How Top Thrill Dragster Worked (2003 - 2021)
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A look at the engineering behind Top Thrill Dragster and other accelerator roller coasters.
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Video Attributions:
“Top Thrill Dragster Off-Ride 4K 60FPS - Cedar Point (Featuring a Rollback!)” by ElToroRyan
( / @eltororyan )
“Kingda Ka Off-Ride Six Flags Great Adventure HD 60fps” by Coaster Studios
( / @coasterstudios )
“Tanner And Jacobs FIRST EVER TRIP TO KNOTTS BERRY FARM! December 2018” by OhioValleyCoasters
( / channel )
“Taking a Look Inside Top Thrill Dragster's Hydraulic Launch Room!” by MattKillion Media
( / @mattkillionmedia )
“Top Thrill Dragster's Hydraulic Motor” by Coaster101.com
( / @coaster101 )
“Top Thrill Dragster DOUBLE ROLLBACK at Cedar Point!” by Marcus Leshock
( / @marcusleshock )
“Slow Motion - Top Fuel Dragster - Nitro - Alcohol - Muscle car” by Kaled's
Music from Epidemic Sound
#TopThrillDragster #RollerCoasters #ArtofEngineering
Hey everyone! Here are the timestamps for the topics covered in this video:
0:25 Introduction
1:55 Catch Car System
3:34 Steel Cable System
5:07 Calculating Force & Power
7:45 Hydraulic System
10:58 Braking System
Art of Engineering Thanks
Would it be worth it, to use regenerative braking??? Charge a capacitor, that powers the resetting of the launching system? How much electricity/energy and money could be saved?
Great video, thx!
Art of Engineering I was actually working the first day that it opened this year the park and it had 10 roebucks I just kept counting them know I was all the way in the front so yeah.
This was a pretty nice watch, I'm glad it was recommended to me. I'm curious about what happens at the top when the train gets stuck?
Thanks! Do you know the name of the song that starts playing at 1:38 and 3:50?
We live in Sandusky and frequent Cedar Point. Top Thrill is my son's favorite ride (to watch). He is autistic, and is completely infatuated with how this ride works. I just showed him your video and he loves it. It's hard to find ways for him to learn, but you just did it. I can't thank you enough for this video!
rbdono2 your son should watch koaster kids videos if he doesn’t already
This is a fantastic example of how simple TH-cam videos can be really educational.
rbdono2 OH!
IO!
I’m an adult on the spectrum... your son is very lucky to have a supportive parent like you! 🤗
poo
This video was super accurate and having worked Top Thrill Dragster as well as Kingda Ka, you taught me even more about the rides I didn’t know before! Great video!!
I’m also proud to see my footage in this video! Keep up the great work!
l found this video because it was recommended by you. l guess insider just did one about roller coasters and Ohio. th-cam.com/video/a1mN_6k_0O8/w-d-xo.html
As a former cedar point employee I always wondered why dragster was so unreliable. Now I get it 😂
Still these rollercoasters are not as fast or as high as that new one they put up in Harlem NY, that rollercoaster in Harlem shoots you up an abondoned hi rise apartment building about 650 feet high then it comes straight down and does a triple helix in the Bronx.
@@TheEatmorDininghall What are you on about?
@@TheEatmorDininghall or was that a joke?
This video is a masterclass. This is the first time I've seen someone go into so much detail about the hydraulic launch, yet the first time I've understood how every aspect works with crystal clarity.
I've been to Cedar Point at least 10 times, and have never gone on Dragster because it's either broken, or the line is 3 hours long (presumably because it was broken before). Now I know why, very complex system. Thanks, great video!
Pay for the Fast Lane Pass you will not regret it it's almost like having the park to yourself
U must be going on shitty days. Never go cp on the weekend. Walked on steel vengeance twice yesterday no wait
@@edenpenko1419 I was there on Friday and it wasn’t too bad. Ride Top Thrill Dragster 3 times
@@brown22sugar25 not anymore!
@@edenpenko1419 I was there last Monday and Steel Vengeance was constantly a 1-2 hour wait. Ended up not riding it :(
Ahh I always wondered why it rolled back slightly at the start, very interesting.
It was a video in reversed
@@narakmar6666 No it wasn’t. If you’ve ever ridden it you’d know before launching the train rolls back and you can hear the magnets lock in the groove.
@@pointx171 lol that still doesn't explain why the video was in reverse, does it? XD
@@narakmar6666 because the video is Not in reverse.
@@narakmar6666 they said they always wondered why the train rolls back before launch and I explained why, the video diagram wasn’t reverse the train does move back irl
Seeing all the moving parts involved, I'm now not so surprised that TTD closes as frequently as it does.
I can't believe any park looked at this system and bought the ride.
@Chimera I can believe that. Doesn't help that late 90s and early 2000s electrical systems are often a real nightmare to work on regardless of who made it.
