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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.[1]

Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryRoller coaster design
Founded1988
Founders
  • Walter Bolliger
  • Claude Mabillard
Headquarters
Monthey
,
Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Walter Bolliger (CEO)
  • Claude Mabillard (VP)
  • Kim Jent (Structural engineer)
  • Sophie Bolliger (VP/Head of Sales)
Products
Number of employees
37 (2012)
WebsiteOfficial website

B&M has pioneered several new ride technologies, most notably the inverted roller coaster[2][3] and the box-section track.[4] 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

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Roots

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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).[5] Bolliger & Mabillard left Giovanola, but the company continued to use that track design; the company's 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.[6][7]

 
An inverted model with the curved drop, common on inverted roller coasters, Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure

Launch

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In 1987, Giovanola underwent a change of management, and the pair decided to leave and create their own company.[5] At the time, B&M employed four people, including two draftsmen: Bolliger and Mabillard. When B&M was created, the pair had agreed not to make any more amusement attractions.[8][9] 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.[10]

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.[10] 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, Kings Island, and Shockwave, 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.[4] 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.[8][9] 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.[11][12]

Development

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Bolliger & Mabillard also invented the Floorless Coaster[13] and the Dive Coaster. The company also built its first launched roller coaster, the Incredible Hulk, which is at Islands of Adventure.[14] In 2010, B&M unveiled its new Wing Coaster and premiered the prototype model, named Raptor, at Gardaland in 2011.[15] It has two seats on each side on the car that hang riders over the sides of the track. As of 2019 there are fifteen in operation.[15] In 2015, B&M constructed Thunderbird at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, its first in-house launched coaster.[16]

By 2010, B&M employed twelve engineers, twelve draftsmen and two draftswomen.[8][9] 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.[17]

In 2013, the company launched the construction of Banshee, the world's longest inverted roller coaster.[18] B&M supplied new trains for Steel Dragon 2000, built by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing in 2000.[19][20] As of 2012, Bolliger & Mabillard had 85 operating roller coasters worldwide.[2] 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.[21]

Features

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Raptor's cobra roll, a first for inverted roller coasters

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.[22][23] 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.[24][25]

Lift hills

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Diagram comparing a standard lift hill and the B&M pre-drop lift hill.

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.[26][27] OzIris at Parc Astérix was the first B&M inverted roller coaster that does not feature a pre-drop.[28] Ever since, no coaster built by B&M has featured a pre-drop[29][30] 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

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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.[31] 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.[19][20]

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 Intimidator and Fury 325 at Carowinds.[32] 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.[33] 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.

 
CAD model of B&M's signature box-spined track
 
B&M Friction Brakes Model

Track

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A notable feature of Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters is the box-section track. The running rails are connected to a box-section spine, instead of the circular spine used by other manufacturers. When a train travels around a box-section track, it creates a one-of-a-kind whooshing sound, which is sometimes nicknamed the “B&M roar” by roller coaster enthusiasts. However, on some Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters, such as Talon at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom and GateKeeper at Cedar Point, the track is filled with a proprietary sound dampening material to reduce this noise.[34]

Also, depending on the model of the roller coaster, the track size can vary. 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.[4]

Brakes

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As of 2016, Bolliger & Mabillard uses three types of braking systems: friction, magnetic, and water.

Friction brakes

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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.[35] 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.[36]

 
SheiKra's splashdown element
 
Patent for water brakes for Bolliger+Mabbilard

Magnetic brakes

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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.[37]

Water brakes

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Water brakes were first introduced on SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 2005.[38] 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.[39]

Notable roller coasters

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See also: Category:Roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard
 
Vortex at Carowinds, a Stand-up Coaster model
 
Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, a Hyper Coaster model
 
Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure, an Inverted Coaster model
 
Dragon Khan at PortAventura Park, a Sitting Coaster model
 
Oblivion at Alton Towers, a Dive Coaster model
 
Hydra at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a floorless coaster model
 
Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, a Hyper Coaster model
 
Manta at SeaWorld Orlando, a Flying Coaster model
 
Raptor at Gardaland, first Wing Coaster model

According to the Roller Coaster DataBase, Bolliger & Mabillard has built 127 roller coasters since its founding in 1988,[40] beginning with Iron Wolf, which opened at Six Flags Great America in 1990.[41] Some have either been relocated, renamed or closed. In North America, B&M coaster designs are manufactured by Ohio company Clermont Steel Fabricators.[42][43][4]

Name Model Park Country Opened Status Notes Ref
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
 Operating First B&M project and first build of this model [41]
[44]
Batman: The Ride Inverted Coaster Six Flags Great America United States 1992 Operating First build of this model [12]
Kumba Sitting Coaster Busch Gardens Tampa United States 1993 Operating First build of this model [45]
Dragon Khan Sitting Coaster PortAventura Park Spain 1995 Operating Record for most inversions (8) at opening [46]
Alpengeist Inverted Coaster Busch Gardens Williamsburg United States 1997 Operating Tallest of its class [47]
Oblivion Dive Coaster Alton Towers United Kingdom 1998 Operating First build of this model [48]
The Riddler's Revenge Stand-Up Coaster Six Flags Magic Mountain United States 1998 Operating Largest and fastest of its class [49]
Medusa
Formerly Bizarro		 Floorless Coaster Six Flags Great Adventure United States 1999 Operating First build of this model [50]
Incredible Hulk Sitting Coaster Universal Islands of Adventure United States 1999 Operating First launched B&M attraction [51]
Dragon Challenge
Formerly Dueling Dragons		 Inverted Coaster Universal Islands of Adventure United States 1999 Removed Only B&M project to be demolished [52]
Apollo's Chariot Hyper Coaster Busch Gardens Williamsburg United States 1999 Operating First build of this model [53]
Galactica
Formerly Air		 Flying Coaster Alton Towers United Kingdom 2002 Operating First build of this model [54]
Dominator
Formerly Batman: Knight Flight		 Floorless Coaster Kings Dominion
Geauga Lake		 United States 2008
2000 to 2007		 Operating Largest of its class [55]
[56]
Raptor Wing Coaster Gardaland Italy 2011 Operating First build of this model [57]
Leviathan Hyper Coaster Canada's Wonderland Canada 2012 Operating First B&M roller coaster to be classified as a "gigacoaster" [58]
Rougarou
Formerly Mantis
 Floorless Coaster
Formerly Stand-Up Coaster
 Cedar Point United States 2015
1996 to 2014
 Operating First instance of B&M changing train type [59]
Fury 325 Hyper Coaster Carowinds United States 2015 Operating World's tallest non-launched roller coaster [60]
Yukon Striker Dive Coaster Canada's Wonderland Canada 2019 Operating Tallest of its class [61]
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster Surf Coaster (Stand Up) SeaWorld Orlando United States 2023 Operating First launched stand-up roller coaster [62]

