The Big Apple Coaster (formerly Manhattan Express and The Roller Coaster) is a steel hyper roller coaster at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The ride's trains are themed to New York City taxicabs. Opened in 1997, it is the only roller coaster by Japanese roller coaster manufacturer TOGO still operating in North America.[1]
| Big Apple Coaster | |
|---|---|
| Previously known as Manhattan Express (1997–2006) The Roller Coaster (2007–2015) | |
 The Big Apple Coaster and the New York-New York Hotel & Casino | |
| New York-New York Hotel and Casino | |
| Location | New York-New York Hotel and Casino |
| Coordinates | 36°6′7″N 115°10′25″W / 36.10194°N 115.17361°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | January 3, 1997 |
| Cost | $25 million |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | TOGO |
| Designer | TOGO |
| Model | Sitdown Looping |
| Track layout | Custom |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift |
| Height | 203 ft (62 m) |
| Drop | 144 ft (44 m) |
| Length | 4,777 ft (1,456 m) |
| Speed | 67 mph (108 km/h) |
| Inversions | 2 |
| Duration | 2:40 |
| Max vertical angle | 55° |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 3 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 18 riders per train. |
| Big Apple Coaster at RCDB | |
History
Opening and early years
The ride, originally called the Manhattan Express, was built by Japanese roller coaster manufacturer TOGO, and was one of only two roller coasters in the world to feature a heartline roll and dive.[2] The ride was conceived by Gary Primm, owner of Primadonna Resorts, which co-developed New York-New York.[3] When groundbreaking ceremonies for New York-New York occurred in March 1995, a 180-foot-tall coaster was planned to be built along with the resort.[4] The Elko Daily Free Press described the ride as a "Coney Island-style roller coaster", complementing the resort's replicas of major New York City attractions such as the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty.[5][6]
The ride cost $18 million to build.[7] It opened along with New York-New York on January 3, 1997.[7][6] Within two months, 500,000 people had ridden it.[7] In March 1997, Clark County building officials shut down the Manhattan Express over safety issues, which the resort had failed to report to the county.[7][8][9] Clark County officials issued five summonses to the resort's owners for violations of county building codes.[8][9] The ride contained 250 steel tension rods.[10] Approximately 40 of the rods had snapped, and the resort was cited for continuing to operate the ride despite the breakages. Repairs were made, and the ride reopened and closed several times that month, as more rods broke.[7] The initial 40 broken rods had been replaced using stronger material, which strained the weaker rods and caused them to snap. The strain also created fine cracks in the coaster track.[10]
The Manhattan Express reopened in April 1997, after two weeks of repairs and safety improvements.[11] Further rod breakages occurred on several occasions later in the year. The rods were repaired as they broke, and the county deemed the ride safe despite the frequent breakages.[12][8] By July 1997, the Manhattan Express had been closed for repairs at least eight times.[8] The coaster had its one-millionth rider the same month.[13] Problems with the coaster continued through that September.[14][15] According to Ron Lynn of the Clark County building department, the coaster was still safe to ride, even as three faulty rods were being replaced every week.[15]
Renaming and modifications
It had a reputation in the past for being a rough roller coaster. Some riders have gotten bruised on the shoulders from the old trains due to the roughness of the ride and negative G-forces.[citation needed] In 2004, Premier Rides installed magnetic brakes on the ride; by then, TOGO had gone out of business and was no longer able to service the ride. In August 2006, Premier also installed new trains to replace the original TOGO trains.[16][1] Since the Premier train installation, the ride has been noticeably smoother, as opposed to when the TOGO trains were in use.[16]
The ride was renamed as The Roller Coaster in 2007,[17] and as the Big Apple Coaster in 2013.[18]
In February 2018, the ride introduced a virtual reality coaster option. Riders could pay an additional fee to wear a virtual-reality headset on the ride.[19][20]
As of 2021[update], the Big Apple Express is the only roller coaster by TOGO still operating in North America.[1] For the 2021 season, the ride received another set of new trains from Premier Rides. These consist of more open-air seating and can hold up to 18 riders, thus increasing the coaster's capacity.[1] Testing began in December 2020, with the ride slated to reopen in February 2021.[21] An accident occurred in mid-December, where the middle car of one of the new trains derailed on the lift hill, causing severe damage to part of the catwalk.[22] The ride reopened on January 30, 2021.
