What is the average length of a steel roller coaster's life?
- Thread starter chrissyt
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Re: What is the average length of a steel roller coaster's l
That's a tough one really.
I don't think there really is an average life expectancy. It will vary a lot by manufacturer, and and even by park/operating company. Some parks maintain coasters better than others and get to keep them longer, while some will let them go to ****. Other parks will remove coasters which are otherwise fine, to make room for something new, which muddies the waters even more.
You see some coasters disappear after just a few years for whatever reason, while others just run pretty much forever. There are probably more examples, but off the top of my head, I know of one in Japan (a Togo no less) that has been running since the early '50s.
That's a tough one really.
I don't think there really is an average life expectancy. It will vary a lot by manufacturer, and and even by park/operating company. Some parks maintain coasters better than others and get to keep them longer, while some will let them go to ****. Other parks will remove coasters which are otherwise fine, to make room for something new, which muddies the waters even more.
You see some coasters disappear after just a few years for whatever reason, while others just run pretty much forever. There are probably more examples, but off the top of my head, I know of one in Japan (a Togo no less) that has been running since the early '50s.
Re: What is the average length of a steel roller coaster's l
I agree with Gavin in that it varies depending on all the points he stated & that statistics can't be accurately made because most steel coasters are decommissioned before their time. There are several steel coasters from the 50's that are still running. One from that decade that I don't see ever closing is Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland. It's iconic status & the meticulous care it's given will keep that baby running forever.
I agree with Gavin in that it varies depending on all the points he stated & that statistics can't be accurately made because most steel coasters are decommissioned before their time. There are several steel coasters from the 50's that are still running. One from that decade that I don't see ever closing is Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland. It's iconic status & the meticulous care it's given will keep that baby running forever.
Martyn B
CF Legend
Re: What is the average length of a steel roller coaster's l
Location comes into play as well (points at PMBO).
At the end of the day, a steel (or any type of) coaster will last for as long as the park wants it to last. Which is why I pointed out PMBO. There's issues with the track, so BPB just keep replacing sections of it.
Location comes into play as well (points at PMBO).
At the end of the day, a steel (or any type of) coaster will last for as long as the park wants it to last. Which is why I pointed out PMBO. There's issues with the track, so BPB just keep replacing sections of it.
FaceYourNemesis
Hyper Poster
Re: What is the average length of a steel roller coaster's l
^isn't that to do with the fact that some sections of track were poorly designed to begin with?
^isn't that to do with the fact that some sections of track were poorly designed to begin with?
Re: What is the average length of a steel roller coaster's l
Structurally, there shouldn't be a problem having a coaster running for several decades or even centuries. I mean, look at things like the Eiffel Tower or even the famous Iron Bridge. At least the former is subject to loads much higher than most coasters, and it's been standing for close to 150 years.
I guess your first problem would be corrosion of the rebars in the concrete footers. Eventually, you'd get some fatigue problems in the supports or track too. But with a little care, and rigorous inspections to detect problems before they go out of hand, the structure itself could be standing for quite some time.
The rest of the coaster would fail you a lot quicker, though. Chain lifts, motors to drive them, and most certainly the trains, these will wear out and have to be replaced every few years or so. To keep a coaster running after a certain amount of years, becomes a question of whether or not you're willing to shell out money for spare parts (which, mind you, the manufacturer might have stopped using several years ago). In most cases, with the advances in coaster design over recent years, it simply wouldn't be worth it. You could either fork out money for custom made replacement parts and give your rickety, old and (often) boring ride ten more years to live, or invest 50% more to get a new crowd pleaser with a lifetime of say twenty years, with spare parts readily available from the manufacturer.
If your ride is really iconic, the former could be worth it, but usually it would be best to scrap it and use the land for something more marketable.
Refurbishing a coaster and make it up to standard could be just as expensive as buying an entirely new ride, and marketing-wise, all you'd achieve is maintaining the status quo. This really doesn't do much to bring in new guests.
EDIT:
Not necessarily. But you'd have to invest a lot more in corrosion protection. You're right that exposed steel would corrode very quickly, but there are ways to stop it completely. Frequent repainting and perhaps some zinc anodes littered around the structure would prevent corrosion from ever taking place.
If anything, I'd worry about the footers. Salt water leaking into the concrete, eventually reaching the rebars, could be worrisome.
Structurally, there shouldn't be a problem having a coaster running for several decades or even centuries. I mean, look at things like the Eiffel Tower or even the famous Iron Bridge. At least the former is subject to loads much higher than most coasters, and it's been standing for close to 150 years.
I guess your first problem would be corrosion of the rebars in the concrete footers. Eventually, you'd get some fatigue problems in the supports or track too. But with a little care, and rigorous inspections to detect problems before they go out of hand, the structure itself could be standing for quite some time.
The rest of the coaster would fail you a lot quicker, though. Chain lifts, motors to drive them, and most certainly the trains, these will wear out and have to be replaced every few years or so. To keep a coaster running after a certain amount of years, becomes a question of whether or not you're willing to shell out money for spare parts (which, mind you, the manufacturer might have stopped using several years ago). In most cases, with the advances in coaster design over recent years, it simply wouldn't be worth it. You could either fork out money for custom made replacement parts and give your rickety, old and (often) boring ride ten more years to live, or invest 50% more to get a new crowd pleaser with a lifetime of say twenty years, with spare parts readily available from the manufacturer.
If your ride is really iconic, the former could be worth it, but usually it would be best to scrap it and use the land for something more marketable.
Refurbishing a coaster and make it up to standard could be just as expensive as buying an entirely new ride, and marketing-wise, all you'd achieve is maintaining the status quo. This really doesn't do much to bring in new guests.
EDIT:
Nic said:
Not necessarily. But you'd have to invest a lot more in corrosion protection. You're right that exposed steel would corrode very quickly, but there are ways to stop it completely. Frequent repainting and perhaps some zinc anodes littered around the structure would prevent corrosion from ever taking place.
If anything, I'd worry about the footers. Salt water leaking into the concrete, eventually reaching the rebars, could be worrisome.
Antinos
Slut for Spinners
Re: What is the average length of a steel roller coaster's l
Pokemaniac pretty much summed up what I was going to contribute. The structure wouldn't wear out due to fatigue limits in the alloys in the track and supports. The trains would most likely be the first massive expense to need replacing.
But as already stated, marketing and keeping up with the newest products limits the lifetime of a ride much more than the engineering.
Pokemaniac pretty much summed up what I was going to contribute. The structure wouldn't wear out due to fatigue limits in the alloys in the track and supports. The trains would most likely be the first massive expense to need replacing.
But as already stated, marketing and keeping up with the newest products limits the lifetime of a ride much more than the engineering.