Bolliger & Mabillard
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Bolliger & Mabillard, officially Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, Inc. and often abbreviated B&M, is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by engineers Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, both of whom had worked for Giovanola.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
B&M has pioneered several new ride technologies, most notably the inverted roller coaster<ref name="B&Mlist">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the box-section track.<ref name="NPN:B&M" /> In 2016, the company completed its 100th roller coaster. B&M currently produces ten types of coaster models: Stand-Up Coaster, Inverted Coaster, Floorless Coaster, Flying Coaster, Hyper Coaster, Dive Coaster, Sitting Coaster, Wing Coaster, Family Coaster, and most recently, the Surf Coaster. Though B&M has not used the term, the company has also manufactured three giga coasters.
History
Roots
Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard started working for Giovanola, a manufacturing company which supplied rides to Intamin, in the 1970s. During their time at Giovanola, they helped design the company's first stand-up roller coaster, Shockwave at Six Flags Magic Mountain. They also worked on other projects, such as Z-Force at Six Flags Great America.<ref name="Significance of B&M">Template:Cite web</ref> Bolliger & Mabillard left Giovanola, but the company continued to use that track design; their roller coasters, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Titan at Six Flags Over Texas, use a track style very similar to B&M's.<ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref><ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref>
Launch
In 1987, the pair decided to leave and create their own company.<ref name="Significance of B&M"/> At the time, B&M employed four people, including themselves as two draftsmen. When B&M was created, the pair had agreed not to make any more amusement attractions.<ref name="CPV1"/><ref name="CPV2"/> However, Robert Mampe, Six Flags Great America's staff engineer, had worked with both men during the construction of Z-Force; he contacted the newly-formed company and asked them to reconfigure the cars for its Giovanola-built, Intamin bobsled coaster, to be relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure.<ref name="RC!95">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Following that project, Mampe asked the new company to design and build a stand-up roller coaster for Six Flags Great America, similar to Shockwave at Six Flags Magic Mountain.<ref name="RC!95"/> B&M accepted the offer and hired two more draftsmen. But B&M had a problem regarding how and where to manufacture the track pieces for the roller coaster. With the favorable history of the work done by Clermont Steel Fabricators (on Vortex at Kings Island and Shockwave at Six Flags Great America), Walter Bolliger went to the steel plant and asked if they would be interested in manufacturing the track. Clermont Steel Fabricators accepted, and to this day, manufactures all of B&M's roller coaster track pieces for all of North America.<ref name="NPN:B&M">Template:Cite web</ref> Now with a company to manufacture the track, B&M built its first roller coaster, a stand-up roller coaster, Iron Wolf, which opened in 1990 at Six Flags Great America.<ref name="CPV1" /><ref name="CPV2" /> Two years later, Bolliger & Mabillard built another project for Six Flags Great America, Batman: The Ride, the world's first inverted roller coaster, which brought them to prominence in the industry.<ref>Template:Cite patent</ref><ref name="BatmanSFGA">Template:Cite RCDB</ref>
Development
Bolliger & Mabillard also invented the Floorless Coaster<ref>Template:Cite patent</ref> and the Dive Coaster. The company also built its first launched roller coaster, the The Incredible Hulk Coaster which is at Universal Islands of Adventure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010, B&M unveiled its new Wing Coaster and premiered the prototype model, named Raptor, at Gardaland in 2011.<ref name="X-Flight wing coaster premieres at Six Flags Great America in May">Template:Cite news</ref> It has two seats on each side on the car that hang riders over the sides of the track. In 2015, B&M constructed Thunderbird at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, its first in-house launched coaster.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of there are fifteen in operation.<ref name="X-Flight wing coaster premieres at Six Flags Great America in May" />
By 2010, B&M employed twelve engineers, twelve draftsmen and two draftswomen.<ref name="CPV1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="CPV2">Template:Cite web</ref> The company has made other contributions to the roller coaster industry. The company built the trains for the Psyclone, a now-demolished wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The trains were later used on the park's Colossus wooden roller coaster (until it was refurbished by Rocky Mountain Construction), but were only used during October each year. The trains faced backward and usually raced against trains on the second track, which ran forward.<ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref>
In 2013, the company launched the construction of Banshee, the world's longest inverted roller coaster.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> B&M supplied new trains for Steel Dragon 2000, built by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing in 2000.<ref name="Nagashima website">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Steel Dragon 2000 Adds B&M Trains">Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2012, Bolliger & Mabillard had 85 operating roller coasters worldwide.<ref name="B&Mlist" /> Of these, twenty-two were listed among that year's Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards Top 50 Steel Coasters List for 2012 and five were in the top 10.
