sansei Technologies |
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturer. Vekoma is a syllabic abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek (Veld Koning Machine Factory) which was established in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld.
Contents
History
The company originally manufactured farm equipment and later made steel constructions for the coal mining industry in the 1950s. As business shifted from farming equipment to steel construction, Veld Koning Machinefabriek was shortened to Vekoma. After the closure of Dutch mines in 1965, Vekoma manufactured steel pipes for the petrochemical industry. In the 1970s Vekoma was contracted by U.S. amusement ride manufacturer Arrow Development to build the steel structure for its roller coasters in Europe. As demand increased, Arrow instructed Vekoma in track building techniques and eventually licensed its coaster-building technology. In 1979 Vekoma entered the market on its own, opening three coasters in Europe under the name Vekoma Rides Manufacturing BV.
On August 23, 2001, Vekoma filed for bankruptcy.
In 2006, Vekoma formed an alliance with U.S.-based manufacturer Chance Morgan. Chance Rides represented Vekoma in North America and Chance Morgan manufactured the steel track for select projects. During this agreement, Chance built four Vekoma-designed family coasters.
In 2008, Vekoma Rides Manufacturing acquired the Wheels of Excellence range of Ferris wheels from Ronald Bussink. Under the agreement, Bussink will continue to supply wheels 100 meters and taller. Smaller wheels in the 40- to 80-meter range will be manufactured by a new division of Vekoma, Dutch Wheels BV.
On October 17, 2012, Chance Rides and Vekoma discontinued the agreement to produce rides together for the North American market. However, shortly after terminating that agreement, Chance Rides was given an exclusive license from Dutch Wheels BV to manufacture and sell R60 wheels in the North American market under a new affiliate, Chance American Wheels.
On March 30, 2018, Vekoma was acquired by Sansei Technologies, the parent company of American ride manufacturer S&S Sansei. The conditions stipulated that Vekoma's business model remain unchanged after the acquisition. Vekoma continues to manufacture and market rides as a separate entity.
Roller coasters
As of May 2018[update], there are over 387 roller coasters around the world from Vekoma, some of which are either under construction or have been removed.
Models
| Model | First produced | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bermuda Blitz | 2017 | A sit down multi-inversion roller coaster with new generation trains and restraints. An off the shelf layout is available replicating Lech Coaster, which is the only installation of the model that currently exists. Lech Coaster is in Legendia in Poland. |
| Big Air | 2010 | Formerly known as a hammerhead stall due to the spinning function it previously possessed. There is only one installation of this roller coaster, It is in E-DA Theme Park in Taiwan. |
| Boomerang | 1984 | a type of Shuttle roller coaster with three inversions, height of 117 feet (35.66 m), and speed of 47 mph (76 km/h). |
| Corkscrew with Bayerncurve (discontinued) | 1979 | An adaptation of the standard Arrow Development corkscrew roller coaster. |
| Dive Pretzel Coaster | 2014 | A roller coaster with a 90 degree climb and several pretzel loop elements. |
| Double Loop-Corkscrew | 1981 | A modified version of the MK-1200, it consisted of four inversions (two vertical loopings and two corkscrews and a standard track. |
| Flying Dutchman | 2000 | First large-scale flying roller coaster built. There are two of these coasters. |
| Giant Inverted Boomerang | 2001 | Like Invertigo but with vertical lift hills and slightly different layout. |
| Hurricane | 1989 | Has a vertical loop and a double corkscrew. There were only 2 installations ever. |
| Invertigo | 1996 | An inverted model of the Boomerang. |
| Motorbike roller coaster | 2004 | Vekoma-launched roller coaster with trains like motorbikes. |
| LSM Launch coaster | 1999 | Roller coaster with three inversions. Launched around 55 mph (89 km/h) using LSM technology.
