Flat track on roller coasters

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ravenguy98 said:

Its not just an Arrow thing at all. Personally, I think flat track placed strategically adds a lot of variety and excitment to a coaster by adding anticipation.

Bravo Ravenguy! I couldn't agree more. For some reason, I am a huge fan of straight track. I have never found straight track to be boring in the least. For me, straight sections of track provide a much different speed sensation than a curve or hill can provide.

I LOVE speed. I would even go as far as saying I think speed is my favorite feeling on a coaster. Yes, even more than airtime. Those flat sections of track found on coasters usually end up being some of my favorite parts of the ride.

For instance...

The straight section of track before Raptor's cobra roll is one my favorite parts of the ride. It almost feels like it increases speed when going through it (yea, I know it really doesn't, but it feels that way)

The flat sections of track on the SFA and SFDL Superman coasters provide me with that same exciting feeling. That feeling of just.........going. Going fast and being able to take it all in. Some may call this a bore, but I personally find nothing about coasters boring. When the day comes that I find this hobby boring, then I will move on to something else.

Believe it or not but my favorite part of Iron Wolf is probably the flat section where the block brakes were 'supposed' to be added but never were. This is in the middle of the ride before the drop into the flat spin. I remember standing in line just watching the trains roll through that section and loving it.

Other coasters I like that provide the same feeling, but are not totally flat, are Kumba (right before the cobra roll), King Cobra (the trick track), and that long flat section of The Beast before it hits the second lift.

I honestly love these little 'speed nuggets' that provide a different feel to a coaster. I still love drops, curves, and loops a lot, but I think those other little features like straight track make the ride just a little bit more different and fun.

-Sean

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The term for this element is called Speed Track(put it in your mind, know it). It is put on coasters to give the full experience of speed by letting you zoom over the flat track and feel the real speed. It is often put on hypers to really show you the speed that you're going at(Intiman, Arrow, Togo etc. do this on most of their hypers) On Arrow loopers, they used them to give an extra element to an otherwise simple design. You'll usually find this on Arrow coasters before the breaks to give you you one more feel of the speed before the train comes to a hault. Intentionally, it is to make the ride seem faster than it really is but can get boring.