Quote:
Originally Posted by JaneYoung
What do you mean by Rattler being neutered and when did that occur? (I think you mean that it has been tamed?)
My husband still talks about the horrors of that ride after several years of trying to forget about it. And he loves roller coasters.
Jane
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When The Rattler opened in 1992, it was the tallest, fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. It had a 166' first drop. During the park's off-season each year for the following four years, The Rattler's first drop was in some way re-profiled. The end result was a first drop that is 42' shorter today than when it was originally opened.
The ride was designed and built by the Roller Coaster Corporation of America just before computer's began to revolutionize roller coaster design and is part of a generation of wooden coasters that were, in many ways, too big for their britches. As a consequence, The Rattler was a VERY rough ride when it first opened; the changes to its first dropped were meant to lower its speed and smooth out the violent vibration that occurred at the bottom of that drop.
This video shows the original ride:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4YGPKbKhq0
And this shows the reprofiled drop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trDnw...feature=fvwrel