References

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  1. ^ "Bolliger & Mabillard". RCDB. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Bolliger & Mabillard". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  3. ^ "Bolliger & Mabillard – Inverted Coaster". Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "Scott & Carol Present: Getting On Track With B&M". NewsPlusNotes. December 11, 2008. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  5. ^ a b "The Significance of Bolliger & Mabillard". Coaster-net.com. February 12, 2011. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  6. ^ Marden, Duane. "Titan  (Six Flags Over Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  7. ^ Marden, Duane. "Goliath  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  8. ^ a b c PointBuzz (June 7, 2010). "Cedar Point Video – Walter Bolliger at CoasterMania! 2010 (Part 1 / 2)". YouTube. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  9. ^ a b c PointBuzz (June 7, 2010). "Cedar Point Video – Walter Bolliger at CoasterMania! 2010 (Part 2 / 2)". YouTube. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  10. ^ a b Davidson, Mark (2005). "A Revolution on Rails: The Bolliger & Mabillard Story (Part I)". RollerCoaster!. Vol. dd27, no. 1. Minneapolis, Minnesota: American Coaster Enthusiasts. pp. 31–46. ISSN 0896-7261.
  11. ^ US patent 5272984, Bolliger, Walter & Mabillard, Claude, "Amusement ride of the roller coaster type", issued December 28, 1993, assigned to Le, Mark T. 
  12. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Batman: The Ride  (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  13. ^ US patent 6352034, Bolliger, Walter & Mabillard, Claude, "Installation for amusement park, installation referred to as roller coaster", issued March 5, 2002, assigned to Morano, Joseph 
  14. ^ "Yes, Bolliger & Mabillard is Building the New Hulk Coaster at Universal Orlando". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  15. ^ a b MacDonald, Brady (April 11, 2012). "X-Flight wing coaster premieres at Six Flags Great America in May". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  16. ^ McCleery, Bill (July 24, 2014). "Holiday World takes flight with $22M Thunderbird wing coaster". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  17. ^ Marden, Duane. "Psyclone  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  18. ^ "NewsParcs - Bolliger & Mabillard to supply world's longest inverted roller coaster at Kings Island in 2014". NewsParcs. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  19. ^ a b ""Steel Dragon 2000 new" is finally here! Debut on March 15, 2013 (Friday)!". Nagashima Spa Land. March 13, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  20. ^ a b "Steel Dragon 2000 Adds B&M Trains". VHCoasters.com. March 17, 2013. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
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  23. ^ 2012 B&M product catalog.
  24. ^ "Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  25. ^ Alvey, Robb (November 16, 2011). "IAAPA 2011 Trade Show Part 4 Theme Park Review Fishpipe Water Ride B&M Zamperla". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  26. ^ "Dive Machine". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  27. ^ "Flying Coaster". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  28. ^ "OzIris". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  29. ^ "Nitro - Adlabs Imagica". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  30. ^ "Banshee - Kings Island". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  31. ^ "Bolliger & Mabillard 2011". Parkthoughts.com. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  32. ^ US patent 6287211, Bolliger, Walter & Mabillard, Claude, "Installation for amusement park", issued September 11, 2001, assigned to Nguyen, Kien T. 
  33. ^ "Bolliger & Mabillard Products". Bolliger & Mabillard. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  34. ^ Baldwin, Tim (June 2013). "Cedar Point's new GateKeeper gives entrance a complete makeover" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (3): 16. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  35. ^ "Batman – The Dark Knight". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  36. ^ "Behemoth". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  37. ^ "Leviathan Construction Tour 2012-01-23 (Part 2)". cwcoasterboy (YouTube). January 23, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  38. ^ "Splashdown". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  39. ^ US patent 7430966, Mabillard, Claude & Bolliger, Walter, "Brake, vehicle and roller coaster circuit", issued October 7, 2008, assigned to Morano, Joseph 
  40. ^ Bolliger & Mabillard - rcdb.com
  41. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Firebird  (Six Flags America)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  42. ^ "Typical Clermont Steel Fabrications". Clermont Steel Fabrications. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  43. ^ "Diamondback built in Clermont". Loveland Magazine. March 23, 2009. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  44. ^ Marden, Duane. "Iron Wolf  (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  45. ^ Marden, Duane. "Kumba  (Bush Gardens Tampa)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  46. ^ Marden, Duane. "Dragon Khan  (PortAventura Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  47. ^ Marden, Duane. "Alpengeist  (Bush Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  48. ^ Marden, Duane. "Oblivion  (Alton Towers)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  49. ^ Marden, Duane. "The Riddler's Revenge  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  50. ^ Marden, Duane. "Medusa  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  51. ^ Marden, Duane. "Incredible Hulk  (Universal Islands of Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  52. ^ Marden, Duane. "Dragon Challenge  (Universal Islands of Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  53. ^ Marden, Duane. "Apollo's Chariot  (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  54. ^ Marden, Duane. "Air  (Alton Towers)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  55. ^ Marden, Duane. "Dominator  (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  56. ^ Marden, Duane. "Dominator  (Geauga Lake)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  57. ^ Marden, Duane. "Raptor  (Gardaland)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  58. ^ Marden, Duane. "Leviathan  (Canada's Wonderland)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  59. ^ Marden, Duane. "Rougarou  (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  60. ^ Marden, Duane. "Fury 325  (Carowinds)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  61. ^ Marden, Duane. "Yukon Striker  (Canada's Wonderland)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  62. ^ Marden, Duane. "Pipeline  (SeaWorld Orlando)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
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