How Top Thrill Dragster Worked (2003 - 2021)

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A look at the engineering behind Top Thrill Dragster and other accelerator roller coasters.
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Twitter: / aoengineering
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Video Attributions:
“Top Thrill Dragster Off-Ride 4K 60FPS - Cedar Point (Featuring a Rollback!)” by ElToroRyan
( / @eltororyan )
“Kingda Ka Off-Ride Six Flags Great Adventure HD 60fps” by Coaster Studios
( / @coasterstudios )
“Tanner And Jacobs FIRST EVER TRIP TO KNOTTS BERRY FARM! December 2018” by OhioValleyCoasters
( / channel )
“Taking a Look Inside Top Thrill Dragster's Hydraulic Launch Room!” by MattKillion Media
( / @mattkillionmedia )
“Top Thrill Dragster's Hydraulic Motor” by Coaster101.com
( / @coaster101 )
“Top Thrill Dragster DOUBLE ROLLBACK at Cedar Point!” by Marcus Leshock
( / @marcusleshock )
“Slow Motion - Top Fuel Dragster - Nitro - Alcohol - Muscle car” by Kaled's
Music from Epidemic Sound
#TopThrillDragster #RollerCoasters #ArtofEngineering

[@ArtofEngineering]

Hey everyone! Here are the timestamps for the topics covered in this video: 0:25 Introduction 1:55 Catch Car System 3:34 Steel Cable System 5:07 Calculating Force & Power 7:45 Hydraulic System 10:58 Braking System

[@aware5358]

Art of Engineering Thanks

[@jeffreylebowski4927]

Would it be worth it, to use regenerative braking??? Charge a capacitor, that powers the resetting of the launching system? How much electricity/energy and money could be saved? Great video, thx!

[@Wall-eandthederp]

Art of Engineering I was actually working the first day that it opened this year the park and it had 10 roebucks I just kept counting them know I was all the way in the front so yeah.

[@sudofox]

This was a pretty nice watch, I'm glad it was recommended to me. I'm curious about what happens at the top when the train gets stuck?

[@electric7487]

Thanks! Do you know the name of the song that starts playing at 1:38 and 3:50?

[@rbdono2]

We live in Sandusky and frequent Cedar Point. Top Thrill is my son's favorite ride (to watch). He is autistic, and is completely infatuated with how this ride works. I just showed him your video and he loves it. It's hard to find ways for him to learn, but you just did it. I can't thank you enough for this video!

[@coasterobsessed9513]

rbdono2 your son should watch koaster kids videos if he doesn’t already

[@Phobos_Anomaly]

This is a fantastic example of how simple KZbin videos can be really educational.

[@steamhoundtrains5073]

rbdono2 OH! IO!

[@kmlac6596]

I’m an adult on the spectrum... your son is very lucky to have a supportive parent like you! 🤗

[@7upub924]

poo

[@marcussheen]

This video is a masterclass. This is the first time I've seen someone go into so much detail about the hydraulic launch, yet the first time I've understood how every aspect works with crystal clarity.

[@ElToroRyan]

This video was super accurate and having worked Top Thrill Dragster as well as Kingda Ka, you taught me even more about the rides I didn’t know before! Great video!! I’m also proud to see my footage in this video! Keep up the great work!

[@derekwhite9932]

l found this video because it was recommended by you. l guess insider just did one about roller coasters and Ohio. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2LQf5JsoMRjhZo

[@Cyb3rSynaps3]

As a former cedar point employee I always wondered why dragster was so unreliable. Now I get it 😂

[@TheEatmorDininghall]

Still these rollercoasters are not as fast or as high as that new one they put up in Harlem NY, that rollercoaster in Harlem shoots you up an abondoned hi rise apartment building about 650 feet high then it comes straight down and does a triple helix in the Bronx.

[@jaredsheinberg]

@@TheEatmorDininghall What are you on about?

[@jaredsheinberg]

@@TheEatmorDininghall or was that a joke?

[@Hexydes]

I've been to Cedar Point at least 10 times, and have never gone on Dragster because it's either broken, or the line is 3 hours long (presumably because it was broken before). Now I know why, very complex system. Thanks, great video!

