Wicked Cyclone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wicked Cyclone
Previously known as Cyclone (1983–2014)
Six Flags New England
Location	Six Flags New England
Park section	North End
Coordinates	42°2′25″N 72°36′56″W / 42.04028°N 72.61556°W / 42.04028; -72.61556
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 24, 2015 (2015-05-24)
Cost	US$10 million
Replaced	Cyclone
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Rocky Mountain Construction
Designer	Alan Schilke
Model	I-Box
Track layout	Twister
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	109 ft (33 m)
Length	3,320 ft (1,010 m)
Speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Inversions	3
Max vertical angle	78°
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Wicked Cyclone at RCDB

The Wicked Cyclone is an exciting steel roller coaster at the Six Flags New England park. It used to be a wooden roller coaster called Cyclone. The original Cyclone opened on June 24, 1983. Its name and design were inspired by the famous 1927 Cyclone roller coaster in Coney Island. After 31 years, the wooden Cyclone closed in 2014. It was then rebuilt with a new steel track and reopened as Wicked Cyclone on May 24, 2015.

History of the Cyclone Roller Coaster

In 1983, Riverside Amusement Park decided to build a new wooden roller coaster. They named it the Riverside Cyclone. This was the second big roller coaster at the park since it reopened in 1940. The first was Thunderbolt in 1941.

Building the Original Ride

The Riverside Cyclone cost about $2.5 million to build. It was designed by William Cobb & Associates and built by the Frontier Construction Company. The ride officially opened to the public on June 25, 1983. People hoped the new ride would bring many more visitors to the park.

When it first opened, the Riverside Cyclone had two trains. These trains were made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC). Riders were held in by a lap bar. Later in the first year, shoulder belts were added, but they were removed before the next season. In its second year, the trains were damaged. The park had to use parts from both trains to make one train work. In 1985, two new trains were bought from D. H. Morgan Manufacturing.

Changes Over the Years

In the late 1990s, a company called Premier Parks bought Riverside Amusement Park. This company later became Six Flags. Over four years, they spent a lot of money to update and expand the park. In 2000, the park was renamed Six Flags New England.

When the park became Six Flags New England, the roller coaster's name changed from Riverside Cyclone to just Cyclone. The old D.H. Morgan Manufacturing trains were replaced with two new PTC trains. In 2001, the new owners also changed the track. They made the first drop a bit shorter.

In 2014, the Cyclone got another update. Sections of its track were replaced with something called Topper Track from Rocky Mountain Construction. Topper Track uses steel plates instead of the top layers of wood. This helps make the ride smoother and needs less maintenance than a full wooden track.

Becoming the Wicked Cyclone

In June 2014, Six Flags New England announced that the Cyclone would close for good on July 20, 2014. Over its 31 years as a wooden coaster, more than 15 million people rode the Cyclone.

The Big Transformation

On August 28, 2014, it was announced that the Cyclone would be completely changed. It would become the Wicked Cyclone, a new roller coaster with a steel track. This new ride was built by Rocky Mountain Construction and designed by Alan Schilke.

The Wicked Cyclone is very exciting! It has a drop that is 10 stories high. It reaches speeds of 55 miles per hour (89 km/h). It also has the world's first "Double Reversing Bank Airtime Hill." This ride is the first "hybrid" coaster on the East Coast of the United States. It is also the only hybrid coaster with a 200-degree stall and two "Zero G Rolls." The Wicked Cyclone reopened in May 2015.

Ride Statistics

Here's a look at how the Cyclone and Wicked Cyclone compare:

Images for kids

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  A view of the original Cyclone from inside its footprint