Top Thrill Dragster from Cedar Point gets closer to completion with 420-foot coaster tower
Cedar Point's coaster skyline is now forever changed.
The topping of the Top Thrill 2's new 420-foot tower was completed at the Sandusky park over the weekend.
And now work begins in earnest in getting the revamped and amped up new incarnation of the Top Thrill Dragster ready for its unveiling when the park opens for the 2024 season on May 4.
The Top Thrill 2 will be the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch strata roller coaster once the work is complete.
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Park spokesman Tony Clark said now that the second 420-foot tower is complete work will shift to the ground.
"Going forward, we'll focus on the completion of the station platform, control booth, ride exit paths, queue and landscaping and reworking of the ride's midway plaza," he said. "The retail location currently known as Speed Zone will also undergo a renovation."
Some of the coaster's new train cars have already been placed on the tracks for preliminary testing.
"For now, while the weather is cooperating, we'll be performing some slow train movements with a single train, moving it throughout the station, transfer area, storage tracks and launch," Clark said.
Top Thrill 2: The numbers behind the world's fastest triple-launch strata coaster
The Top Thrill 2 will be the world's fastest triple-launch strata coaster when it opens.
A strata coaster is any roller coaster that eclipses a height of 400 feet — a feat Cedar Point first pioneered back in 2003 when the Top Thrill Dragster opened.
The redesign and construction is being preformed by Zamperla Rides and will be the first coaster to use the company's so-called lighter “Lightning” trains and a new LSM launch system.
It will feature two 420-foot-tall towers and launch riders three times at 74 miles per hour, 101 mph and finally 120 mph.
The total track length will be 3,422 feet and take some two minutes from start to finish.
Passengers will board the coaster cars that will then slide over to the main track for the three launches.
There will be three racing themed coaster trains — one metallic blue, one metallic silver and a third one metallic black.
Top Thrill Dragster accident
The roller coaster was immediately closed after an August 2021 mishap and never reopened.
A state investigation was launched and found loose bolts, signs of wear, deformation and impact marks on train cars and sections of track over the spot where a metal plate broke from the ride and fell striking a woman waiting in line.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture — charged with the inspection of amusement rides — found in its final report that Cedar Point had no knowledge the ride was in an unsafe condition the day of the accident.
State investigation: Cedar Point had no knowledge Top Thrill Dragster 'was in an unsafe condition,' state says
A lawsuit was filed by Michigan resident Rachel Hawes, who was struck in the head by piece of metal about the size of a hand. The lawsuit says she is permanently disabled and has already amassed some $2 million in medical expenses with future expenses expected to be more than $10 million.
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Top Thrill Dragster's past
The Top Thrill Dragster has dominated the Cedar Point skyline ever since it opened in 2003 and was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world at the time.
Those records were surpassed in 2005 by the Kingda Ka coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.
Some 18 million people rode the coaster, which sent riders in the air at 120 mph in just 3.8 seconds, before its closure.
From the start, Top Thrill Dragster was plagued by issues that led to its frequent closings as the park grappled with its original temperamental hydraulic system.
Riders were injured in a pair of previous mishaps on the coaster. In July 2004, four passengers were struck by flying debris from a frayed metal cable, and in 2016 two riders were injured when a launch cable detached from the coaster.
For more information on Top Thrill 2, the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch roller coaster, guests can visit cedarpoint.com or see construction updates on the park’s YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cedar Point begins finishing work on new Top Thrill Dragster coaster
