Bolliger & Mabillard explained Bolliger & Mabillard often abbreviated just bnm
is a swiss florida coast of manufacturer famous for their reliable and
high-quality attractions as of 2018 the company has installed over 100
rollercoasters around the globe making them one of the leading manufacturers in
the amusement attraction industry bnm itself was founded in 1988 by both
walter Bolliger and claw in Mabillard initially Bolliger & Mabillard worked
together both as engineers for the amusement ride manufacturer giovanna la
geo vanilla was often subcontracted to construct roller coasters for intimate
leading to all the intimate ride looking similar to their bnm counterparts
however in 1987 Walter and Korra left gia vanilla to create their own business
Bolliger & Mabillard consulting engineers interestingly their original
intention was to cease the production of amusement rides avoiding the attractions
altogether this resulted in the company's first project being to create
a rotating platform for a restaurant on top of a Swiss Mountain however their
ideals were short-lived Six Flags Great America requested for bnm to construct
new trains for Rolling Thunder a roller coaster at the park the company agreed
and the trains were manufactured at the same point in time Great America was
also looking to build a new roller coaster the park initially offered the
contract of water and Claude giving them the opportunity to make their first
independent roller coaster however there was a problem the company had no way of
fabricating the track pieces required for the new ride
their solution Clermont steel fabricators bnm requested the steel
company to manufacture the track for their new ride iron wolf Claremont steel
fabricators agreed starting the long relationship with two companies still
have to this day all track manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard has been done so
at the Clermont steel fabricating Factory iron wolf the Swiss company's
first roller coaster opened to the public in 1990 the ride is a stand up
coaster similar to the ones manufactured by intamin
in which water and Claude helped the design instantly it received critical
acclaim allowing PNM to step foot in the competitive rollercoaster market at this
point the company looked to find a next big thing under secrecy the two
engineers set out designing a roller coaster like no other after two long
years bnm unveiled Batman the ride the world's first inverted roller coaster
unlike traditional rights which seek guests above the track Walter and
Claude's new design saw riders Hank below it these concepts had been used
before on the suspended coasts of the time however these attractions were
restricted to non-inverting layouts PNM's inverted coaster could navigate
inversions therefore allowing for a more thrilling ride experience naturally the
attraction was a huge success the inverted roller coaster quickly gained
momentum causing many parks to install the new type of ride experience as a
result the inverted coaster model currently resides as PNM's most popular
with over 30 installations worldwide amid the production of the inverted
coaster Walter a claude continued to produce their first model the stand-up
coaster however not all parks desired the interesting ride experienced a
stand-up train provided in 1993 Bolliger & Mabillard constructed khumba with
companies first a standard sit-down roller coaster the ride not only
featured the world's first pair of interlocking corkscrews but also a dive
loop in which riders undergo a brief rotation before completing the second
half of a traditional loop similar to the inverted coaster the ride and model
was an initial success however interest in the BNF sit-down coaster deteriorated
after 1999 as the Swiss company developed over time so too did their
lineup of attractions ultimately water and clothes later floorless coaster
model arguably killed the standard sit down equivalent interestingly the
original stand-up roller coaster model also underwent the same fate
after an initial burst of popularity the model became outdated in 1999 with the
introduction of the flawless Costa popularity and standard rollercoasters
has decreased further in recent years as parks have converted their stand up
trains to flawless equivalents leading up to the invention of the flawless
roller coaster Walter and Claude installed a mixture of new attractions
across the world specifically 1994 resulted in the de beauté of Nemesis
Europe's first B&M roller coaster the ride which is an inverted coaster
remains one of the company's most iconic to this day due to its sheer intensity
and fantastic right layout several years prior to the invention of the floorless
coaster model bnm quietly worked with John Wardley a British attraction
designer on a whole new type of project in the dive coaster unlike traditional
roller coasters at the time which often featured long drawn-out drops the bnm
dive coaster didn't riders were held for several seconds at the highest point of
the attraction before plummeting down a near vertical drop to provide all guests
with a fantastic view of the drop below the dive coaster features wide trains
often seating between six and ten guests per row oblivion at Alton Towers the in
the United Kingdom became the world's first dive coaster initially the new
model was a slow success although oblivion obtained long queue times as it
marveled the public other theme parks didn't see quite as impressed it took
seven years for another park to purchase a new and unique version of the dive
coaster however the model has gained traction over the recent years since
2015 a considerable number of new dive machines have been constructed with more
set to debut in the near future a single year after the debut of the dive coaster
saw the introduction of two new rollercoaster models in 1999 the swiss
company unveiled both the floorless coaster
a hypercoaster firstly the previously-mentioned floorless coaster
model mirrors the standard sit down coaster in old the train design unlike
bnm sit down trains flawless trains lack the conventional floor found in front of
the wider seats this results in an increased sense of freedom as the length
of guests dangle as they navigate the course the first of the model debuted as
Medusa now bizarro has Six Flags Great Adventure the floorless coaster became
an instant success resulting in ten installations within the first five
years however as the competition within the traditional sit down roller coaster
market has increased interest in the floorless coaster model has diminished
fortunately the same can't be said of the company's second new model of 1999
the hyper coaster bein Emma's hyper coaster is specifically designed to
provide airtime moments to the guests on board the model features many large
