Twenty-two theme parks have operated Shuttle Loops, with half of the twelve original installations being relocated at some time. As of September 2013[update], only five installations are operating, with another one in storage.[8][10][11][12][13] The remaining Shuttle Loops were either demolished or used for replacement parts on other installations.[14][15][16][17][18]
Montezooma's Revenge at Knott's Berry Farm is the longest running shuttle loop that is still in its original location. All of the shuttle loops that were installed before it have either been moved or destroyed. Following the closure of Kentucky Kingdom's Greezed Lightnin' in 2009, "Zooma" became the only operating shuttle loop in the United States until Indiana Beach's Shuttle Loop (previously stored at Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World).[19][20] The ride was closed in 2022 for a major refurbishment and was originally set for a 2023 opening.[21] As of February 2024[update], the project was halted due to unknown construction issues and the ride is currently standing with its loop and launch track removed. It is currently set for a 2025 reopening.
The first European Shuttle Loop, Sirocco, was installed in 1982 at Walibi Belgium in Wavre, Belgium. In 1999, the ride was partially covered to reduce noise pollution and the name was changed to Turbine. Turbine closed in 2008 and reopened in 2013 with a new Gerstlauer train, a new linear induction motor launch system and a new name, Psyké Underground. The attraction is now fully covered, making it the first covered Shuttle Loop. The attraction closed again in early January 2025 and reopened in early April 2025 with a new industrial theme and another new Gerstlauer train. The attraction has since been renamed Turbine again.
The shuttle loop, Greezed Lightnin', that operated at Kentucky Kingdom from 2003 to 2009 was composed of the two Tidal Wave Shuttle Loops from the Marriott's Great America parks in California and Illinois.[14]
The final new installation was Shuttle Loop at Oyama Yuenchi in 1990.[15]
Kennywood in Pittsburgh, PA included Laser Loop, a shuttle loop coaster opened in 1980 before being closed and relocated in 1990. It is currently stored at Indiana Beach awaiting reconstruction.
Ride
The original train and station of Turbine at Walibi Belgium
Experience
The train is launched out of the station at a speed of between 53 and 60 miles per hour (85 and 97 km/h) before passing through a vertical loop and up a 138-foot-tall spike (42 m). Once the momentum of the train runs out on the 70° spike, the train begins to traverse the track backwards, returning through the loop. The train then passes back through the station and goes up another 70° steep spike, which stands at 105 feet (32 m), until it stalls again and rolls forward back into the brake run and station.[22][23]
Figure 1 from Anton Schwarzkopf's patent for the Shuttle Loop roller coaster (patent US4165695, "Amusement ride with vertical track loop"). The image shows the overall layout of the ride.
Mechanics
Anton Schwarzkopf designed the Shuttle Loop in the late 1970s. He filed a patent for the concept in 1978 which was approved the following year.[24] The patent describes two launch systems, both of which were implemented in various roller coasters:[22][23][24]
Weight drop – a number of the early installations in 1977 and 1978 featured a weight drop launch system.[7] This system involved a catch car attaching itself to the train, which was attached to the weight via a cable. When the launch was triggered, the 40-tonne (39-long-ton; 44-short-ton) weight was dropped down a shaft pulling the cable and catch car which in turn pushed the train down the launch track.[25][26]
Flywheel - from 1978, all of the new installations featured a flywheel launch system.[7] This system consists of a 6-tonne (5.9-long-ton; 6.6-short-ton) flywheel which is spun at over 1000 revolutions per minute. This flywheel engages a drive system, through a system of multiple clutches, that is attached to a cable that in-turn propels the train forward.[26]
Gerstlauer completed an upgrade of Walibi Belgium's installation for the 2013 season. As part of the upgrade Gerstlauer replaced the existing flywheel launch system with a new linear induction motor (LIM) launch system. The company also added a new train. The ride was then completely enclosed and relaunched as Psyké Underground. The flywheel launch system is now displayed in the queue of the ride.[27][28][29]
On August 27, 1997, the Sirocco at Walibi Wavre failed to launch at the correct speed. The train went to the loop very slowly and up the spike, to roll backwards. During the backwards passage of the loop, the train halted at the uppermost point, causing the train to get stuck hanging upside-down. The passengers were hanging heads-down for one hour and twenty minutes, only held in place with lap bar restraints. The train was pulled back further down the track with help of the local fire station brigade.[40][41]
A 20-year-old woman died on September 1, 2001, one day after riding Montezooma's Revenge, the Shuttle Loop at Knott's Berry Farm. She suffered a ruptured middle cerebral artery, and an autopsy revealed a pre-existing condition. The ride was closed for several days while an investigation was conducted. Though state investigators concluded that the ride did not contribute to her death, a wrongful death lawsuit was later filed by her family in 2002.[42] The lawsuit was dismissed in 2006.[43]
^ ab"Shuttle Loop 1". Schwarzkopf Coaster Net. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
^ ab"Shuttle Loop 2". Schwarzkopf Coaster Net. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
^ abUS patent 4165695, Schwarzkopf, Anton, "Amusement ride with vertical track loop", issued August 28, 1979, assigned to Husar, Francis S. and Reece, Randolph A.
^"話題の絶叫機登場 西独製を三精が横浜ドリームに導入 日本初、往復宙返り" [Hot thrill ride debut,Sansei delivers BRD product to Yokohama Dream,Japan's first shuttle and loop] (PDF) (in Japanese). Game Machine. April 1, 1979. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
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