Shockwave (occasionally stylized as ShockWave or Shock Wave ) was a roller coaster manufactured by Arrow Dynamics at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois . Standing 170 feet (52 m) tall and reaching speeds of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), it opened in 1988 as the world's tallest and fastest looping roller coaster with a record-breaking seven inversions: three vertical loops, a boomerang (also known as a batwing ), and two regular corkscrews. Shockwave was closed in 2002 and has been dismantled.
24-467: (Redirected from Great American Scream Machine ) The Great American Scream Machine is the name of two different roller coasters: Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Great Adventure) , a defunct steel roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA. Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Over Georgia) ,
48-453: A complete stop for 2 seconds. The train then dropped down into a boomerang element. After the boomerang, the train made a right turn, where riders' pictures are taken. The train then proceeded to enter the double corkscrew, then completed a 180-degree turn to the left onto the final brake run back into the station. Shockwave (Six Flags Great America) In late 1987, Six Flags Great America announced that they would be getting Shockwave for
72-416: A faster top speed of 68 mph (109 km/h). Then in 1990, Viper opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain , becoming the tallest and fastest looping coaster standing 188 feet (57 m) tall and reaching a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h). Shockwave, Great American Scream Machine, and Viper were all designed by Arrow Dynamics and featured the same inverting elements in the same order. Shockwave
96-411: A possible last day of operation. None of the rumors initially were confirmed nor denied until July 1, 2010, when a staff member stated that the coaster was not being removed. In a contradicting statement released on July 5, 2010, Six Flags Great Adventure informally announced the coaster's permanent closure would occur on July 18, 2010, in order to clear space for a new attraction in 2011. The announcement
120-419: A reputation as a rough ride. A sharp turn located between the third vertical loop and the mid-course brake run was mostly notable, often resulting in unprepared riders smashing their heads on the restraints. Low ridership, reports of minor injuries, and high maintenance costs ultimately led to the coaster's demise. On September 24, 2002, Six Flags Great America announced that Shockwave would not reopen for
144-617: A wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia, USA. Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title The Great American Scream Machine . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Great_American_Scream_Machine&oldid=892174487 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
168-472: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Great Adventure) Great American Scream Machine was a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey . The 173-foot-tall (53 m) ride opened in 1989 as the tallest and fastest looping roller coaster in
192-680: The 1988 season. The ride would be placed towards the front of the park in the Orleans Place section. Shockwave was set to open in April 1988, but the opening was delayed to June 3. Shockwave was designed by Ron Toomer at Arrow Dynamics , and its seven inversions set a new world record among roller coasters previously held by Vortex at Kings Island , which opened a year earlier. In 1989, Great American Scream Machine debuted at Six Flags Great Adventure , which featured an identical layout but with an additional 3 feet (0.91 m) in height and
216-445: The 2003 season. The ride was taken down in the fall of 2002 to make way for Superman: Ultimate Flight , which was originally scheduled to replace the smaller Whizzer roller coaster. Following negative backlash from enthusiasts and parkgoers, the park reversed course and decided to replace Shockwave instead. It was placed into storage behind the park and offered for sale, but it was ultimately scrapped when those efforts failed. After
240-473: The 2010 operating season, guests noticed that the Liberty (white) train was adwrapped as an advertisement for another ride sponsor, Axe , a grooming product for young males. Signs for the product could be found around the rides entrance. During the 2010 season, speculation that Great American Scream Machine was being removed at the end of the season began circulating on message boards, pegging June 30, 2010, as
264-503: The Liberty (white) train was ad-wrapped as an advertisement for one of the ride's sponsors, got2b Glued Styling Spiking Glue, a hair gel . Assorted signs were also placed on the station platform advertising. It was the first train in the park to feature advertisements, but as this idea spread throughout the Six Flags chain, it was joined by Kingda Ka and El Toro, whose trains feature The Karate Kid and Stride Gum ads, respectively. In
SECTION 10
#1732797830482288-510: The area behind Superman: Ultimate Flight to accommodate the ride's construction. On September 15, 2010, Six Flags unveiled the new ride as Green Lantern , a stand-up roller coaster relocated from then known as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom , where it originally operated as Chang. It would be re-themed to the DC Comics Green Lantern superhero. Following the demolition, only Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain remained from