@@sharkheadism it was a record breaking coaster during the coaster wars. that’s why it was purchased.
i could never ride one like this but gosh its prettyy ☺️
"It is designed to launch a train about every 60 seconds."
When in reality it launches a train about every month of you are lucky
Haha
I took my kids there in 2012. My son and I rode this probably 25 times that day. There just wasn't a crowd and apparently everything worked.
I've always wondered how this ride worked, and was pleasantly surprised at the level of detail you provided. Awesome!
5:21 I will never understand why the US uses a different unit with the name "ton". Like, obviously, 13600kg are 13.6 metric tons, but no, the US needs its own, unique ton.
America is weird what can I say
As an American Im incredibly used to "ton".
You've done us coaster enthusiasts proud, AOE! Brings a tear to my eye lmao
As a coaster enthusiast I know exactly how it works but I still find myself watching these kinds of videos
Literally same
I'm an engineer in this industry and I didn't even know most of this stuff!
@Charlie W I mean, you’ve probably spent your time learning a wider array of stuff while I’ve chosen specific things to focus on and thus I’ve gained more knowledge during a shorter period of time..
@@erikhjortsater5461 Fair point. You never know what people can teach you until you ask them! Keep learning!
@Charlie W ooh yeah! I definitely will! My dream job is within aviation so if I want to get there I’ve no other choice
I'm not really big on riding coasters as I have some serious motion sickness...but learning about how they work? That's my shit. I got so excited when you showed the clip of the hydraulics. It blows my mind how humans can make things work with all the detailed parts that go into an experience that ends up being less than 20 seconds. Super cool stuff!
I would love to see a video like that about the „Tower of Terror“ at Disneys Hollywood Studios, since it has such a unique ride system!
He has made one about the Tower of Terror now and it's awesome!
ARMS DOWN
HEAD BACK
*VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
WOOOOOOOHHH
Hey! Great video! Awesome to see more informative content about roller coasters out there. Quick question though: how did you get a Skillshare sponsorship? I thought you couldn't get sponsors without 100k subscribers.
Hi theme park crazy! I’m a huge fan! Can’t wait for your next upload!
he's god that why
I can't say too much here, but feel free to contact me via e-mail or send me a direct message on Twitter and I'd be happy to provide more details. Generally speaking, there are no minimum requirements for sponsorships.
It depends company to company and channel to channel and what they see/ want
ij
These videos are great. I’d never before thought about the amount of power that launch roller coasters need, in comparison to other types of vehicle.
I've been to Cedar Point multiple times and it's kinda sad how little recognition it gets. Really glad to see this video pop up in my recommended!
I'm saving up my money to do this ride at end of summer. So far Ive done the Leviathan and Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland.
Another great video.. Cedar Point Intamin years from 2000-07 was the greatest..this explains the down time this ride can unfortunately experience..often because just one of those fins failing
"It has stood the test of time" tell that to the maintenance crew. lol
Wonderful video! This entire coaster is an engineering feat, but the feature I love most is the "Fail-Open" pneumatic Eddy brakes. Brilliant, subtle, simple design that can save lives in case of catastrophic failure. Genius.
You sir have an earned an esteemed award, you are part of the underrated TH-camrs that we honestly do not deserve. This work is too good and so incredibly detailed, and also not boring. You have joined the club with other TH-camrs such as Lemino, captain disillusion, internet historian, and a couple others.
It's always great to see a channel not 100% dedicated to theme parks talk about coasters and very clearly actually know what they're talking about. Very informative and interesting.
This video is pure gold. Thank you so much for all the effort you put behind the scenes to come up with this exceptional video. I'm aware of the effort because my teammates and I are designing a hydraulic launch system for a theoretical roller coaster as our senior project, and we had to go through a lot of research, we even got a special tour inside one of these hydraulic launch system building for a known ride. Your video is probably one of the best I stumbled across considering most of the information about such a system been kept away from the public. I wish I saw this video a long time ago, but probably I would not have understood what was happening had I not seen those parts in real life! Thank you again.
Best video I've ever seen on how a particular coaster works. Detailed, informative, brilliant. Thanks for creating this.
such incredible technology and engineering for a roller coaster
and here i am misusing it in planet coaster for the "warp speed blender"
Very well done. This is an awesome coaster!!
You deserve so much more attention from the TH-cam audience.. awesome video man, love all the details!!
I love how you explain every single technical detail of the ride. Good job.
Thank you so much for this video. I've been fortunate that I got to operate Top Thrill Dragster for a summer at Cedar Point and I was very into the engineering of the launch system. Since it was so complicated it was very difficult to explain to people how it worked in just a few minutes. This video gives an excellent 100% spot on description of how it works!
Man I've been wondering for YEARS how that giant hydraulic monster worked. Thank you!
