Vekoma

I just wanted to know something that has really bugged me for a while (well not really). Why is the track for Vekoma and Arrow coaster exactly the same? I mean even the regular sitdown trains are the same. I was thinking possibly that Arrow makes the track that Vekoma orders. Anyone know the truth?
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The SFMM Salvi:
"Goliath Jr. looks to intense for me"
"I want to go on something more exciting than X"

Its not, look here.

But its very simular.

The track is not the same, but the track looks alike.
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"Duff Man Says... Ohhh Yeah!"
Current Favorite Coasters:
1)Raging Bull 2)Millennium Force 3)Medusa (SFMW) 4)Vertical Velocity (SFGAm) 5)Dueling Dragons (Ice)

*** This post was edited by StealthmF5m3 on 9/15/2001. ***

As I recall, and maybe Rideman can verify it, Vekoma built coasters under license for Arrow in Europe at one time. This would account for the striking similarities between them.

It's not a big difference

I have heard that Vekoma licensed their track from Arrow, but never verified that. I do know that the earliest Vekoma loopers actually run Arrow trains. The one significant, obvious difference between Vekoma track and most Arrow track (the newer Arrow track has different track ties and is easy to spot) can be found at the end of any track section.
Vekoma's track has a solid plug at the end, and the rail is split for a distance of about 4" so that the end of the rail has a semicircular cross-section (instead of circular). This mates with an identical-but-opposite cut on the mating track section, and two hex-head bolts are threaded into the side of the rail from the outside. Arrow's track is either welded, or bolted together using one of several flanging arrangements.
Vekoma uses the two-bolts-with-heads-on-the-non-guide-wheel-side rail coupling on all their track types, including the Roller Skater, Invertigo, and Flying Dutchman.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.