Xcelerator
| Xcelerator | |
|---|---|
 A View of Xcelerator's Launch | |
| Knott's Berry Farm | |
| Location | Knott's Berry Farm |
| Park section | The Boardwalk (North Side) |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | June 22, 2002 |
| Cost | $13,000,000 USD |
| General statistics | |
| Manufacturer | [[Intamin AG]] |
| Designer | Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH |
| Model | Accelerator Coaster |
| Track layout | Dual Overbank Figure 8 |
| Lift/launch system | Hydraulic launch |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 1:02 (22 seconds from launch to brakes) |
| Max vertical angle | 90 degrees° |
| Capacity | 1330 riders per hour |
| Acceleration | 0 − 82 mph in 2.3 seconds |
Xcelerator is a steel launched roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Xcelerator was Intamin AG's first hydraulically-launched coaster.
The Ride
Xcelerator's powerful hydraulic catapult motor accelerates the train to 82 MPH in 2.3 seconds. It only uses 157 feet of track to launch the train, making Xcelerator's launch one of the shortest, fastest, and most intense launches on the West Coast. The hydraulic catapult motor achieves a maximum of 10,000 horsepower when accelerating the train. The train then crests a 205 ft top hat, soars through two overbanked turns, and is smoothly brought to a stop by mounted magnetic brakes. The magnetic braking system consists of mounted magnetic calipers on the trains themselves, and copper alloy fins mounted onto the track. Many of these brake fins are retractable during operation.
The Trains
The ride has two trains: one purple, the other red. The trains themselves have spring loaded wheel assemblies and are standard Intamin trains with specially crafted shells to make them look like 1957 Chevy Bel Air Convertibles. Each train is 5 cars long, and holds 20 passengers per train. A maximum of 2 trains may be operated at any given time. During the slow season, its not uncommon to see only one train in use; but during the summer and peak season, both trains are normally used.
Restraints
Xcelerator's trains use hydraulically-operated T-Bar lapbar restraints. These restraints appeared on Intamin's earlier accelerator coasters, but over-the-shoulder restraints are now the norm on any new accelerator coaster due to safety concerns. Xcelerator also has special meters installed on its restraints. The meter must show all green in order for a guest to ride. If the meter shows red, the guest cannot ride the attraction. The attraction also has seatbelts, which must be buckled before an operator pulls down on the lapbar. Failure to do so slows the load time of the attraction considerably.
Short Shots
Every once in a while (especially in the cold/after a rainshower), Xcelerator will have an occurrence where a train will be launched, but will not retain enough speed to make it over the 205 foot tophat. The train will then roll backwards back into the magnetic brake fins and come to a slow stop, back in the station. It is known as a short shot or rollback. This will occur quite a bit during the morning and when its cold out.
Weather
Xcelerator will not operate in the rain--not even a drizzle. This is a direct result of the design of Intamin's launching mechanism. (Not to mention how painful it is for guests to have rain hit them in the face at 82 mph. Paul Ruben espeically hates this.) Once the shower clears, the ride must cycle several test shots without any problems before it can reopen.
Interesting Facts
- Xcelerator opened June 22nd, 2002.
- Originally, Xcelerator's Red Train was a different color! When first opened, Xcelerator Red train was known as Xcelerator Yellow Train, painted all yellow with red flames along the side. During one of the ride's rehabs, Xcelerator Yellow was repainted red and given orange flames, just like its sister train, Xcelerator Purple.
- When the ride first opened, guests were not allowed to bring loose articles into its queue line. However, after its second or third season, this rule was relaxed and guests were given cubbies in which to store their loose articles.
- Xcelerator's track color is actually Coral. While it may look pink during the day, at nighttime the track is distinctly more orange when lights shine on it.
- Xcelerator's "Christmas tree" starting lights are not synched with the ride itself. Occasionally, one may see the train leave the station on the second or third yellow light. Other times, the train may launch a full second after the green!
- Xcelerator was the fourth Intamin installation at Knott's. The other three were: The Sky Cabin, Bigfoot Rapids, and Perilous Plunge.
- Like many of Intamin's other similarly-sized accelererator coasters, Xcelerator launches right out of the station. In contrast, Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka advance their trains from the station to the launch area before launching them. This is probably done to increase capacity, as Top Thrill Dragster can load two of its trains at once and Kingda Ka can load all four at once.
Xcelerator's Connection to TTD and Kingda Ka
Xcelerator paved the way for the two tallest and fastest coasters in the world: Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point and later Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. While these coasters are over twice as tall and 1.5 times as fast as Xcelerator, their operation is exactly the same - just on a larger scale.