William L. Cobb (1917 – December 17, 1990) was an American designer and engineer of roller coasters, as the founder and head of William Cobb & Associates. He is particularly noted for his work on designing and relocating several major wooden roller coasters in the 1970s and 1980s. A number of these coasters were world-record holders at the time of their opening.
William L. Cobb | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1917 Talbotton, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 1990 (aged 72–73) Dutch Island, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Roller coaster designer |
| Known for | William Cobb & Associates |
On the subject of roller coaster design, Cobb has been quoted as saying, "You have to be a little bit mean. Sometimes you have to be a little bit sneaky. You get them going on a nice straight track and they think 'This looks smooth,' and then you dip it down a little to give them a good jolt. Or you have it so that when they go over a hill it looks like they're going to get their heads chopped off at the bottom."[1]
List of roller coasters
editWilliam Cobb designed 11 roller coasters around the world.[2]
| Name | Model | Park | Country | Opened | Status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great American Scream Machine | Wood support structure | Six Flags Over Georgia |  United States |
1973 | Operating | [3] |
| Screamin' Eagle | Wood support structure | Six Flags St. Louis | United States |
1976 | Operating | [4] |
| Texas Cyclone | Wood support structure | Six Flags AstroWorld | United States |
1976 | Removed | [5] |
| Tornado | Wood support structure | Adventureland | United States |
1978 | Operating | [6] |
| Rolling Thunder | Wood support structure | Six Flags Great Adventure | United States |
1979 | Removed | [7] |
| Judge Roy Scream | Wood support structure | Six Flags Over Texas | United States |
1980 | Operating | [8] |
| Cyclone Formerly Riverside Cyclone |
Wood support structure | Six Flags New England | United States |
1983 | Converted Now known as Wicked Cyclone |
[9] |
| Monstre | Wood support structure | La Ronde |  Canada |
1985 | Operating | [10] |
| Roller Coaster Formerly Tree Topper |
Wood support structure | Upper Clements Park | Canada |
1989 | Removed | [11] |
| Anaconda | Wood support structure | Walygator Parc |  France |
1989 | Operating | [12] |
| Sierra Tonante | Wood support structure | Mirabilandia |  Italy |
1992 | Removed | [13] |
Notes
edit- ^ Adam Sandy (2006). "Roller Coaster History, 1980's - 1990's". Retrieved 2006-06-09.
- ^ William Cobb - rcdb.com
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Over Georgia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Screamin' Eagle (Six Flags St. Louis)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Texas Cyclone (Six Flags AstroWorld)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Tornado (Adventureland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Rolling Thunder (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Judge Roy Scream (Six Flags Over Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Cyclone (Six Flags New England)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Monstre (La Ronde)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster (Upper Clements Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Anaconda (Walygator Parc)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Sierra Tonante (Mirabilandia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.