Batman & Robin: The Chiller

Batman & Robin: The Chiller
The Chiller's main inversions, the 141 ft inverted top hat and the 113 ft cobra roll
Six Flags Great Adventure
Park section	Movietown
Coordinates	40°08′12.16″N 74°26′30.75″W
Status	Removed
Soft opening date	June 7, 1997 (June 7, 1997)
Opening date	April 4, 1998 (April 4, 1998)
Closing date	June 28, 2007 (2007-06-28)
Cost	US$15,000,000
Replaced by	Justice League: Battle for Metropolis
General Statistics
Type	Steel – Launched – Shuttle
Manufacturer	Premier Rides
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Dueling LIM Shuttle Loop Coaster
Track layout	Dueling
Lift/launch system	LIM launch track
	Batman	Robin
Height	200 ft (61.0 m)	200 ft (61.0 m)
Drop	139 ft (42.4 m)	105 ft (32.0 m)
Length	1,137 ft (346.6 m)	1,229 ft (374.6 m)
Speed	65 mph (104.6 km/h)	65 mph (104.6 km/h)
Inversions	1 (2007) 2 (1997-2006)	2 (2007) 3 (1997-2006)
Duration	0:32	0:48
Max vertical angle	90°	90°
Acceleration	0 to 65 mph (105 km/h) in 4 seconds	0 to 65 mph (105 km/h) in 4 seconds
G-force	5	5
Capacity	1360 riders per hour
Restraint Style	Individual ratcheting lap bar, formerly individual shoulder harness
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	2 (one on each side) trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Batman & Robin: The Chiller at RCDB Pictures of Batman & Robin: The Chiller at RCDB

Batman & Robin: The Chiller was a dual-tracked, launched roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Designed by Premier Rides, the ride opened to the public on June 7, 1997. After a series of setbacks shortly after its debut, the roller coaster closed for much of its inaugural season and didn't reopen until 1998. When it did, ride operation was changed to launch only one side at a time as a result of the amount of power required by the ride's linear induction motor (LIM) launch system. Although modifications were made over the years to improve the ride experience and limit the amount of downtime, the park decided to remove the attraction following the 2007 season.

History

Announcement

In 1996, Six Flags Great Adventure announced that it would be adding a new roller coaster in 1997, bringing their coaster count back up to seven. It was then announced that the coaster would be a prototype linear induction motor (LIM) launched dual tracked shuttle coaster dubbed "Batman & Robin: The Chiller". The theme was chosen with the intent of promoting the Batman & Robin film, which was set to open in summer that year. The Observatory scenery piece, that eventually loomed over the launch tracks and exit ramp, was taken directly from the film source material. A track was devoted to both title characters, with the icy blue track being christened Batman and its fiery red companion being labeled Robin. The coaster was located in the Movietown section of the park, adjacent to Batman The Ride, Stuntman's Freefall and "The Batman Stunt Show Arena", while sitting next to the Movietown Water Effect water ride.

Construction

The ride was fabricated by Dynamic Structures and Intermountain Lift, Inc.

Operational history

Since it was a prototype of Premier Rides' LIM launch coaster, it suffered several problems and flaws. After several delays, the coaster opened briefly on June 7, 1997 before shutting down due to further difficulties, including power shortages and brownouts in both the park and areas within the vicinity due to launching both tracks simultaneously caused by the LIMs using a lot of electricity. Although they scheduled to officially open the coaster in October 1997, the problems kept increasing. However, the Chiller officially opened on April 4, 1998.

The Chiller was faced with excessive amounts of downtime, while the launch systems were repaired. However, the Batman side faced more downtime than the Robin side, as parts were being used to maintain the Robin side. In several seasons, the Batman operated for a few weeks in some seasons and remained closed in other seasons. Due to power shortages or low temperatures, trains occasionally stalled in a low area between the zero g roll, and the top hat or cobra roll, while the Robin train would also occasionally stall in the cobra roll.

With the original hard over-the-shoulder restraints, riders experienced some discomfort during the ride. After a failed attempt to add extra padding, the restraints were converted to individually ratcheting lap bars on the Robin train in September 2001 and the Batman train in June 2002.

At the start of the 2003 season, the Robin side was operating, while the Batman side began to operate on Memorial Day. Both sides of the Chiller continue to operate until the end of the season.