By 2016, Bolliger & Mabillard had completed its 100th coaster, and had built more roller coasters than any other manufacturer on the Golden Ticket Awards Steel Coasters list.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Features
Bolliger & Mabillard currently manufactures ten different roller coaster styles: Stand-Up Coaster, Inverted Coaster, Floorless Coaster, Flying Coaster, Hyper Coaster, Dive Coaster, Sitting Coaster, Wing Coaster, Family Coaster and most recently, the Surf Coaster.<ref name="FamCoaster">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>2012 B&M product catalog.</ref> Bolliger & Mabillard has been involved in developing new technologies and concepts in roller coasters almost since its inception. It has often worked with engineer Werner Stengel and with designers and management of client theme parks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lift hills
Early Bolliger & Mabillard coasters feature an element known as a "pre-drop", a short drop after the top of the lift hill and before the start of the first drop, designed to reduce stress on the lift chain. The flat section between the pre-drop and the first drop serves as a shelf to support the weight of the train, reducing related stresses on the chain. On most coasters without a pre-drop, the weight of the train tends to pull on the lift chain as it begins its descent because the latter half of the train is still being lifted by the chain. Pre-drops have not been used on the company's Dive or Flying coasters, or on hyper coasters built after 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> OzIris at Parc Astérix was the first B&M inverted roller coaster that does not feature a pre-drop.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ever since, no coaster built by B&M has featured a pre-drop<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> because the chain accelerates to acquire the same speed as the train when it is being taken over by gravity after it passes the crest.
Trains
Most of Bolliger & Mabillard's roller coaster trains use four-abreast seating. Each car has one row of four seats, while the train length can vary between coasters. All of the company's coaster models, except the Dive Coaster, Wing Coaster, Family Inverted Coaster and Surf Coaster use this configuration. The Dive Coaster uses six, seven, eight or ten-abreast seating, with two or three rows of seats. For example, Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, uses ten seats in three rows, while Krake at Heide Park uses six-across seating in three rows.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On recent hyper coaster projects, B&M has used a new car design that has two rows of two seats; the two seats in the rear of the car pushed out from the centerline so that the four seats resemble a V formation. This formation has only been used on Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, Diamondback at Kings Island, Thunder Striker at Carowinds, and Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya at PortAventura Park, in the resort PortAventura World. In 2013, B&M introduced a new car design that has two rows of two seats, however, they are not in a V formation.<ref name="Nagashima website" /><ref name="Steel Dragon 2000 Adds B&M Trains" />
All B&M hyper coasters use a type of restraint called a "T-bar" or "Clamshell" restraint, which consists of bar with a cushioned lap bar with two handles for riders to hold on to. This type of restraint generally does not use a seat belt. However, seat belts have been added to Behemoth and Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, Diamondback and Orion at Kings Island, and Thunder Striker and Fury 325 at Carowinds.<ref>Template:Cite patent</ref> Bolliger & Mabillard also uses over-the-shoulder restraints, in that the restraint is placed over the riders' shoulders and sits and extends to the riders' laps. This type of restraint is used on Dive, Inverted, Sitting, Flying, Floorless, Stand-up and Wing Coasters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bolliger & Mabillard has recently begun using a vest like over the shoulder restraint, which reduces headbanging found on the older, more common padded over the shoulder restraints. These have been met with some criticism from the coaster community, due to the nature in which they tighten during the ride; stapling riders to their seats, resulting in less airtime (negative g-forces) being felt.
Track
Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters use track where the running rails are connected to a square box spine constructed from flat triangles.<ref name=NPN:B&M /> The spine of some of Bolliger & Mabillard's roller coasters, such as GateKeeper at Cedar Point, is filled with a sound dampening material to reduce noise.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The size of the track varies depending on the ride's trains, Models such as the Flying, Wing and Dive Coaster have heavier trains which require a larger track size, while models with lighter trains, such as the Stand-Up and Hyper Coaster, do not and use a smaller sized track.<ref name=NPN:B&M />
Brakes
As of 2016, Bolliger & Mabillard uses three types of braking systems: friction, magnetic, and water.
