GhostRider, Wooden roller coaster in Buena Park, California, US
GhostRider is a wooden roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, built by Custom Coasters International. Its 1,381-meter track follows an L-shaped double out-and-back layout with 14 hills, ten crossings and three bridges. The lift hill rises to 36 meters, and the first drop reaches 90 km/h. The station is themed as a mining building.
GhostRider was announced in August 1997 as part of a $35 million expansion, with Custom Coasters International building the ride and Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters supplying the trains. It opened on December 8, 1998, ahead of schedule. Its height was raised from 112 to 118 feet to surpass Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Great Coasters International refurbished the track and trains from September 2015; the ride reopened on June 11, 2016.
The ride's story tells of a miner who entered an abandoned mine and was never seen again; he is said to roam the USA as the GhostRider. The station is built as a mining building, and at night the track is lit orange.
GhostRider's station sits in the Ghost Town section, south of the main entrance, and the queue building is themed as a mining structure. Two Millennium Flyer trains, each with twelve cars seating two riders side by side, run at once, so waits move faster. The coaster crosses over Grand Avenue, linking the main park with a parking lot.
The first drop carries a metal roof: nearby residents complained about the noise of riders' screams. The ride was ready to run six months before its planned opening, and at night the track is lit orange. A park story tells of a miner who entered an abandoned mine and was never seen again.
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