In 2004, several modifications were made to the number of LIMs on the Robin tower in 2004. In April, 3 LIMs were taken off on both sides of the Robin tower, leaving 4 LIMs per side. In the following month, Robin operated with 7 LIMs on each side of the track. Later that year, the LIMs on the Robin side of the tower failed for an unknown reason causing the train to stall in the zero G roll. The Batman side was also closed for most of the season, and only operated for a few weeks.

The Chiller was repainted before the 2005 season began, giving a new dark blue color to the Batman side while touching up the Robin side's fading red. At the same time, two more LIMs were taken off (one per side) the Robin side's tower. The Batman side remained closed throughout the season due to problems with the LIMs on the tower that were smoking due to overheating. The Robin side operated for majority of the season.

In May 2006, both sides of the Chiller were operating. On June 2, 2006, two of the cars on the original Robin were damaged. The coaster was closed for the remainder of the season. During Fright Fest, the queue line was covered in cobwebs.

During the off-season between December 2006 and January 2007, both zero-G rolls were removed and replaced with slight banked inclined S-curve hills. The inversions became a problem due to concerns of occasional stalling caused by a failure of the tower's LIMs. The track replacement for Robin was completed first on March 13, 2007 while Batman's track was replaced between April 16 and 20. Around the same time, 2 more LIMs were also added back to both tracks of the tower, bringing the total back to 4 per side. Batman's train had its shells painted red to allow the Robin track to run first. The ride re-opened with the final modifications with only the Robin side open on April 7 and ran until June 28. The Batman side remained closed indefinitely throughout the season, where three of the five cars from the original Robin train were stored on the storage transfer track. Six Flags intended to order replacement parts, but the ride was far too expensive and complicated to keep it running. The only way to make the Chiller fully operating was to start from scratch, which was completely out of the question. So the park announced that the coaster would not reopen for the 2008 season. Demolition started in September of 2007.

Removal and aftermath

During the end of the 2007 season, the ride was completely removed, leaving only the station, observatory and queue line behind. The following year, the remaining foundation caps under the observatory and the former exit ramp were removed. The ride's parts were relocated to a storage lot in the adjacent Plumsted Township in New Jersey.

The ride remained there for several years before Beto Carrero World, a Brazilian park, purchased the coaster, and it was never rebuilt. It is commonly speculated that the ride's blueprints were lost during the sale, although there is no proof of this. A more likely scenario is that Beto Carrero World purchased the coaster parts for near scrap value and only realized after the sale that they did not have the capability or finances to rebuild the ride.

Following the removal of the ride, the queue line was used for the "Escape From The Asylum" Terror Trail during Fright Fest. The Fright Fest exclusive attraction turned the former ride area into a Terror Trail maze for guests to walk through while costumed employees were hiding and frequently scaring guests. The remodelled observatory opened on July 3, 2009, as the "Xploratorium", a new attraction with many virtual and interactive features for park guests to enjoy.

Ride expreience

Layout

Batman & Robin: The Chiller's entrance and the two 200-foot Tower.

The Chiller used a linear induction motor (LIM) launch system that propelled the trains from 0 to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) in approximately 4 seconds. The Batman track featured a 141-foot (43 m) Inverted top hat with a 139-foot (42 m) drop, followed by a 128-foot (39 m) zero-g roll. The Robin track had a similar layout, but instead of an inverted top hat, it featured a 113-foot (34 m) cobra roll with 105-foot (32 m) drop. However, it still used the zero-g roll. Both sides ended at a 200-foot (61 m) incline with a 45-degree angle, which also featured a second set of LIMs that propelled each train close to the top. They rested momentarily before rolling backward down the incline, propelled by the LIMs and repeating the course in reverse.

In its early days, both tracks ran their trains simultaneously as intended to provide a dueling scenario. When operated in this fashion, the trains would reach the end of their respective tracks at approximately the same time. However, the amount of power required by the LIM infrastructure led to the park only launching one train at a time. The zero-g roll element on each side was removed prior to the 2007 season and replaced with small hills.

Modifications and changes

In December 2006 and January 2007, during the off-season, both zero-G rolls were removed from the ride. The rolls were a problem due to concerns of occasional stalling caused by a failure of the tower's LIMs. The rolls were replaced by a slightly banked inclined S-curve. Batman's train had its shells painted red so Robin could be ready to open first before Batman. This was done because Robin was more reliable than Batman and the track replacement for Robin was completed first on March 13. It re-opened on April 7. Batman's track was replaced between April 16 and April 20, while the park was closed for the season, though it never operated again.

Gallery

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External links

• Batman & Robin: The Chiller at the Roller Coaster DataBase