[@PabloGonzalez-hv3td]

Pay for the Fast Lane Pass you will not regret it it's almost like having the park to yourself

[@edenpenko1419]

U must be going on shitty days. Never go cp on the weekend. Walked on steel vengeance twice yesterday no wait

[@brown22sugar25]

@@edenpenko1419 I was there on Friday and it wasn’t too bad. Ride Top Thrill Dragster 3 times

[@BarryChapman]

@@brown22sugar25 not anymore!

[@NathanJohnson815]

@@edenpenko1419 I was there last Monday and Steel Vengeance was constantly a 1-2 hour wait. Ended up not riding it :(

[@DJ4x]

Seeing all the moving parts involved, I'm now not so surprised that TTD closes as frequently as it does.

[@sharkheadism]

I can't believe any park looked at this system and bought the ride.

[@oxaile4021]

@Chimera I can believe that. Doesn't help that late 90s and early 2000s electrical systems are often a real nightmare to work on regardless of who made it.

[@jonathandpg6115]

@@sharkheadism it was a record breaking coaster during the coaster wars. that’s why it was purchased.

[@ARCHIVED9610]

i could never ride one like this but gosh its prettyy ☺️

[@kryn1030]

Ahh I always wondered why it rolled back slightly at the start, very interesting.

[@narakmar6666]

It was a video in reversed

[@pointx171]

@@narakmar6666 No it wasn’t. If you’ve ever ridden it you’d know before launching the train rolls back and you can hear the magnets lock in the groove.

[@narakmar6666]

@@pointx171 lol that still doesn't explain why the video was in reverse, does it? XD

[@pointx171]

@@narakmar6666 because the video is Not in reverse.

[@pointx171]

@@narakmar6666 they said they always wondered why the train rolls back before launch and I explained why, the video diagram wasn’t reverse the train does move back irl

[@johnbender49]

Keeping my hands up for the entire ride (aside from the launch) has to be one of my proudest achievements when I was a 14 year old kid. Waited almost 2 hours for this ride with my dad, but we got on right after the sunset and the view from the time was spectacular. Most memorable 17 second experience of my life

[@brown22sugar25]

Arms down, head back, and hold on

[@ATLAoftheHill]

"It is designed to launch a train about every 60 seconds." When in reality it launches a train about every month of you are lucky

[@UserAbcd-wd4zo]

Haha

[@pmgodfrey]

I took my kids there in 2012. My son and I rode this probably 25 times that day. There just wasn't a crowd and apparently everything worked.

[@TheTotoditoto]

Excellent video, as a Ride Control engineer, I love how much details you put into this and how good the animations are. Great work !

[@paul_vlad]

I've always wondered how this ride worked, and was pleasantly surprised at the level of detail you provided. Awesome!

[@olmisery3859]

You've done us coaster enthusiasts proud, AOE! Brings a tear to my eye lmao

[@erikhjortsater5461]

As a coaster enthusiast I know exactly how it works but I still find myself watching these kinds of videos

[@TheGamingCucumber]

Literally same

[@charliew1822]

I'm an engineer in this industry and I didn't even know most of this stuff!

[@erikhjortsater5461]

@Charlie W I mean, you’ve probably spent your time learning a wider array of stuff while I’ve chosen specific things to focus on and thus I’ve gained more knowledge during a shorter period of time..

[@charliew1822]

@@erikhjortsater5461 Fair point. You never know what people can teach you until you ask them! Keep learning!

[@erikhjortsater5461]

@Charlie W ooh yeah! I definitely will! My dream job is within aviation so if I want to get there I’ve no other choice

[@JuliusAndTheOthers]

I would love to see a video like that about the „Tower of Terror“ at Disneys Hollywood Studios, since it has such a unique ride system!

[@mizstories9646]

He has made one about the Tower of Terror now and it's awesome!

[@ThemeParkCrazy]

Hey! Great video! Awesome to see more informative content about roller coasters out there. Quick question though: how did you get a Skillshare sponsorship? I thought you couldn't get sponsors without 100k subscribers.

