There’s a well known rivalry surrounding roller coasters.
It’s not one of height, speed, or length; but one of material - wood vs steel.
As most of you already know, the first roller coasters were made out of wood, but as technology
progressed, rides evolved, and steel roller coasters became much more prevalent.
And today, the majority of coasters are steel!
But what are the differences between these two materials, why has steel gone onto dominate
the industry and most importantly, which is better?
To answer these questions we must first travel back in time and understand why the original
roller coasters were made from wood.
The simple answer is ease of use - grab a few skilled tradesmen and a lot of lumber
and you could make your very own wooden roller coaster.
This was easy enough to do back in the early 1900s, but manufacturing and bending steel
tubes would have been unheard of at the time.
The machinery required to create the hollow steel rails of a modern roller coaster just didn’t exist.
In fact, it wouldn’t be done to create a roller coaster until nearly 60 years later.
But up until this time, wooden roller coasters had been mostly the same.
Of course they’d gotten taller, faster and longer - but the main premise of hills, twists
and turns remained common from ride to ride.
This was the case for steel roller coasters.
As more and more were built, their benefits began to show.
Steel rides were built which sent riders through multiple inversions, launched them along the
track, or even placed them under it.
Roller coaster design exploded with a huge number of new and exciting ways to thrill
guests which all stemmed from the new material, steel.
But why, what allowed steel rides to do what was deemed unthinkable with wood.
Though wood is easy to use, it isn’t as strong as steel, and because wooden roller
coasters are made entirely from wood, they require more support.
As a result, they often feature a lattice support style which holds up the track above.
Though while early steel roller coasters used a similar steel lattice support structure,
modern day versions feature cylindrical supports which are placed periodically along the track.
This creates a less dense looking ride, which is often the most striking difference between the two.
But this added strength comes at a cost, literally.
Steel is more expensive than wood, meaning a steel roller coaster will usually cost considerably
more than a wooden coaster of a similar scale.
The choice of material has many more implications than just aesthetics and cost however.
As you might have guessed the stronger nature of steel allows designers to build their rides
taller and faster than what is possible with wood.
Wooden roller coasters require an ever increasing mesh of support below as their height increases.
This structure in itself becomes heavier and less supportive the taller the ride becomes.
As a result, wooden roller coasters simply can’t be built as tall as their steel counterparts.
Further to this, the lattice style supports of a wooden ride make it impossible to create complex layouts.
A vertical loop is a relatively easy element to design on a steel ride, only requiring a few supports.
But it’s hard to even imagine the intricate system required to support a wooden version.
This complexity extends beyond just elements.
Steel roller coasters can place riders in a huge number of different positions, including
above, below and to the side of the track.
On top of this, some steel rides even allow guests to spin in circles as they navigate the track.
These designs just aren’t realistically possible with wooden roller coasters.
But the main point often cited by lovers of wooden roller coasters as the main difference
is the way it feels.
There’s just something different about the experience a wooden ride gives, compared to a steel one.
Wooden coasters are often touted to provide a more wild ride, one which is a little bit
shaky and more chaotic.
Because of this, the trains often feature couch like seats which are padded, making
the experience more comfortable.
A steel roller coaster, for comparison, can be as smooth as glass, giving guests the sensation
of floating along the layout.
Just compare the smooth sensation of weightless gained on Europa Park’s Silver Star, to
the fast paced nature of their wooden coaster, Wodan.
This distinction boils down to the accuracy and precision of the track itself.
Wooden roller coasters are often cut and assembled onsite by a host of skilled trades-people.
Naturally, this creates a less precise ride.
As the train navigates the layout it often shuffles along between the rails, following
the curves of the track.
This is what creates that shaky sensation.
Steel roller coasters on the other hand are bent precisely into shape using high-tech
machines, before being welded together.
The wheels of the train fit relatively tightly around each rail, allowing for it to accurately
follow the gradual and winding layout of the track.
This difference not only affects how smooth a roller coaster can be, but also how loud it is.
The shuffling sensation of a wooden ride sends heavy vibrations into the track.
This, coupled with it’s dense support structure, causes wooden rides to often be louder than
their steel counterparts.
To counter this, parks use sound tunnels, or padding between the rails, to isolate some of the noise.
While, for steel roller coasters, the track and supports can be filled with sand, damping
the vibrations sent through it by train.
The trains themselves can differ between the wooden and steel rides too.
Traditional wooden roller coaster vehicles often exclusively feature comfortable yet
safe lap bar restraints, while steel rides feature trains with a wide range of restraint
types, some better than others.
This includes over the shoulder restraints, lap bar restraints, and even over the shoulder lap bar restraints.
One thing we are yet to discuss is the longevity of roller coasters.
As you might have guessed, both wooden and steel rides can’t last forever, even with regular maintenance.
As steel attractions are stronger and more resilient in nature, they usually require less maintenance.
While wooden rides on the other hand are much cheaper to initially construct, but require
a lot more regular maintenance.
Often parts of the wooden track and supports will be replaced on a yearly basis.
By continuing to replace small sections of an old wooden roller coaster year after year
it can be kept in good condition.
This is how so many wooden rides built during the early 1900s are still in operation today.
Steel roller coasters sadly don’t have the same luxury.
It’s not cheap or easy to replace a portion of a steel track or supports.
Often if a ride requires extensive maintenance new track and supports will be fabricated
to replace the original ones - at great expense; or if the park can’t spare this expense,
it will close to the public.
As a result, even well maintained steel roller coasters often close after anywhere between
20 to 40 years of operation.
This happened to Vortex, a steel attraction located at Kings Island, in 2019.
Originally opened in 1987, the ride lasted only 30 years before reaching the end of it's
service life; while The Beast, a wooden roller coaster at the same park opened nearly 10
years earlier and still operates to this day.
Despite all these differences, the line between wooden and steel roller coasters has recently begun to blur.
Technological advancements have led to the development of more precise and complex wooden
roller coasters, such as Intamin’s prefabricated roller coaster model.
This type of ride uses accurate machinery to cut track pieces perfectly into shape,
before they are assembled together on-site.
This has allowed the company to produce wooden attractions of greater heights and speeds
than was previously possible.
Other amusement manufacturers have created hybrid roller coasters, which utilise both
materials to provide new experiences.
Rocky Mountain Construction has been a key contributor to this development, producing
steel tracked roller coasters held up by a lattice of wooden supports.
This allows the attraction to be as smooth as a steel roller coaster, while featuring
some of the additional chaotic feel of a wooden ride.
On top of this, they can also place riders upside down through multiple inversions.
Originally, the company would upgrade old wooden roller coasters to make them more exciting to guests.
However, the rides have become so popular that parks have begun to construct hybrid
roller coasters from the ground up.
It’s safe to say that roller coasters have come a long way since their debut - of which
the introduction of the steel attraction was a huge milestone.
Since then, rides have become bigger, better and more unique; allowing guests to experience
a huge range of new and exciting sensations.
And though the steel roller coaster could be considered better on paper, newer developments,
such as the hybrid roller coaster, have allowed wooden rides to be just as versatile.
Only one question remains; which do you prefer - wood or steel?
Thank you for watching, and we’ll see you all next time.
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