New Mexico Rattler, Wooden roller coaster in Albuquerque, United States.
The New Mexico Rattler is a hybrid coaster at Cliff's Amusement Park in Albuquerque: a wooden track on steel supports, built by Custom Coasters International and finished by the park. Its 2,750-foot (840 m) layout runs the length of the park on about 1 acre, with an 80-foot (24 m) lift hill, a 52-degree first drop and a 125-foot (38 m) tunnel. One six-car train from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters seats 24 riders.
Construction of this wooden coaster began in early 2002 but faced setbacks when the building company Custom Coasters International went bankrupt. Park management successfully completed the project by September of that same year.
The name came from a four-year-old's contest entry held at local Wendy's restaurants in 2002; park officials chose it because the layout resembles a rattlesnake and nods to the state. The ride was pitched to an adult audience, and the park expected 15 to 30 new jobs from its construction.
The ride runs one train of six cars, two rows of two seats each, so 24 riders per cycle, and a full circuit lasts about one minute and fifteen seconds. Each seat has a lap bar restraint. The 125-foot tunnel is part of the course, so the train disappears underground before the final brake run.
The New Mexico Rattler was the first major roller coaster built in New Mexico. Its name came from a contest won by a four-year-old, chosen because the layout resembles a rattlesnake and nods to the state. The train, with six cars and lap bars, was built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters.
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