[@liam9206]

Hi theme park crazy! I’m a huge fan! Can’t wait for your next upload!

[@seanlkd3659]

he's god that why

[@ArtofEngineering]

I can't say too much here, but feel free to contact me via e-mail or send me a direct message on Twitter and I'd be happy to provide more details. Generally speaking, there are no minimum requirements for sponsorships.

[@AmericanGirlGymnasts]

It depends company to company and channel to channel and what they see/ want

[@sheilaengelcohen]

ij

[@tonyjenkins7378]

I moved to Florida away from Cedar Point. When I had my season pass I absolutely loved this ride.

[@unknownchancellor]

Hey, I just wanted to tell you that your videos are actually amazing. I enjoy watching them a lot. Keep on producing such quality videos.

[@noahhomyak9477]

This was the highest quality educational KZbin video I’ve ever seen. (Even better than Sal Khan :) )

[@mercury9060]

I really enjoy these videos, seeing the math behind coasters and how everything works.

[@skittstuff]

I'm not really big on riding coasters as I have some serious motion sickness...but learning about how they work? That's my shit. I got so excited when you showed the clip of the hydraulics. It blows my mind how humans can make things work with all the detailed parts that go into an experience that ends up being less than 20 seconds. Super cool stuff!

[@themeparklife6544]

Best video I've ever seen on how a particular coaster works. Detailed, informative, brilliant. Thanks for creating this.

[@technoandrew]

These videos are great. I’d never before thought about the amount of power that launch roller coasters need, in comparison to other types of vehicle.

[@jricedrums]

Thank you so much for this video. I've been fortunate that I got to operate Top Thrill Dragster for a summer at Cedar Point and I was very into the engineering of the launch system. Since it was so complicated it was very difficult to explain to people how it worked in just a few minutes. This video gives an excellent 100% spot on description of how it works!

[@Tigrou7777]

I love how you explain every single technical detail of the ride. Good job.

[@SmoothbassmanStudios]

Very well done. This is an awesome coaster!!

[@coasternate4985]

This is a lot more complicated than the dragster I made in minecraft.

[@RishiJalukar]

Coaster Nate I’d kinda like to see that, it sounds rly cool

[@littleferrhis]

Wheres the redstone?

[@Jolinders108]

You deserve so much more attention from the KZbin audience.. awesome video man, love all the details!!

[@AidanHockey34]

Wonderful video! This entire coaster is an engineering feat, but the feature I love most is the "Fail-Open" pneumatic Eddy brakes. Brilliant, subtle, simple design that can save lives in case of catastrophic failure. Genius.

[@isaiahbingham2518]

This is such a fantastic video. You leave no questions unanswered and the diagrams and explanations you give are clear and concise. This was highly entertaining and informative. I look forward to checking out your other content!

[@ashly6606]

You absolutely need more subscribers sir. You go into immense detail that keep things interesting. The amount of dedication to the animation is awesome! Such an over achiever. Amazing.

[@Psyggie]

Great vid! I'm obsessed with this thing. I've been to Cedar Point and ridden it 6 times. Want many more!

[@AngeloGiles]

Glad this was in my recommendations, you did an amazing job on this video, keep up the good work man!

[@averagejoe6031]

Wow, you really did your research! this was a very informative and interesting video. Keep up what your doing!

[@aidanhalliwell3940]

I've been to Cedar Point multiple times and it's kinda sad how little recognition it gets. Really glad to see this video pop up in my recommended!

[@gerardoaramburu9802]

Thanks for the video, as a roller coaster enthusiast I appreciate your clear and detailed explanation about its operation ...

[@guitargeorge6423]

As a mechatronics student and coaster enthusiast, I find this really fascinating

[@brandonelliott7297]

One of my personal favorite rides on the planet and now my favorite video of yours with your ToT video coming in at number two. Can’t wait to see more awesome videos from you to learn more about these complex engineering marvels that make thrill rides possible!

[@harrietjones1409]

I’ve always wondered how the brake fins work! This was a really really well done video. Thank you!

[@The2Trolles]

Fantastic video! It was very easy to follow, and had some awesome graphics to go along with it. Keep up the amazing work!