312-517: The following year in 1990. It operated until July 2010 and was replaced by a stand-up roller coaster, Green Lantern , in 2011. The coaster was originally going to be named Ninja , but there were problems with the crowds drawn to the Ninja coasters in other parks. Instead, the name Great American Scream Machine was selected. Great American Scream Machine was announced in September 1988. It opened to
336-410: The installation of Superman: Ultimate Flight, much of Shockwave was demolished and sold as scrap in 2004, although certain pieces can still be found throughout the park today: On Shockwave, riders were seated and pulled down their over-the-shoulder restraints. They exited the station, rolling over the transfer track, and entered a short drop before making a tight un-banked U-turn toward the lift. Once at
360-415: The left, reaching a top speed of 68 mph (109 km/h). The train then traveled through its first inversion, a 136 foot tall, single vertical loop. After exiting the loop, the train turned to the left and traveled through a double-loop, the first loop being 107 feet tall and the second loop being 97 feet tall. The train then traveled upward with a left turn onto the mid-course brake run. The train came to
384-408: The mid-course/block brake. After a braking, riders went through a zig-zag turn and drop and entered the boomerang, getting their pictures taken between the two inversions. Upon exiting the element, the train made a roughly 180-degree turn to the right and entered the two back-to-back "right-hand" or "clockwise" corkscrews. Finally, riders went over a small bunny hill and made a roughly 210-degree turn to
408-492: The original first loop can be found in the baboons' enclosure in the Wild Safari at Six Flags Great Adventure. Along with the new loop tops, a trim brake was installed after the first loop. The modifications were used to slightly adjust the speed of the train and to alleviate the stress to the ride’s structure and trains. In 2005, The Great American Scream Machine and Batman and Robin: The Chiller were repainted. In 2009,
432-403: The original three Arrow installations involving their custom, 7-inversion design. The other one, Shockwave at Six Flags Great America , was demolished in 2002. After departing the station, the train crossed a transfer track and traveled down a small dip, then completed a 180-degree turn to the left onto the lift hill. After a 173-foot (53 m) climb, the train dropped 155 feet (47 m) to
456-454: The public on April 15, 1989. The coaster track was painted red and the supports were white. The trains were named Freedom (red), Liberty (white) and Spirit (blue). The ground underneath the ride featured a red and white design resembling the stripes on a waving American flag. The maximum capacity of the ride was 1,680 guests per hour. The over-the-shoulder restraint handles were made of foam instead of metal. The Scream Machine's on-ride camera
480-401: The top of the lift, the riders entered the roughly 150-degrees-to-the-left twisting drop, speeding down to the ground. They then climbed up to the first vertical loop, which was 130 feet (40 m) high above the queue line. A roughly 90-degree left turn followed, and then the two 116-foot (35 m) consecutive vertical loops. Next, the train rose up and negotiated a very tight left turn into
504-423: The world, reaching a maximum speed of 68 mph (109 km/h). It was designed by Ron Toomer and manufactured by Arrow Dynamics , which built two other coasters with similar layouts – Shockwave at Six Flags Great America and Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain . Great American Scream Machine featured seven inversions including a batwing and double corkscrew . Records set by the ride were succeeded by Viper
SECTION 20
#1732797830482528-472: Was located at the curve before entering the double corkscrew, unlike those of its sister coasters; the cameras on both rides were located at the bottom of the Boomerang. During the 1992–93 off-season, the top of the vertical loops were removed and replaced by track with additional strength bracing. This was due to issues with other Arrow coasters, including Shockwave at Six Flags Great America . The top of
552-487: Was officially confirmed on the park's website a few days later. As announced, the ride's last operating day was on July 18, 2010. Deconstruction began soon after, and signs teasing the construction of its replacement were posted. A first look at the outline of the new ride replacing the Scream Machine was revealed on August 6, 2010. Six Flags requested permission from Jackson Township to remove parking spaces from
576-487: Was plagued with some operational issues throughout its lifetime. Due to the speed and stress from the train negotiating the first vertical loop, a track fracture developed and needed attention on a regular basis in order to remain safe for operation. The wheels for the ride were expensive and wore out quickly according to ride operators, which required a vigilant crew and frequent 10-15 minute closures for maintenance staff to be dispatched to change them out. Shockwave also gained
#481518