Only three installations of this model exists. |
| Space Warp Launch coaster | 2016 | A sit down LSM launch coaster built with new-generation track and trains in a layout with multiple inversions. Only one installation of this model exists. |
| Splash Party | 2013 | An inverted slower-paced roller coaster that is designed with several water gun and water bomb placements. Only one installation of this model exists. |
| Stingray | 2009 | A compact flying roller coaster designed as the successor to the Flying Dutchman. Only one example has been installed, being Stingray at Giant Wheel Park of Suzhou. |
| Suspended Family Coaster | 2001 | Inverted family coaster very similar to the Suspended Looping Coaster |
| Suspended Looping Coaster | 1994 | Inverted coaster with several different models. |
| Suspended Thrill Coaster | 2020 | The successor to the Suspended Looping Coaster which features a different track style and layout. Debuted with Hals-über-Kopf at Erlebnispark Tripsdrill. |
| Loop-Corkscrew | 1986 | A modified version of the MK-1200, it consisted of two inversions (a vertical looping and a corkscrew) and a standard track. Three installations exist in the world and are all still operating. |
| Mine train coaster | 1992 | A roller coaster with a Western, mountain or mine themed style. 785 m (2,575 ft) and MK-900 M models. |
| Junior coaster | 1990 | Roller coaster aimed at children. 207 and 335 m (679 and 1,099 ft) models. |
| Shockwave coaster | 2019 | A sit down LSM launch coaster built with new-generation track and trains with multiple inversions and features sometimes tunnels. 1095m and 1320m models. |
| Top Gun Launch coaster | 2020 | A sit down LSM launch coaster built with new-generation track and trains but with a different layout and multiple inversions. |
| Wooden roller coaster | 2000 | Classic wooden coaster produced by Vekoma. There are two examples: the Thundercoaster at TusenFryd, and Loup-Garou at Walibi Belgium. Previously, there was one of these models at Walibi Holland called Robin Hood, however, it became an RMC hybrid coaster called Untamed in 2019. |
Other Vekoma coaster models include Wild Mouse, Hyper Space Warp, Firestorm, Swinging Turns, Enigma, Illusion, Family Boomerang, Tilt Coaster, Energy Storm and Powered Coasters.
In 2013, Vekoma signed a deal with Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction. The agreement allows Vekoma to sell Rocky Mountain Construction's roller coasters outside the North American market.
Vekoma is also the constructor of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT in Walt Disney World, designing innovative new "omni-coaster" cars with the capability for controlled turns and spins. Opening in 2022, this is one of the longest and most ambitious indoor coasters ever constructed.
Other attractions
Ferris wheels
The Dutch Wheels product range includes the R40, R50, and R60 models, each available in three different types.
Notable installations
| Ferris wheel name | Location | Opened | Status | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant Wheel | Six Flags Darien Lake, Darien, New York, US |
|
Closed | |
| Giant Wheel | Morey's Piers, Wildwood, New Jersey, US |
|
Operating | |
| Navy Pier Ferris Wheel | Pier Park, Navy Pier, Chicago, US |
|
Relocated | |
| Delhi Eye (R50) | Kalindi Kunj Park, Okhla, Delhi, India |
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| Hong Kong Observation Wheel | Central, Hong Kong |
|
Operating | |
| Branson Ferris Wheel (former Navy Pier Wheel) | Branson, Missouri |
|
Operating | |
| Grande roue de Montréal | Montreal, Canada |
|
Operating |
Madhouse
A madhouse is a flat ride that gives the impression that the rider is upside-down, when in reality the room they are in rotates around them.
Gallery
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Suspended Looping Coaster, a popular Vekoma design
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Boomerang, another of Vekoma's most popular ride models
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Invertigo, a variation on the Boomerang design
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Giant Inverted Boomerang, a more extreme version of Invertigo
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Vekoma Roller Skater, a small family coaster design
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Wooden Coaster, One of Vekoma's wooden coasters (Thundercoaster Tusenfryd)
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Motorbike roller coaster, a specially designed coaster with seats that are like motorbikes
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Suspended Family Coaster
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