Friction brakes
When B&M was first founded, the linear magnetic eddy brake had yet to be developed, so it used friction brakes as its main braking system. On the train, pads are fitted on the vehicle chassis between the wheel assemblies. On the brakes, similar pads are connected to steel supports. When the pads on the train come into contact with the brakes, friction is created which slows the train.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Beginning with Kumba in 1993, friction brakes have also been used as trim brakes that regulate the speed of the train while it is still navigating the course.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Magnetic brakes
Magnetic brakes provide smoother deceleration than friction brakes; most B&M roller coasters built after 2001 (starting with Nitro) have at least one set of magnetic brakes. Magnetic brakes do not make contact with the train. Metal fins that run parallel to the train are fitted on the vehicle chassis between the wheel assemblies. As the fins pass through the brakes, the magnetic field created by the brakes slows the train. Magnetic brakes have also been used as an alternate type of trim brake on B&M roller coasters such as Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Water brakes
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Water brakes were first introduced on SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Water brakes can only be used when a splashdown element, in which a body of water surrounds a section of track, is present within the layout of the roller coaster. When scoops on the last car of each train come in contact with the surrounding water, the train slows down and the water is sprayed several feet into the air behind it.<ref>Template:Cite patent</ref>
Roller Coaster Models
According to the Roller Coaster DataBase, B&M has built 11 different roller coaster models, with their dive coaster model having slight train variations on some coasters. Below is a list of B&M's distinct coaster models. This table will not list widely cloned layouts as their own model.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Model | Debut |
|---|---|
| Sit-Down | 1993 |
| Hyper | 1999 |
| Stand-Up | 1990 |
| Dive | 1998 |
| Family | 2024 |
| Family Inverted | 2014 |
| Floorless | 1999 |
| Flying | 2002 |
| Inverted | 1992 |
| Surf | 2023 |
| Wing | 2011 |
Notable roller coasters
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According to the Roller Coaster DataBase, Bolliger & Mabillard has built 136 roller coasters since its founding in 1988,<ref>Bolliger & Mabillard - rcdb.com</ref> beginning with Iron Wolf, which opened at Six Flags Great America in 1990.<ref name="IronWolf-RCDB" /> Some have either been relocated, renamed or closed. In North America, B&M coaster designs are manufactured by Ohio company Clermont Steel Fabricators.<ref name="CSF">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Diamondback Clermont">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NPN:B&M" />
| Name | Model | Park | Country | Opened | Status | Notes | Template:Refh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Wolf Renamed Apocalypse Renamed Firebird |
Stand-Up Coaster Later Floorless Coaster |
Six Flags Great America Six Flags America |
United States | 1990 to 2011 2012 to 2018 2019 to 2025 |
Template:No | First B&M project and first build of this model | <ref name="IronWolf-RCDB">Template:Cite RCDB</ref> <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Batman: The Ride | Inverted Coaster | Six Flags Great America | United States | 1992 | Template:Yes | First build of this model | <ref name="BatmanSFGA"/> |
| Kumba | Sitting Coaster | Busch Gardens Tampa | United States | 1993 | Template:Yes | First build of this model | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Dragon Khan | Sitting Coaster | PortAventura Park | Spain | 1995 | Template:Yes | Record for most inversions (8) at opening | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Montu | Inverted Coaster | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | United States | 1996 | Template:Yes | One of the tallest and fastest inverted coasters at opening | <ref name="Montu-RCDB">Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Alpengeist | Inverted Coaster | Busch Gardens Williamsburg | United States | 1997 | Template:Yes | Tallest of its class | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Oblivion | Dive Coaster | Alton Towers | United Kingdom | 1998 | Template:Yes | First build of this model | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| The Riddler's Revenge | Stand-Up Coaster | Six Flags Magic Mountain | United States | 1998 | Template:Yes | Largest and fastest of its class | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Medusa Formerly Bizarro |
Floorless Coaster | Six Flags Great Adventure | United States | 1999 | Template:Yes | First build of this model | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Incredible Hulk | Sitting Coaster | Universal Islands of Adventure | United States | 1999 | Template:Yes | First launched B&M attraction | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Dragon Challenge Formerly Dueling Dragons |
Inverted Coaster | Universal Islands of Adventure | United States | 1999 | Template:No | First B&M project to be demolished | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Apollo's Chariot | Hyper Coaster | Busch Gardens Williamsburg | United States | 1999 | Template:Yes | First build of this model | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Galactica Formerly Air |
Flying Coaster | Alton Towers | United Kingdom | 2002 | Template:Yes | First build of this model | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Dominator Formerly Batman: Knight Flight |
Floorless Coaster | Kings Dominion Geauga Lake |
United States | 2008 2000 to 2007 |
Template:Yes | Longest of its class | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Raptor | Wing Coaster | Gardaland | Italy | 2011 | Template:Yes | First build of this model | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Leviathan | Hyper Coaster | Canada's Wonderland | Canada | 2012 | Template:Yes | First B&M roller coaster to be classified as a "gigacoaster" | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Rougarou Formerly Mantis |
Floorless Coaster Formerly Stand-Up Coaster |
Cedar Point | United States | 2015 1996 to 2014 |
Template:Yes | First instance of B&M changing train type | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Fury 325 | Hyper Coaster | Carowinds | United States | 2015 | Template:Yes | World's tallest non-launched roller coaster | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Yukon Striker | Dive Coaster | Canada's Wonderland | Canada | 2019 | Template:Yes | Tallest of its class | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
| Pipeline: The Surf Coaster | Surf Coaster (Stand Up) | SeaWorld Orlando | United States | 2023 | Template:Yes | First launched stand-up roller coaster | <ref>Template:Cite RCDB</ref> |
References
External links
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