When it comes to world-renowned roller coasters, Cedar Point stands out as having some of the best of the bunch. Cedar Point is well-known for building incredible coasters that typically break records at the time of their opening. From Steel Vengeance to Millennium Force, visitors flock to Cedar Point to get a ride on many of their record-breaking coasters.
One of these record-breakers is Top Thrill Dragster. The coaster is one of the fastest in the world and has a dedicated fan base. However, the launch coaster has been plagued with mechanical issues and incidences of injured guests since its opening nearly 20 years ago. Let’s launch into the rise and fall of Top Thrill Dragster.
Top Thrill Dragster began construction in 2002 and was built by well-known coaster manufacturer, Intamin. The 420 ft tall coaster cost $25 million dollars to build and would boast the records of the fastest and tallest roller coaster at its time of opening. Those records have been taken by King Da Ka for tallest coaster and Formula Rossa for the fastest coaster at 149 mph.
Cedar Point now calls it the original strata coaster. The hydraulic launch would send riders from 0 to 120 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds. Top Thrill Dragster opened in 2003 with excellent dragster race theming, the tagline “Race for the Sky,” and a theme song that is sure to get riders waiting in the queue pumped for the ride ahead. Anytime I hear “Ready to Go” by Republica, it takes me back to standing in line for Top Thrill Dragster. The coaster also features rumbling dragster engine noises while you sit and wait to launch.
The coaster even features the typical light tower that goes from yellow to green signaling riders that they are off. The trains travel straight up the 420 ft top hat hill and barely coasts over the top before plummeting down to the ground vertically through a 270-degree heartline roll. Riders then reach the finish line and smoothly break before reaching the unloading area. It is a short but intense coaster, and I have experienced nothing like the first row on Top Thrill Dragster. On a clear day, you can even see Canada from the top of Top Thrill Dragster’s hill, if you know where to look before you quickly head back to earth.
The revolutionary hydraulic launch system was the first of its kind. The coaster features a launch system that actually pulls the trains and essentially catapults them up the hill. This system, however, can be very temperamental. Even the slightest change in wind, temperature, or precipitation can affect it. When this happens, the trains will not make it over the hill and result in a fallback, where the train falls backward and returns to the station.
These fallbacks are relatively common with Top Thrill Dragster, and I have seen a few during my time at Cedar Point. During the first couple of seasons that Top Thrill Dragster was open, it experienced ample downtime due to issues with the hydraulic system. The technology for the ride is actually very complex and includes hundreds of sensors. If even one of these sensors detects a malfunction the ride will likely be closed. While closures are not as common as the earlier seasons, the ride is still very undependable. Even on my last trip in 2019, Top Thrill Dragster was closed almost the entire day.
And, Top Thrill Dragster has certainly had its fair share of incidents…
The coaster has also been plagued by a series of different incidents where guests were injured either on the ride or in the queue. In 2014, four riders sustained minor injuries when they were struck by a stray shard. A couple of years later in 2016, two riders were struck by a cable that had come detached. The ride closed for a short time after these incidents but did reopen.
Another incident occurred in 2005. In the incident fortunately no one was hurt, but a train got stuck at the top of the hill and a mechanic had to physically push the train forward. The most severe incident, however, occurred in August 2021 when a woman waiting in the queue for Top Thrill Dragster was stuck by a bracket that had come loose from one of the trains. The woman was severely injured. This incident could have been the beginning of the end for Top Thrill Dragster.
Following the 2021 incident, Cedar Point closed Top Thrill Dragster and the ride remained closed throughout the 2021 season. Earlier this year, Cedar Point announced that Top Thrill Dragster would remain closed throughout the 2022 season as well.
Following an investigation into the incident, the Department of Agriculture cited in a 620-page report that Cedar Point did not violate any laws or rules. However, there was also an extensive list of repairs that must be completed on Top Thrill Dragster before it can reopen. The list includes replacing loose bolts, repairing the track that was damaged in the incident, replacing the missing bracket, and other repairs.
Could this extensive list mean the end for Top Thrill Dragster? Well,initially many Top Thrill Dragster fans may have felt that it was all over. However, recent news of markings appearing around the attraction have now given us all some hope that we may see this iconic coaster reopening at Cedar Point sometime in the future.
We know that the repairs will be costly, and it is still possible that Cedar Point could decide to simply retire the problematic coaster. Additionally, the park also needs to put some safety measures in place to restore faith from guests that an incident like this will not happen again.
Possible changes could include netting/screening around the coaster to prevent debris from hitting guests, similar to what is seen at actual racetracks. Perhaps an enclosed (and air-conditioned) queue building could be built that would protect guests waiting to ride. The other option is to move the queue line from its current position between the launch and return track.
Will the costs prove worth it for Cedar Point to keep this iconic coaster? We will keep you updated on the status of the original strata coaster. We can only hope that Top Thrill Dragster will safely launch riders toward the sky again and maybe in time for its 20th anniversary.
