User:Seaserpent85/B&Mdraft

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers (more commonly known as B&M) is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president.^[1] Since 1990, B&M have built over 60 roller coasters around the world and have pioneered several new ride technologies, most notably the inverted roller coaster.^[2] The company started with 4 employees and has since grown, now employing more than 30 people, mostly engineers and draftsmen.^[3]

1 History
2 Ride styles
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

Prior to forming B&M, Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard were employees of fellow Swiss roller coaster design consultants, Intamin AG. During this time, they are rumoured to have worked on Intamin's first stand-up roller coaster; Shockwave at Six Flags Magic Mountain, built in 1987.^[4]

In 1988, Bolliger and Mabillard left Intamin AG to form their eponymous company, Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers. From here they initially worked on stand-up roller coasters, with three being installed between 1990 and 1992.

In 1992, B&M built the world's first inverted roller coaster, Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America, where riders sit in trains suspended underneath the track. Unlike previous suspended roller coasters, the inverted roller coaster was able to perform inversions and was seen as a breakthrough in roller coaster technology.

B&M built their first sitting roller coaster in 1993, known as Kumba, at Busch Gardens Africa. Despite being a critically acclaimed ride, the majority of B&M's installations over the next few years were inverted roller coasters, with 15 being built between 1993 and 1998 alone.

After much secrecy, Oblivion, B&M's first diving machine was revealed in 1998 at Alton Towers. The diving machine features a vertical drop which is traversed by specially designed wide shuttles.

[edit] Ride styles

[edit] Stand-up roller coaster

Image:RRTrain.jpg

A B&M stand-up train.

See also: List of B&M stand-up roller coasters

B&M's debut installation was their version of the stand-up roller coaster with Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America opening in 1990.^[5] Passengers are restrained in a standing position by way of a saddle and height-adjustable over the shoulder restraints. All B&M stand-up rollercoasters feature multiple inversions, which, when combined with the standing position, create a "distinctly different ride action".^[6]

There are currently seven B&M stand-up roller coasters in operation today, all of which were installed in the 1990s. Despite still advertising the product on their website, B&M have not built any stand-up roller coasters since building the Georgia Scorcher at Six Flags Over Georgia in 1999.^[4] The decline in the popularity of stand-up roller coasters could be due to the introduction of newer roller coaster technologies or because of the need for high levels of upkeep to ensure rider comfort.^[4]

Notable examples of B&M stand-up roller coasters include Mantis at Cedar Point, Chang at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and The Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain, all of which broke numerous records for stand-up roller coasters upon opening.