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Testing for Silver Dollar City’s new wooden rollercoaster “Outlaw Run” began today. As KSMU’s Samuel Crowe reports, officials are preparing for the opening of the world’s second fastest wooden roller coaster in March.
Outlaw Run features an 81 degree, 162 foot drop – the steepest of any wood coaster in the world.
It’s also the world’s only wooden coaster with a double barrel roll and three inversions.
But before Outlaw Run opens on March 15, officials at the Branson theme park need to test the ride to make sure it’s fit to carry human passengers. Brad Thomas, general manager at Silver Dollar City, says testing includes placing plastic, water filled bodies of various weights inside the trains. This is done to simulate a group of passengers on Outlaw Run.
“A coaster doesn’t have electricity going throughout its track. Once it reaches the top of that lift, it does its thing, through gravity and through science. Until it gets ready to get into the load station for the brakes to engage, then the coaster is off on its own. So it’s really important that we understand what happens with the interaction of the wheels and the actual track itself,” Thompson said.
Outlaw Run will reach a top speed of 68 miles per hour – the second fastest among wood coasters.
Testing will continue for the next two weeks.
For KSMU News, I’m Samuel Crowe.