X² (roller coaster)

X²
The lift hill as seen from the queue
Location	Six Flags Magic Mountain
Type	Steel - 4th Dimension
Status	Operating
Opened	January 12, 2002
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	175 feet (53.3 m)
Drop	215 feet (65.5 m)
Length	3,610 feet (1,100 m)
Max speed	76 miles per hour (122 km/h)
Inversions	2 Raven Turns 2 Half Twists 1 Front-flip 1 Back-flip 2 Half Front-flip
Max vertical angle	88.5°
Capacity	1600[1] riders per hour
Cost	$46,000,000
Max g force	4
Height restriction	48 inches (122 cm)
X² at RCDB Pictures of X² at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

X² (formerly known as X) is a steel roller coaster operating at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California . It was the world's first "4th Dimensional Roller Coaster" and was the last roller coaster ever built by Arrow Dynamics. It is unique in that the trains' seats can be rotated 360 degrees backwards or forwards. The ride first opened to the public on January 12, 2002.

Description

X² is a unique prototype design in which the seats can rotate forward or backward 360 degrees in a controlled spin. This is achieved by having four rails on the track: two of these are running rails while the other two are for spin control. The two rails that control the spin of the seats (the "X Rails") move up and down relative to the track and spin the seats using a rack and pinion gear mechanism. X²'s lift-hill climbs 175 feet (53 m) into the sky with the ride's tallest point above ground at 190 feet (58 m). The first drop is 215 feet (65.5 m) and is sloped at 88.5 degrees, causing the train to reach a maximum speed of 76 mph (122 km/h). The 3,610-foot (1100 m) long layout features two inversions including a skydive, two "raven turns", one backflip, and a twisting front flip. Although the ride has received mostly rave reviews from enthusiasts and is a huge hit among the general public, X² has had problems. Due to design flaws—particularly with the trains—the ride's opening (originally scheduled for summer of 2001) was delayed until January of 2002. In June, the ride closed for several months in order to modify the trains. In August of 2002, the ride reopened and has been running smoothly ever since, except for a train valleying in the summer of 2005. The ride also closed down sometime in mid-August 2006 due to a blown gear box part and reopened on February 3rd 2007. There are four songs that are played at X²'s loading platform, including Confusion (Pump Panel Reconstruction Mix) by New Order, She's My Pusher by The Crystal Method, and Vapor Trail by The Crystal Method.

Redesigning X

On November 1, 2007 Six Flags Magic Mountain announced a redesign to the already popular thrill ride. In late 2007 to spring 2008, X will close and be redesigned to have completely new trains, all-new, innovative state-of-the-art visual, audio and sensory effects, and a new tunnel with a light experience that changes with every ride. In a projected $10 million dollar investment, X will reopen in spring 2008 renamed to X².^[2] Six Flags Magic Mountain hired S&S Arrow to build new trains for X². The new trains are expected to be lighter and reduce the amount of downtime the ride experiences. Possible changes may also include a reduction in the number of cars per train and the installation of retractable floors to the loading and unloading areas of the station.

Similar roller coasters

S&S Arrow has recently opened the second roller coaster of this type, Eejanaika (meaning 'Ain't it Great?'), at Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. This second 4th Dimension coaster is very similar to X², but differs in height (Eejanaika is 250 feet tall), and some elements are altered, such as the first 'half-half' element, in which the trains rotate on the track one half turn as the seats also rotate one half turn, has now been replaced with a 'full-full' element, in which the train rotates on the track for one full turn as the seats rotate one full turn. The turn back towards the lift hill on Eejanaika is a true overbanked turn, while on X² this turn was not.

References

External links

• X Roller Coaster Review and photos on Ultimate Rollercoaster.com.
• Review of X on America Coasters
• Listing of 4th Dimension installations at RCDB
• X² (roller coaster) is at coordinates 34°25′16″N 118°35′34″W / 34.421005, -118.592885Coordinates: 34°25′16″N 118°35′34″W / 34.421005, -118.592885
• Pictures of X on CoasterGallery.com
• video of the X