Hills which cause riders to feel weightlessness for brief periods of time
this sensation is heightened as the model utilizes lap bar restraints
providing a comfortable and open wide experience Apollo's Chariot located at
Busch Gardens Williamsburg became the first hyper coaster taking guests on a
journey through the parks dense forests the company's hyper coaster model has
been a huge success leading to consistent installations at various
theme parks around the world aside from new roller coaster models
Walter and Claude de beauté two of their most well known roller coasters at the
opening of a new theme park in 1999 located at Universal Studios Islands of
Adventure at the time of opening with dragon challenge the company's first and
only pair of dueling roller coasters and the Incredible Hulk
bein m's first launched roller coaster interestingly however the launch itself
was manufactured by an external company unfortunately for fans of dragon
challenge the ride no longer exists at the park as it was removed in 2017
during and even prior to the de beauté of the many new attractions of 1999 the
Swiss company were developing something revolutionary
similar to the production of the dive coaster B&M worked with John Wardley
to produce an all new rollercoaster experience under extraordinary secrecy
Walter Claude and John began designing the flying coaster in 2002 after years
of work the team produced air the world's first B&M flying coaster the
ride now named Galactica seats guests in a prone position giving them the
sensation of flight as they navigate the course to do this the trains of the
right pivot from inverted to flying position before leaving the station due
to its unique nature and incredible ride experience the flying module has been a
success resulting in over 10 installations worldwide for the
remainder of the decade Walter and Claude continued to construct and
develop their existing rollercoaster models then in 2011 the company debuted
another new type of rollercoaster B&M constructed raptor a wing coaster at
garland in italy unlike conventional roller coasters PNM's wing coaster seats
riders over the side of the track giving the illusion that they are freely
suspended in the air the roller coaster model as a whole
often interacts with objects surrounding its track in near-miss moments to
enhance the right experience similar to many of the company's other models the
wing coaster has been a success currently six new installations are
scheduled to open during the 2018 and 2019 seasons alone as PNM has developed
over time so too has their individual models in 2012 the Swiss company debuted
Leviathan a 93 metre 306 foot hyper coaster their first to surpass the 300
foot height barrier this was followed by fury 325 a second taller hyper coaster
in 2015 as both of these rides measure over 300 feet high they are classified
as the company's only geeky coasters however bnm doesn't always go big for
that matter the most recent new addition to
company's portfolio of models has been on the smaller scale bnm introduced the
family inverted coaster in 2014 allowing younger riders to enjoy the
thrills of an inverted coaster without the intense inversions the model often
features gradual descent and sweeping turns making it similar to rides offered
by other rollercoaster manufacturers due to strict competition within this area
of theme park attractions bnm have constructed only one of their new model
with a second set for completion at some point during the 2018 season the final
and most recent development of the roller coaster company has revolved
around launches bnm independently constructed Thunderbird a wing coaster
featuring an ascent launch system in 2050 Thunderbird became the first launch
coaster built entirely by the Swiss company making further similar
attractions much more likely in the near future fortunately for those looking to
identify Bolliger & Mabillard rollercoasters their track design has
remained relatively consistent bnm always utilized a distinctive box design
for the spine portion of their track two rails can be found either side of the
spine which are connected by a series of cross ties the general shape of the
track remains consistent from model to model however the size and often
thickness of the central spine changes depending on the roller coaster in
question for example dive coasters feature huge track pieces to accommodate
for the heavier and denser train the Swiss company's roller coasters can
often be identified for other reasons also many bnm roller coasters feature a
pre drop a small dip in the track immediately after the end of the chain
lift hill this pre drop occurs before the main drop allowing for the Train to
disengage from the chain ultimately this was done to reduce stress on the chain
lift as the Train crests the hill however alternate designs have allowed
B&M to remove the once iconic pre-job from their modern-day roller coaster
additions unlike many other amusement ride manufacturers Walter and Claude's
company are solely a producer of roller coaster
they offer no dark or flat ride products but have previously fabricated trains
for other non B&M rollercoasters this includes cyclone a now-defunct wooden
coaster as well as the world's longest roller coaster steel dragon 2000 within
the entire amusement park industry Bolliger & Mabillard are known for their
reliable and high-quality products many of their rides are designed with
efficiency and consistency in mind making them a great choice for most
theme parks at the expense of this quality comes cost as bnm rides are
often more expensive compared to other rollercoaster manufacturers however many
established parks are willing to pay the price for a reliable and durable product
that stands the test of time as only a single beam of attraction has been
entirely demolished these factors play a large part of the selection process the
desire for quality is often reflected in the developments B&M make as a company
the manufacturer doesn't often push the forefront of what roller coasters can do
but bnm do what they do incredibly well while other companies like intimate
bright boundaries and create a mixture of both successful and unsuccessful
rights B&M consistantly manufacture great attractions that everyone can
enjoy looking to the future Walter and Claude currently have a large number of
construction projects within China a rapidly growing theme park market
suggesting that bnm success as a company will undeniably continue over the next
few years the real question however surrounds their portfolio hopefully in
the future Bolliger & Mabillard continues to expand their attraction
lineup by introducing newer and more exciting roller coaster models thank you
for watching and I'll see you all next time
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