Finally! A full explanation of what’s happening
Everyone else just glances over this stuff which would always leave me wondering how it works
That's a lot of engineering for our entertainment. Thanks for showing the behind the scenes craftsmanship.
I did a project on the hydraulic/pneumatic launch system about 11 years ago in my highschool engineering class, glad to know I was right with my information! I was even pretty close with my diagrams! Great video! Top Thrill is truly an incredible testament to modern-day engineering!
The roar that baby makes is the best part
As a coaster enthusiast I thought this was another GP video... Even I learned something new! Great video!
If you pay to enter the park, you're GP
I can't believe that this ride works as well as it does. ( with out break down ). so much has to be perfect for every single launch. mind boggling
There are more than 2 in the world. Thorpe Park near Heathrow airport has one. called Stealth Done it many times. And the roll back brakes. Well they do not rise as one, but each blade rises as soon as the rear of the train clears it.. Quite fun to watch them when queuing. Thanks for the information about the cable system, and gear box, and hydraulics. Always wanted to do a roll-back!
Oh, man. The shot of Top Thrill Cubster cut deep, man.
When Cleveland and the Cubs were in the World Series in 2017 the staffs of Cedar Point and Six Flags Great Adventure had a bet. CP lost and SFGAdv made them rename Dragster for a day and record a video of staff singing Go Cubs Go.
Wasn’t it Six Flags Great America?
@@triple7marc -facepalm- Yes. Because the one in Chicago is Great America. Great Adventure is, in fact, in New Jersey.
@@robotfactory205 Lol yeah I honestly didn’t even know myself since I know nothing about baseball. I just remembered Great America posting something about it because my home park is the other Great America in Northern California.
Awesome technical breakdown, thank you!
R.I.P Top Thrill Dragster (2003 - 2021)
The tension regulator isn't a spring. After watching your video ( you talk about it at 4:35 ), I actually looked at yesterday when I was there. It has a hydraulic cylinder that has a large hose that is attached to a large hydraulic accumulator.
I love this video. Thanks for making it. From a coaster enthusiast who witnessed the horrible accident on 8/15/2021. I wish someone would make a video reviewing the ODA report released in February 2022. I will ride TTD in 2023! Long live the Strata coasters! Commenting from Kalamazoo Michigan
I feel like a scientist now. This was very well explained!
Great video Im happy that there are good roller coaster videos by people who don't focus on roller coasters! :)
RIP to a legend
Glad this was in my recommendations, you did an amazing job on this video, keep up the good work man!
Don’t know why this man doesn’t have more than 500k. Quality of the videos are amazing.
I was always fascinated by these thrill rides and wanted to know the working behind it. This video really is awesome in explaining the stuff. Thanks
This is great. I learned some of this using kah as our model in physics in high school but I’ve forgotten most of it and it’s good to know how the coasters you want to ride work.
im glad we have such smart people like this, cool video
What a good video! Thanks for creating!
Now it makes sense why this coaster has it's reputation of "Top Thrill Downtime". There's a lot of moving parts here that can be break and bring the whole thing down.
One of my personal favorite rides on the planet and now my favorite video of yours with your ToT video coming in at number two. Can’t wait to see more awesome videos from you to learn more about these complex engineering marvels that make thrill rides possible!
Heard the ride is closing. Bummer. Some lady got hit with some debris from the coaster. Man, accidents really mess things up.
Fun note: I asked several employees at the park what the height of the drop really is BECAUSE the track never comes all the way down to the ground, while the top hat's height IS measured from the ground - none of them knew!
I've always said TTD is like bad sex - its over too quickly and it happens so fast you can't fully enjoy what's happening and aren't really sure what happened until its over.
400 feet. It’s on Wikipedia.
I watched a ride video on this afterwards, I could tell when it was going to launch just by how the fins moved, great video!
this ride was amazing
hoping dragster 2 is even better
Fuuuuck yeah! Its about that time! Binge watch every cedar point video in existence!
"Safely and Reliably"
One of those is true....
Yesterday I went on the dragster and it scared me but it was Cool
I get to go in 2 months I’m so excited
best explained video
I'd never want to ride one of these but I love learning about them.
I think people never know how much this is an engineering marvel.
“How Top Thrill Dragster Works”
... it doesn’t.
William Mahony ?
William Mahony Lol 😂 Fr tho it hasn’t been working at all lately
I rode it last week and the week before that, several times.
I love when it stops and you’re at the top 😂
They mean they ride constantly breaks down (which is true)
This is one of those rare coaster experiences that stacks up as a good contender with bungee jumping and skydiving when it comes to pure unadulterated adrenaline! I am a licensed skydiver, so I BS you guys not. The launch alone is exquisite!
