4th Dimension Roller Coaster

Eejanaika at Fuji-Q Highland.

A 4th Dimension roller coaster is a type of roller coaster in which the cars have the ability to rotate by use of an extra set of rails on the track.

History

Arrow Dynamics

The first 4th Dimension coaster to be built was X at Six Flags Magic Mountain. It was designed and built by the manufacturer, Arrow Dynamics and was the last ride to be made by them.

S&S Power

The 4th Dimension design was bought along with the rest of Arrow Dynamics by S&S Worldwide. S&S proceeded to built two more 4th Dimension coasters; one in Japan, Eejanaika, and the other in China, 4D Roller Coaster.

In late 2012, S&S Worldwide unveiled a new concept called Free Spin which features a similar ride to Intamin ZacSpin. Each vehicle features two seating rows, and each row rotates independently. Because the axis of rotation is at the center of mass of each guest, rider comfort is significantly improved. Like with ZacSpin, Seats spin freely, but during several track sections a system of magnets forces a controlled inversion. The first installation of a 4D Free Spin was Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in 2015.

Intamin AG

The Intamin ZacSpin was developed in response to the Arrow Dynamics 4th dimension roller coaster. Some of the main differences between the Intamin and Arrow Dynamics/S&S Worldwide versions are the uncontrolled rotation of the seats, which produces a different ride each time, no need for an additional rail, and single cars with 2 riders back-to-back. But since these single cars don't rotate around the riders but around a common point quite far back behind their backs, this gave rise to complaints of rider discomfort. Another notable difference is the absence of any lateral movements, causing some enthusiasts to not consider the rides 4th dimension roller coasters due to the fact that all movement is restricted to a 2 dimensional plane.

Kirnu at Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Finland, opened for the 2007 season and was the first of its kind. Later that year Inferno opened at Terra Mitica in Spain with an identical compact layout. In 2009, Insane opened at Gröna Lund with a different track layout. In 2011, the first ZacSpin in the United States opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain as Green Lantern: First Flight, and was themed to the DC Comics superhero of the same name. It features the same layout as Insane.

In 2016, Intamin announced an updated version that like Free Spin also features a vehicle with two seating rows rotating independently, and an axis of rotation at the center of mass of each guest to improve rider comfort. 

Design

The seats on the train are located at either side of the track. Theese seats are rotated to different angles at different points in the ride to add excitement.

Mechanics

The rotation of the cars 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 move up and down relative to the track and spin the seats using a rack and pinion gear mechanism.

Similar Rides

The trains on a Bolliger & Mabillard wing coaster are similar to a 4th Dimension train. Both models seat their riders at either side of the track, but a Wing Coaster car is fixed to track, unlike the 4th Dimension car, which can spin under control.

Installations

Name		Park	Manufacturer	Opened	Status
X2		Six Flags Magic Mountain	Arrow Dynamics	2002	Operating
Eejanaika		Fuji-Q Highland	S&S Worldwide	2006	Operating
Kirnu		Linnanmãki	Intamin AG	2007	Operating
Inferno		Terra Mitica	Intamin AG	2007	Operating
Insane		Gröna Lund	Intamin AG	2009	Operating
Green Lantern: First Flight		Six Flags Magic Mountain	Intamin AG	2011	Removed; now Vipere at La Ronde
Dinoconda		China Dinosaurs Park	S&S Worldwide	2012	Operating
unknown		Steel Pier	Intamin AG	2014	Never built
Batman: The Ride		Six Flags Fiesta Texas	S&S Worldwide	2015	Operating
Unknown		Kings Dominion	S&S Worldwide	2021/2022	Planned