Ride experience
The ride travels on a 4,777 ft (1,456 m) track.[23] The ride begins with a 180-foot (55 m) lift and a 76-foot (23 m) drop, followed by a hill and a 144-foot (44 m) drop.[1][16] The train then traverses two inversions, a standard vertical loop and a dive loop (twist and dive element), where the train performs a 180-degree spiral and then performs a half-loop maneuver.[16][24] This element is found on another coaster: the "Mega Coaster" at Hamanako Pal Pal Park in Japan.[25] The rest of the ride is executed on the roof of the casino, and features small hills and a helix into the brakes.[24] The ride's station is themed to a New York City Subway station.
Currently, the ride costs $19 per individual ticket and $10 for a re-ride. An all-day pass can be bought for $35. Las Vegas residents with valid ID, and military personnel also receive discounts.[26]
References
- ^ a b c d e "New York New York's Big Apple Coaster adds Premier Rides trains". Amusement Today. March 17, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ "Twist should put New York roller coaster on ACE map". Las Vegas Sun. June 27, 1996. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- ^ "Coaster at NY-NY a whopper". Las Vegas Sun. December 31, 1996. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ "Groundbreaking for new Las Vegas megaresort held". Elko Daily Free Press. April 1, 1995. p. 7. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ "Some New Yorkers think Vegas goes too far". Elko Daily Free Press. January 12, 1996. p. 10. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Macy, Robert (January 3, 1997). "Bite of Big Apple opens in Vegas today". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 20. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Greene, Susan (March 18, 1997). "Strip resort roller coaster grounded". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on September 16, 2000.
- ^ a b c d "Casino's roller coaster breaks again". Reno Gazette-Journal. July 10, 1997. p. 16. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ a b "Las Vegas roller coaster reopens". Reno Gazette-Journal. March 24, 1997. p. 28. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Greene, Susan (March 25, 1997). "Troubled roller coaster grounded for third time". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on September 16, 2000.
- ^ Greene, Susan (April 9, 1997). "Back on a Roll". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on September 17, 2000.
- ^ Greene, Susan (July 9, 1997). "Roller coaster suffers more ups and downs". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on September 17, 2000.
- ^ "12-year-old gets thrill on coaster". Las Vegas Sun. July 15, 1997. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- ^ Bates, Warren (September 14, 1998). "Ups, downs continue for New York-New York roller coaster". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on October 10, 1999.
- ^ a b "Clark County roller coaster's problems continue". Reno Gazette-Journal. September 15, 1998. p. 25. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "Big Apple Coaster". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ "The Roller Coaster". New York-New York official website. Archived from the original on January 6, 2007.
- ^ "The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade". New York-New York official website. Archived from the original on September 19, 2013.
- ^ "The New York-New York Roller Coaster adds virtual reality". Las Vegas Weekly. January 17, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ "Las Vegas New York New York hotel debuts Big Apple Coaster Virtual Reality Experience on Feb 7". Attractions Magazine. January 19, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ "Big Apple Coaster in Las Vegas gets new trains and technology upgrade from Premier Rides". Great Adventure History. December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Coaster Nation (December 23, 2020). "New York New York's Big Apple Coaster Suffers Derailment Testing New Cars". Coaster Nation. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Ride safety checks a never-ending duty". Las Vegas Sun. August 30, 1997. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ a b "Big Apple Coaster front seat on-ride HD POV New York, New York Hotel & Casino". CoasterForce. December 24, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Mega Coaster (Hamanako Pal Pal (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan))". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ^ "Roller Coaster - The Big Apple Coaster & Arcade at New York-New York". www.mgmresorts.com. Retrieved August 14, 2019.