However, I'm not going to lie, the launch on Dodonpa (a compressed air S&S Power launch coaster) in Japan is hands-down the ultimate. It is beyond breath-taking...and very abrasive for the senses. Lol!!! You coaster junkies more than likely already know this, but for those of you that have never seen it in action, TH-cam "Dodonpa theme park review". The TPR channel has some of the best footage out there for this one of a kind ride. The launch is so powerful and abrupt that it actually gives you that lovely stomach drop sensation we have all come to desire!
This was way more complex than I expected.
Thank you Kanye, very cool
Great video! Might use the engineering explanations for a physics project about Xelerator, which is mechanically very similar. It was easy to follow through and understand everything, and was amazing and informative as well! :)
this is definately on my bucket list along with kingda ka
i love flying because of the takeoff so that feeling but even harder sounds like music to my ears
7:53, looks like the exact same thing you’d see on wind turbine test benches. They also have those hydraulic actuators (which were red cylinders) to provide a load to test a companies design to see how it would perform. I saw a 15MW test bench when it was being taken apart and it had 72 of those actuators and you could easily stack around 3 corollas just inside the shaft adapter alone. The 15MW test bench also is driven by a 365 ton planetary gear set, which they had to weld to the cargo ship, because if it shifted at all it would cause the whole cargo ship to sink. Pretty gnarly stuff, I’m really impressed with the fact that we’ve figured stuff like this out.
Edit: Looks like the red cylinders here were motors, guess I shoulda watched a little longer before typing lol. But they looked so similar so I thought they were just hydraulic actuators.
Those are hydraulic motors yes, but they do have nitrogen accumulators on the floor painted red as well lol
I was at the park today. I took a short video of exactly how the pulley tensioner works and put it on my channel.
Thank you! thank you!! This is awesome ❤
I’ve always wondered how the brake fins work! This was a really really well done video. Thank you!
It’s no wonder dragster had so much down time. Such a complex setup.
When I was young, I never cared how a roller coaster worked, as long as it did. Now that I'm older, I still love for the coaster to work, but I'm also in awe of the intelligence needed to design a coaster like this.
This is a very accurate video well done this taught me things i didn't know before and when it comes to coasters that is saying ALOT
I like how the video says dragster is reliable. You know what you’re right dragster is the most reliable coaster on the planet.
You deserve weigh more subs especially cus how much work it takes to do that
great video!
El Toro Ryan mentioned this video, said it was awesome!
I went on this ride last month. It was fucking exhilarating!
Excellent video!!! So far I have enjoyed 3 of the videos of yours that I have seen. I like that this video seems a little more technical than the SpaceX landing video, but I still loved that one too. Don’t feel pressured to do your videos a certain way if you don’t want to. Great content and keep up the great work. You have earned a well-deserved subscription.
Incredible video!! And also that’s some amazing engineering too
The Knott's Berry Farm version was the one I rode. Just watching it was pretty scary yet impressive.
My girlfriend's son got me to go with him on it. The park was pretty busy but the line for this ride was pretty slim......maybe a 10 or 15 minute wait. I was disappointed that I couldn't wear my eyeglasses (near sighted) and doubt that my glasses could possibly fall off! The "restraint" system wasn't very assuring....a weird handlebar deal that came up between your legs without any kind of shoulder restraint. Buckled in, one didn't have much sense of security and felt very exposed. After that, it was just a sheer rush!
Great ride! We immediately rode it again two more times.....still with very short lines.
Imagine if the seats were actually leaning back so when you go over the top hat you’re actually upside down. Fuck that’d be so fun.
I like to go on partly cloudy days, just hoping to get a rollback.
Fantastic video! It was very easy to follow, and had some awesome graphics to go along with it. Keep up the amazing work!
Well, there is actually 3 models of this coaster. A few years ago, one of this coasters opened at Ferrari World, a theme zone at Port Aventura park (Barcelona, Spain)
There are actually 12 of them.
Great video! I loved hearing about the engineering aspect of the coaster.
Excellent video!
Please Remove those TWO Disliked thumbs. Great, Informative, & Smart Dude, I love coaster and def. love the engineering aspect of it all. Amazing man!
Often I'll just call the launch dog and catch car I just call it a "Chain dog", I forgot why I call it this but I remember hearing it a long time ago
Fantastic job man was a joy to watch. Thank you!
I didn't see how long the video was before clicking, I thought it was gonna end with the power calculation and I was like "but how is the drum powered? :(" Thank you for going into so much detail about the hydraulic system
Top thrill is probably my fav coaster at Cedar Point
Thanks for metrics
Really awesome video, very informative and well paced. Loved it!
You forgot stealth , in england , and formula one in eurpoe
Stealth and Formula Rossa use the exact same system. Not sure what you're referring to when you say "Formula One." Do you mean Formula Rossa? Because that's in Asia. Do you mean Red Force? In that case, that's actually an LSM launch, not a hydraulic one.