[@FaizanAli-op2xe]

I was always fascinated by these thrill rides and wanted to know the working behind it. This video really is awesome in explaining the stuff. Thanks

[@SamsNew]

This video is pure gold. Thank you so much for all the effort you put behind the scenes to come up with this exceptional video. I'm aware of the effort because my teammates and I are designing a hydraulic launch system for a theoretical roller coaster as our senior project, and we had to go through a lot of research, we even got a special tour inside one of these hydraulic launch system building for a known ride. Your video is probably one of the best I stumbled across considering most of the information about such a system been kept away from the public. I wish I saw this video a long time ago, but probably I would not have understood what was happening had I not seen those parts in real life! Thank you again.

[@careysharp8340]

That's a lot of engineering for our entertainment. Thanks for showing the behind the scenes craftsmanship.

[@coastermania17]

Great explanation. This is the first source that I've seen that explains what happens inside the hydraulic motors to turn the drum. I've had a basic understanding of the system for a while, but never knew how the energy of the flowing hydraulic fluid was converted to the rotational energy of the drum

[@dangamber5707]

Great Video! This was a really in-depth mechanical explanation done perfectly!

[@nathanielthomas2502]

Another great video.. Cedar Point Intamin years from 2000-07 was the greatest..this explains the down time this ride can unfortunately experience..often because just one of those fins failing

[@Jericho27]

I only live 3 hours away from cedar point. and seeing this all happen is crazy! i dont like riding roller coasters but i still go from time to time just to watch and enjoy the smaller rides.

[@PanduPoluan]

Amazing, easy to understand, and VERY good engineering exposition!

[@jevinday]

Great video! I loved hearing about the engineering aspect of the coaster.

[@AdrianL2805]

Great video Im happy that there are good roller coaster videos by people who don't focus on roller coasters! :)

[@agustinreyes5490]

I think I learned more things from this video than a single year of school. Everything was explained great! Thx for the amazing video.

[@madelinegarber7860]

This is great. I learned some of this using kah as our model in physics in high school but I’ve forgotten most of it and it’s good to know how the coasters you want to ride work.

[@Thegamingdude115]

Enjoyed the mathematics showcase in this video. Shows just how usable math is. Great video 👍🏼

[@cookieflavoredoreo4685]

You sir have an earned an esteemed award, you are part of the underrated KZbinrs that we honestly do not deserve. This work is too good and so incredibly detailed, and also not boring. You have joined the club with other KZbinrs such as Lemino, captain disillusion, internet historian, and a couple others.

[@brandonoddo9873]

I did a project on the hydraulic/pneumatic launch system about 11 years ago in my highschool engineering class, glad to know I was right with my information! I was even pretty close with my diagrams! Great video! Top Thrill is truly an incredible testament to modern-day engineering!

[@pomonabill220]

GREAT video and detail about this ride! Would like to see more of the drive running though. TONS of engineering went into the design of this ride and thanks for showing the detail!

[@Porcf81]

Well done! Super accurate and informative! Great animations/visual aids! I was prepared to sit through this and go "wrong... false... not quite... incorrect" and instead I was saying "yes! Exactly! Well done! I didn't know that!" Thanks for putting together such a great video!! 10/10!

[@kevint6989]

Fantastic job man was a joy to watch. Thank you!

[@TheAlternateYT]

Great video bro! I love this ride because of its complexity and you explained it beautifuly

[@penguinmaster7]

such incredible technology and engineering for a roller coaster and here i am misusing it in planet coaster for the "warp speed blender"

[@dahvyee]

Really awesome video, very informative and well paced. Loved it!

[@blueday4644]

Awesome technical breakdown, thank you!

[@jupiterbjy]

Insanely well made, logical video.

[@standm1]

Wow that is cool can you do more roller coaster ones

[@TheMaverick987]

It's always great to see a channel not 100% dedicated to theme parks talk about coasters and very clearly actually know what they're talking about. Very informative and interesting.

[@nexus882]

Man I've been wondering for YEARS how that giant hydraulic monster worked. Thank you!

