Welcome to the second installment in a four-part “Beyond the Track” series by Coaster101 guest writer Ryan Cataldo. There is more beyond the surface of a roller coaster than just hills and drops. Every functional coaster on earth has scrutinous...
Continue reading...smiler
Two Trains Collide on Alton Towers’ “Smiler”
According to the United Kingdom’s Sky News, Around 2:00pm local time (9:00am EDT), four teenagers were seriously injured after two trains on The Smiler roller coaster at Alton Towers collided. According to the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS), there were 16 people...
Continue reading...Curse of The Smiler
Since the completion of The Smiler at Alton Towers, the world record-breaking roller coaster has faced multiple mechanical and technical issues. Before we take a look at the most recent incident, and most dangerous, let’s review its plagued past: 18th...
Continue reading...Smiler Begins Testing
Alton Tower’s record-breaking Smiler coaster is nearing completion, and we’re beginning to see video of the coaster in action. The video below taken from the midway shows the 16-person Smiler trains maneuvering through the 3,840-feet of track and 14 inversions....
Continue reading...Alton Towers to Open Smiler in 2013
The wait is over. Alton Towers has revealed the name of its under construction Gerstlauer coaster: The Smiler. Riders will plunge nearly 10 stories during the coaster’s 3,838 feet of track. Each train will seat four riders (four rows of...
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