Arrow Pipeline coaster

Dose anyone know where I can find any info on the Arrow Pipeline, more so info on the trains them selfs. I did search abit on cbuzz and the web and found very little info on this coaster type, and hardly any pics. I know Alton Towers was surpose to build one years ago(aka "SW1"), but that's basicly all the info I can find. Any help would be great! Thanks!

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Zero g Network

I can tell you some of the reasons it was abandoned, if that helps. The prototype was allegedly very rough, there were capacity concerns, and the rest of the coaster world's technology progressed far faster than the Pipeline was.

Remember, we were talking about the Pipeline back in about 1994ish... which also happens to be the time when we started seeing more Inverts. It just didn't make sense for Arrow to continue with a design that would be out-of-date as soon as it hit its first park.

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- John
Homepark: CP Home-away-from-homepark: PKI
My Campusfish Blog

Here's a pic of the track still at the manufacturing plant in Utah. The pic was taken when they were building Viper at SFMM.

Here's the pic.

Hope that helps in some way.

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My signature has MANY problems...............
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Actually, according to Ron Toomer at CoasterMania in '99, the only real concern was capacity and the ran out of R&D money because no park wanted a low capacity ride.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?

I did find a decnet pic, but I can't tell if the train seats two across or one across.

The pic: http://www.amusement-point.de/rides/history/acoast3.jpg

Thanks for the info so far.

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Zero g Network

If anybody has old ACE magazines from 1988 / 89 there was an article in that about the prototype. I would scan it in, but they arent in my possession at the moment.

So - did the Arrow pipeline feature the first ever pretzel loop?

:)

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--Maddie--
What do I Listen-To?
Hot stuff.

The_Lost_Phantom said:
Here's a pic of the track still at the manufacturing plant in Utah. The pic was taken when they were building Viper at SFMM.
Here's the pic.
Hope that helps in some way.
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My signature has MANY problems...............
TAER IT DOWN!1!!!111!!1!!1!!!1!1111!

Ohhh that Viper track is so sexy ohhhh how I wish it was still in that condition today, not the warped rusted pinkish color it is today..........sigh.......

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X...I still can't believe it wasn't a dream

If I remember correctly, the National Geographic special concerning the building and opening of Drachen Fire at BGW included a segment on the pipeline prototype.

They showed the development of the concept of a coaster that could do barrel rolls, hoisting the car via a crane and running it through the course. They also showed that the modified Arrow train design (2 across seating) put the rider's heads a little too close to the rails and a modification on the side walls was installed to keep riders safe from injury.

The special ran on PBS for many years after originally airing in 1993, but is probably now shown infrequently on the National Geographic Channel.
*** This post was edited by gamndbndr 10/17/2003 8:20:36 AM ***

I believe I know a certain park CEO who rode the pipeline prototype out in Utah. It is my understanding that he was impressed with the concept but soon forgot about it after riding Batman at SFGAM.
*** This post was edited by wahoo skipper 10/17/2003 9:01:33 AM ***

That CEO wouldn't have then built the world's tallest, fastest and steepest inverter at the time, would he? One that to this day is still regarded as one of the best?

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?

I remember ACE News or Inside Track announcing that Morey's Pier would build the first Pipeline coaster, but that never happened and a few years later, the Great Nor'easter appeared instead.

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-Rob
A.C.E. member since 1990
Posting @ Coasterbuzz since 2000
E.C.C. member since 2002

http://www.coasterglobe.com

If you searched, you might have already found this. But, just to be safe, here you go.

Edit: Tried posting URL straight to the story, but I had trouble. Go to this site and there's a story in features section on the pipeline.
*** This post was edited by bigboy 10/17/2003 9:20:36 AM ***

Jeff,

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......could be.

gamndbndr said:
If I remember correctly, the National Geographic special concerning the building and opening of Drachen Fire at BGW included a segment on the pipeline prototype.

Actually, it was an episode of the PBS show Nova that prominently featured Drachen Fire, and there was a separate episode of National Geographic Explorer that had a lengthy segment on the initial testing of the pipeline prototype. I have them both on tape somewhere in the archives.

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Colin D.
Ask about my references!

Chernabog said:
So - did the Arrow pipeline feature the first ever pretzel loop?

Actually my first thought was "Hey, it's that weird twist-dive element on Manhattan Express!"

I'd be willing to bet the two are similarly comfortable, too...

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--Greg, aka Oat Boy
My page
"Friendship -- more lasting than love, more legal than stalking."

When SFMM was taking bids on their 1996 project, to be built on a narrow strip of land on top of the mountain from Samurai Summit along the old path of the defunct skyride, Arrow submitted one for a very large Pipeline coaster. The park ultimately went with Intamin, hence STE.

mOOSH

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Mamoosh:

Do you happen to have any pictures of this proposed coaster? I would be very interesting to see what kind of elements Arrow came up with, and how they compare to B&M inversions.

I still wonder though, is there anything that a Pipeline coaster could do that coasters today can't?

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Intelligence is a God given gift: Know how to use it.

A pipeline could confine and enclose its riders in a way that most modern coasters can't. Other than that, there wasn't anything special it could do that hasn't been done since, e.g., inline twists, and twisting while dropping.

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Colin D.
Ask about my references!

CKrazy - no, sorry I do not. I've saw the blueprints and an artist's rendering of the cars a few years ago but I cannot remember any specific track or inversion elements.

mOOSH

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New holiday & all-occasion cards on sale thru Oct 21st. 2004 Wood Coaster Calendar still available. All at S&D Greetings.