[@RyanWehr]

I can't believe that this ride works as well as it does. ( with out break down ). so much has to be perfect for every single launch. mind boggling

[@CoastersThrillsAndAirtimeHills]

What a good video! Thanks for creating!

[@samc7160]

Excellent video!!! So far I have enjoyed 3 of the videos of yours that I have seen. I like that this video seems a little more technical than the SpaceX landing video, but I still loved that one too. Don’t feel pressured to do your videos a certain way if you don’t want to. Great content and keep up the great work. You have earned a well-deserved subscription.

[@voltsiano116]

I feel like a scientist now. This was very well explained!

[@fireflyfox93]

This ride is by far my favorite ride ever!

[@Scojopo23]

As a coaster enthusiast I thought this was another GP video... Even I learned something new! Great video!

[@sharkheadism]

If you pay to enter the park, you're GP

[@echooftruth12]

Very informative video. Really good job. Thanks for info!!

[@RobertTheHaunter]

Amazing video! I love the detail!

[@kevinlundblad1661]

im glad we have such smart people like this, cool video

[@littleferrhis]

I watched a ride video on this afterwards, I could tell when it was going to launch just by how the fins moved, great video!

[@andyluce7871]

This is a very accurate video well done this taught me things i didn't know before and when it comes to coasters that is saying ALOT

[@TheWillwho]

Incredible video!! And also that’s some amazing engineering too

[@runningrock124]

well put together video! thank you

[@JackCase]

really awesome informative video! Glad I clicked!

[@emilybreneman2140]

Great video! Might use the engineering explanations for a physics project about Xelerator, which is mechanically very similar. It was easy to follow through and understand everything, and was amazing and informative as well! :)

[@stevekelly5166]

There are more than 2 in the world. Thorpe Park near Heathrow airport has one. called Stealth Done it many times. And the roll back brakes. Well they do not rise as one, but each blade rises as soon as the rear of the train clears it.. Quite fun to watch them when queuing. Thanks for the information about the cable system, and gear box, and hydraulics. Always wanted to do a roll-back!

[@robkenna2795]

very thorough and easy to understand explanation, thanks

[@victorcercasin]

Really good, well researched video!

[@cxnall1303]

Fascinating and informative. I knew the basics about how Intamin's hydraulic launches worked, but this video really taught me a lot of the details

[@Marpurrsa]

this is definately on my bucket list along with kingda ka i love flying because of the takeoff so that feeling but even harder sounds like music to my ears

[@rogeronslow1498]

Well researched and presented.

[@dskilla4142]

Fuuuuck yeah! Its about that time! Binge watch every cedar point video in existence!

[@namenamename390]

5:21 I will never understand why the US uses a different unit with the name "ton". Like, obviously, 13600kg are 13.6 metric tons, but no, the US needs its own, unique ton.

[@ejectoraircoasters222]

America is weird what can I say

[@arrowup8711]

As an American Im incredibly used to "ton".

[@mebh5297]

Great vid! Learned a lot

[@MrKillerRC]

Awesome video. I love this ride. So fun.

[@samich57]

I love this video. Thanks for making it. From a coaster enthusiast who witnessed the horrible accident on 8/15/2021. I wish someone would make a video reviewing the ODA report released in February 2022. I will ride TTD in 2023! Long live the Strata coasters! Commenting from Kalamazoo Michigan

[@UserName0043]

TFW you piss your pants on a piece of amazing human mechanical achievement

[@richardmillhousenixon]

Yeah... For me that ride would be *_insanely_* fun when it works correctly, but I would probably shit my pants 12 times if I was on there during a rollback

[@jayvey634]

Very impressive video dude!

[@derekwhite9932]

El Toro Ryan mentioned this video, said it was awesome!

[@justinvzu01]

"It has stood the test of time" tell that to the maintenance crew. lol

[@brittanym188]

cedar point is my home every summer! ♥ Halloweekends is the best time to come to CP

[@northvanman1283]

I'm saving up my money to do this ride at end of summer. So far Ive done the Leviathan and Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland.

[@reflex1749]

Don’t know why this man doesn’t have more than 500k. Quality of the videos are amazing.

[@TomTom-vi6vp]

Brilliant video always wondered how these or Queen of Rita worked