Ultimate (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
The Ultimate is a steel
roller coaster
at Lightwater Valley
amusement park
, near the small Cathedral city of Ripon
, in North Yorkshire
England
. In 1991 it took the record of longest roller coaster in the world from The Beast at Kings Island
. It is currently the second longest roller coaster in the world, after Steel Dragon 2000
.
While "The Ultimate" was designed by Big Country Motioneering, they were not involved with the completion of the project. Lightwater Valley's owner got engineers from British Rail
to oversee the construction. A few sections of track on the second half of the ride were redesigned to change their banking. The track was made by "Tubular Engineering".
Set within 44 acres (178,000 m²) of woodland, "The Ultimate" takes passengers on a 7 minute 34 second ride along 7,442-foot (2.3 km) of tubular steel track (an average of 11.2 mph), with two lift hills of 102 and 107-foot respectively, which rest on Canadian redwood trestles. It currently runs two trains on a normal day, each of which can hold a maximum of 38 passengers.
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
at Lightwater Valley
Lightwater Valley
Lightwater Valley is a theme park in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. The park is perhaps best known for being the home of Europe’s longest rollercoaster - The Ultimate....
amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
, near the small Cathedral city of Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
, in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In 1991 it took the record of longest roller coaster in the world from The Beast at Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
. It is currently the second longest roller coaster in the world, after Steel Dragon 2000
Steel Dragon 2000
is a roller coaster at Nagashima Spa Land amusement park in Mie Prefecture, Japan. Built by Morgan Manufacturing, this gigacoaster opened, appropriately, in 2000—"The Year of the Dragon" in Asia. It debuted only months after Millennium Force at Cedar Point, and surpassed that as the world's tallest...
.
History and design
"The Ultimate" represented an investment of £5.2 million and was the concept of the park's original owner, Robert Staveley. Construction work began in early 1990 and took eighteen months to complete before the opening to the public on 17 July 1991.While "The Ultimate" was designed by Big Country Motioneering, they were not involved with the completion of the project. Lightwater Valley's owner got engineers from British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
to oversee the construction. A few sections of track on the second half of the ride were redesigned to change their banking. The track was made by "Tubular Engineering".
Set within 44 acres (178,000 m²) of woodland, "The Ultimate" takes passengers on a 7 minute 34 second ride along 7,442-foot (2.3 km) of tubular steel track (an average of 11.2 mph), with two lift hills of 102 and 107-foot respectively, which rest on Canadian redwood trestles. It currently runs two trains on a normal day, each of which can hold a maximum of 38 passengers.
Incident
In June, 1994, a deer from the nearby forest strayed on to the track, and was hit in a collision with the train. A 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital as a result of the accident.The Ultimate in popular culture
- The Ultimate was recreated as "The Storm" in the "Katie's World" scenario in the original RollerCoaster TycoonRollerCoaster TycoonRollerCoaster Tycoon may refer to:*RollerCoaster Tycoon - a series of video games in which a player must manage an amusement park**RollerCoaster Tycoon - the first game, which came out in 1999...
.